Broken Packages...

kdw75

Well-known member
When a customer orders 500 envelopes, for example, and you run them digitally do you run one box and call it the order or do you break into a second box to have enough for samples and a couple extras? We always run about 5 extra, but this means we are always dealing with broken packages. One of the neighboring print shops takes samples and any spoilage out of the box. So when you order 500, you may only get 490.

How do you handle this?
 
For commodity envelopes (#10 reg/window, 6-3/4s, etc...), we usually have a "sacrificial box" that we'll pull a few from if needed. For anything less common, we call it at a box. One sample for us, the rest goes to the customer. Over many years, I can't remember a single customer who came back later asking to make up for a shortage.
 
Basically what Stickman said. We have extensive setup stock for all of our common sheets and envelopes to make sure our customers get exact or surplus numbers on a run of say 500 letterhead on 60# T Husky or 24# #10 Saybrooks. Shorting someone at our store is extremely uncommon. You should have partially full boxes that you pad your numbers with. Of course if it's a make envelope or something that you don't keep in stock then of course you just make sure the number is damn near perfect.
 
Usually our envelopes already have a few overs in the box. We always keep a few for samples for repeat orders, and I still have one or two left over to keep for those orders that are shorted due to crooked prints or whatever. Some brands actually come with fewer than 500 in a box, so I keep a "filler" pile for those. If I lose a few during the run, we usually short them, but only if it's say, 3 or 4.
 
When a customer orders 500 envelopes, for example, and you run them digitally do you run one box and call it the order or do you break into a second box to have enough for samples and a couple extras? We always run about 5 extra, but this means we are always dealing with broken packages. One of the neighboring print shops takes samples and any spoilage out of the box. So when you order 500, you may only get 490.

How do you handle this?

This is a difficult area. As the other folks have said, it seems that the common practice is to give full count on "house stock" envelopes, e.g., 24# commercial #10 regulars.

The stickier area is the special order envelope.

It seems that most shops in our area set up on house stock and then run on the special order stock.

Of course there is run waste that gets lost, and not every box has overs going into the press. This seems to be an "oh well" with most shops.

As long as customers demand great prices and they order in even multiples of 500 this will continue to happen. Very few customers seem to think that a full count's needed extra box is worth it when that extra box costs them $45.

On the other hand, if the envelopes are for a mailing, that extra box is a needed cost for customer satisfaction.

I have seen one genius who orders 475 envelopes (or 975, etc.) and wants 10% over/under pricing. That probably is the fairest way to deal with the problem... but it's way too fancy for most people to deal with mentally.

Very few printers want to admit that there is spoilage unless their backs are against the wall, and very few customers really can understand why there is spoilage.
 
For us, that all depends on what we are running.

If it's a b&w envelope, we pretty much run the box and call it a day. If it's color, we always dip into another box because color correction will cause waste.
 
For commodity envelopes (#10 reg/window, 6-3/4s, etc...), we usually have a "sacrificial box" that we'll pull a few from if needed. For anything less common, we call it at a box. One sample for us, the rest goes to the customer. Over many years, I can't remember a single customer who came back later asking to make up for a shortage.
Same for us in regards to envelopes. Also, at most shops I've worked at, there is a 5 or 10% over/under policy which covers us in case someone ever did decide to count. We normally made more than the amount just to be safe.
 

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