Need to know how much it will cost to print your magazine?
Use our secure online quoting system to get a live magazine printing quote based on your actual publication specification.
Enter details including your magazine size, page count, quantity, paper and binding requirements and the system will calculate a quotation for your project.
GET A LIVE MAGAZINE PRINTING QUOTE
If you don’t yet know the complete specification, don’t guess simply to obtain a price.
Magazine Printing Company can help you establish the appropriate size, pagination, paper, binding and production method before the magazine goes into production.
Magazine Printing Company is the specialist magazine printing, mailing and distribution operation of Cliffe Enterprise Limited, an independent UK print-management company established in 1991.
Because we are not tied to one printing plant or printing process, we can select a production route according to the requirements of the magazine rather than forcing every job onto the same type of press.
You can also learn more about our complete magazine printing service.
What Information Do I Need for a Magazine Printing Quote?
An accurate magazine printing quote requires more than simply the number of copies you want to print.
The principal information is:
- Quantity – how many magazines you need.
- Finished size – for example A4, A5 or a bespoke format.
- Pagination – the number of inside pages and whether there is a separate cover.
- Paper – the paper type and weight for the text pages and cover.
- Colour – normally full-colour CMYK production.
- Binding – typically saddle stitched, perfect bound or PUR bound where appropriate.
- Finishing – for example lamination or other cover finishes.
- Delivery – where the finished magazines need to go.
- Mailing or distribution – whether magazines need to be sent directly to readers.
If you aren’t sure about one of these, contact us before finalising the specification.
Small changes to pagination, paper, size or binding can sometimes change the most economical production route.
How Much Does It Cost to Print a Magazine in the UK?
There isn’t one meaningful standard price for printing a magazine.
A 500-copy magazine can have a very different production cost from another 500-copy magazine depending on its size, page count, paper and binding.
The principal factors affecting magazine printing prices are:
- quantity;
- finished size;
- number of pages;
- paper type;
- paper weight;
- cover specification;
- binding;
- finishing;
- printing process;
- delivery;
- mailing and distribution requirements.
This is why our online quote is based on the actual publication specification rather than a generic cost-per-copy figure.
GET A LIVE MAGAZINE PRINTING QUOTE
What Affects the Cost of Magazine Printing?
Quantity
Quantity is one of the largest influences on magazine printing cost.
The fixed costs involved in manufacturing a publication are spread across the number of copies being produced, so the unit price will generally decrease as the print quantity increases.
Quantity can also affect which printing technology is most economical.
Shorter magazine runs may suit digital printing. Medium quantities may be suitable for sheetfed lithographic production. Higher-volume magazines may be more efficiently produced using web-offset printing.
There isn’t one fixed quantity at which the production method automatically changes because the complete specification matters.
We assess the job as a whole.
Magazine Size
A4 and A5 are common magazine formats, but magazines do not have to use standard sizes.
Size can affect manufacturing efficiency because the finished dimensions determine how efficiently the publication fits the available printing and paper formats.
A bespoke magazine size therefore isn’t automatically more expensive, and a standard size isn’t automatically the cheapest.
If you’re still deciding on the format, read our guide to magazine sizes, pagination and print efficiency before locking the design.
Number of Pages
Pagination directly affects magazine printing cost because additional pages normally increase paper consumption and production time.
However, the relationship between page count and cost isn’t always linear.
Magazines are produced using folded sections and different production configurations, so apparently small changes in page count can sometimes change the manufacturing efficiency of the job.
This is another reason to establish the intended page count before requesting the final production quotation.
Our guide to magazine sizes and pagination explains this in more detail.
Magazine Paper
Paper can represent a significant proportion of magazine manufacturing cost.
The choice isn’t simply between cheaper and more expensive paper.
Paper type, grammage, thickness, bulk, opacity and surface all influence how the finished magazine looks and feels.
For publications being mailed, paper also affects the finished weight and therefore potentially the postage cost.
If you’re selecting the stock, read our guide to magazine paper types and our guide to choosing magazine paper weights.
Magazine Binding
The binding method also affects manufacturing cost.
Saddle stitching is an efficient solution for many magazines where the physical specification suits stitched production.
Perfect binding creates a square spine and can be appropriate where pagination, paper thickness and the required appearance make adhesive binding suitable.
PUR binding may be appropriate for some specifications, but it shouldn’t automatically be added simply because it is perceived as a premium binding method.
The correct choice depends upon the complete physical specification.
Read our magazine binding guide for a detailed explanation of saddle stitching, perfect binding and PUR binding.
Digital, Sheetfed Litho or Web Offset – Which Is Cheapest?
There is no universal answer.
The lowest-cost production method depends upon the complete magazine specification.
Digital magazine printing
Digital production can be economical for shorter magazine runs because many of the conventional press set-up costs can be avoided.
Sheetfed lithographic printing
Sheetfed litho can be extremely efficient for suitable medium-volume magazine production.
Web-offset magazine printing
Web-offset printing can provide very economical production for suitable higher-volume publications.
The important point is that you don’t need to choose the printing process yourself.
Magazine Printing Company is independent of any one manufacturing plant.
We can compare appropriate manufacturing routes and select the option we believe provides the best balance of price, quality and production schedule for the individual magazine.
Can You Quote 500 Magazines?
Yes.
We can quote magazine runs of 500 copies where the specification is suitable.
The actual price depends upon the finished size, number of pages, paper, cover, binding, finishing and delivery requirements.
The same applies to runs of 250, 1,000, 2,500, 5,000 or considerably higher quantities.
The quotation should be based on the actual job rather than assuming a standard price simply because the quantity is known.
How Much Does It Cost to Print 1,000 Magazines?
There isn’t a universal price for printing 1,000 magazines.
For example, an A5 saddle-stitched magazine containing relatively few pages on a standard paper has very different production requirements from an A4 perfect-bound magazine with a high page count and separate laminated cover.
Enter the actual specification into our online quote system to calculate the appropriate price.
GET A LIVE MAGAZINE PRINTING QUOTE
Can You Reduce the Cost of an Existing Magazine?
Potentially.
If you already publish a magazine, we can review its current production specification rather than simply quoting exactly the same manufacturing route.
That review can include:
- quantity;
- finished size;
- pagination;
- paper;
- cover;
- binding;
- printing process;
- finishing;
- packing;
- mailing;
- postage;
- distribution.
Sometimes the existing specification is already efficient.
In other cases, changes to paper, pagination, format or manufacturing route can reduce cost without materially changing the finished publication.
For regularly published magazines, it can also be useful to consider printing and distribution together instead of treating them as completely separate costs.
Magazine Printing and Postage
For magazines mailed directly to readers, the lowest printing price isn’t necessarily the lowest total cost.
Paper weight, finished size, pagination and packaging can all affect the finished mailing weight.
A change that saves money in manufacturing but moves the magazine into a more expensive postal band can increase the overall cost.
Magazine Printing Company can coordinate:
printing → finishing → wrapping → fulfilment → postage → distribution
For UK subscriber and membership publications, read our guide to UK magazine postage costs.
For overseas readers, see our guide to international magazine postage.
You can also use our Magazine Weight Calculator to estimate how changes to page count and paper weight affect the finished publication weight.
If you need copies delivered to multiple locations, subscribers, members or overseas destinations, read about our magazine distribution service.
Do You Print Regular Monthly and Quarterly Magazines?
Yes.
We work with recurring magazines as well as one-off publications.
For regular magazine production, obtaining the print price is only one part of the process.
Artwork deadlines, proof approval, manufacturing, finishing, mailing and distribution all need to work around the publication date.
We can manage each issue from supplied print-ready files through to final delivery or subscriber mailing.
What Artwork Do I Need to Supply?
Once the specification and quotation have been agreed, finished magazine artwork will normally be supplied as print-ready PDF files.
The artwork must include the correct finished dimensions, bleed, colour setup and other production requirements.
If you’re preparing the files yourself or using a designer, read our guide to print-ready magazine artwork before supplying the final files.
Magazine Printing Quote FAQs
How much does it cost to print 500 magazines?
There is no fixed price for 500 magazines because the cost depends on the size, pagination, paper, cover, binding, finishing and delivery requirements. Enter the complete specification into our live quoting system to obtain a price based on the actual publication.
How much does it cost to print 1,000 magazines?
The same principle applies to 1,000 copies. Quantity is important, but it is only one element of the quotation. Size, number of pages, paper, binding and finishing all affect the manufacturing cost.
Is magazine printing cheaper at higher quantities?
Generally, the unit cost decreases as the quantity increases because fixed production costs are spread across more copies. At higher quantities, another printing process may also become more economical.
Do I need to know which printing process I want?
No. You don’t need to decide whether the magazine should be printed digitally, sheetfed litho or web offset. We assess the specification and determine an appropriate production route.
Can I get a quote if I don’t know which paper to use?
Yes. If you aren’t sure which paper to specify, contact us with the size, page count, quantity and the look and feel you want. We can recommend suitable paper options.
Can you quote printing and mailing together?
Yes. We can coordinate printing, finishing, wrapping, fulfilment, postage and distribution and consider the overall delivered cost of the magazine.
Can you quote an existing magazine?
Yes. Send us the current specification or a copy of the publication and we can review the requirements and available production routes.
Can you print and post magazines internationally?
Yes. We can coordinate international magazine mailing and distribution as part of the production programme.
Get Your Magazine Printing Quote
If you know your magazine specification, use our secure online quoting system.
Enter your size, page count, quantity, paper and binding requirements to request your live quotation.
GET A LIVE MAGAZINE PRINTING QUOTE
If you don’t know the complete specification yet, contact us first.
We can help determine the appropriate format, pagination, paper, binding and production method before the quotation is finalised.
Call: 01323 405978
Email: sales@magazineprintingcompany.com
Magazine Printing Company is the specialist magazine printing, mailing and distribution operation of Cliffe Enterprise Limited, an independent UK print-management company established in 1991.
