Book Printing for the Trade: Why Print Shops Outsource Book Printing

Many quick printers, copy shops and other commercial printers do not have the resources to produce books in-house. And frankly, even if capital is not an issue, book production is an involved process that not all print shops want to tackle.

However, by outsourcing book projects to a trusted trade printer, these print shops are able to profit from projects they would otherwise have to decline. That's because a book trade printer has all the resources and conveniences necessary to produce books in an efficient and cost-effective manner-�

1) Bindery Equipment

Each book binding method - perfect bound, spiral coil bound, saddle-stitch - requires its own unique binding equipment. So to produce books, especially multiple styles of books, there is a heavy investment in bindery equipment-�as well as all the costs associated with its operation, maintenance and repair.

That is why the cost of bindery equipment can be a substantial barrier to offering in-house book printing, particularly if a print shop's book sales volume cannot support it. Fortunately, print shops can leverage a trade printer's equipment. So rather than turn away business, books orders can be simply outsourced to a trusted print partner.

2) Specialized Expertise

Because book production often has more variables than many other types of printing, it requires specialized knowledge and expertise. From operating the machinery to manipulating the pagination software, a different level of training and skill is needed to prevent costly errors.

To a print shop, the time and expense of developing its own personnel for book production is often a bad investment. However, by outsourcing, a print shop is able to harness all the experience and talents of the trade printer's staff-�without investing a dime.

3) Floor Space

In addition to the floor space needed for the bindery equipment and supplies, it takes a lot of space to assemble and finish books. And books are not only bulky, they're also quite heavy to handle and pack.

Fortunately, a print shop can conserve space and manpower by outsourcing its book orders to a trade printer. The trade printer handles the entire production process - printing, assembling, binding, packing and distributing - at its facility.

The Bottom Line

Print Shops that outsource books have an edge over other printers that say "no" to book projects or refer the customer to someone else. If you are saying "no" to book orders because you lack the equipment, expertise or floor space, you really should explore the many benefits of outsourcing!

Do you have additional questions about the advantages of Book Outsourcing? Just give Formax a call at (314) 434-5500. We'll be happy to show you just how profitable - and incredibly simple - book outsourcing can be.

We've also prepared a FREE Guide to Book Outsourcing. It explains how to properly spec out book projects as well as which types of organizations are good prospects for printed books. Just give us a call at 866-367-6221 and we will email you this informative 16-page report.

Take care! Rick