If You Supply Your Own Personal Paper to Your Magazine Printer?

This is a question that's surfaced a lot of times within the duration of my career. Honestly, I have hated to know it because I knew that the publisher asking it would be skeptical in my own answer. I think its pretty safe to say that most every one knows that printers make money when they supply paper for their clients. The amount varies by printer as a few view paper for a source of additional profits among many others only need to pay their associated costs of acquisition and handling. Does it matter how much a printer will be making on the paper that they are supplying for you? No! , it shouldn't; but that's just given their rates are market competitive and you're getting what you're paying for. The big AND is because I've worked with a magazine writer recently where the newspaper they were actually getting was at least 2 inches lower than what they were paying . They'd no idea before I brought it to their attention and it had been happening for quite some time. To make things worse, these were over paying by some thing such as $10.00/cwt (supposing these were having the caliber they were paying for, they certainly weren't ).

Anyway, as a consequence of the fiasco, this publication asked me that my thoughts on buying their paper. Again, I have now been asked this questions numerous times on the duration of my career, mostly during very soft markets when newspaper merchants are out actively trying to get rid of surplus paper. Regardless of if this question was asked 20 Years Back or is being requested now, my response remains the same:

If you're a small trade and special interest magazine writer together with 1-5 names (and without knowing that the precise circumstances) the general answer is no, you should perhaps not. The next is my service for this answer:

A consumer of paper has 3 potential options for buying paper - a) throughout the printer b) from a paper broker or c) mill direct. Regarding most trade and special interest magazine publishers, you're getting to be too small to buy mill guide so I won't incorporate the advantages and disadvantages of the alternative. So lets check the other two:

Printer Supplied Paper

First, there's truly just one perceived"con" to buying your paper during your printer and that is that typically you are paying a mark up. Again, the percentage varies from printer-to-printer. This has somewhat complicated because, although you may be paying a mark-up, it cann't automatically indicate that you are paying more for the paper. Its like anything else, it simply depends on what you are comparing it too! Simply do not assume when there is a markup being implemented that you are overpaying. The bottom line on pricing is that you simply must compare the quoted price into something of similar specs to make a decision on a neutral price.

Let's consider what it is you are getting for your own mark-up that is employed to paper furnished with your printer because, I am suggesting, in the end, it's well worth every cent!

1) Administration. Trust in me, government is a nuisance. Keep in mind, whenever you supply your paper it is the obligation to make sure there was enough paper on the ground to finish your job. It may seem simple enough but it is time that most don't have those days. And it's equally critical that you manage your inventory in order to don't have too much paper sitting on the ground costing you money as it's not being used. Whenever your printer provides the newspaper, this really becomes their problem and so they know just how to manage it effectively!

Like a magazine writer the odds are you don't make many major lastminute changes in page count or quantities. However if you really do, is your broker get ready and able to respond? Again, printer supplied paper make this problem, none.

3) Quality. Buying paper throughout your printer guarantees caliber. In Papago coloured , agents are on average able to furnish premium quality, A-grade paper since it's easily available. However, when a market stinks, many times what brokers have available for them are"seconds" or even mill/printer rejected newspaper. I remember an episode when a publisher supplied their own paper into the printing company and also we found that it had been paper we had received directly from the mill and had made it for quality reasons. The bottom-line - it didn't run! reacto carbonless paper to the publisher, for this one problem, was a lot more than the planned joint annual savings which would have been attained by supplying their newspaper for us. We functioned to deliver some relief for this customer but they instantly went back to"printer supplied" paper.

4) Availability. Again, once the industry is soft, accessibility is generally no problem. But when the market warms up quickly, it can unexpectedly become one. Again, I had a customer who insisted on supplying his/her own paper. There came an problem, for reasons that I do not remember, where they were suddenly unable to get their newspaper to us punctually. As a result, they were pleading with us to help out them and find them the paper that they demanded. The issue was that individuals simply didn't have it to give them. We were eventually able to locate them the paper that they had however it came at a cost so great it far surpassed the combined yearly savings which they had intended to realize by supplying their paper to us.

5) Taking Costs. Once you get paper from the broker, you may on average have 30 days from time of delivery to make payment (although you will find a few agents that will bill up on usage rather than delivery). With printer supplied newspaper you may have on average have 1 month (or all of your credits provisions might be) after shipping of the magazine to pay your printing bill, which includes newspaper. Evidently, in the event that you are not dealing with a broker who can bill up on usage rather than delivery, this ties up your money .


6) Printer Handling Fees. Just about all printers charge a handling fee for customers who supply their own paper. No matter which end with the range you believe, the percentage the amount represents of one's overall savings per CWT for buying through a broker is very important. Builders who want to discourage customer supplied paper will likely be at the higher end of the spectrum while printers who don't mind customer supplied paper will probably be at the lower end.

This brings up yet another point worth mentioning:

There are some more compact printers who just do not have the amount to purchase paper cost effectively and economically because they must purchase paper from agents rather than mill guide. I worked to get a printer in my last that simply could not guarantee my client that their newspaper will be consistently of the identical mill, quality and brand unless the customer used a burden and caliber of newspaper that they (the printer) specified. These types of printers (typically not magazine particular printers) have no issue with their clients supplying their own newspaper. It's extremely important that you work with a printer who can, and will, get you the newspaper that YOU want rather than what they are able to get. Again, should you have to supply your own paper because your printer cannot get you what you want/need, then you are with the wrong printer.

coloured paper /Merchant Supplied Paper

Regrettably there are not many advantages of a tiny commerce and special interest magazine writer, in my opinion, to buying paper from the broker/merchant. There can become a price advantage under some circumstances but again, don't only assume this.

In all honesty, I simply have been a fan of smaller publishers buying their particular paper. While there can be several minor savings to be realized, the risks involved are much great. I've seen too many marketers encounter disasters and also the associated costs have been nearly lethal to their businesses.

Do your assignments! Retain the services of a professional who can supply you with unbiased information.

There are some special methods by which it's possible to realize the finest of the worlds. Again, the services of a qualified consultant who knows magazines and who knows magazines as related to paper, distribution and print can provide you with a standard picture and ensure that you're receiving the very best deal available and are producing and distributing your book rather efficiently and cost-effectively as feasible.