Where do the big magazines from the papers get printed?

Vivara

Hey guys,

I'm involved in a small magazine in Cork, and thus far we've been using local printers (which are the cheapest but still quite expensive) to print a 300 copies of a magazine.

Essentially the magazine is 50-page brochure with big thick paper at about 180 gsm and a 250 gsm cover, which is no good and does not feel like a magazine. I've tried every printer in Cork, and no printer goes below 150 gsm for things like this... so they don't essentially print a magazine of sorts, just brochure printing repurposed for a magazine.

My question is... where does the Sunday Times print its Sunday Times glossy Magazine? Or where does RSVP get printed? These are all the style and paper thickness I want. Similarly, there is an Irish teen magazine that has the same style I would like, too.

So which company prints these? A Google search returns all these local companies and not what I'm looking for, or that company WebPrint in Cork which doesn't do glossy, only newsprint.

Any one know?

Thanks!

Android 666

You'd need to print on a web press to get the something similar to the Sunday Times magazine. The problem is that it is not economically viable to do that for 300 copies - the set up costs would be way too high. Your printer'll be able to print on a lighter stock than 150gm, that seems very, very high tbh. I'm guessing they don't want to print lighter stock because it causes more problems on the finishing end (paper slippage, etc..) but I'm sure they'd be able to do it lighter - is it printed on art, satin or bond?

Vivara

Android 666 wrote: »

You'd need to print on a web press to get the something similar to the Sunday Times magazine. The problem is that it is not economically viable to do that for 300 copies - the set up costs would be way too high. Your printer'll be able to print on a lighter stock than 150gm, that seems very, very high tbh. I'm guessing they don't want to print lighter stock because it causes more problems on the finishing end (paper slippage, etc..) but I'm sure they'd be able to do it lighter - is it printed on art, satin or bond?

The Sunday Times Magazine is a glossy magazine, like a typical magazine, not on newsprint paper... just in case there's any confusion there. I don't want the typical newspaper-ey magazines like CULTURE or something like that.

And no, I've got quotes from several printers and none can do anything lighter than 150 gsm. They all come back with 'it would be the same cost on heavier stock which is better quality', and then when I say I still want it and press for it, they say they can't do it. Whether they can and don't is irrelevant if they won't.

With regards to art/satin/bond I have no idea. What is the difference?

When you say the costs would be way to high, I'm already paying close to €3 per copy at about €900... would it be higher than that?!

Thanks again.

Android 666

Vivara wrote: »

The Sunday Times Magazine is a glossy magazine, like a typical magazine, not on newsprint paper... just in case there's any confusion there. I don't want the typical newspaper-ey magazines like CULTURE or something like that.

And no, I've got quotes from several printers and none can do anything lighter than 150 gsm. They all come back with 'it would be the same cost on heavier stock which is better quality', and then when I say I still want it and press for it, they say they can't do it. Whether they can and don't is irrelevant if they won't.

With regards to art/satin/bond I have no idea. What is the difference?

When you say the costs would be way to high, I'm already paying close to €3 per copy at about €900... would it be higher than that?!

Thanks again.

Yes, I know the magazine is glossy but it would still be printed on a web press and I'm guessing it is not printed in Ireland.

Most of the cost involved in printing is the initial set up costs (outputting plates, buying paper, setting up the press), that's why it becomes cheaper over longer runs (eg 100 copies might cost you 300, a thousand copies might cost you 500 because wants the press is running the costs become about ink and paper). Web press printing is very expensive to set up but the cost is spread over runs of tens and hundreds of thousands of copies. A small run of 300 copies would incur astronomical costs and just wouldn't be practical.

Art, satin and bond would be your standard types of paper. Art has a gloss finish, bond a matt finish and silk a semi-matt finish. Art is the standard paper that most jobs are printed on because the paper dries the quickest and it's cheapest usually. If you are getting printed on silk or bond, this could be pushing up your price.

Vivara

Android 666 wrote: »

Yes, I know the magazine is glossy but it would still be printed on a web press and I'm guessing it is not printed in Ireland.

Most of the cost involved in printing is the initial set up costs (outputting plates, buying paper, setting up the press), that's why it becomes cheaper over longer runs (eg 100 copies might cost you 300, a thousand copies might cost you 500 because wants the press is running the costs become about ink and paper). Web press printing is very expensive to set up but the cost is spread over runs of tens and hundreds of thousands of copies. A small run of 300 copies would incur astronomical costs and just wouldn't be practical.

Art, satin and bond would be your standard types of paper. Art has a gloss finish, bond a matt finish and silk a semi-matt finish. Art is the standard paper that most jobs are printed on because the paper dries the quickest and it's cheapest usually. If you are getting printed on silk or bond, this could be pushing up your price.

It sounds like silk to me, it's glossy but not too glossy. And when you say astronomical, do you mean more expensive than €900? I know you mightn't know an exact figure, but you seem to have an idea.

And what makes you think it's printed outside of Ireland? Would you think Kiss Magazine is printed outside of Ireland, too?

Android 666

Vivara wrote: »

It sounds like silk to me, it's glossy but not too glossy. And when you say astronomical, do you mean more expensive than €900? I know you mightn't know an exact figure, but you seem to have an idea.

And what makes you think it's printed outside of Ireland? Would you think Kiss Magazine is printed outside of Ireland, too?

Honestly, I couldn't give you any figures but web press would really only be considered for runs that would go into the thousands and I'm not even sure where you'd get it done in Ireland. At a wild guess I'd say that Kiss is probably printed outside of Ireland - maybe England or Spain?

Vivara

Android 666 wrote: »

Honestly, I couldn't give you any figures but web press would really only be considered for runs that would go into the thousands and I'm not even sure where you'd get it done in Ireland. At a wild guess I'd say that Kiss is probably printed outside of Ireland - maybe England or Spain?

That's a pain, but thanks! And I suppose it would make little or no sense to get things shipped from the UK/Spain as the economies of scale would come into that, again.

IRE60

Whey wouldn't throw the switch for a 300 print run.

In not a matter on 'not wanting to' its that they cant do a run on gloss paper for 300 copies even 3000 i'd suggest in some cases

IRE60

as a matter of interest, give Boylands Press in Louth a shout - they are good at Mag stuff

Vivara

Thanks guys. With regards to Louth... that's a bit way up since I'm in Cork. I presume the delivery costs would be terribly expensive...

Thanks again.

V.

IRE60

Drogheda>Heuston>Cork

No, I wouldn't think its too bad

lovelydub

A print run of 300 seems ridiculously low.
I would suggest you use the cheapest paper to keep the print costs down.