Quoting your Book Project Overseas

When you send a quote request to multiple overseas printing vendors’ and one pricing is higher than the other vendor.  Review the quote with a fine comb; check the specifications on the quote for comparison.

Most vendors do not include many items like customs clearance, in-land shipping, port processing fees, FedExing, proofing, advances, and lots of other details from the quote which pertains to your final price in your quote request. Always be sure when evaluating the quotes you are comparing APPLES TO APPLES, not Apples to Oranges!

Clients have approached us and stated our pricing is much higher, compared to other vendors.  We request to view the competitor quotes with the company name removed, and 9 x’s out of 10, the hidden costs are not presented, which makes our pricing the complete opposite actually lower.  Usually the paper weight is not comparable; some vendors tend to change the paper weight to get your business using a cheaper paper weight.

Another item missing from our competitors quote is the proofing. This could be huge especially when it is a 4 color printing throughout. High Resolution hard digital proofs range from $4 to $6 per page. You can do the math, but the cost difference could be in the thousands just in proofing. Most client’s / people when viewing a quote their eye tends to go directly to the cost and not noting the details in the estimate.

Here is an example, a client requested a cloth cover book with foil stamping & embossing on the cover, 150 pages, 4 color throughout with 100 lb interior paper stock, requested DDP shipping.  When she received our quote she stated we were 30% higher.  When the client sent over the competitors quote, they had a standard hard cover book (paper cover with printing on it, not cloth) – 157 gsm (100 lb) wrapped over 2.5 mm board with 128 gsm paper (80 lb) (see blog tab lb vs gsm) for the interior. Then to top it off this competitors’ quote only included PDF proofs. Let’s say hard digital proofs cost $4 per page with a total page count of 150 pages, you are talking about $600.00 in price difference right there and that doesn’t include FedExing the proofs to you.

Now the shipping!!! This is a very common issue we run across. This vender just quoted delivery FOB Florida with a zip code. What does that mean? What it really means it doesn’t include all the shipping related fees.   Now how do you request a cloth cover, DDP shipping and that is not even mentioned in the quote???  When the client went back to the vendor about the issues noted, the price increased drastically.

So the point of this blog, please be sure you are checking all details on your quote and watch for those hidden expenditures!  When comparing quotes for a hard cover book printing, children book printing, board book printing, and soft cover book printing overseas be sure you check the wrapping you requested, the boarding which the cloth, leather or paper is wrapping, paper weight, shipping, proofing is accurate.  Make sure they are Smyth sewn and then case bound; this offers a more sturdy binding method.  When comparing for a perfect bound book printing overseas is the book glued only or did you request signature sewn and then glued?  These are the little tidbits which can throw off the comparisons.

Send us a quote request today, PRC Book Printing will quote your project accurately and provide you with no hidden fees!  Click on our Request a Quote Tab, email us: info@prcbookprinting.com or simply give us a call at 888.659.8320! Check out our overseas book printing page to check out our samples!