Invoiced at the quoted price, again
The brochure was quoted with one round of proofs. The customer sent six rounds of changes, including a new photo on page nine and a price list that changed twice. Then they asked for an extra delivery address and a rush on the last hundred copies. The studio did the work, dispatch booked the extra courier, and the job went out on time.
The invoice went out a week later at exactly the estimate. Everybody meant to add the extras. Nobody wrote them down in a place the person raising invoices would see.
Where extras leak
Printers usually have clear terms for author's corrections, additional proofs, changes after approval, extra deliveries and rush work. The terms are fine. The capture is the problem.
- Studio time on corrections is not logged against the job, or is logged in a separate timesheet.
- Changes agreed on the phone are never written anywhere that reaches accounts.
- Extra courier costs arrive on the carrier's monthly bill, not on the job.
- Invoices are raised from the estimate because that is the only figure on the job.
- Account handlers are reluctant to add charges without evidence, so they leave them off.
The margin that walks out the door
Each extra is small, which is why it is easy to let go. Added across a year of jobs, it can be a meaningful part of the difference between a busy year and a profitable one. There is a fairness cost too. Customers who make many changes are subsidised by those who send clean artwork. And when you do occasionally charge, without a record it feels arbitrary to the customer and leads to arguments you did not need.
Capturing extras as they happen
- We set up your chargeable extras as a price list: author's corrections by time or by round, additional proofs, changes after approval, extra delivery addresses, rush surcharges, storage.
- Studio staff log correction time or proof rounds against the job from the same screen they use to upload proofs, with the customer's change request attached.
- Account handlers add phone-agreed changes to the job with a note, and the customer receives an automatic confirmation that the change is chargeable.
- Dispatch records extra deliveries, and courier charges are matched to the job from the carrier's data where it is available.
- Before invoicing, the account handler sees the estimate plus every logged extra, with evidence, and chooses what to charge.
- The final invoice goes to your accounts package, such as Xero or Sage, with extras itemised so the customer can see what they are paying for.
| Extra | Logged by | Evidence attached |
|---|---|---|
| Author's corrections | Studio | Change request and proof versions |
| Extra proof rounds | Studio | Proof history |
| Change after approval | Account handler | Customer confirmation |
| Extra delivery | Dispatch | Delivery record and courier charge |
| Rush work | Production | Original and requested dates |
What invoicing looks like afterwards
Invoices reflect the work that was done, not just the work that was quoted. The decision to waive a charge is still yours, but it is a decision rather than something forgotten. Customers see itemised extras with the reason, which tends to reduce arguments. And over time you learn which customers generate the most extras, which helps when you quote their next job or talk to them about their artwork process.
Are extras slipping past you?
- Most invoices go out at exactly the estimate.
- You have terms for author's corrections but rarely charge them.
- Courier charges for extra drops are not recharged.
- Studio staff do not log time per job.
- Charging an extra usually starts an argument because there is no record.