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Tips On Starting a Small Commercial Printing Company

Commercial printing is indeed big business because of the price of machineries, equipment, and supplies needed to start one. The start-up capital will have to be big, but you can save as you start a commercial printing company.

Author: Kaye Z. Marks
Date: Sep 1, 2011 - 2:14:26 AM

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Commercial printing is indeed big business because of the price of machineries, equipment, and supplies needed to start one. The start-up capital will have to be big, but you can save as you start a commercial printing company.

Here are some things needed in opening a printing company. Your printer and computers might be expensive, but the rest of your operations can continue even with a tight budget. The most basic need would be the commercial printer itself, the cutter, the finishing materials, the paper supplies, the ink, the plates (if you are going to do offset printing), and of course your computers. Then you would need personnel. Initially, you may need one layout artist who will also be your creative department head and an assistant artist who can also do most of the finishing jobs like cutting, binding, and packing.

You, being the owner, could handle the business side of things, including marketing and finance. You will also have to agree on who will handle the printing. On the other hand, you could alternate the printing tasks, whoever is available. Everyone will have to fill in two shoes. Should the orders increase for a period and you would need additional personnel, you can just hire a part-time hand that can assist you with finishing so that all of you can concentrate on business and creative work. After all, finishing tasks can be no-brainer jobs.

Maximize the use of your computers. Most likely, you already have a desktop or a laptop for your personal use. You can double its use for your business proposals and financial statements. However, you will need to purchase two more units of desktop computers with high specifications for the layouts. These will be for your two artists. You can just add units if you will add more personnel. As such, one computer per person would be enough.

While you may think that you are just a small printing company, you could still stock on paper by purchasing in advance, especially those normally ordered by your clients. This will protect you from price surges and also increase your profit margin when the prices suddenly increase. Since you already have the paper stocks on hand, you can increase prices based on the current rates and enjoy better profits.

You may also want to dabble in the printing of special materials like invitations and stationeries. You do not have to the special papers in advance because these are expensive. Instead, ask for samples of materials and available colors from your supplier. The client will just choose from the swatches should they prefer to use a certain material. This will keep you from stocking up expensive material that will remain unused for some time.

Just a reminder though. This might be a small commercial printing business but you should make sure that you have secured the proper business permits and legal documents to operate such. And pay your taxes, too. It would be great to enjoy the rewards of your growing commercial printing company without having to contend with legal battles or the IRS because those are real hassles that could also put an end to your operations. So be warned and be careful against legal entanglements.

Kaye Z. Marks is an avid writer and follower of the developments in commercial printing technologies by a commercial printing company that help businesses in their marketing and advertising campaigns.

View all articles by Kaye Z. Marks

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