--- title: "Real job cost per edition: what your last run cost" description: Planned cost and real cost drift apart every night. Here is how a newspaper plant adds up paper, waste, press time and crew per edition, with a worked example. image: https://www.mwm.se/hubfs/mwm-theme/real-job-cost-per-edition-link.png --- [Skip to content](https://www.mwm.se/insights/real-job-cost-per-edition#main-content) [![MWM](https://www.mwm.se/hubfs/raw_assets/public/mwm-theme/images/mwm-logo.svg) Print365](https://www.mwm.se/?hsLang=en) - [Home](https://www.mwm.se) - [Print365](https://www.mwm.se/print-365) - [Print365 Go](https://www.mwm.se/print-365-go) - [Print365 Pro](https://www.mwm.se/print-365-pro) - [Print365 Integrated](https://www.mwm.se/print-365-integrated) - [Print365 DatAInsights](https://www.mwm.se/print365-datainsights) - [FAQ](https://www.mwm.se/print-365-faq) - [About MWM](https://www.mwm.se/about) - [Management team](https://www.mwm.se/team) - [Careers](https://www.mwm.se/careers) - [Partner program](https://www.mwm.se/partners) [Book a demo](https://www.mwm.se/book-a-demo?hsLang=en) English - [Deutsch](https://www.mwm.se/de/insights/echte-kosten-pro-ausgabe) - [English](https://www.mwm.se/insights/real-job-cost-per-edition) Blog # Real job cost per edition What your last run actually cost --- **Jan Aleite** · November 5, 2026 ![Print365 graphic: what did your last edition really cost? Planned €4,164, real €4,599.](https://www.mwm.se/hubfs/mwm-theme/real-job-cost-per-edition-link.png) What did last Tuesday's edition cost you to print? You can probably answer with the price you quoted. The harder answer is what the night actually used. The real cost per edition is the sum of paper, plates, ink, press time, crew, waste, mailroom work and energy that one run consumed, measured after the run, divided by the copies you could sell. ## The eight cost lines in one edition Every edition draws on the same eight lines. The question for each is where the real number comes from. | Cost line | What it covers | Where the real number comes from | | --- | --- | --- | | Paper | Newsprint actually consumed, incl. start up and web breaks | Reel weight in minus reel weight out, per job | | Plates | Plates exposed, incl. remakes | Platesetter log | | Ink | Ink per colour per thousand copies | Ink pump or press counters | | Press time | Make ready plus running time | Press start, stop and speed log | | Crew | Hours on press and in the mailroom for this job | Shift plan against actual clock times | | Waste | Copies printed but not saleable, start up to stop | Gross count at press minus net count at mailroom | | Mailroom | Inserting, stacking, labelling, palletising | Mailroom line counts and run time | | Energy | Power for press, dryers, compressors | Meter reading per press per run, or a fixed rate per hour | Paper and waste are linked: every unsaleable copy has already used paper, ink, plate and press time. That is why waste is the line to measure first. ## Worked example: one edition, planned against real The numbers below are round and illustrative. Replace each with yours; the arithmetic stays the same. The job: 40,000 saleable copies. The plan allowed 3 % waste, so 41,200 copies printed. On the night, the press printed 43,000 copies to reach the same 40,000 saleable, a waste rate of 7 %. Two plates were remade, and the run took 1.8 hours instead of 1.5. | Cost line | Unit cost (illustrative) | Planned | Real | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Paper | €0.050 per printed copy | €2,060 | €2,150 | | Plates | €8 per plate (24 vs 26) | €192 | €208 | | Ink | €0.006 per printed copy | €247 | €258 | | Press time | €400 per hour (1.5 vs 1.8 h) | €600 | €720 | | Crew | 6 people, €45 per hour (2.5 vs 3.0 h) | €675 | €810 | | Mailroom | €150 per hour (2.0 vs 2.3 h) | €300 | €345 | | Energy | €60 per press hour | €90 | €108 | | Total | | €4,164 | €4,599 | | Per saleable copy | | €0.104 | €0.115 | The real edition cost €435 more than planned, 10 % over. An ordinary night did it: four extra points of waste, two remade plates and 18 extra minutes. Real cost per copy = sum of the real cost of each line ÷ saleable copies Now run it on your plant. Multiply the gap by your editions per year. At 300 editions, €435 a night is €130,440 a year that sits outside the quote. ## Why planned and real drift apart, and what closes the gap The gap opens in three places, and each one closes with a specific piece of data. 1. **Waste is counted at the press, sales are counted at the mailroom.** The press hall reports gross copies, the mailroom reports what left on pallets. Count both against the same job and the waste line becomes a number instead of an allowance. 2. **Time is planned per shift, cost is incurred per job.** Crew hours and press hours are booked to the shift. Tie start, stop and speed to the job and you see which edition used the extra 18 minutes. 3. **Post calculation often happens weeks later.** By the time the invoice is reconciled, nobody remembers the web break. Calculate after every run, while the night is still fresh. The effect of counting every copy is measurable. At Borås Tidning Tryckeri in Sweden, CEO Tommy Johnsson reports printing roughly 50 extra copies per production, with overprinting down 80 to 90 percent using CopyTrack. ## Frequently asked questions ### What is the real job cost per edition? It is everything one run actually consumed (paper, plates, ink, press time, crew, waste, mailroom and energy) divided by the copies you could sell. It is measured after the run, not quoted before it. ### Why does the real cost differ from the quoted cost? The quote uses a waste allowance and planned times. On the night, start up waste, web breaks, plate remakes and longer runs change every line at once. ### Which cost line should we measure first? Waste, because every unsaleable copy has already used paper, ink, plates and press time. Count gross copies at the press and net copies at the mailroom for the same job. ### Do we need a Print MIS/ERP to calculate it? You can do one edition by hand with the table above. Doing it for every edition, every night, needs press and mailroom data tied to the job, which is what post calculation in a Print MIS/ERP does. ## Try this on your last run 1. Pick one edition from last week. 2. Write down gross copies at the press and net copies at the mailroom. 3. Fill in the eight lines of the table with your own unit costs. 4. Compare the result with the price you quoted. The gap you find is the number worth managing. If you want to see it for every edition, automatically, [book a 30 minute call](https://www.mwm.se/book-a-demo?hsLang=en) and bring the edition with you. ## Want to dig deeper? Here are the sources - [Pressroom + mailroom = CopyTrack: one copy count, from plate to pallet](https://www.mwm.se/insights/pressroom-mailroom-one-copy-count-copytrack?hsLang=en) - [Four numbers your Print MIS/ERP already has](https://www.mwm.se/insights/four-numbers-before-your-next-print-investment?hsLang=en) - [Print365](https://www.mwm.se/print-365?hsLang=en) ![MWM Group logo mark](https://www.mwm.se/hubfs/raw_assets/public/mwm-theme/images/mwm-logo.svg) --- ## Get the Insights first Practical takes on cutting print waste and running a modern print operation. No fluff, unsubscribe anytime. [Or book a demo →](https://www.mwm.se/book-a-demo?hsLang=en) ## More from the blog [![Fewer Printing Plants, More Volume per Plant | How You Win the Titles Others Give Up](https://www.mwm.se/hubfs/fewer-printing-plants-more-volume-link.png)](https://www.mwm.se/insights/fewer-printing-plants-more-volume-per-plant-how-you-win-the-titles-others-give-up?hsLang=en) ### [Fewer Printing Plants, More Volume per Plant How You Win the Titles Others Give Up](https://www.mwm.se/insights/fewer-printing-plants-more-volume-per-plant-how-you-win-the-titles-others-give-up?hsLang=en) November 5, 2026 [![Your Press Is Automated | Is Your Planning?](https://www.mwm.se/hubfs/your-press-is-automated-link.png)](https://www.mwm.se/insights/your-press-is-automated-is-your-planning?hsLang=en) ### [Your Press Is Automated Is Your Planning?](https://www.mwm.se/insights/your-press-is-automated-is-your-planning?hsLang=en) November 3, 2026 [![MWM](https://www.mwm.se/hubfs/raw_assets/public/mwm-theme/images/mwm-logo.svg) Print365](https://www.mwm.se/?hsLang=en) - [Home](https://www.mwm.se) - [Print365](https://www.mwm.se/print-365) - [FAQ](https://www.mwm.se/print-365-faq) - [About MWM](https://www.mwm.se/about) - [Partner program](https://www.mwm.se/partners) [Book a demo](https://www.mwm.se/book-a-demo?hsLang=en) © 2026 MWM Group AB · C/O The Works, Medborgarplatsen 25, 118 72 Stockholm [Privacy Policy](https://www.mwm.se/privacy-policy?hsLang=en) · [Terms of Use](https://www.mwm.se/terms-and-conditions?hsLang=en) · [Accessibility](https://www.mwm.se/accessibility-statement?hsLang=en) [+46 8 500 087 70](tel:+46850008770) · [info@mwm.se](mailto:info@mwm.se) · [LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/company/mwmgroupab/) ```json { "@context" : "https://schema.org", "@id" : "https://www.mwm.se/#organization", "@type" : "Organization", "address" : { "@type" : "PostalAddress", "addressCountry" : "SE", "addressLocality" : "Stockholm", "postalCode" : "118 72", "streetAddress" : "C/O The Works, Medborgarplatsen 25" }, "alternateName" : [ "MWM Group AB", "MWM Group for Print & Publishing" ], "contactPoint" : { "@type" : "ContactPoint", "availableLanguage" : [ "en", "de", "sv" ], "contactType" : "sales", "email" : "info@mwm.se", "telephone" : "+46 8 500 087 70" }, "description" : "MWM Group AB develops Print365, the Print MIS / ERP for newspaper and commercial printing production. 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It is measured after the run, not quoted before it." }, "name" : "What is the real job cost per edition?" }, { "@type" : "Question", "acceptedAnswer" : { "@type" : "Answer", "text" : "The quote uses a waste allowance and planned times. On the night, start up waste, web breaks, plate remakes and longer runs change every line at once." }, "name" : "Why does the real cost differ from the quoted cost?" }, { "@type" : "Question", "acceptedAnswer" : { "@type" : "Answer", "text" : "Waste, because every unsaleable copy has already used paper, ink, plates and press time. Count gross copies at the press and net copies at the mailroom for the same job." }, "name" : "Which cost line should we measure first?" }, { "@type" : "Question", "acceptedAnswer" : { "@type" : "Answer", "text" : "You can do one edition by hand with the table above. Doing it for every edition, every night, needs press and mailroom data tied to the job, which is what post calculation in a Print MIS/ERP does." }, "name" : "Do we need a Print MIS/ERP to calculate it?" } ] } ```