Discount Copies and Color Copies are not Always Different

Commercial copy centers and small print shops often make a good deal of their money from running copies for business people and binding them into different forms for use as presentation media. These types of copy jobs can often consist of several hundred total copies. Most commercial copy centers offer price discounts based on ordering more than a certain number of copies. For this reason, discount copies and color copies are not always different.

It is true that black and white copies are less expensive to produce than color copies. The biggest reason for this lies in the difference in toner/ink used in color copiers vs. black and white. Another is the speed at which color copiers are able to run compared to black and white. Therefore, black and white copies are often offered at substantial discounts to attract customers.

There are times though, when it is in the best interest of a printer or copy center to offer discount copies when someone orders color copies. Large orders that require hundreds or thousands of copies can be sold at much reduced prices per copy. This holds true no matter what other work must be done to make the job ready for the customer. The larger a job is in terms of number of copies, the lower the price per copy.

Costs per copy to produce go down with larger orders. Less work is done setting up the copiers to run the jobs and less work is needed in bindery to finish out the jobs in many stages along the way. Less labor translates into lower cost of production translates into discount copies for the end user, even if these are color copies.

Another reason copy centers and printers may discount color copies is a decrease in business. In order to bring customers into the shop, many will offer discounts on items that potential customers find more attractive, such as color copies. If a customer could have a full color copy for only a penny more than a black and white, which would he order? Economic downturns have caused many businesses to offer premium products at discounts. Copy centers and printers are no different.

Discounts are available on color copies. Discount copies do not always have to be black and white. There are a couple of reasons for copy centers or printers to offer color copies at discount prices. One, quantity discounts are almost always offered if the customer orders above a certain number of copies. Discounts reflect savings realized by the copy center in reduced labor involvement setting up large orders compared to several smaller ones. Two, economic downturns often cause copy centers and printers to offer discounts on premium items, such as color copies as a means of attracting customers. Either way, discount copies and color copies do not have to be different things.