How to start a photocopying business. How to open a copy center. Copy center: preparing for the opening

How I got into the business of creating a copy center I worked as an editor at the institute for many years, prepared documents, guidelines, edited collections of articles, so I have good experience in processing text documents and printing them.
And in 2010, I left the activity at the institute, opened an individual entrepreneur and began to work for myself.
How it all began Having registered with the employment service, I drew up a business plan for a copy center, on its basis I received a subsidy from the state, and with these funds I purchased equipment. I already had some, bought some more. Among the new purchases was an A3 MFP for printing photos, drawings and color drawings.
Office Initially, it was supposed to rent a room in the building next to the institute where I once worked. My main clients were students, so proximity to the institute is important.
But the stars were not in my favor, and I did not manage to rent any of the premises. Maybe it's for the best. I had to do business from home. Fortunately, the apartment is located not far from the same institute, so this location of the copy center is convenient for me and clients.
Clients I have developed a client base during my stay at the institute, so there were no problems with clients. Many people knew me and continued to place orders with me.
The problem is that in the last few years there have been far fewer students, and young people in general, than there used to be. The reason is the decline in the birth rate in the 90s. Right now, children born in those days are entering universities.
I noticed a decrease in the number of clients on myself. If in 2008-2010 there were about a hundred graduates (the institute is small), then in 2013 only 10-15 people graduated ... Of course, this also affected profits. Therefore, I had to devote more time to writing student papers in order to receive a more or less decent income.
Activities At first, my main activity was printing text documents. Subsequently, everything changed a little.
The first year the work structure was as follows:

• - printing of text documents (including copies) - 40%
• - text formatting - 25%
• - writing student papers (controls, abstracts, etc.) - 20%
• - photo printing - 10%
• - sale of stationery - 5%

Today, most of my time is spent writing student papers, this type of activity also brings the main income.
Now the structure is as follows:

• - writing student papers (controls, abstracts, etc.) - 65%
• - printing of text documents (including copies) - 20%
• - text formatting - 10%
• - sale of stationery - 5%

Free time I do all types of work myself, so during school year no free time at all. Sometimes you have to work 13 hours a day.
But on the other hand, the summer months - July, August are almost completely free.
Competitors During the first years of work, I did not know what competitors were. In addition, student papers must be designed according to the standard, and few people know how to do this. Even now I have no competitors in text formatting.
But anyone can print it. Therefore, not far from the institute, they opened copy center which is now my competitor.
My advantage is more low price, because I do not pay rent, and the possibility of formatting the text according to the standard.
The advantage of competitors is the proximity to the institute, which means that it is more convenient for customers.
Income The maximum of my income was about 75 thousand rubles. per month excluding all taxes and deductions.
But you need to take into account that there is practically no work in the summer, in August the income is no more than 15 thousand rubles.
For the last two years, incomes have decreased for the reasons described above, and amount to about 300 thousand rubles a year.
Expenses The main expenses are the purchase of consumables - paper, toner, spare parts for repairing printers. Recently, everything has also risen noticeably in price, so we have to raise prices for services.
Conclusion Does it make sense to open a copy center? Yes, but subject to the following conditions:

• - Proximity to school
• - availability of various equipment for printing (including color and A3 format) and scanning
• - an employee who knows how to handle equipment and documents

These points are very important, a copy center can only earn high income if these three conditions are combined.

Near various government agencies, hospitals, educational institutions and just in crowded places, copy services are quite in demand. Near universities there is a high demand for scanning, photocopying, printing, page laminating and graduation papers (binding).

Let's talk about opening a copy center, and also about possible problems and methods for solving them, and in conclusion, we will evaluate the profitability of this business.

Necessary equipment

You must purchase computer and copy equipment, without which it is impossible to open a copy center. Such equipment includes computers, copiers, printers, scanners, binders. There should be at least two printers - one laser for printing documents (its cost is more expensive, but you will significantly save on ink during its operation), and one inkjet for printing photos. Instead of a printer, scanner, and copier, you can purchase a multifunctional device. So you will significantly save the budget and, importantly, the area. Over time, when the flow of customers begins to expand, it will be possible to purchase separate equipment - then the functionality of your copy center, and, consequently, the speed of customer service will increase.

You will also need furniture, but you can not spend much on it, if possible - it is better to purchase used furniture, this will save you money.

In total, the opening of a copy center will have to spend about $4,000.

Center location

The next step is to choose the area for your copy center. As mentioned above, it is better that it is located in a university, a large store or in an area with a lot of public institutions.

It is most convenient to place a copy center on the first floor of a building, since the traffic on the second floor is always much less (with the exception of universities). In addition, if you open a copy center on the second floor or Above, and after some time, competitors settle on the first floor of the same building or a building nearby, then it is likely that you will have to urgently look for a room with a better location, as a result you You will lose customers and a significant part of the budget.

The copy center should be located on an area of ​​​​at least 6 square meters, and preferably ten, so that several people can fit in it at once.

What services does a copy center provide?

• Printout of documents.
• Photocopy.
• Document lamination.
• Color print (uses in great demand due to the rather high cost of color printers and cartridges for them).
• Printing photos is also a very popular service. Often people do not even know how to pull out a flash card from a camera, so you can offer customers the selection of photos they need for printing right on the spot. In addition, popular discounts in large numbers printed photos, for example, when printing 50 photos, the price is lower.
• Manufacturing business cards , for this you need to stock up on thick paper and have the skills to work in Photoshop and CorelDraw.
• Production of books and booklets. Such orders are not very often, but with some frequency they will appear on the horizon, since publishing houses usually print only in large numbers.
• Binding of diplomas. This service, as a rule, is seasonal, as students take their diplomas at about the same time. However, it brings good earnings - the cost of binding one diploma is $ 8, although its cost is minimal.

In addition to copying services, you can organize the sale of stationery in your copy center, as well as flash cards, disks, paper - in bundles or by the piece. It is also possible to provide the population with services for refilling printer cartridges.

A copy center can provide services that, at first glance, are not directly related to it - this is the creation and printing of individual postcards with images selected by customers. Many centers conclude an agreement with wedding organizers and on the day of the wedding they print, for example, calendar cards with photos of guests received from the wedding. Such services are becoming more and more popular.

In order for customers to return to you, you must be friendly, polite and patient. It is worth knowing that for any business the initial stage cannot be called easy and very profitable, but after a short amount of time you will notice all the profitability of your enterprise.

Business Profitability

To calculate the potential income of the enterprise, you need to know the approximate number of customers per day, as well as the prices for the services of copy centers in your city. Of course, you will not always have large orders - there are periods of downtime. However, with a competent business organization, you can count on a profit of 2-3 thousand dollars per month. With such results, you will pay back your investment in two months.

Copy center business on printing.

Services for printing and copying during student sessions bring tangible profits. Abstracts, manuals, term papers, theses, drawings - all this requires printing, and here you can’t do without a copy center. A copy center located near an educational institution will bring you a good profit.

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A copy center is, first of all, a center for the provision of the following services:

• Photocopy.
• Printing text on a b/w printer A 4.
• Printing text on a color printer A 4.
• Scan A 3, A 4.
• Printing photos from digital media.
• Lamination.
• Recording on disks, flash drives.
• Large format printing A 1, A 2.
• Risography.
• Hard and soft binding.
• Typing and editing text.

The number of services provided depends on the availability of equipment in the copy center.

Since the main consumers of copy services are students, the copy center should be located in close proximity to higher educational institutions. Quite often, printing services can be found in stationery stores, in addition to printing, customers often buy related products - folders, pens, notebooks and other accessories.

For a small mine center, it is enough to rent a small room or a part of the room in a store of about 8 m² on sublease. This area is enough to install the necessary equipment.

From the equipment for a beginner copy center, you will need at least:

• Computer with MFP or printer for b/w printing.
• Single color copier A 3.
• Laminator.
• Risograph (duplicator) A 4. Printing replication of forms, questionnaires, leaflets, the cost of such printing is very low, the larger the circulation, the lower the cost of printing.
• Paper cutting equipment.
• Semi-professional stapler, hole puncher.
• Binding device (soft, hard cover).
• Office furniture.
• Showcases for stationery.

This equipment at the initial stage will be quite enough, over time, you can expand the range of services and add equipment:

• Color copier A 3.
• The printer for photo printing is preferably inkjet, for example Epson A 4 format with CISS.
• Large-format plotter A 1 (for printing drawings).

To open a copy center, it is enough to register an IP. Under this activity, the OKVED code 74.83 is suitable.

If you are planning to trade in stationery, then you will also need to indicate - 52.47.

Taxation system USN or UTII.

A minimum of 2 workers with shift work will be required to operate the mine center.

Monthly expenses will be:

• Rent.
• Consumables (paper, ink, toners).
• Wage.
• Taxes.

In addition, the equipment requires periodic maintenance - refilling cartridges, repair.

Copy center as a business.

As already mentioned, the main customers of the mining centers are students, of course, there are still customers who need photocopies of documents, but university students make the main profit. Therefore, a mine center will be profitable only near universities. Accordingly, in the period from July to August, when there are no classes at universities, there will be practically no clients in the mine center. Alternatively, you can also organize a trade in stationery.

The main expense item when opening a copy business is the purchase of equipment, it is up to everyone, the entrepreneur, to buy a new or used one, by virtue of their financial capabilities.

To cover monthly expenses (rent, consumables, salary, taxes) and make a profit, it will take at least 3 months of work after the opening of the mine center. But if we talk about when the equipment will pay off, then it depends on the cost of the equipment itself, the minimum set of copier equipment will pay off no earlier than in a year.

It will be interesting for a budding entrepreneur to learn how to open a copy center. To do this, it is enough to draw up a competent business plan with detailed calculations of expenses and expected income. Although initially it will be necessary to carefully assess the market and the relevance of the issue.

With a targeted approach in this area, you can achieve stable and constantly growing profits. The profitability of the project is about 30%, and sometimes even higher. True, such a business will not bring you millions, but it will give you a chance to earn enough to feel like a confident entrepreneur.

The relevance of the idea

Even with computers, laptops and printers, most people still need the services of a copy center. After all, in order for such equipment to work constantly, it needs maintenance, changing cartridges, refilling ink, etc. It is much cheaper and more convenient for many people to use third-party organizations to obtain duplicate documents than to do it on their own.

If you find a good location, for example, close to educational institutions, then you can count on a constant flow target audience. With a well-chosen range of services and additional goods, high quality service and affordable cost, a copy center as a business will become popular among customers and bring tangible profits to the owner.

Main advantage this direction is that you need to start minimum investment, and you can start a simple activity from one device. And only as income increases, a gradual expansion of the range of services, the purchase of new equipment and the growth of the client base are available.

Registration questions

It is not difficult to issue documents for conducting activities in the field of copying services. We list what you need to run a legitimate business:

1. Register with the tax service as an individual entrepreneur (individual entrepreneur). Please indicate all OKVED codes, covering the proposed range of services - 74.85, 74.83, 52.47.
2. Choose the appropriate taxation system - UTII or STS.
3. With this form of activity, a cash register is not needed to make settlements with customers. It is enough to keep simple bookkeeping and use sales receipts. If you decide to purchase a cash register, then it will need to be registered with the tax office.
4. Since complex and powerful electronic equipment will work in the room, you will definitely have to pass an inspection by the SES and the fire inspectorate, which will issue the appropriate permits. But for this, it will be necessary to initially prepare everything in accordance with the norms and standards. Particular attention is paid to fire safety.
5. If you plan to hire employees to work in a copy center, you will need to register with the Pension and Social Funds as an employer.
6. In the case of renting a room, follow a well-drafted contract. It is desirable that it dealt with a long term (at least a year) and indicated the amount of the monthly fee.

The target audience

It is very important when planning this business to consider which customers will come to you. Basically, in your calculations, you need to build on this fact. So, the following groups of people are distinguished who periodically require the services of a copy center:

• students - the most extensive and permanent audience, is considered a "gold mine" for this direction;
• schoolchildren, teachers;
• office workers;
• visitors to various government institutions (pension, social funds, tax, etc.);
• clients of banks, notaries;
• clinic patients.

But a lot depends on the services offered. If, for example, you engage in printing photographs, then the customer base will expand to the entire age audience of 35-55 years. In order for the flow of visitors to be as rich as possible, you need to focus on the needs of people and offer more various services for which there is a constant demand.

Room selection

The most important thing at the stage of organizing this business is the good location of the copy center. The number of customers, the demand for certain types of services, the necessary equipment and much more will largely depend on this.

After you have estimated your target audience and its size, you need to determine the main areas of their accumulation. For example, the best solution would be proximity:

1. educational institutions.
2. State and municipal institutions.
3. Offices.
4. Polyclinics and hospitals.
5. Various financial enterprises.
6. City center.

In some cases, it makes sense to locate a copy kiosk in a residential area with a large number of inhabitants, but then it is desirable to offer a wider range of services, including printing photos, cutting discs, etc.

The size of the room depends on how much equipment you need to work. Sometimes 10-15 sq. m. to install one copier and a laptop. With a wider range of services, more space is needed, so sometimes it makes sense to immediately rent an office for 30-45 sq. m.

It is very important to monitor the quality and power of the electrical network, as well as other nuances of fire safety. Most often, additional repairs are not required, as the owners of such a business are looking for a premise that is already ready for work, which is very convenient and saves start-up investments.

For a solid copy center, it is desirable to correctly divide the room into zones. Segregate the reception area from the area where the equipment is refueled, as this process is associated with increased pollution. You also need to take care of the availability of a bathroom and a utility room for staff, a warehouse for storing additional equipment, spare parts, consumables, etc.

What services to offer?

A copy center can perform only one function - to duplicate text or graphic documents. But the more different tasks you can complete, the more attractive your establishment will be for potential customers.

So, you can focus on the most popular queries:

• photocopying of various formats of documents;
• printing files from digital media;
• cutting disks;
• typing;
• lamination;
• binding of scientific papers;
• printing photos;
• scanning;
• census of information on removable media;
• printing of leaflets, booklets, brochures of small circulations, which are not taken;
• creation of promotional materials, business cards, posters, postcards, calendars, etc.

You can also sell related products. For example, when entering a copy center, students often remember that their pen has stopped writing, their notebook or notebook has run out, there is no file or folder, etc. They will buy all these little things right there while they are waiting for finished copies. Sometimes it makes sense to set up a camera and take ID photos.

Purchase of equipment

It is very important to choose a successful model of the device to perform the main function. Your income depends on its power and speed of work. If the equipment is used or produces poor print quality, often breaks down or turns out to be expensive to maintain, then do not expect benefits from it.

It is better to initially spend money on a high-quality professional device with simple consumables than to constantly suffer losses from its improper functioning. For example, laser printers are much more expensive, but their maintenance is many times easier and cheaper than inkjet models.

It is also important to make a list necessary equipment. Here you should carefully consider the range of services offered, the number of expected customers and other factors. For example, sometimes one copy machine or a multifunctional device is enough. But with a large influx of visitors and varied demand, it is advisable to have several devices in stock.

We offer an approximate list of equipment for a full-fledged copy center:

1. MFP - can make photocopies, scan documents and print information.
2. Computer or laptop.
3. Xerox.
4. Scanner.
5. Printer for black and white and color printing.
6. A similar technique for working with non-standard document sizes, for example, A3.
7. Camera.
8. Laminator.
9. Risograph.
10. Bookbinder.

Also take care of trade showcases and racks for sale. related product. Purchase at least the minimum amount of office furniture for staff - tables, chairs, cabinets. Don't forget about expendable materials- cartridges and ink, paper, tools for cleaning and refilling equipment, etc.

Staff

With a small influx of customers and a limited amount of equipment, you can cope with the work yourself. But as the center's activities expand, assistants will have to be hired. The staff may include:

• secretary;
• copier;
• designer to perform various character assignments;
• accountant - optional, since when registering an IP, the business owner independently fills out all the reports;
• a master for cleaning, refueling and repairing equipment - may only come to perform certain functions.

With a good location of the copy center, a special advertising campaign not required. It is enough just to install a signboard, put up posters, you can put up a pillar or draw arrows leading to the kiosk.

In order for potential customers to know about you from the very first days, you need to distribute leaflets or business cards in places where the target audience is most concentrated - in front of the entrance to educational institutions, in the nearest cafes, near dormitories, not far from office buildings and government agencies.

Depending on the presence of competition, it will be necessary to regulate very competently pricing policy and range of services. So, if there are many other copy stalls around, it is better to attract visitors with lower prices. With a limited set of functions performed in neighboring establishments, it is worth offering something unique and in demand, for example, printing of non-standard formats.

Today it is also important to pay attention to advertising and using the Internet. To do this, create a business card website, where all the services offered and tariffs will be listed. Let's advertise in in social networks, participate in discussions on local forums and groups used by your potential customers.

Here you can download for free as a sample.

Financial questions

Starting investments can be very different. It depends on how much the chosen model of equipment costs, what list of equipment is needed for work, the number of employed personnel, the size and price of renting a room, etc. You can enter this business with a minimum amount.

If we talk about a more solid copy center, then the following costs are assumed.

Also remember always about the regular costs of maintaining activities. Be sure to include them in the copy center business plan with calculations, since this largely determines what the net profit will be.

If you are hiring employees, then fixed costs increase in size wages and social payments for each person in the state. But at first, in order to save money, it is better to perform all the functions yourself.

It is much more difficult to calculate the amount of income, since the profit will depend on many factors - the number of customers, competition, established prices, services offered, etc. Approximately in the first months, about 300 thousand rubles of income are expected from a small center, which is located near the educational institution. Even with such figures, it can be expected that in 4-6 months all investments will fully pay off.

In general, the profitability of the project is estimated by experts at 30-35%, which is very a good indicator. But a lot depends on how much was initially spent. To organize a solid business, large investments are needed, which will return to the owner only after a year. If we limit ourselves to one device, then the investment will pay off in 1-2 months.

Video: how to open a copy center?

Now, at the present time, more and more young and ambitious people are thinking about starting their own business. If there is a clear confidence in the need for this, then you should decide for yourself a number of important questions: in which area to make your choice, how to get the most income with the minimum amount of costs, how to draw up a business plan, buy the right equipment, choose informational advertising. Recently, various copy centers have been most popular, and this is understandable, because not everyone has their own personal printer at home, and copies of various documentation are always in demand. You should think about how to open a copy center and what is needed for this.

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First you need to think about what the size of the initial capital will be, develop a business plan for the copy center, its location, Technical equipment and equipment.

To place a copy center, you should choose places of mass congestion of people, educational institutions or territories adjacent to it.

Working hours are preferably around the clock, without days off and holidays. After all, often students need copies of documents at the very last moment, and this will help increase income and leave a positive impression of the company. The business plan of the copy center should also include the amount of initial capital and what it will be used for. To begin with, the amount must be at least 100 thousand rubles. If this money is not available for a given period, then you can use advantageous offer to open a small business with the help of an employment center or take a loan from a bank.

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Name of the company, its structure and estimated costs

You need to decide on the name of the company and its structure. Depending on what it will be, a small copy point or a large copy center, equipment should be purchased. For a large organization, one inkjet printer and a computer will not be enough, it is better not to skimp on a professional laser printing machine, binders, bookletters, supplies, etc. The name of the organization should be chosen in such a way that it is clear what it does and what range of services it provides. It is desirable to use part of the word "copy", for example, "Copycenter", "Copymania", "Copy-market", "Kopitsvet".

Let's calculate the estimated costs. Please note that prices can vary greatly depending on the region.

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Registration and taxation of an enterprise

Now another important part follows - this is the registration and taxation of the enterprise. It's better to register as individual entrepreneur. It should be noted that the individual entrepreneur transfers an ever-increasing quarterly tax to the pension fund and is fully responsible with all his property to the tax service.

There are several types of taxation system, and you need to choose the most best option for your enterprise. The tax is calculated depending on how many employees work in this organization. The most successful solution would be either a simplified taxation system or a single imputed tax. Having estimated the profitability of one or another option, you should write an application to tax service in the name of her boss.

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Organization Advertising and Pricing

When everything is formalized legally, you should declare yourself. Advertising activities will depend on what material means and opportunities you have. These can be discount cards, flyers at the entrances and in mailboxes, ads in the regional media.

To attract additional customers, you can set a price below the average, for example:

• printing and photocopy of documents - 3 rubles;
• photo printing - 6 rubles;
• preparation of documents, recording on information media - 8 rubles;
• manufacturing teaching materials for educational institutions - 35 rubles.

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Profitability and potential profit

The approximate profitability for all types of services offered will be as follows:

• black and white printing, document lamination - 300%,
• souvenir products and photo printing - 100%.

The following services are most popular in descending order: photo printing, copying and laminating documents, refilling printer cartridges, recording on information media. They also bring in more income.

Net profit, as a rule, depends on what the amount of cash investments will be:

• up to 100 thousand rubles - from 5 thousand rubles. up to 30 thousand rubles / month;
• up to 500 thousand rubles - from 5 thousand rubles. up to 40 thousand rubles / month;
• from 500 thousand rubles - from 10 thousand rubles. up to 100 thousand rubles / month

The first option is to have a small copy center and work for yourself. In the following - an indication of the wages of employees is required. After a couple of months, you can analyze the current situation, if expenses exceed income, you should improve promotional activities to attract more customers. If there is no result even after six months, close the point or open it in another place.