Not all Prices are Rising

Remember when gas cost less than $1 per gallon? It still pains me to see prices stuck between $3 and $4 per gallon now. Inflation is a part of life. Almost everything costs more now than it did 5, 10, or 15 years ago.

Almost

At my first job out of college I worked at a printing company that offered in-house design services. One of the largest expenses that went into a project was stock photography used in posters, brochures, and more. It wasn’t unusual for a high resolution, high quality image to cost more than $300. Yes, that’s for one photo.

Today, there are still services that sell expensive images with a range of licensing levels and creative quality. Luckily the market now offers more cost effective services that sell individual images. Some services even offer subscription plans that allow for even more savings. And we pass those savings on to you.

Another expense that has changed for the better is color printing. I remember when 1,000 full color business cards sold in the neighborhood of $250. Now the same product, at even better quality, can be purchased for less than half that. To complete your identity package, we can offer letterhead and envelopes, also in full color at a fraction of yesterday’s prices. There are a host of items such as brochures and postcards that are quite cost effective.

Thanks to improvements in digital printing there are also a host of items that can be purchased in smaller quantities that once required minimum runs of hundreds, sometimes thousands. Recently we produced a set of full color brochures bound in an etched metal cover. Yes, metal. The run was around 200, but could have been as few as 50.

Even though the cost of phones, cable TV, gas, and food all continue to rise, products such as stock photography and printing have become significantly more affordable. These savings in traditional print costs give your budget room to expand into consulting, social media, marketing plans, and more. Plus, this diversification of your marketing dollar offers a better path for ROI.