manufacturing equipment

Hi Jacob,

If you were to provide a product or business idea you're looking to put to market, we could help you build a delivery plan, so there are many unknowns in this answer, but I'll try to point you in the right direction.

Build. Industrial or commercial equipment is quite the financial investment for a single title. Large format printers (are you printing posters?) start at ~$600 for prosumer models and easily run to $3000 for commercial printing. Paper runs about $100-200 per roll for cover weight glossy. That doesn't include ink costs either. If you mean high volume printing, those are less expensive printers, but still run about $2000 a piece. That's for a single piece of equipment. From what you're describing, you'll need additional specialty equipment (more expensive) for the card packing, vacuum form, shrink wrap, etc items.

Order. Generally speaking, instead of purchasing equipment, many product developers opt for commercial printing through a commercial shop. Not only is it more cost efficient for most product lines, but the quality of the printing is significantly higher when a professional does it over a home hobbyist. There are also specialist shops that produce particular types of pieces. For example, Gambler's Den is a specialty printer that produces playing cards - either poker style, 52-card decks or custom decks. Depending on your game, they might be a vendor you reach out to.

Strategize. The best way to gauge your financial needs is to better understand your expected volume. You'll need to forecast your market demand based on similar products, situations, and companies in the marketplace and then project out how much inventory you need on hand to fulfill orders. This on-hand inventory helps inform your order volume for your printing runs, also determining your cash flow for ordering and replenishment.

Action plan. I've outlined a basic plan for you below.

My credentials. 7+ years as Head of Production for a number of top marketing agencies releasing movies, games, and campaign marketing pieces. I current work running project operations for a reverse supply chain logistics group (cell phone returns warehouse and repair) inside a large telecommunications company. I also author and produce adventure role playing games for fun.