Should You Supply Your Own Personal Paper to Your Own Magazine Printer

This can be a question that has surfaced a lot of times within the duration of my career. Honestly, I have hated to hear it because I knew that the writer asking it'd be doubtful in my answer. I believe its pretty safe to say most everybody knows that printers make money if they supply paper for their clients. The amount varies by printer as some perspective paper as a source of further profits yet others only need to cover their associated costs of handling and acquisition. Does it matter how much a printer is making on the newspaper that they are supplying to you? No! , it shouldn't; however that is simply provided their prices are market-competitive and you're getting what you're spending money on. The enormous AND is really because I have caused a magazine writer where the paper that they were actually getting was at least 2 grades less than what they were paying for. To make things worse, these certainly were overpaying by some thing such as $10.00/cwt (supposing these were getting the caliber that they were paying , they weren't).

Anyway, as a result of the fiasco, this publication asked me my thoughts about buying their paper. Again, I have already been asked this questions numerous times on the duration of my livelihood, mostly during very soft markets when newspaper merchants are out knowingly trying to get rid of excess paper. Regardless of whether this question was requested 20 Years Back or is being asked today, my response remains the same:

If you are a little commerce and special interest magazine publisher together with 1 5 titles (and without knowing your precise circumstances) the general answer is no, you should not. The next is my service with this answer:

A consumer of paper has 3 potential options for buying paper - a) through the printer b) from a newspaper agent or call ) mill guide. Regarding most commerce and special interest magazine publishers, you are going to be too small to get mill guide therefore I won't include the pros and cons of this choice. Therefore lets check the other two:

Printer Supplied Paper

First, there's truly just one perceived"con" to buying your newspaper through your printer and that is that typically you are paying a mark up. Again, the percentage fluctuates from printer-to-printer. This has got somewhat complicated as, even though you may be paying a markup, it doesn't necessarily indicate that you are paying more for your own paper. Its like other things, it just depends on what you're comparing it too! Just do not assume that if there's a mark-up being applied that you're over paying. The bottom-line on pricing is that you must compare the quoted price into some thing of specs to get a decision on a fair price.

Let us look at what it is that you are receiving for your own mark-up that's employed to paper given by your printer because, I am telling you, in the end, it's well worth every cent!

1 ) ) Administration. Trust in me, government is a nuisance. Remember, whenever you supply your own paper it is your duty to make sure that there is certainly enough paper on the ground to complete your work. This requires coordination between you, your printer and your own broker. It might appear simple enough however it's time that many do not possess those days. And it's equally critical that you manage your inventory so that you don't need too much paper sitting on your floor costing you money when it's not used. When your printer provides your newspaper, this really becomes their problem and so they know just how to manage it effortlessly!

2) Flexibility. As a magazine publisher the odds are that you don't make many major last minute changes in page count or amounts. However if you really do, is your broker be ready and able to respond? Andif they can, at what cost? Again, printer supplied paper make this their problem, none.

Buying paper during your printer guarantees quality. In a soft newspaper market, agents are typically able to furnish top quality, A-grade paper since it's readily available. However, when an industry stinks, many times what agents have open to them are"moments" or mill/printer rejected paper. I recall an episode when a publication supplied their particular paper to your printing company and also we found it had been paper that we had previously received straight from the mill and had made it to quality reasons. The teenager - it didn't run! The cost to the publisher, for this 1 problem, was far over the planned joint annual savings which would have been attained by supplying their paper for us. We functioned to provide some relief for this particular customer but they immediately went back to"printer supplied" paper.

4) Availability. Again, when the sector is soft, accessibility is generally not an issue. However, once the market tightens up quickly, it can suddenly become one. Again, I had an individual who insisted on supplying his/her own paper. There came an issue, for reasons that I do not recall, where they were suddenly unable to acquire their paper to us in time. Because of this, these were begging for us to help out them and find them with the paper that they required. The problem was that we only didn't have it to let them have. We were eventually able to locate them the paper that they had nevertheless it came in an expense so excellent it far surpassed the joint yearly savings they had intended to comprehend by providing their paper to people.

5) Taking Costs. Whenever you purchase paper by the broker, you may typically have 1 month from the time of delivery to generate payment (although there are a few brokers who will bill upon use instead of delivery). With printer supplied newspaper you will have on average have 1 month (or whatever your credits terms could be) after shipping of the magazine to pay for your printing bill, which includes newspaper. Obviously, if you're no longer working with a broker that will bill upon usage rather than delivery, this ties up your hard earned money .

6) Printer Handling Fees. Regardless of which end of the range you believe, the percentage the number represents of one's overall savings per CWT for buying through a broker is very important. Builders who want to dissuade customer supplied paper will likely soon be at the end of this spectrum while printers who don't mind customer supplied paper would be at the end.

This brings up yet another point worth mentioning:

There are a number of smaller printers who only don't have the amount to obtain paper cost effectively and efficiently while they are required to buy paper from agents rather than mill direct. I worked for a printer in my own last that just could not guarantee my client their newspaper will be always of the identical mill, quality and brand unless the customer used a burden and grade of paper that they (the printer) specified. These sorts of printers (on average not magazine specific printers) have zero problem with their customers supplying their particular newspaper. It's extremely important that you make use of a printer who can, and will, allow you to get the paper which you want rather than what they are able to get. Again, when you have to furnish your own paper as your printer can't allow you to get what you want/need, you then might be with the wrong printer.

Broker/Merchant Supplied Paper

Unfortunately there are just a few advantages for a little commerce and special interest magazine writer, in my opinion, to purchasing paper out of a broker/merchant. There can become a price advantage under some circumstances however, again, don't simply assume that.

In all honesty, I just have been a fan of smaller publishers buying their particular paper. While there could be some slight savings to be accomplished, the risks involved are much great. I've seen too many publishers experience disasters and the associated costs have been almost lethal to their businesses.



Do your homework! Papago colour with a person who knows both sides of the equation. Maintain the services of an expert who can provide you with unbiased advice.

There are a number of exceptional methods by which possibly to realize the very best of both worlds. Again, the help of a skilled adviser who knows magazines and that knows magazines as related to paper, distribution and print can supply you with a general picture and make certain you are getting the very best price available and are producing and distributing your publication rather efficiently and cost-effectively as feasible.