{"id":976,"date":"2026-07-02T12:28:01","date_gmt":"2026-07-02T10:28:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/printiteasy.eu\/right-print-run\/"},"modified":"2026-08-27T11:06:18","modified_gmt":"2026-08-27T11:06:18","slug":"right-print-run","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/printiteasy.eu\/en\/knowledge-base\/ordering-delivery\/right-print-run\/","title":{"rendered":"Determining the right print run: small or large?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">How many copies do you have printed? <strong>Determining the right print run<\/strong> is a balance between cost, risk and use. Too many and you are left with boxes; too few and you have to reorder expensively. Here you can read how to choose the run that fits your goal.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large has-custom-border\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"768\" height=\"960\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/jaarboek-vwo-2025-gedrukt-bij-printiteasy-768x960.jpg\" alt=\"Determining the right print run: small or large?\" class=\"wp-image-4309\" style=\"border-radius:14px\" title=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/printiteasy.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/jaarboek-vwo-2025-gedrukt-bij-printiteasy-768x960.jpg 768w, https:\/\/printiteasy.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/jaarboek-vwo-2025-gedrukt-bij-printiteasy-240x300.jpg 240w, https:\/\/printiteasy.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/jaarboek-vwo-2025-gedrukt-bij-printiteasy-600x750.jpg 600w, https:\/\/printiteasy.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/jaarboek-vwo-2025-gedrukt-bij-printiteasy.jpg 800w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Small print run (1&ndash;100)<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Ideal if you want to limit risk, want a sample copy, or publish on demand. Digital printing makes small runs affordable, with a slightly higher unit price but without stock risk. For larger runs the switch is often made to <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Offset_printing\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">offset printing<\/a>, which lowers the price per copy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Medium to large print run (100+)<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">With larger quantities the unit price drops considerably, certainly with offset printing. Interesting if you are sure you will sell the copies, for instance through a web shop, a bookshop or an event.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">How to make the choice<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Estimate realistically how many copies you really sell or need.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Take storage and the shelf life of your stock into account.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>When in doubt, order a small run or a sample copy first.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Request prices for several quantities to see the tipping point.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">We are happy to calculate different print runs for you, so that you see exactly at which quantity you are best off.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Count on your actual sales, not on your hopes<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The temptation when <strong>determining the right print run<\/strong> is to look at the unit price and then order a little more generously. Five hundred copies are, after all, much cheaper per book than a hundred. That calculation only works if you actually shift them. If half stays behind, you have in fact paid more per book sold, plus storage space.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">So start with a sober list: how many copies have you promised, how many are you giving away to family, press or business contacts, and how many do you expect to sell in the first six months? Add those up and keep a small margin. That number is your starting run; everything above it is a gamble.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Starting small is always possible<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Because we print from a single copy, you do not have to get that choice right in one go. Start with a run you will certainly shift, see how it goes and reprint as soon as it is needed. If the book does better than expected, a larger follow-up run automatically becomes cheaper; if it disappoints, you are not left with an attic full of boxes. A second advantage of starting small is that you can still adjust: small typos, a colophon that is wrong or a cover that disappoints in real life are corrected before the next run instead of after it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">When reprinting, do take the delivery time into account, and keep your source files and the chosen paper type. With the same specifications a second run matches the first seamlessly. You can read more about the point at which a larger run really becomes cheaper in our article on <a href=\"https:\/\/printiteasy.eu\/en\/knowledge-base\/printing-techniques\/offset-cheaper-print-run\/\">offset and digital printing<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Frequently asked questions about determining your print run<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<details class=\"wp-block-details is-layout-flow wp-block-details-is-layout-flow\"><summary>How many copies should I have printed?<\/summary>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">That depends on your goal. For personal use a small run is enough; if you are going to sell, base your run on a realistic estimate of your sales.<\/p>\n<\/details>\n\n\n\n<details class=\"wp-block-details is-layout-flow wp-block-details-is-layout-flow\"><summary>Is a large print run cheaper?<\/summary>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Per copy it is, but only if you actually shift them. Surplus is money lost, so estimate your sales realistically.<\/p>\n<\/details>\n\n\n\n<details class=\"wp-block-details is-layout-flow wp-block-details-is-layout-flow\"><summary>Can I start small and reorder later?<\/summary>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Yes. With print on demand you print from a single copy and scale up when your book does well.<\/p>\n<\/details>\n\n\n\n<details class=\"wp-block-details is-layout-flow wp-block-details-is-layout-flow\"><summary>What is a sensible first print run?<\/summary>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For a debut or a self-published edition you are often fine between 25 and 100 copies. Enough to give away and sell, small enough not to be left with stock.<\/p>\n<\/details>\n\n\n\n<details class=\"wp-block-details is-layout-flow wp-block-details-is-layout-flow\"><summary>Does reprinting cost much more than ordering big straight away?<\/summary>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Slightly more per copy, because you miss the advantages of a large run. On the other hand you pay nothing for books that stay on the shelf. For most publications that sum works out in favour of reprinting.<\/p>\n<\/details>\n\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-buttons is-layout-flex wp-block-buttons-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-button\"><a class=\"wp-block-button__link wp-element-button\" href=\"https:\/\/printiteasy.eu\/en\/contact-en\/\">Request a free quote<\/a><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-button is-style-outline is-style-outline--1\"><a class=\"wp-block-button__link wp-element-button\" href=\"https:\/\/printiteasy.eu\/en\/contact-en\/\">Request a price quotation<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>How many copies do you have printed? Determining the right print run is a balance between cost, risk and use. Too many and you are left with boxes; too few and you have to reorder expensively. Here you can read how to choose the run that fits your goal. Small print run (1&ndash;100) Ideal if&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":696,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_kad_post_transparent":"","_kad_post_title":"","_kad_post_layout":"","_kad_post_sidebar_id":"","_kad_post_content_style":"","_kad_post_vertical_padding":"","_kad_post_feature":"","_kad_post_feature_position":"","_kad_post_header":false,"_kad_post_footer":false,"_kad_post_classname":"","footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-976","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/printiteasy.eu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/976","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/printiteasy.eu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/printiteasy.eu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/printiteasy.eu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/printiteasy.eu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=976"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/printiteasy.eu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/976\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5915,"href":"https:\/\/printiteasy.eu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/976\/revisions\/5915"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/printiteasy.eu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/696"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/printiteasy.eu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=976"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}