Three quotes, three different books
The production manager needs prices for a paperback reprint: a standard trim, a set extent, a four-colour cover with matt lamination, printed on a cream bookwove. The request goes to three printers by email. One replies with a price per copy at three run lengths. One quotes a total including delivery to the distributor, on a different paper they had in stock. One quotes on an extent rounded up to their signature size and adds a proof charge separately.
Comparing them means reading each PDF, converting totals into unit prices, working out what the paper substitution means and remembering that one quote excludes delivery. By the time it is done, it is late in the day, and the cheapest-looking quote is chosen, which may or may not be the cheapest book.
Why quotes never line up
Each printer has its own estimating system and its own house specifications. Your request is written in free text, so each printer interprets it and fills the gaps with their own defaults.
- Paper is described by name, weight and bulk, and printers substitute what they stock.
- Extent is adjusted to the printer's signature or section size.
- Delivery, proofs, plates and packing are included by some and itemised by others.
- Quotes come at different run lengths, so unit prices are not directly comparable.
- Validity periods and paper price clauses differ and are easy to miss.
The cost of comparing by eye
| What slips | What it leads to |
|---|---|
| Paper substitution not noticed | A book that looks and feels different from the first printing |
| Delivery excluded | An extra invoice that erases the saving |
| Extent rounded up | More pages than planned, and a different spine width for the cover |
| Validity lapsed | A quote accepted after it expired, at a higher price |
| No price history | No way to see whether a printer's prices are drifting |
How we line quotes up
- A specification template for each format you publish: trim, extent, paper, cover finish, binding, packing and delivery point.
- A request sent to your chosen printers from that template, as an email or a short web form they can fill in.
- Replies captured into the same fields. If a printer sends a PDF instead, we extract the figures into the fields and a person checks them.
- Automatic flags where a reply departs from the specification, such as a different paper, extent or delivery term.
- A comparison table at matched run lengths, showing unit and total cost including the extras each printer itemised.
- A price history per format and printer, so you can see trends over time and at each reprint.
The choice of printer still rests on things the table cannot show: quality, reliability, slot availability and your relationship with them. The table makes sure price is compared fairly alongside those.
Quote day, after
The production manager chooses the format template, adjusts the run lengths and sends. Replies come in over a few days and slot into the comparison as they arrive. The one that substituted paper is highlighted, and the one that excludes delivery shows the delivery estimate added so the totals are fair. The decision takes minutes, and the reasons are saved with the job.
When the same title needs another reprint next year, you open its history and see who printed it, on what paper and at what price. A new printer can be tested against a real benchmark rather than memory.
It also helps when a printer asks for a paper surcharge mid-year. You have the quote history to discuss it with them.
Recognise your production desk?
- Printer quotes arrive as PDFs in different layouts.
- You have been surprised by a delivery or proof charge after choosing a printer.
- Paper substitutions are sometimes only noticed when copies arrive.
- There is no record of what each reprint cost per copy.
- Only one person knows how to read each printer's quotes.