Print Run and Unit Cost Calculator

Who this is for

Print quotes side by side, worked down to one copy. Enter each quote's quantity, print cost, delivery and set-up charges, and the sheet finds the total and the cost per copy. With your own selling price and fixed costs, it shows the margin per copy and how many copies each quote needs you to sell to cover its costs.

Self-publishers and small presses ordering a short or offset print run, comparing printers or quantities before committing.

What this helps you track

• The full cost of each quote, delivery and set-up included
• The cost per copy at each quantity
• The margin per copy at your own selling price
• How many copies each quote needs you to sell to cover costs

How to use it

1. Write the title, format and page count at the top so every quote is for the same book.
2. Enter your own selling price per copy and any fixed costs you want covered, such as editing, cover design or ISBNs.
3. Add a line for each quote or quantity: printer, quantity, print cost, delivery and set-up charges.
4. The total, cost per copy, margin and copies to cover columns are worked out in the browser and the workbook; on paper, work across each line.
5. Compare the lines, round the copies to cover up to a whole copy, and weigh them against how many you expect to sell.

Formats

• Printable PDF (A4 and US Letter)
• Fillable PDF with form fields
• Fill in online, saved in your browser
• Excel / Google Sheets workbook

The printable is laid out inside a box that fits both A4 and US Letter, so the two files are identical and neither one is scaled. The fillable PDF has real form fields. The workbook uses plain formulas only — SUM, IF, COUNTIF and the like — so it opens in Excel, LibreOffice and Google Sheets without anything breaking, and every calculated cell is grey so you can see which figures it worked out.

How to print

Download the A4 or US Letter file to match the paper in your printer, open it in a PDF reader and print at 100% — not "fit to page", which shrinks the writing space. Both files leave a 14 mm margin, which clears the unprintable edge on home printers. To print the online version with your entries in it, use the Print this sheet button, which prints only the sheet and none of the page around it. More on printing.

Questions

What should go in fixed costs?

Anything you want this print run to earn back beyond the print bill, such as editing, cover design, ISBNs or proof copies. Leave it at nothing if you only want to cover the printing.

What selling price should I use?

The amount you actually receive per copy. If you sell through a shop or distributor that takes a share, use what reaches you after their cut, not the cover price, or the margin will look better than it is.

How are copies to cover worked out?

The quote's total plus your fixed costs, divided by your selling price. It assumes each sale brings in your full selling price. Round the result up, since part of a copy cannot be sold.

Does it include tax?

Only if you enter figures that include it. Keep every line on the same basis, all with tax or all without, and check the rules on tax for books where you are.