to charge for re-prints?

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DH and I run a printing company.

Just as a bit of background, whenever we do a new job or design for someone we send them a proof. 99% of the time it’s a PDF emailed to them. On page 1 of the PDF there’s a huge, bolded black box which says something like ‘please thoroughly check your proof, errors (yours or ours) discovered post-printing may incur re-print charges’. We also ask for an electronic signature with the PDF. If it’s a hard copy, the same box is attached and the customer is asked to sign it. We never print anything without a signature. Pretty standard practice.

We do check ourselves, but it’s pretty inevitable the odd mistake will slip through - hence sending out proofs

I’ve recently started working with a new-ish customer. He spends a lot of money with us so I don’t want to piss him off, however, a few times we’ve had to re-print a job because he’s noticed a typo or something once the job has been delivered.

I’ve waived the re-printing charge until now but I’m getting fed up with it.

He just phoned as he’s noticed a typo on a job delivered yesterday, but “while you’re there can you also change this, this and this”.

So AIBU to think tough, he had a proof, he signed it off, the job is done and delivered

This kind of thing comes up quite often and depending on the customer/frequency/how big the job is/expensive stock we’ve ordered in/etc, we play it by ear a bit but this is just getting beyond a joke now with this customer. He always says stuff like “oh, well, the PDF must have changed” or “I was looking at it on my small phone screen”

If he spends a lot of money with you I'd do the reprint, but say that due to business pressures, you won't be able to do any further reprints on the house after this as the business cannot absorb the cost of doing so. You're sure he'll understand that the financial and time pressures of reprints are causing issues, so please could you respectfully ask that he checks all proofs thoroughly on a computer screen as you so appreciate his custom and want to ensure that you get things right first time from now on. Then end with thanks for understanding

Of course you should charge. You should have been charging.

Email him back a friendly “Of course we can reprint with the changes you outlined. The cost will be xxx pounds. Please confirm you want to go ahead”.

YANBU, but depending on how much custom this man gives you, it might be better to send a message saying you'll do it this once, but as you have had to reprint X projects for him in the past this is the last time you will do it free of charge, any further amendments will be charged for, as per your terms and conditions.

Also, it’s so crazy you are reprinting for free. How on earth do you make any profit at all ?

Asking for more changes than the error should of course incure a charge.

Thanks!

Up until now there hasn’t been anything too major cost-wise to re-print, compared to what he spends with us it’s negligible really. This one is more costly and a huge faff to re-print and finish.

Like I say, we play it by ear a bit

What are your profit margins on this customer and if you are reprinting for free what are the margins?
Little point in being a busy fool.
I think you need to make a point that there will be charges on reprints and this might make him be more careful. He has had it pretty easy now so far as ye have done his bidding so he can be a be careless when signing off.

It is a business you run after all just as he does so value your resources and charge!

Thanks!

Up until now they’ve been simple print and cut jobs, with a good margin so even with the reprint we’ve made a decent profit on the job.

This one is a lot more complicated, was printed on stock ordered in for him and hand finished - so a faff, but still profit if we did do it again.

I work in print too, hi!

I’d be inclined to say this will be the last free re-print with regards to typos, going forward they will be chargeable as it’s happened on more than one occasion. Or I’d ask for cost of material if it’s something you’ve had to order in specially, and do the rest for free as a goodwill gesture. I’d still let him know it can’t continue though!

I'd tell him this is last free reprint as it's going to involve x,y,z. Perhaps suggest in future you send him a hardcopy sample after the pdf for him to check - of he's this bad

I like the idea of charging for stock this time and warning next time you'll fully charge

Did the customer provide the copy for the job (as a word file or similar)? If so, the typo is his problem and I’d say you certainly shouldn’t be making further changes to the document f.o.c.

I’d reply that you will amend the typo and reprint for free, but will have to charge for any additional changes, and remind him tactfully of his responsibilities with regard to checking proofs thoroughly which is best done on a computer screen.

Thanks all

With this customer a lot of the copy is his, I just copy and paste it and then rejig it so it looks pretty.

In this case, I missed the very last letter off the text when copying. So my fault, but it’s easily done and the very reason we send out proofs.

Some of it is our typos - but it’s inevitable that the odd thing will slip past us.

I’ve emailed him and told him that on this occasion we will have to charge for reprints - just the cost to us. He was a bit arsey but has accepted it