With recent global supply chain shortages for raw materials coupled with inflationary pricing pressures, many printers are pushed into a challenging position to reduce costs. Escalating prices for labor and paper/board stock dramatically impact the overall cost of print; this frequently leads procurement to re-evaluate their supply chain for consumables.
While ink has historically represented only 3-4% of the cost of a print job, depending on coverage, there are many factors that contribute to the assessment of value when considering an ink supplier’s product, including: service, product consistency, on-press print quality and, just as important, performance.
Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) – The Tire Analogy
An apt analogy might be the decision to purchase tires at a lower price. The $100 tire may only last 15,000 miles before it needs to be replaced whereas the $150 tire may yield 30,000 miles. Or to be put more dramatically, the $100 tire blows out and causes an accident or causes one to be stranded on the highway. In the face of this, the real question that should be asked is: “What is the yield? What is the Total Cost of Ownership?” The efficiency of the higher priced tire yields a better total cost of ownership.
Ink Cost per Thousand Impressions
Frequently, lower-priced printing inks fail to come up to color quickly and consume unnecessary substrate when trying to yield a good deliverable sheet to clients in a reasonable amount of time. For printers that have multiple make-readies during a day, these additional waste sheets created add up to significant dollars. No two inks are the same. The lower priced ink may cost more in its use.
Summary
“The bitterness of poor quality remains long after the sweetness of low price is forgotten”. A quote frequently attributed to the father of print, Ben Franklin, best expresses this Total Cost of Ownership perspective. Please consider the difference between price and cost when evaluating a consumable supplier to partner with for your pressroom needs.