Wholesale printing is high-volume printing at low prices. Many companies specify this point around 10,000 prints, but each company is different. The benefits of wholesale printing include price, color consistency, quantity and ease of ordering because the customer does not need to do the printing him or herself. Some wholesale printers do not sell to the public, limiting their customer base to businesses or resellers, which can be a problem for the average consumer.
Price is the immediate and most identifiable benefit of wholesale printing. At low quantities, a single print may be $1 U.S. Dollar (USD). When ordered in wholesale quantities, the price may drop to $0.10 USD or less per copy. This is because the printer can afford to lower the cost and still make a profit because of the high quantity of the order. The overall cost will gradually decrease as the order volume rises, meaning less money is being spent on marketing and advertising materials.
Color consistency is another benefit to wholesale printing. Color can change if the ink is slightly different, so it is common for one print job to look different from another, either turning out lighter or darker than the last order. When ordered in bulk, the customer will receive a large quantity of printed items without color variation. This is useful for customers who need a uniform appearance for their printed materials.
Businesses often need a large amount of the same printed material, such as business cards, because employees will consistently give them out. When ordering small quantities, the business may end up with a large number of smaller orders that will end up costing more. By utilizing wholesale printing, the business will have a stockpile of the printed material without having to waste time and money continuously ordering the same item.
The ease of ordering and getting the printed item, versus doing the printing manually, is another benefit to getting wholesale prints. If someone decides he or she wants to do the printing and forego using a wholesale printer, he or she has to order a large supply of paper and ink. The printer used would typically be smaller than the one a printing company would have and would likely take hours to do the job, and any cutting or finishing work would need to be done by hand. By commissioning a wholesale printing company, all of this frustration is dealt with by the company that has the equipment to fill large orders.
Some wholesale printers will refuse orders from private consumers. One should check the printer’s terms before ordering wholesale. The printer may only offer wholesale printing quantities and discounts to businesses or qualified resellers.