This really is a question that's surfaced a lot of times over the duration of my career. Frankly, I have hated to know it because I knew that the writer asking it'd be doubtful about my own answer. I think its pretty safe to say that most everyone else knows that printers make money when they supply paper with their customers. The number varies from printer as a few view paper as a source of additional profits and others just want to cover their associated costs of acquisition and handling. Does it matter how much a printer is currently making on the paper that they are supplying for you? No! , it willn't; but that is just provided their prices are market-competitive and you're getting what you are paying for. The big AND is because I've caused a magazine writer where the newspaper they were actually becoming was at least 2 grades less than what they were paying . To make things worse, these certainly were over paying by some thing such as $10.00/cwt (assuming they were having the quality they were paying for, which they certainly weren't ).

Anyway, being a result of this fiasco, this publisher asked me that my thoughts about buying their own paper. Again, I have already been asked this questions numerous times within the duration of my career, mostly throughout very tender markets when newspaper merchants are outside knowingly attempting to remove surplus paper. Regardless of whether this question was requested 20 years ago or is being requested today, my answer remains the same:

If you're a small commerce and special interest magazine publisher together with 1 5 names (and without knowing that the precise circumstances) the overall answer would be no, you ought not. The next is my support with this response:

A user of paper has 3 potential choices for buying paper - a) throughout the printer b) in the newspaper broker or c) mill guide. When it comes to most commerce and special interest magazine publishers, you are getting to become too small to get mill direct therefore I will not incorporate the advantages and disadvantages of this alternative. So lets check the other two:

Printer Supplied Paper

To begin with, there's truly only one perceived"con" to buying your paper during your printer and that is that typically you're paying a mark up. Again, the percentage varies from printer-to-printer. This has significantly complicated because, although you might be paying a mark-up, it doesn't automatically signify that you are paying more for the newspaper. Its like other things, it only depends on what you are comparing it too! Only do not assume when there is a mark-up being applied that you're overpaying. The bottom line pricing is that you must compare the quoted price to something of specs to get a decision on a fair price.

Let us consider what it is you are getting for the markup that is employed to paper furnished with your printer because, I am suggesting, in the end, it's worth every penny!

1) Administration. Trust in me, government is a nuisance. Keep in mind, whenever you supply your paper it's the duty to make sure there is certainly enough paper on to the floor to complete your job. This necessitates coordination involving you, your printer and your broker. It may seem simple enough however it's time that many do not have those days. Plus it's equally essential that you manage your inventory so that you do not need too much paper sitting on the floor costing you money as it's not being used. When your printer provides your paper, this becomes their problem and so they understand just how to manage it effortlessly!

As a magazine publisher the chances are that you don't make many major last minute fluctuations in page count or quantities. However if you really do, is your broker be ready and able to respond? Again, printer supplied paper create this problem, not yours.

Buying paper through your printer guarantees caliber. In vanguard card , brokers are on average able to furnish premium quality, A-grade newspaper because it is easily available. But as soon as a market tightens, many times what brokers have open to them are"moments" or mill/printer denied paper. I remember an incident when a book supplied their particular paper to the printing company and also we found it have been paper that we had received directly from the mill and had rejected it for quality motives. The bottom-line - it didn't run! The charge to the publication, for this 1 problem, was much more than the projected combined annual savings that will have been attained by supplying their newspaper for us. coloured paper functioned to provide some relief to this particular customer nevertheless they immediately went straight back to"printer supplied" paper.

4) Availability. Again, even once the industry is soft, accessibility is generally no problem. However, when the market pops up fast, it might unexpectedly become one. I had an individual who insisted on supplying his own newspaper. There came an issue, for reasons that I don't remember, where they were unexpectedly unable to acquire their paper to us punctually. As a result, they were pleading with us to help them out and see them with the paper that they demanded. The situation was that we simply didn't have it to let them have. We were eventually able to locate them with the newspaper they wanted nevertheless it came in an expense so excellent that it far surpassed the combined yearly savings that they had planned to comprehend by providing their paper to us.

5) Taking Costs. Once you get paper by the broker, you may on average have 30 days from the time of delivery to make payment (but there are some agents that will bill upon usage as opposed to delivery). With printer supplied paper you will have routinely have 1 month (or all of the credits provisions may be) after shipping of the magazine to pay for your printing bill, including newspaper. Apparently, in the event that you're not dealing with a broker who can charge upon usage as opposed to shipping, then this ties up your money .

6) Printer Handling Fees. Almost all printers charge a handling fee to customers that provide their own paper. This fee may vary anywhere from $.75/CWT for as high as $2.00/cwt. No matter which end with the range you believe, the percent that the quantity represents of your entire savings per CWT for buying through a broker is very important. Builders who would like to discourage customer supplied paper will soon be at the end of the spectrum whereas printers who don't mind customer supplied paper will likely soon be at the lower end.

This constitutes yet another point worth mentioning:

There are a number of smaller printers who simply don't need the amount to obtain paper cost effectively and economically while they are required to purchase paper from agents as opposed to mill direct. I worked for a printer in my own last that just couldn't guarantee my client their paper could be consistently of the same mill, brand and quality unless the consumer used a burden and grade of paper they (the printer) given. These types of printers (typically not magazine specific printers) have zero issue with their clients supplying their own newspaper. It is rather important that you make use of a printer who can, and will, allow you to get the paper you want as opposed to what they are able to get. Again, if you have to supply your own paper because your printer can't allow you to get exactly what you want/need, then you are with the wrong printer.

Broker/Merchant Supplied Paper

Unfortunately there are few advantages of a tiny commerce and special interest magazine publisher, in my opinion, to purchasing paper out of the broker/merchant. There can become an amount advantage under certain circumstances but again, do not simply assume that.


In all honesty, I just have been a fan of smaller publishers buying their own paper. While there could be some minor savings to be accomplished, the risks involved are far to great. I've observed too many publishers experience disasters and also the associated costs are nearly lethal for their businesses.

Do your assignments! Retain the services of a professional who is able to provide you with unbiased information.

There are a few exceptional methods by which it's possible to understand the best of the worlds. Again, the assistance of a qualified consultant who knows magazines and that knows magazines as related to paper, distribution and print can supply you with an overall picture and make certain you are receiving the very best price available and so are distributing and producing your publication rather economically and economically as you can.