Overs and Shorts: Why a Print Run Arrives as a Range

A print order is usually written as a single number. Five thousand copies, say. When the pallets arrive, the count is rarely exactly that. It is a little over or a little under, and that is normal in the trade.

Why the count moves

A press does not stop the moment the last good sheet comes off. It runs until the pile is complete, and then a few more sheets are pulled for the finishing line. Some of those sheets are lost to trimming, to a jam, to a spot of dirt on the blanket, or to a fault found during inspection. The printer plans for that loss and sets the press to run a little long.

Spoilage is built into the estimate

Every shop carries a waste allowance. The make-ready sheets at the start are not sellable, and neither are the sheets used to check colour after a press stop. If a job has a heavy ink coverage or a tight register, the allowance grows. The printer turns that allowance into extra sheets, so the delivered count lands inside the buyer's tolerance rather than below it.

What over and under mean

An overrun is the number of copies above the ordered quantity. Printers often deliver these because they are already printed and trimmed. An underrun is a shortfall. Trade custom allows a small percentage either way, and the price is adjusted if the delivered count is more than a set margin from the order.

Why it matters to a buyer

For a book or a catalogue, a small overrun is useful. Extra copies cover damaged stock, samples and replacements later. For a numbered item, such as a ticket or a certificate, an overrun is a problem, because every extra copy is a real duplicate. That kind of job is planned to deliver on the number, and the waste allowance is absorbed by the printer.

What to write in the order

If the count is critical, say so. A line such as "no overrun" or "deliver exactly as ordered" tells the printer to stop on the number and price the job with the spoilage included. If the count is not critical, a small overrun is often the cheaper and more practical result.

The count on the pallet is not a mistake. It is the press, the trimmer and the inspection table all taking their share.