Specifying China – A primer for printing in China, Part I
No place on Earth has produced more fundamental contributions to the development of printing than China. Paper, relief printing, and moveable type—the very foundations of the industry—all emerged from China beginning over 2000 years ago. Today, China is widely recognized as the best place for outsourcing printing services. In this blog series, we will share some tips and key references that will be useful to newbies and pros alike.
Minimum Recommended Quantities
A China printing project generally needs to be at least a $8-10,000 dollar value before the shipping costs (which generally run 1000US$+) can be absorbed to your benefit. We recommend the following minimum quantities:
| Hardback Books: 1,000 | Paperback Books: 3,000 | Catalogs/ Magazines: 10,000 |
| Packaging/ Bags: 2,000 | Sticker Labels: 25,000 | Presentation Folders: 5,000 |
| Ring Binders: 1,000 | CD/ DVD: 5,000 | USB Devices: 500 |
Money Saving Tip
If you frequently produce low to medium quantities and still want to use China production, try to ship multiple projects together.
A Matter of Terms
Keep in mind that the English terms commonly used in your market to describe paper, coatings, and printing processes may be different than those used in China. From BOPP Lamination to Plasticized Coating to Cello Glazing, every time we think we’ve heard it all, along comes something new. A picture really is worth a thousand words and a sample at least ten thousand (possibly more). To get you started, here are diagrams and terms of common binding and folding configurations:
Production Tip
Some processes like lay flat soft cover and standard PUR perfect bound are challenging to find in China, while other processes such as spiral binding may offer considerable competitive advantages.
