Why We Print Extra: From the Baker's Dozen to the Print Shop

If you've ever walked through our shop, you may have noticed something a little unusual hanging on the walls, stuck to our shelves, chilling on our floors, tables and more. No, we're not decorating with random scraps of vinyl and sign materials. Those are jobs.

Over the years, we've accumulated quite a collection of extra prints, signs, stickers, banners, and other projects we've produced. Some of which end up on the walls because we like them. Others are there simply because they were extras from a production run. And if you've been around the shop long enough, you may have even spotted something you ordered.

But why do we print extras in the first place? It turns out, we're not the first people to figure out that sometimes it's a good idea to make a little more than you need.

What's a Baker's Dozen?

Most people know that a baker's dozen means thirteen instead of twelve, but why is that?

The tradition dates back centuries, with one commonly cited explanation coming from old English baking practices. Bakers could face serious penalties if they sold loaves that came in under the required weight. To make sure they didn't accidentally fall short, some bakers would provide an extra loaf when selling a dozen.

In other words, when the cost of being short was high, it made sense to build a little insurance into the order. Therefore, thirteen became the new twelve. And while we aren't handing out an extra banner every time someone orders twelve, the basic idea makes a lot of sense in the print shop.

Why Do Printers Print Extra?

Printing might look pretty straightforward from the outside: You send us a file, we print it, you get your finished product. Simple, right? Well... sort of.

There are a lot of things that can happen between the first inch of material going through a printer and the finished product being packed up and ready to go. A print could get damaged. A cut could go wrong. A piece could get scratched during finishing. Something might not come out exactly right during production. And when you're producing a large quantity of something, even a very small percentage of problems can create a headache. That's why, when material allows for it, we may intentionally produce a few extra pieces during a print run.

It Gives Us a Safety Net

If a job calls for 100 finished pieces, producing a few additional pieces gives us some breathing room. If one gets damaged during finishing, we don't necessarily have to start the entire job over. Loading and unloading material takes time, lead edges often get wasted and it’s just not worth the risk most of the time.

It Can Reduce Material Waste

This is one of the biggest reasons. Imagine we're producing a large run of printed stickers, signs, or another product. If something goes wrong with one finished piece after the entire run has been completed, we may have to put material back through the production process just to replace that one piece. Printing a few extras from the beginning can be much more efficient than having to rerun an entire portion of a job later. If the extras already fit in what would otherwise be blank space, the extra ink cost is nothing compared to the cost to re-run.

It Helps Keep Your Job Moving

Nobody wants to hear that their order is delayed because one piece was damaged and now needs to be reproduced. Printing extras during the original production run gives us a little more flexibility when something unexpected happens. That's good for us, and more importantly it's good for you.

It's Not Always Thirteen

Before you start wondering where your extra sign is, there's an important distinction. A "baker's dozen" doesn't literally mean that we're printing thirteen of everything. The number of extras we produce depends on the job. A small order might only need one or two additional pieces. A large production run may warrant more. Some jobs may not need extras at all. The idea is simply to account for the realities of production. We'd rather use a little additional material up front than have to completely rerun a job because something went wrong at the finish line. These are often a by job case and are done to maximize material usage.

So What Happens to All Those Extras?

Well, that depends.

Most of the time we just include them in your order. Some times we use them to replace parts of the job that dont meet our expectations, and some times we like them enough to display them on our walls.

When we have an extra piece from a job that doesn't need to be shipped to a customer, don't often throw it away. Sometimes it's too cool to toss. Sometimes it gives us a chance to show off a particular material, print effect, or finishing technique. And sometimes it's just a great reminder of something we've produced.

Over time, those extras started making their way onto the walls around the shop. Eventually, we realized we had a pretty interesting collection. Can you spot any of your jobs on our wall?

Maybe it's a sign we made for your business. Maybe it's a sticker from an order you forgot about. Maybe it's something you've walked past a dozen times without realizing we printed it. That's one of the fun things about running a print shop. Every job that comes through the door becomes a little piece of what we do.

A Little Extra Goes a Long Way

The baker's dozen may have started with bakers making sure they didn't come up short, but the basic idea still holds up today. Sometimes making a little extra makes the whole process work better. For us, overprinting can help protect a production run, reduce the need for reruns, minimize unnecessary material waste, and make sure your finished order is ready to go even when something unexpected happens. And every once in a while, it leaves us with something cool enough to put on the wall.

So the next time you see a few extra pieces coming off the printer, just remember: We're not wasting material. We're planning ahead. And who knows? One of those extras might end up on our wall.

Think you might have a job hiding somewhere around the shop? Keep an eye out next time you're here. You might just spot yours.

And if you're looking for custom printing, signage, banners, stickers, or other printed products for your business, BIG SIGN FX is here! We print it, produce it, and help you get your business noticed.