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Why Everyone Hates Online Printers

Ok, no one really HATES them. They're cheap and they usually have multiple designs to choose from. But I work at a print shop, so of course I hear all the horror stories. Here's why online printers aren't great for everyone.

They'll print what you send them: How is that a bad thing? A couple months ago I noticed a local salon had business cards printed by an online company and the name of the town was spelled wrong. A local shop may charge a little more, but at least they'll make sure your town name is spelled correctly. 

You might end up being twins: One businesswoman I know liked the graphic on her card so much that she started using it as her logo. Then she realized another business a few miles away was using the same graphic as ITS logo. Word to the wise: don't use anything on an online site as your company logo.

What happened to unique?: It may seem like there's a lot of different designs on their site, but only a fraction may actually be for your type of business (which is how you get twins). Its hard to differentiate yourself if five other realtors have the same business card and brochure. 

It's all on you: Online printers use a no-frills system (so to speak). You send it, they print it. If you need to change something on your brochure or business card later, you have to do it yourself (unless you want to pay more for their design services). Local print shops will usually make those small changes for you for free. 

All in all, it really depends on what is right for you. If you're ordering bridal shower invitations, an online printer might be a great solution. If you're ordering something for your business that you plan on reordering on a regular basis, it might be better to find a local printer. 

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Six Clever Opportunities for Connecting with a Potential Client

In a previous post we talked about the importance of written correspondence in the business world. If you're still scratching your head trying to think of opportunities to send a card to a potential client, here are a few ideas.

Welcome them to the neighborhood if they just moved their business or if they opened a new location in your area.

Congratulate the company on a recent award, renovation, new location, successful event, merger, etc.

Congratulate a particular person in the company who just got hired or got a promotion (don't send one to everyone who is hired or promoted, just to people in higher executive positions)

Happy Birthday! is good to send when a company's age hits an important milestone. It's probably not a good idea to send happy birthday cards to people in the company unless it's someone you know. 

Thank you cards are a staple. If you've recently met with a potential client, it's always a good idea to send them a card thanking them for their time. If someone connected you with a client, send them a note thanking them for the referral. 

You're awesome! If you can't think of any other reason to send a business a card, just remember that everyone likes to be admired. There's nothing wrong with sending a company a card to let them know that you think their new advertising campaign is clever or that you really support their decision to become more environmentally friendly.

Knowing about a company and being thoughtful enough to send them a card to acknowledge an achievement or event may not land you their account right away, but it will certainly put you on their good side and that's definitely a start. 

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5 Tricks That Will Save You Money At Your Printer

There are a few ways to save money on your commercial printing bill. Most people just don't know to ask about them.

1. Nix the bleed: If you aren't sure what a bleed is, we'll explain. Take a look at the posters of Rosie the Riveter below. The first poster has a bleed, which means the image goes all the way to the edge of the paper (and that your printer has to use a larger sized paper to accommodate it). The second poster does not bleed; it has a white border around it. If it won't ruin the aesthetics of your design, add a white border around your image (we recommend 3/16") and it will save you a little money.

2. Pick your own paper: There are types of paper that are standard when printing certain items like business cards, brochures, and posters. Just because they're standard, doesn't mean you have to use them. It's ok to ask your printer about other options. You may decide you don't need your brochure to be glossy or that your poster doesn't need such heavy paper. Choosing a similar but more economical paper will save you a little extra money. 

3. Forgo the extras: Print shops don't just charge for printing; they charge for folding, stapling, scoring, binding, and pretty much everything else (and rightfully so). If you order tri-fold brochures from a print shop, they will automatically fold them for you. That's great if you're ordering large quantities!...But if you only need 50 and you don't mind folding them yourself, just tell your print shop not to worry about folding them. One less thing they have to do means one less thing that you have to pay for. 

4. Buy in bulk: Every print shop I have ever seen offers quantity discounts. If you're placing an order that you intend to repeat regularly (such as business cards, letterheads, brochures etc), try to take advantage of quantity discounts. Usually print shops use tiered pricing. Ask for quotes for a few different quantities. Make sure to ask for quotes that start at each price break so you can see the most difference.

Asking for 250 business cards without asking about the price of other quantities is like going into a store with a "Buy 3 sweaters, get the 4th free!!" sale, and leaving with three sweaters. 

5. Choose your designer wisely: If you want something simple, it's usually cheaper to have the print shop design something for you. Freelance designers are great for creating more complex designs, but most freelancers have had little to no experience setting designs up for print (meaning it will look pretty but your print shop will have to fiddle with it for a half hour in order to print it). 

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ROBOTS OR DINOSAURS?

Definitely Robots. 

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Confessions of a Print Shop: to Bleed or Not to Bleed

What is a bleed?

If a design bleeds, it means that some part of that design touches the very edge of the paper. A printer can't actually print to the very edge of a page (it needs to be able to grip the paper somewhere) so if you have graphics or images that extend all the way to the edge, you need a buffer. This buffer is called a bleed allowance (or bleed, for short).

What does a bleed allowance do?

The bleed allowance extends your images and graphics slightly beyond the actual size of the design and the excess is trimmed off after printing. You can have a partial bleed or a full bleed depending on how much of your design extends to the edge of the paper. Below is an example of a partial bleed. You would need to add a bleed allowance to the top, right, and left sides of the design, but you would not need one on the bottom of the page. 

  Why does it matter?

The bleed allowance temporarily increases the size of the design, which means your 11x17 poster is now more like 11.5x17.5. Your local print shop can't print an 11.5x17.5 poster on the standard 11x17 size paper so instead they'll probably use 12x18, which of course costs a little more. In addition, your print shop will have to trim the edges of your poster, which will also increase the cost.

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The One Thing Every Professional Should Have in Their Desk

A person's success ultimately relies on their interactions with others. Written correspondence (and no, I don't mean emails) has become underrated, but most responsible adults still know the importance of writing a thank you note.

But thank you notes are just the beginning...

Sending a card to someone shouldn't just be limited to thanking them. There are plenty of reasons to send someone a card, and some of them may result in landing a new customer account. 

So the one thing every adult should have in their desk at all times...blank stationary cards. Don't miss an opportunity to send someone a "welcome to the neighborhood" card or a "congratulations on your renovation" card. 

You may or may not get business out of it, but you're pretty much guaranteed to brighten someone's day. 

[graph-x-printing]

Why Print Advertising is More Important Now than Ever

The digital age is no place for print advertising. It can't possibly keep up with SEO, banner ads or QR codes. But the truth is that people have become bored with the digital age.

Consumers have gotten so sick of stock photos that they barely glance at banner ads anymore. Google has gotten rid of the ability to track organic search and QR codes are so overused that no one scans them anymore. 

People have gotten tired of digital advertising clutter just the same as they got tired of print advertising clutter. So what now?

Guerrilla advertising is the new big thing. You can spend thousands of dollars on Adwords campaigns, but it won't give you the same ROI as a truly creative guerrilla campaign. 

Below are few great examples of guerrilla marketing in print. To view more great examples click here. The best part about these examples is that your local print shop should be able to create most of them, which means there's no excuse not to give these innovative ideas a try!