In-house production print: when it makes sense to stop outsourcing
The decision comes down to one comparison: what you pay to outsource print each year versus the true running cost of producing it in-house. When regular outsourced work crosses that line, an in-house production device pays for itself in turnaround time as well as money. Here is how to run the numbers properly.
The signs you are ready
- You outsource printing every month, not just for one-off campaigns
- Deadlines are dictated by a print supplier’s schedule, not yours
- Confidential documents, board papers, contracts, exam papers, leave the building to be printed
- Departments buy print separately, so nobody sees the total spend
That last one matters: outsourced print hides in dozens of small invoices across departments. Pulled together, the annual figure often surprises people.
What to compare, honestly
Your outsourced side: every print invoice across the organisation, plus the hidden costs, courier fees, wasted time waiting, over-ordering “to be safe” and the resulting shelf of unused stock.
The in-house side: device lease or purchase, a cost-per-page service agreement (toner, parts and engineering included), media, finishing equipment and a realistic view of operator time.
An honest assessment also lists the jobs that should stay outsourced, very long runs, specialist finishing, oversized formats. In-house production is about bringing the regular 80% in, not chasing the exotic 20%.
Turnaround is the quiet winner
The financial case usually gets the attention, but the operational case is often stronger: work produced in hours instead of days, last-minute corrections that cost nothing, confidential material that never leaves the building, and print-on-demand replacing boxes of pre-printed stock that go out of date.
Getting the device right
This is where specification matters. Colour-critical marketing work points to a digital press such as Canon imagePRESS; high-volume mono, manuals and course packs point to varioPRINT; many print rooms need one of each. Workflow software such as uniFLOW handles job submission and accounting, so the print room runs as a service, not a queue at a door.
Just as important is who stands behind the device. Production environments need accredited engineers, parts availability and fast response, because a print room deadline does not move.
Run the numbers with us
We have specified and supported in-house print rooms since 1992, as a Canon Platinum Partner with our own workshop and field engineers. Book a free production print assessment and we will compare your outsourced spend with the in-house cost, and tell you honestly if the case is not there yet.