PRE-PRESS / PRINT
If you work for the State of Montana, you are required by MCA 18-7-101 to use State Print & Mail’s services. This includes all printing and the procurement of printing-related purchases. Our goal is to provide you, the customer, with a printed product that meets your needs within your timeframe and at a reasonable cost.
Getting it PrintedPRODUCTS & OPTIONS
High Quality Color Printing:
up to 12 x 18" sheet size
- Books
- Brochures
- Business Cards
- Letterhead
- Rack Cards
- Posters
- Postcards
Black and White Printing:
up to 11 x 17" sheet size
- Letters
- Surveys
- Batch Files
Large Format
- Glossy Posters up to 42" Wide
- Foam Core Mounting
Bindery & Finishing
- Folding, Tabbing, Collating
- Perforation and Cutting
- Stapling and 3-hole Punching
- Book Binding
- Padding on Notepads and NCR
- Shrink Wrapping
- Laminating / UV Coating
PRICES
| Hand Time (time allotted to manual processes, collating, counting inventory, etc.) | $45/hr | |
| Design / Pre-Press (file preparation, page layout, imposition, proofing, design) | $70/hr | |
| Programming (variable data, numbering, page programming, address cleanups) | $90/hr | |
| Digital printing | black & white | 2 cents per impression (side) |
| color 8.5x11 | 16 cents per impression (side) | |
| color 11x17 | 32 cents per impression (side) | |
PAPER
| TYPE | COLOR | PURPOSE |
|---|---|---|
| 20# Bond | Variety of Pastel Colors + White |
Basic Paper, great for black and white printing |
| 24# Digital Text | White | Slightly Heavier Paper, great for 2 sided color printing |
| 60# | Variety of Bright Colors | Basic Paper, great for black and white printing |
| 65# | Variety of Bright Colors + White |
Slightly Heavier Paper, great covers and dividers |
| 70# | Variety of Bright Colors + White | Slightly Heavier Paper, great covers and dividers |
| 80# Digital Cover | White | Heavy Stock, great for color posters and postcards |
| 80# Digital Gloss Text + Cover |
White | Lighter Option of gloss stock for books and brochures |
| 100# Digital Cover | White | Even Heavier Stock, great for color posters and postcards |
| 100# Digital Gloss Text + Cover |
White | Heavier Option of gloss stock for books and brochures |
| 110# Index | White | Card Stock Weight, great for binders, covers and postcards |
| NCR | White, Pink, Canary, Green+ | Carbon-less copy paper in 2, 3, 4 and custom parts |
START A NEW PRINT PROJECT
Fill out one of our online order forms with all of your job details. Our customer service team can walk you through various printing options and/or provide estimates. Questions? Call (406) 444-3053 or email SPM@mt.gov.
SUBMITTING FILES
What is my responsibility for the proofing process?
What is a cost disclosure statement and do I need one on my project?
What is an ADA statement and do I need one on my project?
PROCESS + TIMELINE
Once your order has been submitted, our customer service team may reach out requesting additional information required to start your order.
If you requested an estimate, you will need to approve the cost before your job can be started.
Once the estimate is approved and your print details are squared away, you will receive a proof email within 3 – 4 business days.
We provide proofs on all jobs unless you specially request “no proof” in your order. The pre-press team will either attach a pdf file for review, or let you know that a hard copy proof is being sent to you via our interagency mail (aka deadhead.) Hard proofs are provided on jobs that require bindery: perforation, folding, binding, books, etc.
Once you approve your proof, your job will be prepared by our pre-press team and then sent out to print. The printing and bindery process aka production, takes about 4 - 5 days for small runs with limited bindery. Complex jobs with higher volumes may require additional production time.