Matching your Offset Prices
Overview
This topic describes how to match Morning Flight offset run prices to the prices you were charging before you installed the program. The objective is to find an hourly press rate that will do that. While the press rate contributes the lion's share, other factors also play a role in the price of your products. Before you can start matching prices, you first need to
•Set your hourly prepress rate
•Set your film prices
•Set your packaging prices
•Set your preferred quantities
See also
How to synchronize your Prices
1. Click the My Shop button (or click File > My Shop).
2.Click the Presses button, then double-click the 1-Color Offset press.
3.In the window that opens, click the letterhead icon. It's the first one on the left. The next two represent envelopes and catalog sheets.
4.Click the up arrow to select the lowest quantity. Most likely, the price for that quantity is different from the price you're charging now for one-color letterheads (excluding the cost of paper). Keep adjusting the hourly press rate until the new price comes close to your current price. Write down the quantity, the hourly press rate, and the price at that rate.
5.Click the up arrow to select the next two quantities, then repeat the price adjustment described in step four above.
6.Click the envelope icon and repeat steps 4 and 5 for one-color envelopes.
7.Click the catalog sheet icon and repeat steps 4 and 5 for one-color catalog sheets.
At this point, you'll have a total of nine one-color rates, derived from three different products at three different quantities. Those hourly press rates will all be different, but with luck they'll be close and you'll have an easy time deciding on a happy medium. In the table below, $100.00 would be a good starting point ($899.90, the total of all nine hourly rates, divided by nine).
If you rarely print one-color envelopes, you could omit them from the equation and divide $613.10 by six, for an average hourly one-color rate of $102.00.
As you would expect, there can be only one hourly press rate for one-color. If there's a significant gap between the rates you've written down, experiment with plate costs and your hourly prepress rate to bring them in line. Keep in mind that the press rates you set here will affect all your products, not just letterheads, envelopes and catalog sheets.
Once you're satisfied with your one-color offset prices, repeat the process for two-color and four-color.