Hi!
Today is D-day, when I am introducing a new product for the first time. And these are the printed patterns that you asked for and wished for. And for a long time I couldn't and didn't know how to fulfill this request, especially from grandmothers. Because it didn't make sense to pay for printing on large formats, when most of our patterns are small and fit on an A1 format, and it simply didn't make financial sense either. It was quite expensive and unprofitable.
How to Be Smart About It
One pattern would cost us around 100 CZK per sheet to print at a regular commercial printer. That's just the sheet itself. If we also wanted nice packaging and graphic design for the cover, the price would naturally climb to 140-180 CZK per pattern.
And that still doesn't include human labor. Someone has to fold it – which takes a lot of time if you want it to look nice, then package it, print labels, and send it.
Creators in our country sell paper patterns at the price of digital files from abroad. This trend is rubbish. What can I say. Unfortunately, that's how it is. Low prices practically don't allow for any growth or reinvestment. Simply put, selling patterns at the price of Burda is not entirely feasible.
I decided that we would tackle this. After all, about 40-50% of customers buy printed patterns, and that's a lot. At the same time, we conducted a survey and about 60% of households don't have a printer at all. Another 40% of customers, out of those 40% who do have a printer, often have problems with printing, and printing then becomes more and more expensive.
So we decided to try and solve it our own way. How else?
We were looking for the ideal solution. First, I inquired with printers and found out prices. From 100 pieces, you get significant discounts. But do I really want to buy a hundred sheets of a pattern when I don't know if this particular pattern will sell now?
No, I don't. Of course not.
In-House Printing and New Possibilities
So we were definitely in favor of our own machine. Our own large-format plotter for printing and cutting sheets. Firstly, it will serve us for printing patterns from our production, and secondly, I can later use it for other things and services to maximize its use.
The challenge was to choose the right machine, save up for it, get it running, and calibrate it.
But we managed that relatively quickly, and by the end of 2024, we already had the first pieces in hand! And I tell you, it's such a satisfying feeling. To have it as a physical product. A nice sheet, neatly folded in the packaging we chose as the most suitable.
And the printing costs? Is it worth it?
We tested the printing, calibrated it so it wouldn't create unnecessary margins, printed to the end of the roll, etc. Well, there was a lot we had to sort out.
Then came the second job. Layouting all the patterns to A1 format. Because we didn't want a large A0 plotter, we wanted to save space overall. Save money. It doesn't make sense to layout one children's pattern on A0 so that you have a lot of white space around it. Unnecessary.
We have calculated printing costs based on an average for now. They will likely still change according to consumption and the necessity of using original inks, which we won't fully utilize for printing curves and lines. Original inks for plotters are mainly used for printing posters, etc., and that print must withstand weather conditions even outdoors.
We don't need that when printing patterns. Nevertheless, the consumption of paper and inks is significantly less than the cost of printing at a large copy center.
Other costs are labor and packaging. We designed the packaging after reviewing competing products so that you get the best possible price for the best result. We are starting with semi-transparent packaging with higher grammage/microns. I originally wanted a zipper, but we ultimately chose a flap.
A flap on the packaging is more advantageous than, for example, a snap fastener. We found that most people prefer to store patterns in folders, where they file them if they have a ring binder, and so space is crucial. However, snap fasteners increase the space between the folders, and as a result, fewer of them fit there.
I wanted functional packaging that would also ensure the pattern wouldn't cost a fortune. We succeeded.
New Features on Printed Patterns
Of course, we made some changes directly to the individual patterns for improvement and better orientation. The printed patterns thus have a completely new layout and new elements, which we will gradually introduce into the PDF patterns.
For example:
- pieces that were meant to be folded are now whole on the printed versions - if it makes sense and doesn't unnecessarily enlarge the pattern and paper consumption
- size charts are directly on the pattern - no need to click anywhere or search
- lines are numbered - for better clarity
- fabric and pattern information - directly on the pattern
- we divide individual parts so that you don't have a huge sheet at home and it makes sense for you
So you can buy patterns here. The patterns will be delivered to your home by Zásilkovna. Or you can have them sent to a Z-box. I am very curious what you will say. We have currently left Zásilkovna as the only method. Czech Post no longer makes any sense to us at all, and we have rejected other carriers for now due to price and quality.
You can watch a video here on what the patterns look like:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KzBrTj63WbM
Thanks for reading. I'd love to hear your comments.
Sincerely,
Helena
