Private traders - owners of small printing outlets - turn to the services of small printing houses; government organizations - for internal document flow (tax authorities, postal workers, etc.); educational organizations - for reproduction of teaching materials; banks, trading companies (price lists); catering establishments and manufacturers (price tags, labels, menus, copies of certificates); large factories, advertising and PR agencies (questionnaires, leaflets, flyers), etc.

Typically, a small printing house requires the presence of equipment capable of fulfilling not very large printing orders in a short time. However, you won’t be able to get by with just one machine. The second component is the so-called “auxiliary” machines, which allow you to perform a number of actions with already printed products. It is the combination of these two types of equipment that can be considered a mini-printing house. In the Moscow market of printing services, both printing houses and clients are clearly divided: small orders are carried out in mini-printing houses, medium ones in medium-sized ones, and large orders, respectively, in large ones. The main thing here is to identify the niche in which you are going to work when starting a printing business. If you already have potential customers, you need to purchase equipment that will be used as much as possible. If you purchase too powerful equipment, you will have to look for additional clients in order to load the machines “to the fullest.”

Risograph and offset

The equipment of small printing houses is divided according to several criteria. Some entrepreneurs buy risographs, others - color copiers, and still others - offset printing machines. Risograph is, first of all, black and white printing. There are also color risographs, which allow, for example, to print a black and white leaflet with a red flag. Business documentation, instructions for household appliances, etc. are usually made on such devices. You cannot print business cards on a risograph - for this you need an offset machine that allows you to print complex colors and combine them. If we talk about offset printing, then the additional ones will be: a cutting machine, equipment for the production of printing plates (copy frame and processor for developing plates), a binding machine, a folding machine, etc.

A good risograph costs about 10 thousand dollars, although the price varies greatly depending on the configuration. The price of a color copier is from 10 to 50 thousand dollars. For 10-15 thousand dollars you can also buy a used one- or two-color offset press. You can use it to make business cards and other simple work. A mini-printing house consisting of one offset printing machine, if you know the market for used equipment, can be “built” for 10-15 thousand dollars. But you can invest 150-200 thousand - it all depends on the amount of starting capital.

Sergei Nemtsov, director of the Moscow printing house Elena, says: “We were originally an advertising agency, placing orders with printing houses. Then we bought small cutters and other office devices. That is, they began to handle the final finishing of printing themselves. Having gained experience, we decided to purchase an offset machine. Initially, our focus was specifically on offset printing. Considering the investment, this is, of course, expensive equipment. But there are numerous leasing and lending systems that make it easier to start a business. Although now I would be looking for used equipment, but in good condition. This is the same as in the case of a one-year-old car - it is already completely ready for use, it does not need to be brought to mind. Prices for used equipment - from 15 thousand dollars, new - from 200 thousand dollars. The range of prices on the Moscow printing equipment market is very large - it all depends on the technical characteristics.”

The hot breath of competitors

A risograph is cheaper and, as a result, more accessible, but you need to be aware that such equipment is possible not only for you, but also for your competitors. The lower its cost, the closer their breath will be felt. To build a business, you need to realistically imagine who the service will be provided to, what your advantages will be, etc. “You can, for example, play at speed,” says the director of the advertising agency “Soloist” Alexander Er, who opened a printing house at his advertising agency about four years ago. - For example, make all orders as soon as possible. Employees must be prepared to stay overnight. Thus, the audience of “hot” clients is covered. You can offer options for printing technologies, advise what is suitable for the customer and what is not, focus specifically on high quality services, taking into account, of course, other factors.”

All mini-printing houses share a similar operating principle based on screen printing. The first to appear on the Russian market were devices from the company Riso, a pioneer in this area of ​​printing, called “risographs,” and the company Duplo, which later entered this market, prefers to call its devices duplicators. Currently there are three main manufacturers on the market - Riso, Duplo and Ricoh (all Japanese). Ricoh devices are also produced in Europe and Russia under the brands Rex-Rotary, Nashuatec, MB, Gestetner. In the Moscow market now, entry-level A4 format devices and A3 format systems are mainly in demand. It is difficult to say exactly which manufacturer is better. All devices are designed approximately the same. Of course, we are not talking about prestige here: it is more appropriate to compare a mini-printing house with a truck, and it doesn’t matter which truck to transport boards on.

The most popular is printing from scanned paper originals. However, an increasing number of consumers are paying attention to such details as the presence of a computer interface (RIP) for connecting the mini-printing house to a PC and printing electronic documents (the unit is supplied or purchased separately) or a network card - for using the mini-printing house as a device network printing.

Draft horses

Risographs can be called the workhorses of the office equipment market. They are designed for fast (up to 120-130 ppm) and economical printing on A6-A3 paper. With circulations in the range of 50-5,000 copies, they successfully compete in cost per print with copiers and small-format offset presses. The cost of a copy in this case decreases sharply as the circulation increases. Important advantages of mini-printing houses are the long service life of the machines (up to 9 million copies), low energy consumption (up to 400 W) and environmental friendliness (consumables are often non-toxic). Unlike offset printing, when working with a mini-printing house, no costs are required for preparing the printing process. Even if you purchase used equipment that was operated by the previous owner without any maintenance, the “insides” of the device may be completely intact and intact.

But the big advantage of the latest generation of copying machines is their ability to work on almost any paper - from inexpensive thin paper (46 g/m?) to cardboard (240 g/m?). Experts strongly advise purchasing A3 format devices, even if you plan to print only A4 format copies. The fact is that on an A3 format machine you can print two A4 format copies at once in one pass. This extends the life of the device, reduces costs and significantly speeds up the printing process. And to “cut” finished copies, you can purchase a special cutter capable of cutting stacks of paper up to 500 sheets thick.

It is at the very beginning of organizing a business that it is necessary to solve an important problem - what equipment to buy. There are two ways to go here. The first is to purchase used cars, the mileage of which allows, at some cost, to produce high-quality printing that can satisfy the needs of not too demanding customers. The second way is to purchase completely new equipment. Some experts argue that starting with a new car is better. This is especially important if you do not have a highly qualified equipment specialist on staff who can quickly find the cause of possible problems and eliminate them. In the experience of many print shop owners, used equipment often malfunctions and requires close monitoring.

Except cars

If we talk about other necessary business requirements, then, first of all, this is premises. No matter how small the printing house is, it requires a warehouse (both for source codes and finished products). In general, a mini-printing house takes up little space - you can start with 40 square meters. m. However, there are cases when a mini-printing house was located on 20 square meters. m. - literally in a fenced off corner of the office space. Under such circumstances, it is quite possible to combine both production and office in one place. When they are separated, of course, mobility will be lost and the logistics of the process will need to be established.

It is difficult to name the period during which the equipment can pay for itself. The profitability threshold in this case depends on many reasons. “I can say one thing,” says Alexander Er, “if you start a business with the production of printed products using offset equipment, you will need about a year just to bring the work of the printing house to a more or less coordinated relationship between customer orders and your capacities. The payback period for equipment also depends on the availability of a customer base, the location of production, and much more. If we talk about the return of “our own people,” then we can name a period of three years. In the first year, of course, you no longer need to invest, but the balance will actually be zero. Until you put the technical parameters of your equipment in proper shape, until orders are generated, you can forget about a constant serious income.” Many printing house owners share the same opinion. The famous proverb is quite applicable to this business: “The first year you feed the business, the second year the business feeds itself, the third year the business feeds you.”

But with well-structured promotion of services, a lot can be achieved. There are examples of people who, even though they are not specialists in printing issues, but have an entrepreneurial spirit, have achieved great success in this direction.

“If you buy new offset equipment, the printing house will pay for itself no sooner than in three years. Of course, when buying equipment that has already worked for some time, there is a risk that it will break. There are no guarantees. And how long it will take for used equipment to pay for itself is unknown. But usually, if you take an “old” machine, in a year or a year and a half you can “recapture” it, and then the profit will come,” says Sergei Nemtsov, director of the Elena printing house.

Labor results

It is very difficult to guide the reader on profit - it depends on many things, but on average, a mini-printing house (offset press + auxiliary equipment) can actually generate an income of about 2-5 thousand dollars a month. Let's look at a simple example. The price of one print on a copying machine is $0.5, and the cost is about 12 cents/print. With an almost full machine load, you can get a “dirty” profit of 10 thousand dollars a month. With the deduction of maintenance costs, rent of premises, and employee salaries, the result is about 2-3 thousand dollars of net profit per month. However, we must remember that in the summer there is actually a low season for printing houses, but costs remain.

Rent of premises, salaries to employees, modernization of equipment - all these are constant expense items. Future owners of mini-printing houses should pay special attention to the issue of purchasing consumables. There are quite a lot of so-called “compatible” materials on the market, which are about 30% cheaper than the originals. However, all risograph sellers are strikingly unanimous on the issue of choosing consumables - they strongly recommend that their clients use only original materials and fundamentally do not sell any others. The consequences of using unbranded materials are catastrophic. For example, if you use compatible consumables on Riso, you can safely save $1,000 for a new drum. It’s one thing if an inkjet printer worth $100 fails, but another thing is a risograph thirty to forty times more expensive. It also happens that one thing may be written on a tube of paint, but inside there may be something completely different. In the case of compatible materials, there is a chance that it will end up on a refilled tube, where ordinary printing ink is sometimes poured. And although experts usually distinguish “linden” by smell and consistency, it is very difficult for the average user to assess the quality of the paint. To avoid troubles, it makes sense to buy consumables from the same company that provides service.

Success Factors

As for other success factors, the first place is the presence of a client base. Of course, the efficiency of order fulfillment and the location of the production itself are also important. Enterprises in industrial zones or with a complex access system may scare off customers. “In principle, it doesn’t matter where the production is located,” says Sergei Nemtsov. “The main thing is that there is convenient access to the office - loading and unloading of goods is ongoing.”

In the case of a mini-printing house, first of all, you need to think about what it will do and for whom. Advertising in this type of business is mainly direct marketing, that is, the manager calls potential clients. Although some entrepreneurs place advertisements in newspapers and magazines such as “Goods and Services”. Another important point: printing services are complex. There are no clear, at first glance, obvious measures to determine whether the work was done well or not. It is easy to determine an outright defect, but in printing there are many intermediate criteria. The client, having learned about you, will not immediately run to place an order - you need to win his trust.

Regarding the pricing policy, we can say the following: if you calculate operating profit per order, that is, based on direct costs from total income, you can say that printing is a highly profitable business. The seller can vary the prices for the service depending on how much he wants to receive a given order. There is a wide range of all possible actions: since mini-printing houses are designed for small and urgent orders, you can “play” on raising prices for “urgent” clients. For example, invitations are needed for some event in the morning, and the customer arrives, say, the day before at six in the evening. Then you can demand an additional fee for urgency - as a rule, the client agrees to this. The price in this case can double. Ideally, by the way, it makes sense to set up a 24-hour printing house - in this case it will generate maximum income

Alexander Ivanov

Printing as a business can be a very profitable activity, but it needs to be organized correctly. It is advisable to find out how to carry out all the actions step by step.

Business Features

Before you open a printing business, you should decide how profitable it can be. First of all, let's look at all the pros and cons of this case. Among the advantages are the following:

• you can start working with several printing and copying machines in your own apartment;
• a fairly high demand for services, especially in those areas where educational or other institutions whose work is related to documents are located;
• the possibility of parallel implementation of other business ideas;
• a variety of printing equipment that has a very reasonable cost.

However, printing as a business is not without certain disadvantages:

• today this niche is fairly filled with competitors;
• such a business takes a long time to pay off;
• Sometimes, to open such a business, you have to invest a lot of money in it.

As for the profitability of the business presented, it depends on many factors, and it can be difficult to keep a small printing house afloat. However, this is quite possible if you approach the work correctly.

How to start organizing a mini-printing house?

You probably already have a question about where to start a printing business. The answer is simple: first you need to legalize and formalize your activities legally. That is, it is required to obtain a license and certificate of private entrepreneurship. Moreover, you have the opportunity to pay taxes using a simplified system.

You will also have to contact the tax and pension services, as well as the social insurance fund. Naturally, you should open a bank account into which the money you earn will go, and also with the help of which you can pay taxes and buy consumables.

You will need to provide a rental agreement for the premises to the registration authorities. To be able to work, you must also complete a fire evacuation plan and obtain a certificate of compliance with all necessary safety requirements.

Features of choosing a work space

Printing as a business is an already developed niche of entrepreneurial activity, but a competent organization can take your business to a high level. So, in order to confidently begin work, you need to choose a suitable room.

In principle, beginners can try to work even in their own home. However, if this is not possible, then try to rent a small room that can accommodate several computers, a copy machine, and several printers. This will be enough for the first time. In the future you will be able to expand.

Try to choose a place where a large number of people pass by every day. It is very profitable to install small printing houses near educational institutions. After all, printing services are always needed by students.

Your printing office should be clearly visible; for this you need to order a bright sign; you can hang a poster on the wall of the building with a list of services provided.

Keep in mind that it should be easy for you to transport equipment and supplies to the job site. Naturally, the room must have proper electrical wiring and protection from accidental ignition. The fact is that you will have a large number of devices turned on every day for a long time.

Your office must be easy to access. It is undesirable to use a living space for this purpose, since the noise of operating equipment can get on the nerves of your neighbors. The printing business is essentially not very complicated if you understand it thoroughly.

What services can you provide?

Now it is advisable to figure out how you intend to work. That is, you need to determine what printing services you can provide. If the enterprise is small, then you can do the following work:

• make color and black and white photocopies, print out abstracts, diploma and term papers, brochures, photographs from electronic media;
• search for information;
• produce business cards, calendars, brochures, posters, leaflets, labels and other products;
• bind manuals, laminate documents;
• Print on various media (discs, metallized paper).

Naturally, gradual expansion will give you the opportunity to introduce new printing services: production of paper packaging, printing on large-format sheets, production of plastic cards, labels on transparent film using ultraviolet or metallized inks. The range of products can be expanded indefinitely, if, of course, you intend to develop your business.

What equipment will you need for the job?

Naturally, without special equipment you will not be able to make a single product. First, you should buy a computer, a copy machine and a printer. Additional tools can be a laminator and binder.

Please note that the printer must be color. If your business pays off and you want to expand it, you can add other printing machines. For example, a digital duplicator would be useful. Naturally, it is not as good as a high-quality copier, but it is quite suitable for producing 5,000 copies of simple products.

To print large sheets, you need to purchase a plotter. Of course, it cannot be called a “cheap pleasure,” but it can make your life much easier.

A small single-color machine, a risograph, which can only produce black and white products, will also be useful to you.

Naturally, you should also invest in various cutters and a booklet machine.

Printing is a fairly common line of business that does not lose demand for services even during a crisis. Rather, on the contrary - in conditions of fierce competition and the struggle for clients, small and medium-sized companies are increasingly turning to printing servants to produce advertising materials. In addition, price lists, price tags, copies, forms for internal circulation and other printed materials are always needed.

This state of affairs suits novice entrepreneurs; moreover, a printing house as a business does not require significant capital investments at the initial stage. How to open your own printing services company and achieve success, despite a sufficient number of competitors? A business plan will help.

Types of enterprises

The printing services market is represented by three types of printing houses:

• Small printing houses – fulfilling small volumes of orders. If a company has at its disposal one main apparatus for the production of printed materials and several auxiliary machines - no more than 5-6, then it has the right to the title of a mini-printing house;
• Average – respectively, for medium-volume services;
• Large printing companies , which are engaged in the provision of services and the production of printed products on an industrial scale.

This division is not at all conditional, and when choosing the appropriate type of printing house, the future entrepreneur sometimes relies on profit, forgetting about such a parameter as demand. And he opens a printing house to fulfill a large volume of orders.

But in the absence of potential clients, the printing house will not be loaded at full capacity, which means there is no need to talk about profits and payback periods. Even a small printing house with expensive equipment and a small number of orders has a chance of breaking even in no earlier than 3 years.

Business registration

Before opening a business, a mini-printing house must be legalized. The best option for a novice entrepreneur would be to register as an individual entrepreneur. Registration will not take more than 5 days, and in the future this form of business will not require significant costs for accounting and tax reporting. Taxation system – simplified tax system 6% or 15%.

In the case where not one person, but several partners, plans to open a printing house, then an LLC is suitable.

Choosing a room for a printing house

The recommended room area is about 40 square meters. m. With a smaller area, it will be difficult to place several devices, and it will be inconvenient for employees to work. In addition, it is important to take care of the storage space for consumables and finished products.

When choosing a room for a mini-printing house, we must not forget about the need for proper electrical wiring and compliance with other fire safety rules. Most of the time, several appliances will remain on in the room.

Location

Some experts claim that the location of the premises does not play a significant role for the business plan of a printing enterprise. This statement is not entirely true.

Passability is really not such an important parameter for this business. But the location near an educational institution will play a positive role - students will come to the printing house for copies, teachers will come to print out teaching aids and other documentation.

The importance of location is justified by such characteristics as accessibility. The office must be accessible for freight transport. Also, clients should be able to get to the company by public transport, as well as easily find premises.

Fixed funds will have to be spent on the purchase of equipment for the printing house. Where to start assembling a company?

A standard set of services for a small printing company requires the following equipment:

• digital printing machine;
• plotter for large sheets;
• equipment for thermal printing;
• color printer;
• bookbinder;
• laminator;
• pruning equipment;
• computer;
• consumables – blanks for souvenirs, paper, photographic paper, thermal film, oracal, flexible vinyl magnets.

Other equipment

Non-essential equipment includes furniture - tables and chairs for staff, work surfaces and tables for equipment, chairs or a sofa for visitors. In addition, we must not forget about licensed graphic editors, since free downloaded versions are not suitable for the printing business.

We must not forget about furniture for storing consumables and finished products. No office would be complete without stationery.

Digital printing machine

Digital printing press is the most expensive equipment

A printing machine is the most expensive equipment. A new offset press will cost an entrepreneur at least 250 thousand rubles. Such costs may be justified by guaranteed orders from large competitors. Otherwise, the machine will pay for itself in about 3 years or longer.

There are also more affordable options - risographs. Riso brand machines allow you to make black and white copies in relatively small quantities at high speed. Disadvantage: lack of flowers. There are also color risographs, but color consists of the presence of 3-4 shades in addition to black. Such a device is indispensable when urgent copies are required at low cost.

Consumables

Owners of small printing houses may face troubles when purchasing consumables. Some manufacturers of printing equipment recommend using original consumables produced by them. Those entrepreneurs who ignore the recommendations and purchase compatible replacements will soon be forced to repair printing equipment.

Thus, when using non-original materials for a Riso risograph, you often have to look for a replacement drum, the cost of which exceeds $1000. Experienced owners of a printing business advise buying original consumables from official companies that provide service support. This will eliminate counterfeits and preserve the equipment.

Range of printing services

The beauty of a small print shop is that it can handle a large number of printing services. The standard list includes the following:

• color printing:
• black and white printing;
• printing on souvenirs;
• lamination;
• scanning;
• design development and production of business cards, brochures, posters, leaflets, flyers and so on;
• photo printing.

If an entrepreneur plans to develop a printing business, then he can gradually purchase additional equipment, and his employees can master new types of services. With a creative approach, the range of printing products has no boundaries.

Printing services will be used by both commercial customers - large and small firms, marketing companies, and individuals. When analyzing the market for printing services in the regions of the country, the arithmetic average value of the amount of checks from mini-printing houses was calculated - 3 thousand rubles.

Staff

For the normal functioning of a printing business, a large number of employees are required:

• editor;
• designer - one or two employees;
• layout designer;
• corrector;
• specialist in working with printing equipment;
• workers for processing finished products - trimming, folding, etc.

At the initial stage, it is enough to select experienced generalists who are ready to both print and process products. A layout designer, as a rule, may have design skills. Those services that do not require professional skills - making copies, laminating, printing and other simple functions - can be performed by any unemployed employee.

Attracting clients

Advertising a printing house via the Internet is the most effective option

According to statistics, the most effective method of promoting printing services is the creation and promotion of a website on the Internet. This is confirmed by multiple search engine queries regarding various mini-printing services.

Thus, the business plan of a printing enterprise must include the costs of attracting customers via the Internet. As an online resource you can choose:

• Own website . If you approach the issue wisely with a lot of free time, then there is a chance to master web design and layout in a short time to create a website yourself. In matters of website promotion, you will have to turn to a professional. The average cost of services, including development and promotion, is from 60 thousand rubles.
• Group or public . A free alternative to your own website. Modern social media capabilities allow you to create an almost complete catalog with photos and content based on your own account. Even a group will need paid promotion; its cost starts from thousands of rubles.

In addition to promotion on the Internet, advertising platforms in the local press, outdoor advertising in the city and on transport have an effect.

Printing house financial plan

A business plan for a printing enterprise must contain lists of estimated costs and income to analyze the profitability of the enterprise and calculate payback periods.

Capital expenses when opening a mini-printing house include:

Table. Capital investments

List of monthly expenses:

Table. Monthly investment

Income

Let's calculate the printing house's estimated monthly income. The average order cost is about 3 thousand rubles, of which 300 rubles is the cost of consumables. A small printing house fulfills no more than 5 orders per day; with a 5-day working week per month, revenue will approach 300,000 rubles.

Taking into account monthly expenses, we get a profit before tax - about 90,000 rubles. If the taxation system for a mini-printing house is USN 15%, the net profit of the enterprise per month will be no more than 77 thousand rubles.

The profitability of this business is 36-38%. Payback period – 1.5 years.

Starting a business in the printing industry is possible with minimal capital: entry barriers are low. Basic requirements for an entrepreneur: a general understanding of the field and the presence of a business plan for a printing house that has been thought out to the smallest nuances. The increasing number of participants in the printing market confirms the prospects and profitability of such a business.

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Services provided

Main types of services provided by printing houses:

1. Printing magazines, newspapers, books.
2. Release of booklets. The booklet is a single sheet on which text with illustrations is applied, folded several times.
3. Release of brochures. A brochure is a product consisting of more than four pages and containing certain textual and graphic information. The pages are fastened together using glue, paper clips, and springs.
4. Printing leaflets. A leaflet is usually one sheet of A5 or A4 format containing information on both sides or only one.
5. Creating folders. A folder is a product made of either cardboard or polymer, designed to store a small amount of paper. The necessary information is applied to the folder (for example, the customer’s company logo, advertising text, drawings, etc.).
6. Issue of labels. Labels are usually made on special paper and are intended for further gluing to a specific object. In the classic version, it contains information about a specific product.
7. Making calendars. For example, printing specialists can develop a calendar for a specific company containing its brand name, logo, etc.
8. Production of business cards. A business card is a small sheet of thick paper/cardboard on which brief information about a person/organization and contact information is printed.
9. Printing on sheets of A1 and A2 format.
10. Role print.

Additional earning options:

• binding;
• scanning;
• lamination;
• development of corporate logo design;
• development of invitations, greeting cards, etc.;
• production of business printing (for example, envelopes, notepads, forms, receipts, newsletters, etc.);
• printing of methodological and educational materials;
• production of color separated photoforms;
• embossing on paper;
• printing on T-shirts, mugs;
• making souvenirs;
• color proofing of layouts, etc.

In a mini-printing house, the following distribution of the range of products produced is usually observed:

• booklets, leaflets, brochures, labels - about 60 percent of the total turnover;
• copying documents of various formats – 25 percent;
• binding of documents (for example, diplomas, coursework, reports, etc.) – 5 percent;
• lamination – 5 percent;
• other goods – 5 percent.

Printed materials can be replicated in small batches using photocopiers, or in large quantities using a risograph. The possibility of producing goods in a small volume will be of interest to numerous small entrepreneurs when ordering promotional products.

Relevance

The relevance of business in the printing industry is due to the following factors:

1. In order to open your own business, an entrepreneur is not required to have any special knowledge or skills. Both experienced and novice entrepreneurs can organize a business.
2. High profitability, profitability and payback.
3. High demand for printing services from legal entities and individuals. The growth of small businesses observed in Russia leads to an increase in the need for printing products, and to a greater extent, advertising.

Types of printing houses

Traditionally, printing enterprises are divided into:

• book;
• newspaper;
• magazine;
• book and magazine;
• newspaper and magazine;
• printing factories;
• cartographic factories;
• blank factories;
• white goods factories, etc.

Classification of printing works by the share of a particular type of service in the volume of production (with a value above 50%, the enterprise is considered specialized):

• publishing and printing complex that prints newspaper products;
• a printing company specializing in printing visual products (including label products);
• printing house producing letterhead products (including ticket products);
• a printing company producing goods aimed at the blind and visually impaired;
• a printing company that produces advertising products;
• a printing house that produces a wide range of all kinds of printed products (a universal enterprise).

According to the level of technology and equipment used, printing enterprises are divided into:

• printing houses with offset printing;
• Letterpress printing houses;
• printing houses with digital printing;
• printing houses with flexographic printing;
• screen printing houses;
• printing houses using different printing methods.

According to technological specialization, printing houses are divided into:

• full cycle enterprises;
• enterprises producing original layouts;
• color separation studios;
• offset printing production, etc.

Based on the “scale of production”, printing houses are classified into:

• large (more than 200 workers);
• medium (from 50 to 200 workers);
• small (from 20 to 50 workers);
• mini (up to 20 workers).

The video talks about mini-printing houses and the main steps entrepreneurs take to open them. Filmed by the channel: TemplateMonsterRu.

The Russian printing market is predominantly occupied by mini-printing houses; today they account for more than 70%. This is an ideal business option in this area for beginners.

Advantages of mini-printing houses:

• a smaller amount of start-up capital is required compared to large ones;
• quick payback;
• the business can be gradually expanded.

Market description and analysis

Characteristics of the printing market:

• high social significance of the market;
• reduction in the number of state printing houses;
• the market is dominated by small enterprises providing highly specialized services;
• the number of market participants working in new formats – digital and “hybrid” – is growing;
• high competition;
• market players are trying to keep track of technological innovations in the industry, modernize their production and produce their own printed product;
• multi-technology printing enterprises;
• in recent years there has been an increase in the production of printed packaging and promotional products;
• the state is preparing a program to support the printing industry;
• strengthening interaction between small printing houses;
• in 2016, the capacity of the all-Russian market for the production of printed products was approximately 50 billion sheets of prints;
• 2016 is considered a turning point for the domestic printing industry, since most printing houses are experiencing a stage of development of business and investment activity;
• the annual volume of printing in Russia in foreign currency equivalent will be about 6.5 billion dollars (as of the beginning of 2015);
• In cities with a population of over a million, with a population of up to 4,000,000 people, there are 230-300 printing enterprises.

Structure of the Russian printing market by product type for 2016 Total output of printed products in physical terms according to Rosstat nomenclature in the first half of 2015-2016 Distribution of enterprises by type of ownership in Russia (printing production) Structure of production of printed products for industrial and technical purposes in Russian regions in 2016

Target Audience

Potential consumers of printing services:

• commercial organizations that need advertising products, forms, forms, newsletters, labels, packaging, etc. (about 60 percent);
• non-profit organizations (for example, charities) that also need advertising booklets, brochures, folders, notepads, calendars and other products (about 10 percent);
• individuals (about 20 percent);
• schools, higher and secondary vocational educational institutions, etc., in need of publishing manuals, textbooks, manuals, etc. (about 15 percent).

Competitive advantages

Success factors of modern printing:

• performing the service on time;
• providing the opportunity to provide services in a shorter period of time;
• wide range of services;
• provision of unique services (for example, effective advertising, labeling and packaging products; the use of metallization effects; three-dimensional images; aromatic printing);
• modern and high-quality equipment;
• own informative website, pages on social networks;
• accepting payment in various ways;
• well-thought-out loyalty program;
• qualified service;
• possibility of printing products in small quantities;
• reasonable prices;
• high quality of finished products.

Advertising campaign

• adding information about the company to city reference publications;
• advertisements in local print media (eg, magazines, newspapers);
• development of a corporate website with the ability to calculate the cost of services of a printing company, taking into account circulation, size, color;
• opening your own group on social networks;
• at first, you can carry out promotions (for example, a discount on the first order, when ordering over a certain amount, etc.);
• exchange of promotional materials with various companies (for example, advertising agencies, notary offices and courier services);
• advertisements in public transport (for example, metro and buses);
• a bright sign and banner with a list of services provided;
• cooperation with advertising agencies who, working with their clients, will order the production of advertising products in our printing house;
• unobtrusive offer of company services over the phone.

Step-by-step instructions for opening a printing house

To successfully launch a printing house, you need to follow the following step-by-step instructions:

1. Analysis of the local market, allowing you to choose the format and direction of activity for the company.
2. Development of a business plan for a printing house with calculations.
3. Registration of an enterprise with government authorities.
4. Searching for suitable premises, concluding a lease agreement (or purchasing production space) and renovating it.
5. Purchase of equipment in accordance with the planned product range and production technology.
6. Installation and adjustment of equipment for printing production.
7. Hiring staff.
8. Search for partners.
9. Carrying out marketing activities.
10. Purchase of consumables.

Documents

Features of registration of the printing house:

1. To start operating a printing house, you do not need to obtain a license.
2. An entrepreneur has the right to create a legal entity (for example, an LLC) or an individual - an individual entrepreneur. The second option is relevant for mini-printing houses, where only one person is the organizer. At the same time, you need to remember that printing companies registered as an LLC inspire greater confidence among partners and customers.
3. The basic type of economic activity (according to OKVED) is 18 “Printing activities and copying of information media.”
4. The optimal tax regime is the simplified tax system (scheme: 6 percent of income).
5. Opening a bank account for non-cash payments with partners, suppliers and customers.
6. Permits from the sanitary-epidemiological and fire services will be required.

When registering as an individual entrepreneur, the following documents are provided:

• a statement expressing the entrepreneur’s desire to open an individual entrepreneur;
• a copy of the main pages of the entrepreneur’s passport;
• copy of TIN certificate;
• a statement expressing the entrepreneur’s desire to switch to the simplified tax system;
• contact information.

When registering an LLC, the following documents are provided:

• minutes from the meeting of founders or the decision of the founder (if there is only one);
• a statement expressing the entrepreneur’s desire to open an LLC;
• charter of the enterprise;
• a receipt confirming payment of the duty;
• a receipt confirming the payment of the authorized capital;
• a copy of the main pages of the passport of all founders.

Room and design

Requirements for the production premises and its location:

• availability of communications: electricity, water, sewerage, heating, ventilation;
• the premises should be easy to find for both clients and partners;
• good access roads and parking;
• an area of ​​about 60 square meters is suitable for opening a mini-printing house;
• possibility of expanding production in the future;
• the publishing house can be located in a business center, in an office district of the city or near educational institutions;
• A premises in a residential area will not be suitable, since the main target audience is commercial organizations, and not ordinary people.

Distribution of room area:

• production premises;
• workplace for a designer;
• room for receiving clients or reception;
• warehouse for raw materials and finished products;
• bathroom;
• staff room;
• administrative and utility premises.

Equipment and inventory

An example of equipping a mini-printing house.

Name	Approximate prices in rubles
Digital duplicator (Rizograph)	340 000
Copy machine	100 000
Computer (two pieces)	40 000
Color laser printer	80 000
Software	100 000
Bookmaker	5 000
Laminator	5 000
Cutter	4 000
Office furniture (desks, cabinets, armchairs, chairs, safe, etc.)	150 000
Other equipment and inventory	26 000
Total:	850 000

Digital duplicator (Risograph) – 340,000 rubles Copy machine – 100,000 rubles Color laser printer – 80,000 rubles Booklet maker – 5,000 rubles

In addition to equipment and inventory, you will need to purchase consumables:

• master film for risograph;
• additional photodrum for a copy machine;
• additional photo drum for a laser printer;
• paint (color and black);
• paper size A3, A4, etc.

Staff

Mini-printing staff:

1. Control. The manager of a printing house, in addition to performing the functions of organizing its work, can work with clients (searching for customers, receiving and sorting orders).
2. Cutter. The cutter is primarily involved in the post-printing preparation of products (cutting, stitching, packaging, lamination, embossing, etc.).
3. Designer/layout designer. The designer develops the project and prepares it for printing.
4. Printer (two people). A printer is the main specialist who ensures the workflow of printing production.
5. Helper worker. An auxiliary worker helps the printer; he also carries out loading and unloading operations, purchases raw materials, delivers products to the customer, etc.

Requirements for designer/layout designer:

• special education;
• experience;
• presence of a portfolio;
• creative thinking;
• Knowledge and ability to work with various specialized software.

Printer requirements:

• specialized education;
• experience;
• ability to work with various modern printing equipment;
• learning ability;
• accuracy;
• responsibility;
• attentiveness;
• equilibrium.

Financial plan

Further financial planning is based on the following initial information:

• a mini-printing house is being organized in a city with a population of about 1 million people;
• organizational form - LLC;
• specialization – production of advertising products;
• the premises are leased for a long term;
• room area – 60 square meters;
• location – business center;
• number of workers – 6 people.

Starting investments

Initial capital for opening a small printing production.

You can determine exactly how much it costs to open your own printing production after:

• choice of production technology;
• formation of the product range and desired production capacity;
• selection of equipment;
• choosing a room;
• clarification of current prices for equipment and the cost of its delivery;
• drawing up a marketing plan, etc.

Regular expenses

Monthly investment in business.

Cost items	Approximate prices in rubles
Rent	25 000
Utility bills, garbage removal	15 000
Salary including insurance contributions	150 000
Consumables	90 000
Depreciation	15 000
Accounting support	5 000
Marketing	3 000
Other expenses	12 000
Total	300 000

Income

Financial results:

• production capacity will allow you to receive a monthly gross income of 360-400 thousand rubles;
• annual revenue in the first year will be at the level of four million rubles, and in subsequent years it will reach five million rubles;
• the profit for the first year will be about 400 thousand rubles, and the second and subsequent years will be 1,500 thousand rubles.

This state of affairs is due to the need to promote the business in the first year, incomplete utilization of production capacity and the search for regular customers. It is possible to increase project efficiency indicators by expanding and modernizing production, as well as offering a wide range of current printing services.

The profitability of the printing business is at the level of 20-30 percent.

Schedule

Calendar plan for opening a small printing house.

Stages	1 month	2 month	3 month	4 month
Local market analysis	+
Preparation of a business plan	+
Collection of documents for legal registration of business	+	+
Company registration		+
Selecting premises and concluding a rental agreement	+	+
Room renovation		+	+
Purchase of equipment and consumables			+
Installation and commissioning of equipment			+
Search and recruitment of personnel		+	+
Search for partners.		+	+
Marketing activities			+
Start of work				+

From the moment of developing a business plan to the launch of printing production, it will take on average three months.

Risks and payback

Factors on which the success of the printing house depends:

1. High competition in the local market. To minimize this risk, an entrepreneur must carefully consider the development of a customer loyalty program. Services must also be of high quality and at a price that is favorable to customers.
2. Low quality of services provided. This may be a consequence of the incompetence of the main printing production specialists.
3. Economic instability. Financial crises can negatively affect the solvency of the main group of consumers - commercial enterprises.
4. Use of outdated equipment. An entrepreneur needs to keep track of new products in the printing industry and, if necessary, modernize production.
5. Offer of unclaimed services. It is important to analyze the market at the stage of developing a business project and identify the range of services that will be in demand in the local market.
6. Leakage of valuable personnel. Here the businessman must interest key specialists in good wages, working conditions, etc.
7. Production downtime due to equipment breakdown. To minimize such risks, equipment must be maintained and used by competent specialists, in accordance with the regulations.
8. Increase in prices for consumables from suppliers. For example, due to an increase in exchange rates, prices for imported raw materials may increase.
9. Disruptions in the supply of consumables.

The mini-printing house will fully pay for itself in approximately 19-24 months.