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.