The mirror. (Stillwater, Minn.) 1894-1925, 1910-06-16
The Printing
Business
A Local Printer Reads a Paper on
The Subject of Cutting
Prices on Work.

Prices play a rather important part
in business. If man did only one
piece of work in a year and received
sufficiently high price for it, b e
would be conducting paying bust
ness. If, on the other hand, he did
thousand pieces of work, but re-
ceived only enough from them to
make a living, he had better think
twice before working another year
at the same rates.
But as we do not often have the
privilege of doing only one job of
work in year, or of asking our own
price for it, it surely behooves us to
look well into the subject which so
greatly interests and affects us.
How often, when you are asked to
estimate on piece of work, you care
fully prepare your estimate, going
over each item, entering into the cost
of the work and when you have taken
your bid to the customer he straight
way makes several important changes
in the makeup of the job and asks for
a new figure offhand. The tendency
too often, it is feared, is to then make
a rough guess at it, quoting a price,
hit or miss.
1t is as easy to submit right price
for a piece of work as it is to guess
at it, if you get into the way of it..
And when you make up price care
fully you feel like st a n d i n g by it.
You know that it is right and if your
competitor is awarded the work on
which you have figured, you have the
satisfaction of knowing that you are
better off without the work.
} There is a certain as of work
which almost all printers can do in
a fairly satisfactory manner. This
kind of work, which in majority of
cases is open to whoever quotes the
lowest price, soon gets down to fig
ure which does not give fair re-
turn for the work involved. On the
other hand, there is class of work
which can only be done by competent
workmen. In this class there enters
the element of quality, which quite
+. naturally calls for additional compen-
: sation. No matter how keen tn {
: competition nor how hard the times
this class of customers demand work
{ of the highest order and are willing
to pay for it. But before you car
8 get this work you must demonstrate
g your ability to do it.
You often hear it said that prices
l are down so low that it does not pay
to lose the time necessary to do the
work properly. Well, would 70,
not rather do less work and do it bet
ter? And if you did your work bet
terdo you not think it would be worth
more? But you may say your Gus
: toners would simply take their worl
: where they could get it done cheap
d err. That would be true of those who
) could get their work done satisfac
f torily by the officesdoing cheap work
k but good work does not remain long
Il unrewarded and if you make up you
e mind that no piece of work shall leave
4 your hands which does not represen
g your best efforts you may rest as
n sured that you can get fair return
) for your work and have the satisfac
g ton of having done the work wei
: besides.
: Suppose you have finished a year.
/ work. Looking back, you find tina
e you have not lacked work You hav,
/ been busy throughout the year. A
j. it's end you find yourself but littl
# better off than you were at its begin
7. ming and you are year nearer tina
/ time in your life when you will hav
st to give up work in view of your ad
vanced years Not pleasant sub
ject for reflection.
{ You have the remedy in your owl
hands. You know how much worl