Pricing Beyond CMYK: Printers answer the most asked questions

While there is no magical mathematical equation for Beyond CMYK pricing, there are many considerations that factor into the price you can charge. These include the market demand for a type of embellishment, brand recognition of the client and number of local competitors, as well as the type of media, area coverage of the specialty dry ink/toner, method of finishing, degree of personalization and your cost per click.

For Zoltån Kanovits, CEO of Kanovits Print Atelier in Slovakia, the formula comes out to be an average of 3X the total cost of the print. He calculates the cost of the specialty dry ink used based on area coverage for the application. He adds that to the base print cost and factors that, along with a markup, into the final charge.

This one is simple: Seeing is believing.

Many print shop owners find that sharing sample kits to put the product in marketers’ hands is all it takes. When you compare the value Beyond CMYK brings to every application in terms of stopping power and the ability to exceed your customers’ expectations and increase their loyalty, it’s no longer a dollar per dollar comparison.

Many said their customers will pay the highest premiums for textures, foils and metallics (40% to 89%), and lower premiums for specialty-spot colour and coating (24% to 37%).¹

Speciality dry inks/toners can be more expensive than CMYK only. There are ink and toner usage costs and technology add-ons to consider. Unlike some companies that add a premium click charge for specialty colours, we treat them the same as CMYK. In any case, those costs are minimal when you compare to offline alternative processes such as foil stamping, embossing, spot varnishing, etc. Doing all this inline with CMYK saves time and means no additional labour or equipment.

With short run and personalisation capabilities, digital Beyond CMYK effects typically generate additional pages and new print jobs, which drives increased revenue.

ROI can be measured in many ways, including new application possibilities, higher print volume, uplift in pricing strategies, improved margins, the ability to provide capabilities that competitors cannot and expanded high-value offerings such as marketing and design services.

One thing is clear, though: Going Beyond CMYK is rapidly becoming an important product differentiator, as well as an enabler for application expansion and more offset page transfer.

All of which translates to a greater return on investment for you because you can charge more for that added value.