Today, there is clearly a slight decline in the printing industry. But this crisis has affected large print companies. But small private companies focused on issuing small orders are doing well. Customers willingly turn to them for printing services. Therefore, if you decide to try your luck in this field, you can safely sketch a business plan for a mini-printing house.
Register an enterprise
At this stage, you will need to decide on the organizational form of your modest company. Without complicating matters, just register as an individual entrepreneur. IP does not require a complicated registration procedure, and in financial terms it is cheaper.
For IP, the use of a simplified form of taxation is characteristic. And do not forget to visit the tax office to register. You do not need problems with the verifiers? You will also not have to get any additional permissions and licenses.
The only thing you will definitely need to do is get a written opinion from the fire department, which would record the fact that you have complied with all the strict standards and rules of operation of electrical equipment.
And in the future, safety should not be neglected. Still, a digital printing house refers to enterprises associated with the storage of flammable materials, and a short circuit in faulty equipment can cause big troubles.
Future production scale
Before renting a room and purchasing equipment, calculate the scale of your printing industry. Will you undertake the publication of brochures, booklets? Or concentrate so far on the production of small advertising products?
Will you begin to design yourself, or will your tasks include only printing according to customer’s layouts? Do you subsequently focus on the publication of various manuals, teaching materials for educational institutions? This service is now one of the most sought after.
Answers to these questions should contain the business plan of the mini-printing house. It is on the basis of the outlined boundaries of future activities that you will select the dimensions of the premises and the necessary technical equipment.
We purchase equipment
Buying equipment will require serious financial injections from you. Even used printing equipment is expensive.
For black and white printing, a risograph is required; for color printing, an offset machine. Color copier will not be superfluous. Do not chase for cheap samples. It will be quite inappropriate if at the height of the print order you get up equipment or appear defects in the image. You will lose the customer, order and lay out a large amount for repairs. At the same time, your company will begin to stand idle.
In addition to directly printing machines, you will definitely need a cutter, a folding machine, a binding machine, and a copy frame in the production.
Some manufacturers of printing equipment offer pre-packaged kits for deploying printing houses. This is a good way out for those who do not want to spend a lot of time searching for the right devices and units.
And also, when purchasing equipment, always check for service availability. Otherwise, you will long look for a master who can carry out high-quality repairs, and you will also have to run around in search of spare parts and assemblies.
And if we talk about how much it costs to open a printing house, you need to consider that you will spend at least 20 or 30 thousand dollars on equipment at least. And this is only with the most modest set of devices and apparatus for printing.
We are looking for a room
You need a small room. However, it should have a place to store finished products and supplies. Moreover, the storage area should not be located in close proximity to the operating equipment.
Do not install the units too close to each other, otherwise the printer will simply not turn around. And also provide a place for receiving visitors and placing orders. And if you have a designer in your staff, then he must have his own working corner.
Before opening your printing house, install a ventilation system in a room (especially a production one). And take care of the hood. This, of course, is an additional cost, but then you take care of your own health and the health of your employees.
It is important to choose a place
Since you will work for people and with people, then try to choose the places that are most passable. You will need clients, which means that it would be nice to have a business center, office building, shopping or entertainment center, and an educational institution nearby. Then you will be in sight, you will not need to specifically search, which means that your mini-printing business plan will start to pay off much faster.
Printing Services
Depending on the size of your enterprise, printing services may include prepress, printing, post-printing, design. You can master the printing of books in small runs, magazines, newspapers.
Educational institutions (universities, schools, technical schools) are often asked to issue teaching aids, textbooks developed by teachers. Students also need printing services when it is necessary to reproduce something from the literature or print term papers or graduation projects.
But it is the production of advertising products that accounts for the lion's share of what printing houses are doing. It is small orders for the production of business cards, flyers, booklets, leaflets that give daily revenue.
In addition, you may be asked to design and print labels, stickers, stickers, company paper bags or packages.
Book publishing
The publication of books and brochures requires certain printing equipment, and you will also need a competent printer. Usually, these orders are not frequent, and betting on them is only irrational.
Recently, many companies, especially large ones, are interested in publishing their own print publication. This is usually an illustrated magazine. A small digital printing house will cope with its publication. And if the client likes your design and layout, then most likely you will be provided with a monthly order.
A certain share of earnings is made up of the circulations of the above-mentioned educational literature. In addition, educational institutions periodically ask to print booklets, business cards, leaflets.
Promotional Products
This type of product is the most popular and popular. It disperses in large print runs. Customers are asked to periodically print business cards, flyers for various promotions, booklets, calendars and flyers. This is exactly what the printing house does every day.
At the same time, clients can rely on your designer when developing a layout, or they can bring a finished project. In the latter case, you will have to do prepress. The price for the production of advertising "small things" is low, but everything is offset by the volume of products. In addition, it is in this segment that you have regular customers who will contact you every time there is a need for printing services.
Sometimes small printing houses initiate the production of their own products. For example, at the end of the year there is a steady demand for pocket calendars.They can provide regular and potential customers.
We form the state
The main employee that you must acquire is a printer. His work is rather harmful and hard, and he must also be able to handle equipment and monitor print quality.
With large volumes of work, it does not hinder to hire a shift or assistant for him. It is good if this employee can at the same time stitch and work on the cutter.
Before you open a print shop, decide who you will be engaged in design and communication with customers. Not the most effective way to put these responsibilities on one person.
The designer has a lot of his worries: development of layouts, prepress, postpress. The customer service manager is negotiating, taking orders, looking for new customers.
Looking for future employees is best through recruiting agencies. Communicate with each applicant personally, check his knowledge and skills. A designer must have a portfolio so that you can judge his creative abilities.
We promote your business
Advertising is needed. Otherwise, how will your potential customers find out about you? Puzzle your designer with a corporate identity and recognizable logo. Launch business cards with contact information and a list of services in circulation, release pocket calendars, flyers.
Make it known to you. At first, hand out leaflets in crowded places, leave them in shopping centers, cafes. These simple tricks allow you to get your first orders.
In the future, do not let yourself relax, produce high-quality products, impeccable printing and design. Strictly comply with deadlines and arrangements. Good attitude to customers, friendliness, willingness to make concessions, small gifts - these qualities will make you a reputation in the business world.
Customers caressed by you will definitely advise your printing house to their business partners and acquaintances. And this is an expansion of the customer base. But even with an increase in the number of orders, do not allow yourself to lower the bar. Bad responses spread no less quickly.
Develop a system of discounts and bonuses for your customers. In the business plan of a mini-printing house, it’s good to initially lay a certain amount for these expenses. Investing in marketing activities pays off profits.
Are developing
Starting your business, do not stop at the first successes achieved. Evolve. Explore competitors' offers, learn new services. Slowly expand the scale of production and staff. It will be a shame to miss profitable orders due to the workload of the designer and printer.
At a certain stage, you will have to review the equipment of the printing house. Old equipment will no longer guarantee high print quality, therefore, you will lose the trust of customers.
Periodically study the offers of suppliers of printing devices, consider the possibility of buying new devices.
Do not skimp on the advanced training of your employees. Stimulate them to gain new knowledge and skills. This applies to everyone. Printer, designer, manager - each of them has something to learn.
If you are not able to independently cope with the difficult issues of buying and installing the necessary equipment, but your desire to enter this business does not disappear, then at the initial stage, think about buying a mini-printing house in a "finished" form. Now such offers are not uncommon. Some are trying to get rid of the unprofitable business. You get already completed production. And now it will depend on your efforts whether it will generate income.
