Insights

Printing Insights

The Life of Paper

It’s alive! At least it was. Love it or hate it, paper has a place in our world. And, not just as paper bags and note pads. Paper is abundant in packaging, building materials, marketing materials, and of common disposables like paper towels and toilet paper. It is everywhere. Though paper often gets a bad

1001 Ways to Print

You can get from point A to point B in many different ways. You could walk, run or drive a car. You could ride a bike, take a train or fly in a plane. There is usually more than one way to do anything. This is just as true for printing as it is for

Hybrid vs. Stochastic Screening

As the old saying goes, there is more than one way to screen a cat…the image of a cat that is–a little printing humor there. All lame puns and disturbing metaphors aside, I am referring to the different types of screening in lithographic printing. Within any manufacturing process there can often be multiple production method

Proof to Print

One of the biggest challenges with producing any custom product is setting the customer’s expectation before production begins. This is true in many industries and it is no less of a challenge in printing. The reason for this is that the equipment that produces a single printed proof typically uses a different printing method and

PrePress Desk

Creating the Wow with Varnishes and Coatings

Everything that glitters is not gold. Sometimes it’s varnish or UV coating. Due to its physical nature, print marketing offers an opportunity to engage with an audience like no other media. And, with great opportunity comes great creativity. Printed media has a long history, almost as long as the story itself. It is a well-trusted

The Usage of Black

As the most combustible rock band of all time so eloquently pondered, “How much more black could this be? And, the answer is none, none more black.” There comes a point when doing more is, well, pointless. Not all design is created equal. A graphic that is designed for web may not necessarily be suited

The Mystery of Spot Colors

If the word Pantone® conjures up thoughts of complex color theory, expensive swatch books, or a mysterious color system of which you’ve heard of, perhaps even used, but wouldn’t want to give a lecture on, don’t worry…you’re not alone. The truth is, understanding colors in the Pantone Matching System® (PMS) is relatively simple when you

The Math of Folding Panels

I know what you’re thinking–math, no, anything but math! But, don’t worry; it’s not that bad. Truth is, math is used in everyday situations more often than people realize. From figuring out your monthly budget to counting your cups of coffee, it’s everywhere, and it doesn’t compromise. Today, we’re not doing anything too complicated. I’m

Direct Mail Insights

To EDDM or Not to EDDM

The goal of any direct marketing piece is to get into the hands of its intended recipient. The goal of any marketer is to discover who that intended recipient should be. There are a few options to choose from when it comes to direct mail marketing. The type of mailpiece and its intended audience help

Letters, Flats and Parcels Explained

All trees are plants, but not all plants are trees. There is a similar connection when it comes to explaining what the post office refers to as a letter, a flat or a parcel. One may logically think that a letter refers to a single sheet of paper, perhaps inserted into a standard business envelope

Checking Your List, Twice

It’s that time of year again when the shopping carts are filled with joy, Amazon’s servers are spinning widely, and direct mail year-end appeals are in full force. Marketers are making their best effort to compete for their share of holiday spending and charitable giving. The children are anxiously making their wish lists and Santa’s

Business is Personal

Campaign Strategies

Maintain Your True Colors

Imagine you are at the grocery store picking up a case of a classic brand of soda pop when you notice the color of some of the cases are a little lighter or a little darker, or some are slightly orange and some are slightly magenta. They are not the bright red color you’ve come

Repetition, Repetition, Repetition

When striving towards any goal, there is usually a single most important thing that leads to success. With real estate, it is location; with finance, it’s spending less than you make; with bungee jumping, it is a good knot; and with marketing, it is repetition. No doubt there are several factors that are important to

The Payoff for Nonprofits

It helps to use the right tool for the job, and there can often be multiple options on the table. The most effective and efficient tool to use may be clear-cut in some situations, but not so much in others. Sometimes the number of options considered depends on the environment, the task and the desired

Getting Back to Basics

Keeping things simple is usually the best strategy when planning or building anything. Whether you’re developing a marketing campaign, designing a car, or traveling into space – the fewer factors there are to contend with the more stable and effective the operation will be. If one were planning an operation into space, let’s say to