Your Catalog Printer, Your Partner
You have everything you need; you have your design, your message, and you have your layout. All that’s left to do is to look for a catalog printing company that will work with you. So how do you find your partner?
Look for the a catalog printer nearest you –
Aside from the cost of traveling to and from your catalog printer’s place, you also have to consider how your catalog printing pieces would be delivered. Shipping costs will almost always deplete your budget. And consider the additional expense that your catalog printer would add if they have to bring your printed materials to your place.
However, this is not the case with PrintPlace.com. The company sees to it that not only do they provide you with excellent quality catalogs, but allow you hassle- and trouble-free printing experience from beginning until the time that you get your hands on your catalog printing items. Their branches are placed all over the US to give you lower shipping costs and even faster delivery time to anywhere you are located.
Choose a catalog printer with wider range of catalog stock options –
More choices mean more chances for your catalog printing project to get excellent quality results. This is how we do it at PrintPlace.com. We offer the widest range of options not only for your catalog stock but also for custom sizes. Any size you need, we got them. And even if we don’t have them on our list, we can provide you with a larger size from your size specification and cut them down to fit your requirement. It’s that simple.
A catalog printer that fits your budget –
All your work and effort will just go to waste if you won’t be able to afford your catalog printer. Before you decide on the best catalog printer for your budget, PrintPlace.com makes it easy by providing you with free samples to compare our prices and the results. PrintPlace.com has the more reasonable pricing scheme compared to others in the market.
For your next catalog printing job, go with the best- get PrintPlace.com to do your catalogs for you.
Getting The Most Out Of Your Business Cards During Exhibits
Among the tools used in networking, probably the most significant are your business cards. Your business card is very important because it helps you create a first impression when you give it to someone during meetings and events. And it’s also your lasting reminder every time your network takes it out and look at it for your contact information. That is why you really have to put much effort and planning in the presentation of your business cards. Your cards are your representation and it says a whole lot about your business and how you perform.
During networking affairs and meetings, it is not how many business cards you handed out, or even the amount of stack you got for yourself from other businesses. The success of any networking event lies on the connections you were able to make with other people. The bond you created during the event speaks loudly of how you handle your business; much more than any stockpile of accumulated business cards.
Below are some of the things you can do to get the most out of your business cards to create a lasting relationship with your potential clients.
Do not forget to bring your business cards with you. Even at social events and affairs, always carry your business cards with you. You might just meet someone who may be in need of your products and services.
Always hand out a clean business card. Incorrect and crossed out information on business cards speaks much about how you handle your business. Business cards are representations of you and your business. Unclean and crossed out information on business cards tells your target clients that you are disorganized and tend to give less attention to detail.
Always have a good supply of business cards handy. Business card printing is not that expensive nowadays. To ensure that you have a fresh supply, always take stock of your business cards and order right away when you get low in number. Don’t be in a position where you can’t hand out to someone who might just become important later on just because you already depleted your stock.
Likewise, ask for a business card from someone you had conversation with. It is proper etiquette in any business meeting or networking event to ask for their business cards first when you meet someone and talked with him or her. Once they hand out their cards, you may then politely ask if you could also give them yours. And don’t always assume they’d be interested to have your business card. The polite thing to do is to hand them your business card only when they say yes.
And lastly, write something about the person you just met on the back of his or her business card. This would help you remember them when you call them after the meeting or event. But be careful not to offend by doing it in front of the person. If you need to write it down right away because of your low memory span, you need to ask permission first. Some people may feel offended when you write on their business card which they have invested in.
Your Photo On Your Card: In Or Out?
I was appalled… ok, to put it milder, surprised when someone handed me a business card with his face on it. This was the first time I’ve ever seen such a style. But it got me thinking, does it work?
I don’t know, but I find this person’s business card not so good to look at, nor is it professional to use someone’s face to decorate a business card. I know it’s the popular way to do things today, what with the onset of digital technology where you could print pictures and photos to almost any surface, even your birthday cake. But isn’t it more appropriate to have your face printed on things that are less professional than business cards?
Maybe it’s just me, or I just have a perverse way of looking at this sort of thing. I get a funny feeling (disgust?) every time that face looks up at me when I get his business card to dial their office number.
I saw one benefit though to printing your face on your business cards; that guy’s face was very much recognizable even if you just see him for the first time because of his grinning countenance in his business card.
How To Mess With Your Flyers
Okay. So now you know your ABCs when it comes to flyer printing. There’s still one thing you have to remember. Your computer is just a unit to help you fine tune your flyer printing project. It doesn’t do the thinking for you. Every design and creative idea that you want to apply to your print flyers must still come from you. Not from your computer.
Now that we got that out of the way, let’s start talking about the things you have to avoid to minimize, if not totally eradicate, the mess you often make out of your flyer printing.
1 – Too many business owners and flyer printing designers frequently make the mistake of letting their computer do the thinking for them. As I have already said in the earlier part of this blog, computers do not have the capacity to create a design. You do. The computers are just there to help you complete and finish your designs.
2 – Frequent mistakes are made because business owners and designers don’t know what their objective is in the first place. With so many elements and innovative ideas available, we often lose track of our goal for our flyers. What’s our purpose for creating our flyers? We should always have this in mind so we won’t get sidetracked during our flyer printing design.
3 – Put your business name at the last part of your flyer. What readers read last are often the very things that they remember first.
4 – Use bold fonts for your headlines. You could use any font that takes your fancy. You just have to make sure that it’s readable and legible. If you get overwhelmed by the choices, you could always go back to the simplicity of Sans Serifs or Arial fonts.
5 – Your flyer’s main body text should always have a font that almost everybody can read and is easy to the eyes. Times New Roman is an all-time favorite when it comes to paragraph content. If not, there’s always the Arial font to consider. In addition, your font size should start from 10 points to 14 points. Anything smaller is less readable and gets to be annoying.
Ethics on Brochure Artwork
Is there such a thing as ‘ethics’ when it comes to producing artwork in brochure printing projects? It seems that a free-for-all mentality is adapted when it comes to creating a design that will compel readers to take a second look and get hooked. Everyone is invoking the First Amendment when it comes to justifying the use of pictures and images that pricks the sensibilities of most people. However, there should still be drawn lines to stop art from getting too risqué and unethical.
So what is ethical anyway? And when is brochure printing art considered too much?
I recently came across an informational brochure for a Summer Ethics class, depicting an artwork with a murder scene on the cover. Aside from the murder scene, what was more interesting was the picture of a cross drawn upside down which outlines a pair of bare buttocks on the back of the brochure.
Apparently, this particular brochure (the author called it artwork) elicited a lot of heated controversy and mixed reactions among its readers. This, I think is the ultimate response that the author is aiming for.
Some said that the image violated the responsibility of free speech. They even further elaborated that the First Amendment has equal responsibilities and respect attached to it; that crossing the line of respect violates one’s own responsible freedom.
I, myself, find it a tad over and above what should be allowed for brochure printing. In fact, this particular picture crossed the line of ethics.
So, again, what is ethics in brochure printing? How much is too much? And how much is less? I think that ethics is something relative to both the brochure printing designer and the reader of the brochure. And on issues of how much is ethical or not, I only believe in this particular principle in life: one’s freedom or ethics should stop when it starts to cross the other person’s freedom. Think about it.
Simple Smart Ideas For Poster Design
For small business owners, and even big companies, here are a few simple and smart ideas for your poster printing design:
General Format: First things first. You have to determine the one important idea that you want your target audience to get from your posters. Then decide on the size you’re going to use. Posters usually come in dimensions of 42×42 inches, 42×48 inches, and 42×52 inches.
Do your sketch: Although we are already in the time of technology, things don’t always have to be done in your computer or other digital units. Going back to the basics, such as sketching your design and layout, is a sure-fire way of arranging the elements in your poster printing project. Sketch your way to the contents of your poster by providing 3 to 5 columns that will position the elements in an orderly and organized manner.
Place your elements in position: Always use this guideline to position your different elements in your poster: title on top; a brief introduction on the upper left; your conclusion on the lower right; methods and results on the remaining space.
Provide a compelling title: When it comes to developing your title for your poster printing, always remember to think of something grand. And make sure that when you do write your title, anyone can read it 15 to 20 feet away.
Provide a sequence that is easy to follow: For your poster printing content, present it in a sequence that is easy to follow. Sit back and look at your poster. If you have to go round and round or even go back to the top because you can’t make heads or tails with the way your elements are positioned, then you have to go back to the drawing board and rearrange everything.
Simple tips like these for your poster printing project will go a long way in providing you a smart and cost effective alternative for your budget.
Breathe life on your flyers: market by word-of-mouth
There is still no better way to promote your products and services but by word-of-mouth. Satisfied customers are the surest way to provide your marketing strategy for your business, even better than millions of flyers. When you get customer satisfaction, it spreads like wildfire. On the other hand, when you suck, it also spreads quickly like a communicable disease.
It is a fact that customers who are satisfied are the best sales agents for your business. They would sing your praises gladly, free of charge. And mind you, when a satisfied customer sings, almost everyone who is listening will probably get you or purchase the product you offer. Seems like there’s plenty out there who would gladly put their faith in you when somebody has good experiences from your business.
So how do you keep your referrals coming by word-of-mouth? Satisfied customers point to these factors:
1. Reliability. More than quality or low pricing, being reliable gets the gold anytime. Reliability in business means people can depend on you to be honest about what you can offer. You tell your customers what and when you can deliver and they rely on you to keep what you promised. When you say you can finish their flyer printing requirements in 2 days, then they’d better have their flyers in 2 days with quality results. Or they won’t get you again for their next project.
2. Quality. Customers expect to get quality results for their money. They know that when you choose to serve in your field of business it just goes to show that you know what you’re talking about. When you say that you are a flyers printing company, it says that you know your stuff and you guarantee that you can always be depended on to produce quality flyers every time.
3. Fair Price. Customers know that for quality results, they need to pay a price. Not everything in life are free, especially those that are considered the best. In fact, clients, particularly those engaged in flyers printing, know that in order for them to get quality and professional flyers, they have to hire the best flyer printing company even if it costs an arm and a leg. However, the cost must be fair enough that it equals the result it provides. Quid pro quo.
And finally, clients know that they have a winner in their hands when someone offers them an extra aside from the quality result they get. Especially in the event that you cannot deliver at a promised date or schedule, it is responsible on your part to provide additional service at no extra cost to undo the damage. And customers can’t resist an extra freebie. You get remembered (and readily forgiven) when customers feel that they are treated well and respected in the way that they believe they deserve.
What dreams are made of…
When you are a real estate agent, what do you sell exactly? A house atop a hill with a scenic view of the lush landscape? Or a 15 floor building with a spectacular view of the coastline? Or do you sell a 40-hectare ranch?
As a real estate agent, what you have to offer doesn’t stop to the type of home or how many floors or the type of structure. You must go beyond that to be effective. You must be able to sell a dream. Be it the first house for a young couple or another high rise structure to a conglomerate. What you sell basically is a dream- a dream for every person to acquire something which they will call their own. You sell a future of happiness and stability. That is what people buy. More than a structure or a piece of land, people will buy what they perceive will make them happy or happier.
That is something you might want to consider when thinking about your marketing materials such as your calendar printing. Basically, you appeal to the emotions – an appeal for a better if not brighter future. For instance, you might want to sell the prospect of raising a family in the bounds of stability and comfort rather than selling a three bedroom 1 1/2 house with a one port car garage.
Your marketing strategy must focus on this. You must be able to help them make that dream a reality.
Rules of Desktop Publishing
Although there are no hard rules when it comes to desktop publishing, there are tried and tested practices that can help in providing you with the most effective pages for your catalog printing. In order to get your message across, here are a few suggestions from about.com for desktop publishing:
1. Use fewer fonts. How much is too many? The basic rule in fonts is three to four per project. Nevertheless, as we said, this is not a hard rule that can’t be broken. Nobody’s telling you not to do so. However, you should always make sure that your fonts do not create confusion and clutter in your page.
2. Use all caps with the right fonts. Acronyms and abbreviations are the only words that may be allowed to be set in all caps, either in the headline or the content. Long headlines, and most especially paragraphs, should appear in mixed case. Continuous use of all caps in your whole page is definitely hard to read and dreadful to look at. So refrain from using them.
3. Avoid using centered text too often. The use of a centered text basically depends on the design of the page. However, there are a few circumstances where you could use it appropriately. Just make sure that when you do use the centered text it is in line with the purpose of your piece, as well as it is in harmony with the other elements of your page layout.
There are a few more suggestions provided. For more details you could visit the website of about.com.
Simpsons: The Movie - Potential Controversy Stir
An article I ran through this morning caught my attention. It was about the Simpson’s Movie and the subjects it was targetting. (For reference, view the article here.) Similar to the Da Vinci Code, the Simpson’s Movie will be targetting topics on religion and is foreseen to cause a stir within religious groups. Similarly, environmentalists will be hot on their heels after they watch this film. Of course hints of these targets are mostly subliminal although there might be some quick straight to the point statements. For the percentage of the audience not as crazy about the Simpsons, this movie will further re-iterate their beliefs that this movie, very much like the series, is just as flooded with inane characters and a meaningless plot and has a strong chance of being held as a complete waste of time. Then again, it isn’t the straightforward plot where the moral lies, but deep within, imperceptible to the common mind.
