Printing and Packaging Back-Office Services
Back-office services for printing and packaging. Graphic Arts, Printing and Publishing payroll, industry-specific bookkeeping, compliance and IT support.
Applicable Award
Graphic Arts, Printing and Publishing Award 2020
Running a printing and packaging business means juggling operational demands with administrative complexity. Award-compliant payroll, BAS obligations, supplier management, and compliance tracking all compete for time that should be spent on customers and growth. Valont provides back-office services specifically configured for printing and packaging, with genuine understanding of the award provisions, financial metrics, and operational realities that define your industry.
The Award: Graphic Arts, Printing and Publishing Award 2020
Classifications: Print production employee Level 1-7. Pre-press, print, post-press, digital classifications.
Ordinary hours: 38 hours per week, shift work for production deadlines
Penalty rates: Sat 150%, Sun 200%, PH 250%. Shift penalties for afternoon/night production runs.
Minimum engagement: 3 hours casual
Key allowances: shift, tool, ink/chemical handling, meal
Getting these provisions wrong creates systematic underpayment that compounds with every pay period. The Fair Work Ombudsman actively monitors compliance in this sector, and the penalties for deliberate underpayment were significantly increased under recent legislation. Valont's payroll specialists configure your payroll software with the exact award rules for each employee classification, eliminating manual interpretation errors.
Challenges Specific to Printing and Packaging
- Job costing by print run — setup time, materials (paper, ink, plates), run time, finishing
- Paper and substrate inventory management — stock grades, roll/sheet stock, minimum order quantities
- Equipment depreciation — offset presses, digital presses, finishing equipment as major capital
- Declining offset print demand — managing transition to digital and wide-format
- Waste and overrun management — press overruns, spoilage tracking
- Colour management compliance — brand colour matching, proof approval workflow
These aren't generic business challenges — they're the specific operational and compliance issues that printing and packaging owners deal with daily. A generalist bookkeeper or payroll provider may not understand or address them. Valont does, because our service is configured around your industry's actual requirements.
Financial Metrics That Matter
Standard P&L reporting isn't enough for printing and packaging. You need industry-specific metrics to make informed decisions:
Revenue per impression, materials cost %, machine utilisation, setup time per job, waste %, digital vs offset revenue split
We configure your reporting to track these metrics monthly, giving you the visibility to identify margin drift, optimise operations, and make confident business decisions based on data rather than gut feel.
How Valont Helps Printing and Packaging
Finance Hub
Industry-configured bookkeeping with MIS (management information system) → Xero/MYOB, prepress workflow. BAS prepared from correctly coded, fully reconciled data. Real-time reporting with the industry-specific metrics above. Cash flow forecasting that accounts for your seasonal patterns and payment timing.
People Hub
Graphic Arts, Printing and Publishing Award 2020-compliant payroll processing. Every employee classified correctly, every penalty rate calculated accurately, every allowance applied. STP reporting with each pay run. Superannuation initiated on schedule. Ongoing payroll audits reviewing all classifications and rates against current award provisions.
Operations Hub
Managed IT support and Essential Eight cybersecurity. Your POS, accounting, payroll, and rostering systems monitored and maintained. Data backup with regular restoration testing. Staff devices protected with endpoint security. MFA enforced across all business-critical systems.
Indicative Pricing
10-30 staff: Finance + People Hub $2,000-$4,000/month. Operations Hub adds $80-$200 per user per month. Fixed-fee, no hourly billing, month-to-month engagement.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do you understand the Graphic Arts, Printing and Publishing Award?
Yes. Our payroll specialists are experienced with the Graphic Arts, Printing and Publishing Award 2020 including its classification structure, penalty rate schedule, allowance provisions, and overtime calculations. We configure payroll software (KeyPay or Employment Hero) with the specific award rules and conduct quarterly audits to ensure ongoing compliance.
Can you integrate with our existing software?
Yes. We integrate with the industry-standard platforms: MIS (management information system) → Xero/MYOB, prepress workflow. We work within your existing systems and recommend changes only where they deliver genuine operational benefit.
What makes Valont different from a general bookkeeper?
A general bookkeeper processes transactions. Valont configures your entire back-office around printing and packaging-specific requirements — from award-compliant payroll and industry-specific reporting metrics to integrated IT and cybersecurity. We understand the operational challenges unique to printing and packaging and build our service around them.
How much does this cost for a printing and packaging business?
10-30 staff: Finance + People Hub $2,000-$4,000/month. This replaces the combined cost of separate bookkeeper, payroll provider, and the owner's admin time. Fixed-fee with no hourly billing — the same price regardless of how many questions you ask.
Built for Printing and Packaging, Not Adapted From a Template
Your back-office should understand your industry. Ours does.
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Integrated back-office for Printing and Packaging businesses.
Finance Hub
People Hub
Operations Hub
Growth Hub
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