## Which Price Level Should I Choose? X, Y or Z? All Crouser Guides use three separate price levels: X for low; Y for middle; and Z for high. All values are only a click away at all times so you may mix and match. Specific prices within the Small Press Guide are the result of cost plus analysis and market studies. For details on how prices were developed, see Chapter 5, How Prices Were Developed. 1. Select a paper you commonly print. For instance, an 8.5x11 offset with a paper cost of $10.00 per thousand. 2. Click on the tab corresponding to the paper you selected. In our example, we select Tab 2, Bond/Offset 8.5x11. 3. Use the Paper Cost Drop Down Menu to select the table with the closest paper cost. 4. Compare all three prices levels with the price you charge now. Every paper table has a corresponding X, Y and Z table which may be accessed by using the Price Level Drop Down Menu. #### Paper Table Names: All Crouser Guides use the same naming conventions for paper tables: table X4000 is for $40.00 paper at the X or low level; Z12000 on the other hand, is for $120.00 paper at the Z or high level. We just remove the decimal from the paper cost ($120.00 becomes 12000) and then add the letter of the price level to the front resulting in Z12000. A table in the back of each section is titled ZERO as in X ZERO. This table is production values only and includes no paper. Use this table and add on for paper if desired.
Do this several times with different papers and you may then choose to use the price level that comes closest to your current price level or the level with which you are most comfortable.
TIP: Mix and match your prices between price levels by bookmarking individual pages for instant recall and create your own customized price list. See Bookmarks or Favorites later in this document for details.
## Using a Cost Approach All Crouser Guides have three separate price levels: X is for low; Y is for middle; and Z is for high. In addition, in the Digital Price Guide, there are two methods of calculating the price of second side imaging: market or takeaway. All values are only a click away at all times. Specific prices within the guide are the result of market studies. For more details on how the prices were developed, see the section on How Prices Were Developed. Method Two: the Cost Approach Unlike other printing price guides or catalogs, we disclose our cost assumptions. We do not simply add or subtract a flat percentage to arrive at a high or low price as some other price guides do. This guide is built on three separate sets of cost assumptions which you may match with your costs. These cost assumptions and the discussion about them are not intended to make the guide complex to implement. It is not. As with any other guide, you may use the market or price approach discussed above. However, you do have the additional ability with this guide to understand the assumptions and to assure you are passing along your costs to your customers should you choose. About Table 1 Indicators Hours Available For Sale: The hours available assumption in the three price levels (X, Y and Z happen to be the same at 40 hours each. Further, the table illustrates key cost indicators to help you with your book selection should you be wishing to use the cost approach. It is known most printers work more than 40 hours per week. By utilizing the 40 hours as a standard in our calculation, the shop only "has" to stay open 40 hours per week in order to pass total costs along to the customers. Should we use 50 hours, then the shop would "have" to stay open 50 hours just in order to pass costs along to the customer. Therefore, the use of 40 hours is a more conservative approach even if we actually work longer hours normally. Holidays Holiday information as well as vacation day indicators for the three books are gained from surveys conducted by Crouser & Associates, Inc. We found higher cost areas will grant a larger number of holidays per year because of competition for employees. No significant variance in vacation time was found among small press printers in any area. The resulting calculations show the typical number of yearly total hours available for sale per employee in the small press shop. Press Operator Base Pay Item 5 in Table 1, press operator base pay is reported as straight time with no fringe benefits. Note: You may or may not pay a specific press operator these wages. This is an indicator only of the pay range typically found in this type of shop for a person described as: Quality Press Operator who has been with the shop for two years and has five years total experience. The operator runs a 12x18 or smaller format press; does very tight register spot color; and is trainable for process color although the shop only rarely produces it. Additionally, the operator is very dependable. Also illustrated are other typical facts about the overhead cost assumptions which help you compare your shop with the models used in our calculations. Square footage for all shops were found by survey data to be similar however cost per square foot on an annual basis was found to vary causing a significant variance in typical rent. Also supplied is information on typical electric and/or gas used per month. This is yet another gauge of overhead costs. You may or may not pay specifically the amounts indicated in this table. This table is only a guide to assist you in determining which cost model is most like your shop. For more details on the cost method, please refer to the Chapter regarding Development of Budget Hour Rates