Print Design TipsTips and Information About Printing

Offset printing makes use of plates and ink to create an image on paper (though originally, the technique was used to create images on tin in industrial England).  This requires plates to be created which is time consuming and labor intensive; the plates are created by burning and mounting reverse images upon the film, typically now computer driven, and by adjusting the output to balance the color and contrast. For this reason, offset printing is not susceptible to making changes, and especially not in the middle of a print run which makes it imperative that proofs are carefully checked prior to giving approval for the print run to proceed.

Digital printing does not require this heavy labor-input or the cost of creating the plates upfront – everything is software driven, so the first printed piece can be created without incurring great set-up costs.  The catch with digital printing is that offset printing provides greater quality of reproduction and when large print runs are involved, the overall cost drops dramatically because the high set-up costs are spread over a large number of pieces.

The question arises as to when a client should opt for offset printing as opposed to digital printing, so here are a few guiding hints and tips to consider.

Quality

If you are seeking to create a great impression with a glossy marketing brochure, you are going to want the enhanced quality provided by offset printing methods.  Digital printing does deliver high quality reproduction levels and which is catching up with traditional offset methods, but it still lags some way behind them.

Print Run Sizes

The size of print run will determine the economics of the case – print runs of less than a 1,000 will favor using digital printing methods as the high set-up costs are not present, however the variable cost of digital printing is relatively higher than for offset printing.  Larger print runs will cause a financial argument to move towards using offset printing.

The number of repeat print runs you are likely to need will also form part of the financial case.  If you are going to need extra print runs, you should ensure the printer is aware of this so they keep the plates – this will avoid the need for incurring the set-up costs all over again when you place a re-order.

Turnaround Times

If you have a rush job that needs to be done overnight, it is unlikely you will be able to source an offset printer who can manage the job for you.  Digital printing on the other hand, involves setting up the print run using a computer and software – changes can be made on the fly and there is a dramatically reduced turnaround time.  Offset printing is more suitable when you have enough time to provide adequate notice to your printer so proofs can be created and properly checked before the print run takes place.

Summary

There are obviously more issues than these few factors in determining whether you should use an offset printer or opt for digital solutions – quality, time and cost are amongst the most important ones however, and you should discuss your immediate and long-term job requirements with your print partner to assess which is the best method of delivering the material effectively for you.

In part one we covered why books are still the main form of dissemination of information – more so than the internet, TV or radio and any other form of printed media.  Books have credibility and in-built authority which can be tapped into by producing booklets – a cut-down version of a book which contains nuggets of information and allows you to mix your sales message into the content.

Here we continue with Booklet Design 101.

A guiding principle is to add value to your reader and their investment of time in reading what you wrote.  Provide information which is practical and usable by the reader.  A good example is a home improvement company – give advice on how to fix a shelf; a garage – car care; a doctor – healthy living or how to give up smoking.

Maintain the “uniformity of message” and this means being consistent throughout the booklet – a simple way of doing this is to ensure you use the same images throughout the booklet or if you are using different ones, that you ensure they are all to the same consistent quality, subject and format.  If you use diverse images and formats, you will detract from the impact and allow the booklet to deteriorate into a patchwork of ideas which will become easily lost, not least because you will easily lose the attention of the reader.

It’s a good idea to allow for some space for your reader to make some notes – a “jotting pad” at the end of each section or page,   By doing this you are personalizing the booklet to your reader and this is especially effective if they make use of the invitation – people rarely dispose of a document upon which they have written some notes!

As with any business literature, make it easy for a reader to find your contact information.  It may not be possible for you to have your telephone, email address or mailing address on every page but it is certainly practical to try or to have contact information repeated throughout the booklet.  Do not ignore this because when a reader encounters a piece of information in your booklet, they are likely to experience a “Eureka” moment – that is, they understand how your information can provide a solution to an issue they have – when that happens, they will want to contact you quickly.

Though a booklet may not be a purebred sales document (although it can be), this does not mean that you abandon marketing principles – as a reader goes through the booklet, there should be calls to action provided.  Examples are: an electrician – make sure you perform an annual electrical equipment safety inspection; medical – contact your doctor for a cholesterol test on a regular basis; garage – make sure you rotate your tires every 7,000 miles.

There are many other issues to cover but just because the document is a booklet and not a full-blown book does not mean you should skimp on the creativity or thought behind developing it.

We will continue with Booklet 101 in Part 3 with more hints and practical tips for you to improve the effectiveness of your efforts.

The Internet has revolutionized all aspects of life around the globe but it is not unique is a technology in creating such a paradigm shift in mankind’s development – before the Internet, there was the book.  Even before the invention and distribution of the printing press, books held great power over those who could read them, and they in turn held massive influence and power over those who could not.  Books are the main mechanism for disseminating knowledge and information and no matter how hard other media tries to replicate or surpass this success, the alternatives always wind up competing against a front-runner that has dominated knowledge and information for centuries.

Form and content are crucial to getting your message across, and while form may not improve the content, failing to pay attention to form may simply result in your message never being heard.  Form is crucial to getting your message and information read, understood and acted upon.  Remember AIDA from sales courses – Attention, Interest, Decision, Action – form is involved in all four stages while content acts as the driver for each of these buying stages.

The humble booklet is a miniature book, usually of a smaller size, far fewer pages and using materials which are of lesser quality or longevity than we normally associate with a bound and printed book.  Nevertheless, a booklet conveys the same authority as many publications and has some distinct advantages over a brochure which is more closely associated with sales, marketing and selling generally – a book conveys information and is authoritative – a booklet capitalizes to a lesser extent on that credibility.

Booklets can also be smaller than a regular book and certainly a brochure – this is highly attractive to prospective readers who may come across the booklet precisely because it is of a size which makes it easily stashed in a pocket or purse and lends itself to being read on the train or during a lull in an otherwise busy day.  Bear in mind when you are designing your booklet to use a size of paper that complies with your prospective reader’s requirements – small but not too small so it can be read easily enough and there are no barriers to simply pocketing the booklet.

Booklets can be used as a simple selling tool, but they carry with them the credibility of a book, so you can use the booklet to enhance your own credibility.  Look to mix your sales message with educational and practical advice so the booklet becomes more rounded and informative to readers. This makes the possibility of the booklet being referred back to by the reader, or being passed on to other readers more likely and even better, motivating the reader to contact you for more information and help.

When putting a booklet together, you are not creating a work similar to “War and Peace” or “North and South” – you are summarizing information and encapsulating it into the booklet.  This necessitates a thorough understanding of the use and importance of headlines and sub-headers.  A headline is there to get the reader to read the first line, the first line to read the first paragraph, etc, etc, but making sure that the booklet is broken up into bite-sized portions of information within its body is vital and for this you need to make good use of headers.

This article will continue in Part 2

Hee are some things for you to do if you want a huge bill for your printing and design!

If you have money to burn, here is a great way of getting rid of your greenbacks almost as fast as Brewster did with his millions

Use Non-Standard Folding

A sure fire way to get the printing bill through the roof!

Many publications need folding – a simple one page flyer can be conveniently folded once or twice to create a takeaway menu or neat mini-brochure.  The printer will have machines who do this and machine folding is cheap and fast so with that there is little issue.  try asking for a quote for a four-fold document and you’ll see the cost quoted ramp up enormously!

Why?

The folding for non-standard folds is done by hand and the labor cost is exhorbitant for performing this task as is the wastage rate during production.

Changing Design and Layout After Proofing

Changing the design and layout is costly because once you have gotten to the proofing stage you are on the final leg of the race before the printing and finishing processes can swing into action and manufactre the finished article.  You change the design or layout after this stage and you will have to cover not only the cost of re-design but the printing costs for those pieces which have been produced by the printer.

Make sure all your changes are done before the proofing stage; sticking to established design principles and working closely with your print partner will save you a great deal of cost and wasted time.

Use Complicated, Multi-Step Binding

The more production phases which are required in producing the finished article then the greater the cost to you.  Binding is essential for certain types of document whether it is simple stapling to form a booklet/brochure or sturdybinding for a permanent document such as a book.  Expect binding to significantly add to the cost of finishing the project if you are using complicated binding and especially if you are using a binding method which requires human labor to produce.

Make a Splash with an Expensive Cover

A great looking cover can attract readers but there is a reason why glossy magazines cost so much – they are hellishly expensive!  If you design your business communications so they need great looking covers then you are sure to find a very big bill for the photographer and design landing in your in-tray faster than you can say, “Vogue” or “Time”.

Don’t Follow the Established Rules – Be a Maverick!

Being a maverick is fine if you have the budget and the time to experiment with what works and what doesn’t.  Providing you have a bottomless bank account you can experiment away to your heart’s content with off-the-wall and amateurish efforts.  Someone has to invent the wheel at some point in time so it may as well be you!

Obviously this is all tongue-in-cheek – the object is not to blow tight budgets to deliver effective printed projects, on-time and on- or below-budget!  There are numerous ways you can save money and time and enhance your effectiveness and the very best advice is to find a print and design partner who is experienced and will work with you to get the job done.

Your letterhead is an essential piece of your stationery package and it is likely to be seen by more people than any other item you may use – you need to get the design and feel of the letterhead right because it is your constant representative to the rest of the world.  A letterhead forms the center piece of your entire stationery package and is an essential piece of printed material when it comes to creating yor beand identity.

Remember your letterhead will end up in all kinds of places and situations and will be seen by a good number of people who it was not initially sent to – every time someone sees your letterhead, or for that matter any piece of yoru stationery, it is an important opportunity to promote yourself and yoru business as well as convey your business communication.

Basic Components

As a minimum your letterhead should contain the following:

• Logo
• Business name
• Contact information including telephone number and website address along with your mailing address and email

Footers and Headers

It is typical to break a letterhead down into the header (at the top) and the footer (at the bottom) with the main body free to present your text.  By organizing the letterhead in this way you instantly  create a space to maximize what you wish to say but at the same time have designated space to include your basic and optional components you wish to include.

Break the header up into three distinct sections – far left, center and far right – and make sure you leave space between them so that they do not merge into each other which will create a cluttered look.  Typically a header will be between half to 3 inches and a good hint is not to use fonts less than 8 pts as less than this becomes difficult to read or allow the information contained to be easily located on the letterhead.

Similar guidelines apply to the footer but with the additional caveat that this is where you are more likely to put the “small print” such as corporate and legal notices.  Again use no less than 8pts font size because it still has to be readable but a good touch is to separate the footer with a color band or “hairline” from the body of the letterhead sitting above it and this can neatly tie into the brand identity you are trying to create.

Backgrounds

Using a background is an excellent means of differentiating your letterhead from the rest of the pack but it should be understated to ensure it does not take over the appearance of the body of the letter.  A watermark using your logo or business name is an excellent means of achieving this and is especially effective when you are using full-color printing – ask your print and design partner for samples so you can see the effect.

Be careful with the colors you use in the background as you must remember that dark (black or less often, blue) text will be running across the body area of the letterhead – if you have black background and black text is printed across it then it will be very difficult, if not impossible, to read.