cost per impression for offset press

[mazengh]

When calculating cost per impression or click for an offset press what variables do you consider?

[Al Ferrari]

Your question suggests that you are approaching the topic of offset printing from the perspective of digital printing in which, as with copying machines, it is a practical matter to produce as few as a single print of the same quality as in a much larger quantity.

This is not possible with traditional printing methods such as offset, and thus the question is inappropriate. I will stop here and let others flesh out the theme in case you need this explained further.

Al

[gordo]

Your question suggests that you are approaching the topic of offset printing from the perspective of digital printing in which, as with copying machines, it is a practical matter to produce as few as a single print of the same quality as in a much larger quantity.

This is not possible with traditional printing methods such as offset, and thus the question is inappropriate. I will stop here and let others flesh out the theme in case you need this explained further.

Al is quite right of course.
Very briefly, in my experience the cost is broken down something like this:
It costs ~$200 to sell 1 job
Receiving and processing ~$100
Prepwork ~$300
8up makeready: ~$200

Regardless of run length

The press is usually billed out per hour ~ $400 per hour - some printers bill per unit per hour so a 2 color press would bill per hour cheaper than a six color press.

Then there's ink and paper.

Then there's finishing and bindery.

Etc.

Usually there's no profit, but once in a while the printer gets lucky.

best gordo

[mazengh]

I am trying to figure out the cost of printing 1000 sheets. The calculation should include ink,electricity, fountain, ipa, paper, employee hourly rate, etc...

[Ajax]

Yikes! you're really getting down to brass tacks.

I'm curious to see if there is a real equation to figure all these pricing issues out.

[Al Ferrari]

I am trying to figure out the cost of printing 1000 sheets. The calculation should include ink,electricity, fountain, ipa, paper, employee hourly rate, etc...

If you are smart enough to rephrase your question in this way, then just get on with it:

cost of printing 1000 sheets = a+b+c+d...

If what you want from the forum is help in making sure you don't leave anything out,
then list all the ones you can think of and how you use them in your calculation, and others here can add to your list or comment on your method.

Al

[mazengh]

that's actually what i've been thinking of Ferari...

So far my variables are below

* Hourly Rate
1) Employee hourly rate
2) Electricity hourly rate

*Consumable Usage
1) Ink consumption
2) Fountain consumption
3) IPA consumption
4) Press wash
5) Blanket cleaner
6) Blanket life ?
7) Press yearly average maintenance costs ?
8) Press depreciation
9) Cost to rent location

I want to try to figure out an equation for all the above, but I think I should weekly average material consumption based on the jobs the went to press, then come up with that equation based on an hourly rate for each press.... Any feedback would be great.

[gordo]

Don't forget to factor the cost of the press and the lease on the property where it is housed.

gordo

[Stephen Marsh]

mazengh, would it be fair to assume that you don't have a print MIS system - or perhaps even basic quote software (as I would hope that this would be covered by your software)?

Stephen Marsh

[mazengh]

we have prinect prinance, but it's not implemented due to the difficulty of the system, and the lack of personnel capable of learning how to operate it.

So I am trying to come up with something simple, hopefully it will be helpful for others on printplanet.

Good points Gordo, I should incorporate the press depreciation, and the money required to rent the space, even if I own it.