Each year many companies build brand awareness and increase sales by giving their audience a printed promotional calendar which they will use all year long.
While custom printed calendars can bring in a tremendous amount of revenue, it’s important to know each factor that comes into play when figuring out the cost to print calendars so that you can take advantage of these amazing promotional items while still staying within your budget.
When it comes to printing calendars with commercial printers, there are several factors that most strongly influence the price. These key factors have varying degrees of influence on the end cost, and by simply taking a closer look at these factors can give you a better understanding of how much it costs to print custom calendars.
To help develop a better understanding of the various cost-affecting factors, we’ve broken them into a few categories, below, to help you determine how much making a custom calendar could cost.
The most obvious cost-influencing factor is quantity. It seems logical that if you order more of something, the price will go up. This is often true, as it is more expensive to print 100 calendars than it is to print 25, but in certain cases, adding a few more calendars to a job can make the price drop a little.
For example, if you were to print 20 calendars the price would be around $2 more than printing 25 calendars.
This is due to the way jobs are laid out on press sheets and how certain numbers of them are often more difficult or require special treatment to print.
In most cases though, printing more calendars will result in a higher cost. If you're still not able to get the price you want, but you don't want to produce any fewer pieces, the next best option would be to take a look at the following factors including the size, paper, and more to better understand where you can limit your spending without jeopardizing the quantity.
The type of paper you choose to print on has a very heavy influence on the pricing of your calendars. Most printers have a set of house stocks that they recommend using when you choose to print with them and using these house stocks will result in a much lower price.
A heavy paper for your calendar cover printing is important as it better protects your calendar and makes it feel more professional. However, choosing to use a self-cover—cover paper is the same as your inside pages—will be cheaper than opting for a thicker cover paper.
Because using a heavy calendar cover stock will maximize the durability of your calendar, giving you more opportunities to communicate your message, it’s recommended that you do use a thicker more protective cover paper for your calendar. If going with a self-cover is the only option that fits your budget, it’s a good idea to go with a slightly thicker paper like a 100# text weight paper rather than a 70# text weight paper which will increase the price by only a few dollars.
If going with the recommended thicker cover stock, then depending on the size, weight, and your use, the inside pages may need to be very thin or very thick. While this may require a custom quote to get the printing aspect within your budget, one must very closely look at the USPS postage rates if your calendar needs to be mailed to ensure the postage is within your price range—we never mark up or profit on postage when you mail with us.
For Conquest Graphics, we have a “Conquest Preferred” stock that is the default option value when configuring your order on our product pages. Some of the default preferred stocks we order are a 100# gloss and velvet text, 80# gloss and velvet text, 100# gloss and velvet cover, 80# gloss and velvet cover, and a 14pt C2S gloss cover. This is because we have a great majority of projects coming through our press that customers print on those stocks.
Since they are such popular paper types, we order them in bulk, and therefore they are the most economical for us to print on when it comes to printing daily. Because it’s more common, it’s also easier for us to print alongside other projects that require the same types of paper.
Choosing an irregular quantity and one of our non-preferred stocks for your paper will result in a higher price since it’s harder for us to pair with other jobs when laying out our press sheets to print alongside other projects.
Some types of paper require us to specially order them since they’re rarely used. If we have to special order a stock, it will cost us more, which translates to the final cost of your calendars.
There may also be additional time required for the special order stock to reach us for us to begin printing on it, so if you need to print on a special stock, you should be prepared for higher prices and longer turnaround times.
If you have questions on how you can change your projects paper type to save you more money, feel free to reach out to our customer service team via email or phone at (800) 707-9903.
Turnaround time is the time it takes to print your calendars and depending on how quickly you need your custom calendars, there will be varying prices associated with different turnaround times. Generally speaking, the sooner you need your calendars, the steeper the price will be.
This is due to the various benefits associated with longer turnaround times for commercial printers. If you allow a commercial printer a turnaround time of, say 6 days, they will have more time to receive similar jobs that they can print alongside yours on the press sheets before cutting, folding, and binding. Therefore, saving themselves paper, time, and resources.
For example, say you wanted to print 200 calendars and needed them ready within 4 days. If you were to extend that time to 7 days, it would save you around $70-$100.
Just like ordering anything online, it costs more to get it to you more quickly. So, to save money on making your calendars, it’s recommended to plan ahead of time so you can avoid needing a rush order.
When it comes to matching colors and getting projects to more perfectly match their digital renderings, it can take special types of ink to get exactly the colors a customer wants.
For example, if a customer wants an exact color in their project, they may specify that they want to use a certain Pantone Matching System (or PMS) color value. Ordering special PMS colors of ink can become quite costly, so getting exactly that color for the customer can add a significant cost to their project.
Usually, only international brands or brands that are highly focused on maintaining consistency across all their printed media will have exact PMS requirements for their jobs.
In most cases, cyan, magenta, yellow and key (or black) or the CMYK color system is the best for rendering precise colors. Sticking to this color system in your jobs will result in significantly lower prices and matches digital renderings very closely making it the ideal calendar printing choice.
Your calendars will have a better chance of attracting readers if the images and text are printed in full color. It’s less expensive to print a full color calendar than you might think, and it’s almost always worth it versus a dull one or two-color calendar printing. So always use full color printing when ordering your custom calendars. In fact, most printers will have full color printing for the inside pages and cover pages as the default.
When it comes to durability and the appearance of your custom calendars, it’s recommended to also use a coating, like a gloss UV coating for your calendar cover. While this will increase the cost of your calendars, from anywhere between $10-$30, it will add a rich, classy look that will also increase the durability of your calendars. Velvet or matte coatings are also available which can give your calendars a muted, understated look. While adding a coating to your calendar 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 of your calendar.
The size of your printed calendar has a large impact on how a commercial printer ends up printing your project on press sheets, and in the end, it determines how many press sheets your project will end up needing to be completed.
Generally speaking, the larger each individual calendar ends up being, the more press sheets it will require which roughly translates to higher costs associated with printing your calendars.
The average calendar size is 8.5” x 11” and sticking with this size or a smaller size is the most economical choice compared to a larger or custom size when printing your calendars. This is because these smaller sizes allow printers to piece your project together with other projects that have similar sizes to fill each press sheet and save paper.
Ultimately, a larger calendar or any custom size not listed on your printer’s website will result in a higher price. So, if you’re looking to stay within a certain budget, but do not want to select a different size, then consider selecting a different paper type or quantity to better influence a price that fits within your budget.
The average calendar has 28 pages which include a cover (4 pages) and 24 pages on the inside (a front and back for each month.) However, if you want to include extra pages for ads, looking to create a 2 yearlong calendar or even just a 2-month calendar, you’re able to make your calendar as custom as you would like.
While the typical calendar will include 28 pages, the number of pages has a huge impact on the final cost of your calendar. This is because page count ultimately influences how much paper and ink your project needs. For example, if you wanted to add just 4 more pages to the standard 28-page calendar to include room for extra advertisements or information about your company, then the price would increase by around $10-$20.
At Conquest Graphics we offer the standard 28-page calendar as well as calendars between 8 and 96 pages so you can make the perfect custom calendar for your goals and budget. However, if you want to print longer or even shorter calendars, you can contact us via email or phone at (800) 707-9903.
Similar in level of influence page count has on the final cost to make a custom calendar is binding, described below.
There are several calendar binding options to choose from and each method will play a role in the overall cost to print calendars.
Saddle stitching is the most common and cheapest calendar printing method, and this option makes it easier and more affordable to mail. This method involves each page being folded in nested order and then having staples punctured or stitched on the “spine” of the folded calendar pages.
Another binding option is perfect binding. This option is more expensive and not as common in calendar printing and uses glue to create a flat, squared-off spine for your calendars.
There are also 2 other options to choose from including spiral binding and wire-o binding.
Spiral binding uses a plastic coil that is weaved into uniform holes that are punctured along the edge of your induvial stacked pages. Wire-o binding uses a c-shaped wire comb that is placed into punched holes along the edge of stacked pages and then clamped shut. Both spiral and wire-o binding are more common than perfect bound calendars but more expensive than saddle-stitched calendars.
Choosing to use your calendars in a direct mail campaign can result in great revenue. However, you will need to consider the cost of mailing your calendars.
First things first, the postage rate will have an impact on the end price, for example, mailing your calendars using Standard Mail will be cheaper than First Class Mail but First Class mail will get delivered faster than Standard Mail.
Another thing to consider is whether you need to purchase a mailing list, or whether you will be using a list you already have. Purchasing a list will ultimately increase the cost to make calendars but depending on your goals reaching a targeted, new audience could increase your sales so it’s important to weigh your options.
You also need to choose whether you will mail your calendars out yourself or have your commercial printer mail them out for you. Often times, as is the case with Conquest Graphics, your printer will not charge you any more than the postage would cost you already.
If you want to get your calendars delivered faster and if you want to save yourself time and money trying to figure out the best way to mail your calendars, it’s ideal to elect your printer to mail your calendar from their mail center.
Not every printer offers mailing since they don’t all have their own mail centers like Conquest Graphics. So, be sure to ask before placing your calendar order whether or not they will be able to mail your calendars to a list of your choosing.
When mailing with Conquest Graphics, all you have to worry about is uploading your mailing list on time and we’ll be sure to mail them when you want them to mail. For more information about mailing, check out our mailing services page for answers to any questions you might have, and feel free to contact our mailing experts by calling (800) 707-9903 at any time for further questions or for help getting started on your direct mail calendar project.
The cost to make a custom calendar will ultimately be determined by the quantity, paper, turnaround time, ink, size, page count, binding and mailing of your order.
Calendars often require slightly longer turnaround times since they have more factors than other, simpler printed products. So, when making a calendar for printing make sure to plan ahead so you don’t need to pay more by placing a rush order.
Depending on all the specifications outlined above, your custom calendar could cost anywhere between $50 and $10,000 total, or anywhere from $30 per calendar to $1 per calendar. Additional shipping costs can add a little, but in the end, the best way to save on your project is to use the tips outlined in each of the sections above and to choose a commercial printer who can print and mail your calendars in-house while also working with you to bring costs down to meet your exact budget.
For more details on the cost to make a calendar, click below to take advantage of our calendar price configurator to get an even better idea of how much it could cost you to print calendars.
Get Started on Your Calendar OrderCalendarss are one of the more complex products in the world of printing since there are many variables involved that weigh heavily on the end cost to customers. Commercial printers also offer mailing and other things that can have an influence on the end cost of a calendar print order. In this blog we break down the various cost components of a calendar print order.
Conquest Graphics
Promotional calendars are essential tools for all industry types. Beyond sharing dates and important reminders, they offer year-long advertising opportunities at an affordable price and day-to-day brand exposure. In addition, when you provide your audience with a branded promotional calendar, you provide them with a helpful tool they can use daily. Every time someone checks the date or jots down a reminder, they're reminded of your brand, putting it top of mind.
Because promotional calendars are so important for your business or organization, it's essential that you find the right calendar printing company for your goals and budget. To help ease the search, we compiled 10 key factors you need to consider before you settle on a printer. Read further to find out how you can determine which calendar printer is right for your needs.
Before you even begin looking for a calendar printing company, you need to determine and understand your needs for your promotional calendar.
What is the purpose of your promotional calendar? Is the goal for your calendar to increase brand exposure, promote a specific service, advertise several products or services, share tips and information related to your industry, or introduce your brand to a new audience? Are you planning to mail your promotional calendars, use them as giveaways, hand them out at an event, use them as fundraising materials, or gift them to your employees or stakeholders?
Based on the purpose of your promotional calendars, how many will you need, and are there any specific printing requirements required to meet your goals? For example, are you reaching a large audience and need 2000 calendars? Are they for each department within your company, and you only need 5, or are you gifting them to top customers and need about 250 calendars?
By determining your promotional calendar needs, you'll understand better what you need to find within a printing company. After answering the questions above, consider the following factors to determine which calendar printing company is right for you.
Your promotional calendar should reflect the quality and professionalism of your brand. So, look for a calendar printing company that promotes and is known for its quality while not overpricing its services. When looking for a printer, ask for samples of their paper and product configurations so you can see and feel firsthand the quality in which your calendar could be printed.
In looking at the quality stage of finding your calendar printer, it’s crucial to find not only one who will provide you with free samples to show you their quality but also one who is experienced in calendar printing. For example, a company specializing in business cards may outsource or not print calendars often, resulting in them not prioritizing your needs and providing you with a lower-quality product.
Some calendar printing companies may only provide small orders. For example, some companies focus on consumer needs, offering only one calendar while ignoring bulk printing discounts. If you only need one calendar, then this is great. However, suppose you need 5, 50, 500, or even 2000 custom calendars. In that case, you need to look for a printing company offering short-run and bulk calendar printing services.
By doing so, you are able to order smaller quantities at an affordable price and take advantage of bulk printing discounts if you need to order a large batch of promotional calendars.
Look for a calendar printing company that offers several paper and finish configurations for your promotional calendar so that you can order a product that meets your goals and budget while also not lacking in quality.
For example, you should be given several options of paper in different finishes and thicknesses for your calendar's inside pages and cover. In addition, you should be provided the option to add a coating to the inside and/or exterior. For example, you could add a UV coating for added protection, a soft touch coating for a smooth, velvety feel, or a matte, satin, or gloss aqueous coating.
In addition to several paper and finishing options, your printer should offer additional customization capabilities to meet your exact goals. For example, ask the company if they offer special features like metallic ink printing in gold and silver as well as spot coating to make certain design elements appear shinier than others. Depending on your calendar's purpose, these capabilities can help you create a promotional calendar that stands out.
Also, customization capabilities should extend even further, including personalizing each calendar to be customized for each recipient using Variable Data Printing. This customization service lets you print unique per-calendar content such as names, images, and more.
Designing a promotional calendar can take time and effort, even for seasoned designers. You need to account for the correct months, dates, and holidays and ensure you have the accurate page count, page layout, bleed, and margin space required for printing. Because of this, look for a calendar printing company that offers free calendar design templates for your needs, including an annotated PDF that has the correct month details, packaged and customizable InDesign templates set up with the proper printing requirements, and even an online calendar designer where all you have to do is upload your images.
In addition to calendar templates, look for a printer who offers graphic design help. This is important if you aren’t familiar with designing multi-page materials, as they can help you set up your art file, brainstorm ideas with you, or completely take the reins after discussing your vision and goals.
Making a custom calendar takes time, and because they have multiple pages full of month details, promotional messaging, branding, and imagery, they involve much proofreading to ensure there aren’t any missing company events, typos, low-resolution images, incorrect linked QR codes, and more. Because of this, it’s essential that you not only review your promotional calendar design after making it, but you also review it one last time before they are printed to ensure you don’t need to waste money on having to reprint them.
This is why it’s essential to look for a printer who will provide you with a free calendar proof so that you can review and approve it before they move it to production. Professional calendar printers will even offer free file checking to inform you of any low-resolution images, incorrect color modes, and more so that if by chance there is any error, you can fix your design and resubmit it to be reproofed. Digital proofs of your art files should remain free no matter how many times you need to resubmit your files.
Turnaround time refers to the time it takes to print your promotional calendars, also known as printing time. It does not include the shipping or mailing time. Turnaround time begins after your proof is approved, and you should find a calendar printer to accommodate your deadline.
When looking for a printer, look for one that promotes fast speeds and one that offers several turnaround options to choose from. You'll typically be able to view the different turnaround time options associated with your quantity on your printer's calendar product page. If you don't see a timeframe that meets your deadline, then give them a call. Depending on your needs, a professional calendar printing company might be able to speed up the printing time.
When looking for a calendar printing company, you want to look for affordable and competitive prices in relation to the quality of their work. While you may steer towards the cheapest provider, this could result in a less-than-professional final product, resulting in your calendars not generating a high ROI.
Analyze their price point against their quality as well as against other printers. Then, evaluate their bulk calendar printing discounts against their short run. This is important because the price per calendar should decrease as you increase the quantity. For example, 50 custom calendars may cost around $6 per calendar, while 500 calendars could cost about $3 per calendar.
We all check out the reviews before making a purchase online so that we can buy with confidence. The same goes for buying promotional calendars. When looking for a calendar printing company, looking at each printer's reviews is essential. By reading what previous customers have to say, you'll be able to get an understanding of what you can expect when ordering from each company.
Suppose you're handing out your calendars at an event or gifting them to your employees. In that case, you probably don't need to prioritize finding a printer that offers mailing services. However, suppose you're looking to send out your promotional calendars to your audience through a direct mail campaign. In that case, finding a calendar printing and mailing company is essential. Doing so can save a lot of time and money, as they can mail your calendars directly to your audience after they are printed. A professional print and direct mail company will not only send them using a mailing list you already have but can also help you build a new targeted mailing list so you can reach a new audience and increase your customer base.
Additionally, a printer offering mailing services can mail your calendars without an envelope or print custom envelopes, use ink jetting to address them, and insert them into the envelopes for you before they mail them.
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TrustpilotSelecting the right printing company for your promotional calendars is essential to your brand's visibility and reputation. With so many factors to consider, from quality, customization, and design help to free file checking, turnaround time, and direct mail services, ensuring you're partnering with a reliable and experienced calendar printing company is critical.
At Conquest Graphics, we have over 100 years of calendar printing experience. We offer high-quality and affordable services, free samples, design help, fast speeds, easy ordering, materials and customization capabilities to meet your needs, direct mail services, a helpful customer service team here to help you every step of the way, and so much more.
Are you ready to bring your promotional calendars to life? Don't miss out on year-long advertising and amazing brand exposure. Order your promotional calendars today and ensure your brand stays top of mind every day.
Order Your Promotional Calendars Now!