Print Communications: Leader of the Pack
Posted on August 19, 2008
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Businesses everywhere use a variety of media to reach their target audiences. Though budget constraints will impact your plan, every marketing mix is designed to meet a range of objectives: boost sales, generate leads, strengthen relationships and build brand identity.
The choices available to today’s marketers seem ever-growing, from traditional television, radio and print advertising to a multitude of electronic opportunities including Web sites and e-mail. While each has its place in a comprehensive program, direct mail remains the most personal and effective way to reach your customers and prospects.
E-mail, for example, can be inexpensive to create and distribute. Just don’t be fooled into thinking that it’s the best or only way to market your product or service.
People choose direct mail and other print vehicles over e-mail because they are more dependable and are viewed as more authoritative. Nothing can replace well-designed print marketing because nothing else is as portable, personal or reliable.
While Web sites, another component of e-marketing, can be relatively inexpensive to create and maintain, existing is not enough. They need to be promoted so potential customers will visit them. Print communications are an excellent way to direct prospects and customers to a Web site.
When you can do it, a broad mix of media will provide you with the widest range of opportunities to communicate with your audiences and to make a lasting impression.
As always, you must determine your communications objectives to choose the most effective strategies.
5 Ways to Maximize Your Message
- Be consistent in portraying your company’s identity.
- A single graphic look and a uniform writing style add value and strength to your company’s identity in all visual media.
- Type, color and images should be consistent throughout for greater memorability.
- Use print communications (flyers, ads, brochures, direct mail) to provide support for e-marketing. Ask your customers for their e-mail address in your direct mail pieces via a business reply card or when they respond to a free gift or special offer. Similarly, with the customer information you gather online, plan targeted mailings as follow up.
- Coordinate your delivery schedules so your communications complement one another rather than compete for attention.
What Color Can Do For You
Posted on August 19, 2008
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When you hear the terms, four-color or full color process, it means you are able to produce any color combination. Four-color process is a system where an image is separated into four different color values with the inks cyan (blue), magenta (red), yellow and black to reproduce the original color image.
If your budget prohibits this quality of color reproduction, be aware that many cost-effective opportunities exist to add “punch” to your printed materials. Designers often manipulate color to create interest and variety from a single image. Following are a few terms to help you know your color options.
Glossary of Terms
- Spot color - Adding one or more single flat colors to a printed piece. You can also create monochromatic (single color) photos.
- Halftone - A pattern of dots of different sizes used to simulate a continuous-tone photograph, either in color or black and white.
- Duotone - Created by printing a photographic image in two colors. They often possess greater depth and warmth than photos printed in one color. Most are printed using a hue naturally dark in color (i.e. black or blue) and a naturally light hue (i.e. gray or yellow).
- Tritone - A halftone using three colors to produce more contrast and detail than a duotone.
- Mezzotint - Computer-generated reproduction of an engraver’s method which creates various textures and patterns to create artistic effects.
- Posterized - The color palette of an image is manipulated and recreated using only flat colors.
- Traps - Trapping is a term that describes the method used to make two colors fit together perfectly without any white gaps between them.
- Screens - Varying the screen percentage can give you the illusion of printing with multiple colors. For example, a 50 percent screen of a solid red creates the illusion of pink.
Ten Ways to Cut Your Printing Costs
Posted on August 19, 2008
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- Stick with standard finished sizes to reduce paper waste and minimize your costs.
- Be careful when using bleeds, that is, color or images that run to the edges of the paper. Sometimes they require larger sheets that need to be trimmed, resulting in higher costs and longer production time.
- Use color to print a large quantity of “shells.” Then, customize the text as your projects come up throughout the year with one color of ink.
- Similarly, spread the cost of color between several jobs. For example, design a series of brochures that share the same colors, and print them at the same time. It can be cheaper than paying separate setup charges for each.
- Before placing a special order, ask if there is a paper stock in inventory that might be right for your project.
- Choose the right type of binding. Saddle stitching (stapling the piece along the center fold) is one of the least expensive and most popular types of binding.
- On larger quantities that are printed on two sides, lay out both sides on one larger sheet. This is called printing “two-up” and can reduce costs by about 25 percent since press time is cut in half.
- If you are designing your materials on computer disk and/or providing a digital file, make sure your printer outputs a sample to check the accuracy of the layout and any color separations. In addition, make any revisions before you turn your layout or digital files over to the printer. Revisions are costly once a job is in production.
- Consider digital color output. Though printing small quantities (under 400) of a full-color brochure is usually cost prohibitive for many organizations, consider short-run digital printing instead. If set up correctly, your project can be output directly from your digital files and the press time is cut in half.
- Avoid rush charges. Find out what length of time is required from your printer for production, printing and added processes like folding and die-cutting. Stay on deadline to avoid rush charges, which can be as high as 50 to 100 percent above the normal quote.
Mounting Materials
Posted on August 4, 2008
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Mounting Materials
The table below lists the properties, typical applications, and other specifications of several common substrates used when creating our rigid plastic signs. There are virtually an unlimited number of substrates available, so if you don’t see something you are looking for, please contact us for availability and pricing.
| Material | Properties | Common Applications | Indoor Use | Outdoor Use | Standard Color |
| Gatorboard | light weight, resists dents & warping, smooth surface | indoor signage | Yes | No | black |
| Sintra | durable, versatile, resists dents & discoloration | indoor & outdoor signage | Yes | Yes | white |
| Fome Core | light weight, durable, smooth surface, cuts easily | intricately cut indoor signs | Yes | No | white |
| Polystyrene | tough, resists dents & cracks, rollable for easier S&H | indoor and outdoor signs | Yes | Yes | white |
| Coroplast | rigid, light weight, weatherable, vertical shutes for sign stakes | yard, political, golf, real estate signage | Yes | Yes | white |
| Aluminum | very rigid, high-tech feel | outdoor signs | Yes | Yes | aluminum |
| Plexiglass | rigid, smooth surface, standard or face-mounting | backlit, POP, & office displays | Yes | Yes | clear, non-glare |
The Logo
Posted on August 2, 2008
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The Company’s Hardest-Working Staff Member – the Logo
Nike, Target Stores, McDonald’s, Coca-Cola; one thing these powerhouse companies have in common is brand recognition, built in part by a strong, recognizable logo.
In a marketplace that exposes us to thousands of commercial messages daily, logos are becoming more important than ever. And in a world of countless start-ups, daily announcements of mergers and acquisitions, and the constant introduction of new products, companies have an increasingly difficult time getting noticed.
That’s why branding – a combination of names, terms, designs and symbols that identify a product or service and distinguish it from competing products – is so hot. A company’s logo can be a visual ambassador, one that appears on everything from business cards and coffee mugs to delivery vehicles and Web sites. It leaves an impression of who you are and what you can provide for the customer.
Michael Bierut, a partner at Pentagram, an international design consultancy, says that almost any company, large or small, can aspire to achieve the logo power of Coca-Cola, Fuji, or FedEx.
“The things that make those brands so powerful are freely available to anyone,” Bierut claims. “What they all have in common is consistency of use (meaning that the company uses the logo on everything related to the business), simplicity, a degree of good taste, and a product that creates a successful aura that fuels the symbol.”
Due to the power of branding and the impact a logo can have on how a business is perceived, it’s important for organizations to review their logos every few years to determine if redesigns are in order.
Here are some thoughts to keep in mind when designing or reviewing your organization’s logo:
- Size matters. Is the logo as recognizable at one-eighth of an inch on a return address label or lapel pin as it would be blown up on a poster or billboard?
- Is it original enough to differentiate the company from its competitors?
- Is the design clean and simple enough to be easily identified like the Nike brand “swoosh” or the McDonald’s arches?
- Is it inoffensive in other cultures so it can be used globally?
- Can it be easily adapted for use on the Internet?
- Is the logo used consistently on all company communications, including marketing campaigns?
“The logo can be your company’s hardest-working employee,” says Elinor Selame, president of Boston-based BrandEquity International. “For a small company with a limited budget, the returns get higher each year you use the organization’s logo correctly.”
To make sure your logo is working as hard as possible on your company’s print communications, see your print professional. He or she can help you determine if your logo is being used consistently to maximize its effectiveness. Consistency goes a long way in promoting your business or organization.
Simply producing a superior product is not enough to create a business powerhouse if no one knows who you are.
Choosing Paper
Posted on August 2, 2008
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Putting it on Paper
Choosing paper that best complements your project
With a new generation of designers and technologies, corporate communicators are changing the rules of business and are using paper colors and textures to push corporate branding to new limits. Paper has a major influence on how the communication and the communicator are perceived. Thus, it is extremely important to become familiar with the different types or grades of paper available and match them to the needs of your individual job.
Given the thousands of paper choices and the fact that paper alone can constitute more than half of the cost of your printed piece, choosing paper is not always an easy task. But, by defining how the paper will be used, thinking about your project needs and what you want the paper to do for you, your paper will add that much more impact to your print communications.
Defining a Goal
Paper is often defined in terms of its purpose. First, ask yourself a few questions when selecting a paper for your project to define exactly how it will be used.
- Are people going to save your product?
- Is the piece going to be mailed?
- How many times will the piece be folded?
- Is color critical?
- Will people leaf through the piece repeatedly?
- Will the piece be stapled or bound?
- Will the paper color complement the company logo and artwork?
Paper Weight
It is also important to decide how heavy the paper stock should be based on the goal of your print communications and your budget. Heavier stocks generally cost more. Keep in mind, too, that the heavier the paper, the greater opacity (or the less one can see through the paper). Bond papers are the lightest weight and are commonly used in copiers as well as for letters and business forms. Nearly two million tons of bond paper are used every year in the United States and Canada. Text and cover weight papers are also widely used, especially for annual reports, announcements and brochures.
Paper Properties
After you determine your project needs, it is important to consider various paper properties that affect runnability and print quality. These properties include flatness, curl, strength, brightness and color. There are also recycled papers, as well as different paper finishes.
Finish is a complex paper property affecting the way the surface of the paper appears, whether smooth or rough. Paper with a smooth finish will take ink well and produce good detail. Paper with a rough finish is more specialized. Some papers may be finished with a heavily raised, almost spotted surface. Others have lightly raised surfaces in various patterns. These papers can look very elegant or artsy. However, the images and type will look somewhat distorted on these textured papers because the ink will not lay down completely flat. Typefaces with very fine serifs or thin stems may look broken. Similarly, halftones or images with fine detail will not print well.
It is very important to be aware of how these paper properties will affect your design. It is a good idea to ask to see printed samples of the different paper types first to decide which type is best for your piece.
Send A Message With Recycled Paper
Another attribute to consider is whether to use recycled paper, both for the benefit of the environment and for the message it sends to your customers. Most recycled papers cost more, but if your customer cares about the environment, the extra charge may be worth it. Wood pulp paper is based on 19th century technology and because there is a need to preserve these forests, other materials have been tested. Unfortunately, plant materials producing the same level of quality still have not been found.
As an alternative to wood pulp papers, synthetic papers with manmade fibers do provide improved properties such as durability, tear and water resistance and high opacity. Currently, the most widespread use of synthetic fibers in paper is for paper currency.
Current Paper Trends
Competing forces of style and technology are having a significant and contradicting impact on paper selection. Recently, we are seeing a trend toward brighter, bolder colors and a preference for incredibly bright, white and smooth papers.
Research shows that many print buyers are looking for bright white and smooth papers, especially for projects requiring digital printing technologies for all or part of a project. White papers may be preferred because projects using them are often easier to design and proof and offer the best printing color fidelity. Studies also indicate that two-thirds of text and cover papers sold are smooth, untextured grades. More than 50 percent of these papers are bright white and well over 20 percent are off-white or cream.
Although white, smooth papers are the stronger trend right now, designers continue to have a preference for colored and textured papers, called specialty grades. These specialty grades help to create a certain look and differentiate a company and its message. We live in an age where we have grown accustomed to electronic communication, especially e-mail and the Internet, so when you see a brilliantly-designed printed piece with a unique color and texture of paper, it really stands out.
There are many factors to consider when deciding what paper is best for your project. By establishing your performance needs first with the help of your printer or graphic designer, you can choose the right paper for each job – and make the desired impact.
Basics About Business Cards
Posted on August 2, 2008
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The Basics About Business Cards, the Ever-Important Marketing Tool
In the age of the Palm Pilot, e-mail and teleconferencing, the business card may seem less than glamorous. Some might even wonder how important this pint-sized device is in today’s business world. The answer? Very. In fact, some believe the business card is the single most important marketing tool available.
Business cards are a tangible representation of your business. They often provide potential customers with their first impression of your product or service, and they remain with customers and prospects when you are not. Business cards tell people where to contact you and these tiny powerhouses are frequently passed from person to person, giving them even greater marketing mileage.
With all this in mind, it becomes clear that you should put some thought into your business cards. Make sure they project an appropriate image for your business, keeping in mind everything from content to design to printing. Below are some things to consider.
Design
It may seem that there aren’t many options when it comes to designing a business card. After all, at a minimum, you need to include your name, your business name, and your address, phone number, fax number and e-mail address in a 2-inch by 3 ½-inch space. But there really are a lot of decisions to make. You can print in multiple colors, for example, or have your card embossed for a richer look. If you want your card to stand out from the rest, you can include a photo of yourself, or design the card so it is vertical in orientation rather than horizontal. You can even design a card that is twice the standard size and have it folded in half, giving you more room to print your message.
And don’t forget about the back of the card. Many companies will use this space to print their mission statements, or to print in another language if they do business internationally. Some even use that space for practical information, such as calendars or measuring tables. This gives people greater incentive to keep the cards.
Paper
Gone are the days when all business cards were black ink on white paper. Business cards can be printed on virtually any color paper, and in a variety of finishes and weights. You can have textured or smooth cards, glossy or flat. The paper you choose depends on a number of factors, including your budget and the type of image you want to project.
Cost
Business cards come in a wide price range. On average, people spend about $50 per thousand on their business cards, but some spend as much as $300 per thousand or more. How much your cards cost depends on several things, such as printing method digital or offset, the type of paper, number of ink colors and special printing features such as embossing or thermography (raised printing). The cost will increase if you print on both sides of the card.
Even on a budget, you can have business cards that tell the world your business is a success. There are ways to cut costs, such as printing multi-color blanks and imprinting them in black when a new staff member needs cards.
Getting Started
When designing business cards, you should first think about the type of image you want to project. Are you in an industry that requires your materials to be very serious and formal, such as accounting, or does your business operate in a more casual environment, such as a music store? Do you already have printed materials, such as brochures or letterhead? If so, your business cards should complement those pieces.
There’s a lot to consider, but you don’t have to do it alone. Consult with your printer or graphic designer to create business cards that leave a lasting impression.
Account Manager
Posted on July 29, 2008
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Account Manager / Sales Professional
Company: Allegra Print & Imaging
Do you strive to be the best at what you do and achieve concrete results? If so, this could be a fantastic opportunity! We are well positioned providers of printing and graphic solutions company seeking to continue our tremendous growth and success in all parts of the Lower Mainland.
Description:
Allegra Print & Imaging is seeking an Account Manager to develop our territory in Vancouver and Burnaby area - focused professionals with the ability to develop business relationships and multi-task. If you are an ambitious, high energetic professional with a passion for sales, who enjoys working with people, Allegra Print & Imaging would like you to join our team!
Responsibilities:
Developing new business relationships while manage and support existing customer base. Exceed customer expectations with creative solutions to meet customers’ needs. Obtain referrals and prospects to further develop the market presence. Keep up to date on “cutting edge” trends in design, digital and offset printing technologies.
Candidates must have at least 3 years in outside sales experience and must be able to demonstrate previous success in the following:
- achievement of sales targets through activities such as cold calls & referrals, combined with strong tracking and follow-up skills
- ability to forecast territory budget accurately
- previous experience selling in multiple revenue streams
- a proven track record in making effective profitability decisions based on margin and growth expectations of the company
- ability to accurately determine the parties, process and implementation in the decision making process of a client/potential client
- ability to effectively utilize inquiry skills to develop an understanding of the clients’ business
- proven desire to ensure effective communication
- ability to identify, discuss and resolve issues regarding the customer’s pain
- willing to continuously develop selling skills
- ability to work in a mutually agreeable fashion with various departments to resolve issues
- business like professional appearance
- be able to think critically and creatively
Previous printing/sign/graphics industry experience is a plus.
The hours of work are Monday to Friday 8am - 5pm, 1 hour lunch.
The Account Manger position is fully commissioned with year-end bonuses. If you’re interested in this job opportunity and meet the qualifications, please email your resume and a brief one or two paragraph overview on why you feel you are the right candidate for this great opportunity to HR at printing604 (at) yahoo (dot) com or fax it to 604.681.5036 and refer to position “Account Manager” in your email subject line. Our website: www.allegrapress.com. I look forward to hearing back from you.
We wish to thank all applicants for their interest, however, only those under consideration will be contacted.
Customer Service Representative Telephone Work
Posted on July 28, 2008
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Do you enjoy developing new and existing relationships over the phone?
Terrific opportunity for a professional individual ready to move ahead in a great career. We have an opening for an entry level Telemarketing/Customer Service/Outbound Sales Assistant position. This is a temporary – six month with very high possibility to become a permanent position with potential to advance.
This could be a great opportunity for you!
We are specializing in printing, graphic design and marketing services. Currently we are seeking a personable and customer service oriented Customer Service Rep to join our team of enthusiastic professionals. Your primary responsibility is to contact new and existing clients in our company data base over the phone. This position will require you to be driven, self-motivated and goal-oriented, and willing to receive guidance and direction, as you will be the primary link to our prospective clients. You must ensure that all customers are dealt with in a professional and polite manner. You will be required to complete some other tasks including general reception duties, typing, bindery, some small local delivery and pickups. A tenacious individual, you will make proactive calls to promote the Allegra Centre and continue our first class customer service by gaining feedback on customer satisfaction and monitor changes in buyer’s purchasing patterns. Utilising your good business acumen and our client’s data base, you will research and help to build long term business relationships sometimes also face to face.
Key tasks & responsibilities:
- To telephone on a daily basis potential customers from data supplied by company.
- Accurately record results of each telephone call, diarising call backs until closure of each lead.
- Provide prompt and accurate information to Allegra sales staff and product managers in line with projects and targets.
- Arrange and verify appointments.
- Meet all targets as set by management in order to secure new Allegra business.
- Provide management reports as required.
- Progress and develop product knowledge.
- Represent the company at all times in such a way as to project an image of quality and integrity.
Other responsibilities include but are not limited to:
- Enter and take orders
- Process and investigate credit
- Answer telephones; distributes
- Liaise with vendors and help process invoices
- Confirm orders received by fax or e-mail to customers as well as informing salespeople. Also confirm with each sales person how many orders received from them daily
- Answer enquiries pertaining to product information
- Print and distribute the month-end reports; morning reports
- Process and sort mail
- Set up new customers and maintain customer files and account details
- Proof read and edits documents
- Liaise daily with buyers, sales people, managers, admin team, and customers
- Temporarily fulfil vacant positions in our other locations as needed
Qualifications:
- Confident telephone manner essential
- Ability to sell and close by telephone
- IT Literate
- Minimum one year prior experience in similar support desk role
- Good working knowledge of MS Office Suite
- Excellent customer service skills a MUST
- Professional and friendly demeanour
- Excellent interpersonal, organizational, and communication skills (both written and oral)
- Telemarketing / sales / cold calling experience
- Print shop / desktop publishing / graphic design experience a plus
Daily / weekly / monthly call and sales targets.
- Target number of completed calls per day.
- Target number of appointments made per week.
- Target number of accounts opened per week.
- Target number of enquiries obtained per week.
If you’re interested in this job opportunity and meet the qualifications, please email your resume in confidence to HR at printing604[at]yahoo.com or fax it to 604.681.5036 and refer to position Customer Service Sales Assistant in your email subject line. www.allegrapress.com
The hours of work are Monday to Friday 8am - 5pm, 1 hour lunch.
Web Site Designer
Posted on July 28, 2008
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Located in our Vancouver office, the Web Designer is responsible for the design of various customers and marketing websites. This includes the visual design and execution of existing and new websites, email templates and online advertising. Additionally, the Web Designer will assist with offline marketing projects when necessary.
Our ideal candidate will have a post secondary degree and/or certificate(s) in Interactive Media or Web Design, art/design or equivalent with a minimum 3+ years as a web designer (web development experience an asset). XML and ASP.NET; Javascript and Actionscript are required. You must have proven ability to hand code standards compliant XHTML (no WYSIWYG) and CSS and a high aptitude with industry software applicants (Photoshop, Illustrator) and web browsers in a cross-platform environment. InDesign and Quark are an asset. Animation and interactive design are required (GIF, Flash, Javascript, Quicktime, PDF) and experience with email marketing and banner campaign development and design.
*Along with your application, please provide URL’s of websites that you have worked on and tell us about your role in development/design
If you’re interested in this job opportunity and meet the qualifications, please email your resume and a brief one or two paragraph overview on why you feel you are the right candidate for this great opportunity to HR at printing604 (at) yahoo (dot) com or fax it to 604.681.5036 and refer to position “Web Site Designer” in your email subject line. Our website: www.allegrapress.com. I look forward to hearing back from you.