Please, Don’t Overprint

I can remember the recommendation.

“Darin, don’t you know that if you print more of those brochures, you will save so much on the cost per print? Once that printer is running, it doesn’t cost that much more to print more.”

Maybe you’ve been there. The printer or print rep is telling you about all the cost savings that come with making a larger print run.

I can also remember my explanation.

I appreciate the advice, but what I don’t want is a lot of wasted paper when we have to reprint these brochures because something has changed.

Businesses change. Names change. Restaurants change. A brochure can be outdated within a month, without even considering what might change over the course of a year. 

“Well, then don’t make them specific. Make them generic.”

You can do that. But my question would be, what are you selling? How compelling can your story be if you can’t add any details to the tale?

One thing I will never forget from reading Made to Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die by brothers Chip Heath and Dan Heath is that details matter. They help make a story stick. So I choose details, because they are what make a story interesting and memorable. And if you’re promoting a community, don’t you want your community to be viewed the same way? Interesting and memorable. 

That also means I take the risk that those details might change.

I only mention this because I’ve recently moved into a new office. I’m going through boxes and boxes of outdated brochures, flyers, and rack cards that no longer work.

The locations have changed. The apparel looks dated. Some of the information is simply no longer accurate.

So what should I do with all of it?

Recycle? Trash?

Well, one thing I’m doing is remembering: don’t print so much.

I would rather pay a little more per piece and have documents that stay useful than have something sitting in storage for years because I tried to save money by printing more.

Was it really cheaper?

If you are recycling ten boxes of brochures, was it really a cost savings?

Sure, maybe they printed 20 boxes of brochures. I’ll still ask: Was it worth it? Did the cost savings justify filling the recycle bin?

Maybe someone can argue with me, but in printing, sometimes less really is more.

Being able to update your city brochure or your tourism documents each year is a bonus. A lot can change in twelve months.

Just my opinion, as I try not to strain my back while depositing ancient and dusty documents into our recycle bin.