Building Your Budget - Know Your "Print" Footprint

2 days ago
5 min read

This is the first of a 3-part series to help you assess your needs, build out a project list and budget, and then optimize your annual spend and buying cycle.

👩🏽‍💻 It's Tuesday morning. You get an email: "We're out of brochures." 😳

You check the storage closet. Three boxes of the old version sit there, unused—the logo changed six months ago, and nobody threw them out. Now you need to order new ones with rush delivery because there's a trade show next week. The "urgent" surcharge adds 40% to the cost.

Sound familiar?

This scenario plays out constantly in marketing departments and nonprofits. It's not anyone's fault—everyone's busy, things change, and print needs pop up at inconvenient times. But these reactive moments add up. Rush fees. Wasted materials. Premium quality on pieces that don't need it. Ordering 5,000 when you'll only use 1,500.

Most organizations can't answer basic questions about their print footprint

What materials do we actually use versus what we order?
Where does our print budget really go?
Which departments need what, and when?
What's sitting in storage unused?

The good news? You don't need complicated software or a financial audit. The first step to building a print budget is to map your print footprint and get a clear picture of what you're printing, who's using it, and where the waste is hiding.

Before you budget: What do you actually need, and when

The goal is to identify what you truly use, how often you use it, and what should realistically be included in your budget.

When building a print budget, think beyond pieces with your brand/logo. Include operational materials, signage updates, events, mailings, and internal documents. A realistic budget reflects the full lifecycle of how print supports your organization — not just the most visible pieces. Your annual print footprint is much broader than that

When reviewing your needs, consider all categories of printed materials, including:

Essential Business Materials:

• Business cards

• Letterhead

• Envelopes (regular, window, remittance)

• Presentation folders

• Company forms

Marketing & Sales Materials:

• Brochures (bi-fold, tri-fold, multi-page)

• Product/sell sheets

• Postcards

• Direct mail

• Catalogs

• Flyers

• Door hangers

• Media kits

• Packaging

Trade Show & Display Materials

• Retractable banner stands

• Step-and-repeat backdrops

• Table throws / fitted table covers

• Booth signage

• Mounted foam board graphics

• Floor graphics

• Counter cards

• Handout kits

Event & Community Materials:

• Event invitations, programs

• Annual reports

• Gala booklets

• Recognition certificates

• Fundraising appeal letters

• Donor recognition boards

• Tickets

• Name badges

• Yard signs

• Directional signage

• Posters

• Newsletters

Internal Materials:

• Employee handbooks

• Training manuals

• Safety manuals

• HR packets

• Onboarding materials

• Policy booklets

• Invoices, statements

• Work order forms

• Compliance documentation

The 90-Minute print audit

Here's a simple way to identify waste when budgeting printed materials: Ask yourself three questions.

Step One: What did I order last year? (Pull those invoices.)

Step Two: What's still sitting in storage? (Take a look)

Step Three: What got rushed, reprinted, or never used? (That's your waste.)

Ninety minutes of honest looking will show you exactly where money slipped away—and how to stop it this year. Pull your invoices. Look in your storage area. Seeing what’s on hand often tells a very different story than what was originally ordered. You'll probably find materials with old logos, quantities you'll never use, and at least one "emergency" rush order that could've been avoided.

That's your roadmap for fixing this year's budget.

How to determine print budget across departments

Most organizations make one of two mistakes: Either they give every department the same budget regardless of actual needs, or they let whoever yells loudest get the most resources.

Neither works. A smarter approach: Allocate based on impact and necessity.

The questions to ask each department:

What print materials are absolutely necessary to do your job?
Which pieces are customer-facing or revenue-generating?
What could be digital instead?
What's the consequence if we reduce your print budget by 20%?

Understanding print costs: What you're really paying for

When most people budget for printing, they only think about the printing itself. A complete print budget covers all three phases—not just the printing. Otherwise, you're only seeing half the actual cost.

Think of a print project in three parts:

Before Printing: Design (if needed) & Setup Graphic design, file preparation, photography, proofing. For new projects, design can cost as much as printing—sometimes more.

During Printing: Production Paper (often 30-50% of print cost), ink, press setup, finishing (folding, binding, coating), and specialty treatments (foil, embossing, die-cutting).

After Printing: Distribution Shipping to you, and postage if you're mailing. Here's an example: a postcard that costs $0.30 to print might cost $0.60 to mail. Your $1,500 print job then becomes $4,500 with postage.

A few hidden print budget costs people forget: Rush fees (20-50% premium), storage for large quantities, revisions after approval, and sales tax.

What drives print costs? Six cost drivers that impact your budget

Printing costs are highly controllable—if you know which levers to pull. The six cost drivers below determine whether your project stays on budget or quietly creeps upward. Understanding them gives you negotiating power and smarter decision-making.

1. Quantity (Biggest Impact)

Per-unit costs drop significantly at higher quantities, but only order what you'll actually use. Cheap per-piece pricing means nothing if half of it sits in storage.

2. Paper Quality & Weight

Premium stock, coating options, and heavier weights all increase costs. The question isn't whether premium papers are "worth it"—and if the piece needs it. Revisit whether your project is customer-facing (premium) vs internal (basic stock). Recycled or FSC papers should be specified for accurate estimating.

3. Number of Colors

Black and white is the cheapest. Two-color adds cost. Full four-color process adds more. Again, choose based on purpose and brand considerations.

4. Size & Format

Standard sizes (like 8.5x11, 8-page signatures, or 4x6 postcards) use paper efficiently. Custom sizes increase expense. Bleeds (images that run to the edge) require larger paper stock.

5. Finishing & Effects

Basic folding is usually minimal cost. UV coating, die cutting, foil stamping, and embossing add significantly to both setup and per-unit pricing.

6. Turnaround Time (Another Big Driver of Cost)

Standard turnaround gets base pricing. When unplanned, “rush” print projects can incur additional costs: short-deadline premiums, overtime production costs, and expedited freight. The difference between "I need this next week" and "I need this tomorrow" can be substantial.

A print budget that works isn’t about spending less — it’s about spending smarter. When you understand what drives cost and plan ahead, you eliminate waste and avoid surprises.

At Castle Press, we keep pricing clear, itemized, and transparent. We’ll explain your options, suggest smarter alternatives, and help you protect your budget without sacrificing quality.

Next Steps: Build Your Print Budget

Now that you understand what you need and what drives costs, you're ready to create actual budget numbers.

In Part 2, you'll learn: