So just what is short run printing anyways? Traditionally, print jobs plateau at about 500 pieces. Below this for regular offset, and you are really paying for 500, even if its 100. If you have ever noticed that the price difference between 500 and 1000 is pretty negligible, then you will probably understand this small article. So short run printing is generally anything less than 500 pieces. What makes short run printing possible today is the advancements in digital printing technology. With presses like the Xeikon 5000, running 50 or 100 pieces of a two side, four color brochure is just another normal job! To do that with a traditional, or even digital offset press would be economically irrational. Printing color short run with digital printing is really the only cost effective way to do it.Okay, so now you know what short run printing is, but what do you need it for? You?¬¢‚Äö?ᬮ‚Äö?묢d be surprised at how much you could benefit from printing a majority of your work on short runs. It will allow you to change your printed material to market changes, have very low overhead, and save space in your office. Instead of sending out a standard brochure to all your markets, why not personalize your material to individual states, cities, or even neighborhoods? Make your clients or potential customers feel like you spent a lot of time, money and effort in providing them a personalized brochure. As far as saving money and having low overhead, think of getting only a few hundred printed at a time? You won?¬¢‚Äö?ᬮ‚Äö?묢t have to worry about little mistakes turning into big ones, or wanting to change your design every few months. You will also be able to change your material on account of market demands. Let?¬¢‚Äö?ᬮ‚Äö?묢s pretend that you are a widget manufacturer. For the fall quarter, you are anticipating that red widgets will sell quite well, but you?¬¢‚Äö?ᬮ‚Äö?묢re not sure that they will do as well for winter. Red widgets sell pretty poorly, but you get an inside hint that pink widgets are going to be the real hit of the holiday season. Luckily you?¬¢‚Äö?ᬮ‚Äö?묢ve only order 200 or the red widget brochures, so now that you?¬¢‚Äö?ᬮ‚Äö?묢ve used almost all of those up anyway, you can go ahead and print 200 more of the pink widget brochure.

Of course price per piece, short run printing can never compete with quantity printing, but it can offer substantial savings when compared to small traditional offset runs. This opens the market for many smaller businesses to get custom printing done that they may not have been able to afford before.