The Hidden Costs of In-House Printing — And How Outsourcing Can Drive Savings

5/9/2025 William Burkhardt

For many companies, establishing an in-house printing operation initially appears to be a wise investment. By setting up their own printing services, they believe they can seamlessly produce their own print work, thereby gaining more control and an economic advantage. As companies often discover, however, in-house printing’s disadvantages and hidden costs can easily outweigh any benefits. 

Outsourcing is often the better option, solving myriad challenges that are inherent with in-house printing. What follows are in-house printing’s four major pain points — and how outsourcing your print work can resolve them, resulting in increased operational efficiencies and cost savings. 

High equipment costs, operational costs

The most prominent pain points related to an in-house print operation are the associated equipment and operational costs. Beyond the investment you made in print machinery itself — a single printer or more, leased or bought — your other expenditures have also likely included:

• Software and finishing equipment
• Ongoing costs for consumables like ink and media
• Costs for regular equipment maintenance and general upkeep 

In addition, don’t forget to factor in staff costs that are specific to your in-house print endeavors, whether dedicated or shared with other departments. Also consider any training costs involved in new equipment or continuing education to acquire knowledge on recently installed equipment or services. 

Outsourcing can address all of these expense challenges and financial hurdles, allowing your company to transition from fixed overhead costs to a variable-cost structure. By outsourcing your printing needs, you can eliminate: 

• Printing equipment, related hardware, and associated leases
• Recurring expenses for inks and media
• Expenditures for certain software and subscriptions

Capacity and utilization challenges

Companies that have in-house print operations typically encounter one of two scenarios when it comes to capacity issues, with each challenge at disparate ends of the utilization spectrum.

On one hand, the facility is unable to keep up with demand. You have so much print work as a result of your company’s success that everything is gridlocked. Perhaps your current equipment is not fast enough or not equipped to accommodate and process large volumes. Or the issue may be that your staff size — or their lack of expertise and experience — doesn’t allow for your print operation to keep up with demand. While adding new or additional equipment, or hiring additional staff, would likely help address your capacity concerns, it would also add to the aforementioned cost concerns. 

On the other end of the utilization spectrum, you simply don’t have enough jobs necessitating print work to keep the in-house print operation busy. As a result, the printer is at risk of becoming a “doorstop” because it’s used so infrequently. Plus, your print staff is often relegated to busy work or perhaps moved to part-time status. In both cases, company resources are being wasted. 

By switching to an outsourced strategy, however:

• Your print provider can accommodate all of your printing needs — big or small, no matter the job specifications or turnaround time
• Highly efficient and up-to-date equipment will be utilized — allowing you to take advantage of the latest in print technology. The print provider will be able to advise you on processes and alternatives that will best showcase your jobs while also being cost-effective. Further, by integrating streamlined processes throughout the workflow, the print provider will ensure that your jobs stay on schedule.
• Your operation will be able to eliminate the various expenses that come with installing, maintaining, and securing printing equipment and supplies. 

Turnaround and delivery times

Being able to provide good turnaround and delivery times in the print shop is critical when it comes to a project’s success. If deadlines are missed and jobs back up as a result, you will soon see a chain reaction throughout your production workflow — and a downturn in your ability to serve your customers. 

Slowdowns and backups for in-house print operations often result from the following:

• Limitations of equipment — Your equipment and software may be ill-equipped to accommodate large job quantities, fast turnaround times, or jobs that feature variable data or require customization 
• Lack of dedicated staff or limited staff — Too few personnel can handcuff a facility’s attempt to efficiently and quickly advance a job 
• Integration of poor workflow systems — Inadequate workflow can cause major slowdowns throughout the production process

By transitioning to an outsourced print provider, however, your company can overcome these concerns

• Because it utilizes the latest printing technology and features a full complement of print craftsmen, a print provider can offer you rapid and reliable turnaround on your printing needs 
• Critical documents and jobs that are time-sensitive will no longer be in danger of missing deadlines 
• In addition, a print provider can provide you with transparent communication throughout the workflow process on your jobs — you’ll be made aware of each job’s progress  

Rapid scaling and adaptation

To be truly efficient and effective, an in-house print operation has to keep pace with current technology and processes. Doing so, however, requires budgeting for equipment, software, staff, and other essentials for a successful print operation. An additional challenge: limited facility space that’s dedicated to print production. A good workflow requires ample space for a printer, plus finishing and other production tasks. 

Transitioning your print work to an established print provider, however:

• Provides the capacity to easily scale production based on fluctuating demand — allowing your company to remain agile and respond to market needs. A print provider has the equipment and staff necessary to very quickly boost production as needed, even if that change in production is unexpected. Because it’s constantly evaluating current and imminent printing technologies and trends, a print provider can also quickly adapt to provide you with the latest print options for your jobs. 
• Offers personalization and customization — your company will be able to modify and tailor projects more quickly for maximum impact, whether through hyper-personalization or one-off customizations.  

A renewed focus on the bottom line

Recognizing the hidden costs in your in-house print operation and making the transition to an outsourced print provider can also offer another very important benefit: You can now focus your company’s resources where they’re best utilized — and where they will have their greatest impact on your bottom line. 

William Burkhart is RRD’s Vice President, BCS Product and Business Development.