With many corporations and other businesses being required to file an annual report, it’s important that you weigh the costs of printing as well as find ways to print the highest quality annual report at an affordable price.

To figure out how much annual report printing costs, you’ll need to look at the different factors influencing the end price. This will not only help you build a budget for your annual report, but it will also help you find ways to minimize the costs.

Below are the various factors that influence the cost to print annual reports as well as a few tips on how to get the best price possible.

Quantity – How many annual reports do you need?

The more annual reports you print, the higher the cost will be since larger numbers of annual reports require more paper, ink, and time.

However, because the number of annual reports you order will determine how your printer arranges jobs on press sheets, depending on the size and page count of your annual reports, it could actually save you money per annual report by ordering a few extras. This is due to the fact that certain quantities take more time to fit on press sheets and if you were to order a small quantity or an odd number of annual reports, it may take your printer more time to find similar jobs to run along side yours which saves them paper and time.

The Cover and Paper of Your Annual Report

The type of paper you choose for the inside pages and cover of your annual reports have a huge effect on the end cost.

Thinner paper like a 100# or 80# text weight paper is the most common paper type for the inside pages of an annual report, and they are the cheapest option.

For the cover of your annual reports, you can opt for a a self-cover annual report meaning the cover is printed on the same type of paper as you use for the inside pages. However, choosing a thicker paper like a 100# or 80# cover stock rather than a text-weight paper for the cover, will better protect your annual report and make it feel and look more professional.

While selecting thicker, more durable paper for the cover of your annual report can increase the price of printing them, it isn’t as expensive as you may think.

Also, keep in mind that your printer will offer a set of house stocks and these options will be the cheapest when printing your annual reports. This is because your printer’s house stocks are regularly used by other customers and are always on hand. If you were to select a specialty paper or a paper that they don’t have in house, the price would increase because it will be harder for them to pair your job with other customers and if they don’t have your requested paper on hand, they will need to special order it.

At Kingston Printing, some of the in house stocks we offer include 100#, 80#, and 70# gloss and velvet text, 100#, and 80# gloss and velvet cover, and 14pt C2S cover paper.

Turnaround Time – When do you need your annual reports?

Turnaround time is the time you give your printer to print your annual reports and the more time you give them the lower the price will be.

This is because when you give your printer more time to print your annual report, they’re given more time to pair your job with similar jobs when laying everything out on press sheets, which saves them a lot of paper and time.

To save money on printing your annual reports, always plan ahead so you can save money by giving your printer more time to print your annual reports.

Ink and Coating for Your Annual Reports

A well-designed annual report often includes imagery, graphs, and other data and by printing your annual reports in full color, it will help drive attention to the important information you have included.

When it comes to coatings for your printed annual reports, adding a coating to the inside pages and cover or just the cover will increase the printing cost. Often coatings are not necessary for the inside pages, however, adding a coating like a UV gloss or velvet coating to the cover of your annual reports will increase its durability and add a professional look and feel to your annual reports.

While adding a coating to your annual report cover is a great idea to improve its appearance and strengthen its durability, if adding a coating is not within your budget, it’s important that you at least consider a thicker cover stock for the cover.

The Size of Your Annual Reports

The most common size for annual reports is 8.5” x 11” and is one of the more affordable booklet and annual report sizes.

However, the smaller your annual report is, the cheaper it will be and as you increase the size, the price will increase since the larger your annual report is, the more paper and resources it will require.

If your annual report needs to be larger, but you’re trying to save money, selecting a different paper type, turnaround time, page count, or quantity will help you reach your target price.

Page Count for You Annual Reports

Just like how the size and quantity influences annual report printing costs, the page count also influences the cost.

Page count ultimately influences how much paper and ink your annual reports use and the more paper and ink used, the higher the price will be. It is important to keep in mind however, that if you are in need of more room for the content within your annual report design, then adding a couple more pages will sometimes be cheaper than increasing the size so be sure to ask your printer which option would be best when working with them in the quoting process.

At Kingston Printing, we offer annual reports of all page counts and if you’re looking to print high-quality annual reports at a great price, don’t hesitate to contact our team via email or phone at (785) 690-7222 for a free quote.

Annual Report Binding Options and Their Influence on Price

Saddle stitching is the most affordable binding method for annual report printing. This method for binding works by printing 2 pages on the front and back of a single sheet and then stacking the pages on top of each other. The sheets are then folded in half in nested order with the sheet containing the front and back cover on the outside. Thin wire staples are then punctured or “stitched” along the spine of the annual report.

Because saddle stitching is the most cost-effective method for binding, it’s the most common method for annual report printing. However, there are a few other binding methods that can be used including perfect binding, wire-o binding, and spiral binding, but keep in mind these options will increase the overall annual report printing cost.

How Much Does Annual Report Printing Cost?

Creating an annual report and having a commercial printer print your annual reports is the most cost-effective option because they have the tools and experience to help you from beginning to end to ensure your design and content is properly set up, you have chosen the right options to meet your goals and budget, and they can print, bind, and ship your annual reports all in one place so you don’t need to worry about anything.

Depending on the varying factors listed above, the price to print annual reports could cost anywhere from $60-$4,000 and beyond.

If you’re interested in taking advantage of printing your annual reports with a commercial printer, click below to request a free quote or contact us via email, chat, or phone at (785) 690-7222 today!