Printing and Binding Costs
Report by Mary

I used Staples On-Line for costs, using their lowest costs - purchase policy with no shipping charnges for purchases of $50 or more.

Initial Outlays: Office Equipment

- Personal Copier - $200-$500

- Paper Cutter - $30

 

Cost of Binding Machines

- 6 page manual punch - $60

(If we purchased the prepunched paper, this would be used for the covers only.)

- 12 page manual punch - $150

(Next available size costs $299 and punches 20 sheets.)

 

Booklet Size: 5.5 x 8.5

Comments by Mary on 1/2 Letter size: I have a school recipe book that is 1/2 page with the plastic binding strips and it is quite attractive and sturdy.

Comments by Nancy on 1/2 Letter size: The cheapest envelope (manila, lick and clasp) in the Staples catalog comes in a size close to the 1/2 Letter, in that it is an inch on either side. None come close to 1/2 Legal.
1/2 Letter Envelope: 9.5" x 6.5", for 8.5" x 5.5" <= best
1/2 Legal Envelope: 9" x 12" or 7.5 " 10.5" etc. <= too big!

 

Binding side would be the 8.5

- 5,000 sheets of regular 20# bond - $23.00

- Plastic binding strips, holds 127 sheets, 100 count - $15.79

- Plastic binding strips, holds 188 sheets, 100 count - $18.99

(Binding strips can only be purchased 11" long, so each would need to be cut)

- 36# Booket cover paper, 50 sheets (1 full sheet for 1 book) - $11

- Mailing envelopes - 6x9 100 count - $7.85

 

Per Book Cost

- Spines - $1.58 or $1.90

- Paper, 60 full size pages - $.28

- Cover pages - $.22

- Envelopes - $.08

- Total Costs - $2.16 or $2.48

Coping costs for 120 pages at $.05 each page would equal $6.00 additional per book. Assuming a copier was purchased for $200 it would pay for itself after 34 books. After that copying costs would be for toner only. For a booklet with 120 pages, this is our only option 1 found for binding without going to a book publisher.