Why are there overruns on custom jobs?
This is truly one of the more frequently asked questions in the envelope business! Despite the suspicion by some customers that overruns represent a conspiracy among envelope companies to inflate their orders, there’s actually a very simple, logical answer as to why this occurs. Making an envelope involves several steps. The paper must be cut, the folding machine must be set up and if there’s printing, a printer needs to be set up as well. There is waste involved in each of these processes. In order to ensure that the customer receives at least as many as he ordered, more envelopes need to be produced in order to allow for waste. It’s virtually impossible to calculate the waste factor exactly and what usually happens is, when the job is finished, there are some envelopes left over. Since producing this extra stock is part of the cost of ensuring the customer receives his correct count, it is customary in the industry to pass along “overs” as long as they represent a reasonable amount.
