As a consumer, it can be valuable to know certain terms within the printing and packaging industry that can affect you. An important term to understand if ‘overs and unders’. On large production runs, printers must plan to produce more than your allotted order. It’s a standard business practice for all printers, referred to as an industry standard.
TigerPress limits the over-runs and under-runs to 10%. Let’s use an example of 10,000 tea boxes. If the 10% over-run and under-run it taken into account, your order can range anywhere from 9,000 to 11,000 tea boxes. Don’t worry, you would only pay for the final count. This example will be referenced throughout this blog
Frequently Asked Questions:
Why are over/unders an industry standard?
On all production runs, there are color checks, make ready’s, and quality controls to contend with. Extra materials are needed every step of the way. It wouldn’t be uncommon for us to start with the the materials to produce 14,000-15,000 pieces on a 10,000 box order.
What if I need an exact count?
All you need to do is ask! If you need an exact count, you will not be charged for overs, nor will you receive unders. This needs to be known in the quoting stage though, as the unit cost will be higher for this request.
Why wouldn’t I always ask for an exact count
The best ‘value’ per piece of you comes from allowing the printer to produce over’s and unders on your project. This allows for the most common and natural flow of production to take place. We have strict quality checks at TigerPress, and we would plan for producing an even higher count than normal to fulfill the order.
Can I ask for ‘overs’, but no unders? Or vice versa?
Yes! As long as we know this during the quoting phase, we will ensure your order hits the quantities that work best for you. These requests affect the material and schedule needed for the project.
What situations best call for going against the industry standard over/under runs?
It’s rare, but if you have a contracted amount of materials that are being produced, with no plan of producing these materials in the future, requesting an exact count can make sense. If a brewery is doing a limited edition 6-pack, and know for certain they will not have overs for their cans, requesting an exact count may be warranted
What do you recommend when it comes to over-runs and under-runs?
The majority of the time, I suggest allowing for overs/unders with any job. Just like our production runs can go over/under, most manufacturer’s products can do the same. Packaging boxes can be safety stored and used for future production runs. However, we understand all customer needs are custom, and will always come up with a solution to fit you.