| One of the easiest ways to save money when | | | | many you can get up on a sheet for a work and |
| you are printing is to gang run your pieces. | | | | turn job (work and turn is when you print the |
| Whether you are printing business cards, | | | | front of a piece and the back of a piece on the |
| postcards, brochures or posters a gang run can | | | | same side of a sheet of paper, saving time and |
| save you a lot of money. Now whenever | | | | money on your job). If you are running an |
| someone tells me they know of a way to save | | | | extremely large piece there might be an issue |
| money, I always think that there’s a catch; | | | | depending on the size of the press of your |
| so what’s the catch? Well, the catch is that | | | | printer. However, if you are running more than |
| you need to have your cards ready to print all at | | | | two versions then you need to figure out what is |
| once. If you are planning an advertising campaign | | | | the best way to run your job to save the most |
| using printing you should do this anyway, but the | | | | money. I have been able to save customers a |
| money you save will be well worth the effort to | | | | lot of money when they asked me BEFORE they |
| plan your printing ahead. | | | | design a card what the optimum size would be |
| A gang run is when you run two or more jobs | | | | for the number of versions (and the quantity of |
| together at the same time on the same sheet. | | | | each version) they want. The size of the press |
| They have to be the same paper (don’t | | | | is also important but so is the size of the sheet. |
| laugh, I’ve had that question asked) and this | | | | If a standard size sheet is needed then you are |
| is primarily a function of 4/4 printing, with the | | | | golden, but if some cutting is involved or there is |
| exception usually being business cards. The | | | | a lot of waste on the sheet (empty space) then |
| different versions are the same dimensions 99% | | | | a gang run may not be cost effective. |
| of the time, though we have been able to put | | | | One thing to consider with a gang run is color. If |
| together a gang run for a customer who had two | | | | you are looking for museum quality printing, then |
| different sizes in their run. That, however, was | | | | a gang run is not for you. If your job is color |
| mostly just a case of the customer lucking out | | | | critical, you only want one version of a piece on |
| more than anything else. | | | | the press at a time for you to color match. |
| How much money you can save depends on a | | | | If you are running multiple versions of a piece, |
| few variables. The size of the piece you are | | | | then your potential savings are huge, just make |
| running is an important factor in determining how | | | | sure to go over with your printer what you are |
| many can be run on a sheet in the gang run. If | | | | trying to accomplish to see if they have any |
| you are just running two versions, then there | | | | suggestions to help you out. |
| shouldn’t be too much of an issue about how | | | | |