Print Buying Direct

For only £125 (plus VAT) for 2000 A4 full colour letterheads, produced with the same care and attention that we always use. Because this offer is so popular we can benefit from the economies of scale and pass the savings on to you.

• Offer runs until 13th February 2009
• Full Colour letterheads
• 100gsm Fully Laser guaranteed paper
• Printed one side only
• Price includes delivery to one UK address

Prices are based on a print ready pdf being supplied. If you need your letterhead designing please allow an additional £25 (plus VAT)

Click here for more information or to place your order

Call 0870 950 8444

or email info@printbuyingdirect.co.uk Thanks for taking the time to check out our promotion. Please remember that this is for a short period only.

• Ideal for exhibitions, point of sale & displays
• 800mm wide x 2000mm tall
• Graphic Rolls away into foot
• Foot folds away for easy storage and transport
• Supplied with Carry Bag
• Tried and tested reliability

Online Printing Solutions

Print buying direct

is the revolutionary way of ordering printing! Using both conventional printing presses (Litho) and the very latest Xerox digital presses we are able to provide print to anywhere in the UK, quickly with minimum fuss. There are no minimum or maximum quantities for Business Cards, Marketing Postcards, Appointment Cards, Letterheads or colour brochures (we can print pretty much anything you need). So you can have what you want, when you need it.

Print Buying Direct specialise in Business Cards, Postcard Printing, Leaflet Printing, Appointment Card Printing, Letterheads, and more. If you require any items that are not available on this website then please don’t hesitate to contact us on 0870 950 8444.

These are some of our current offers

Business Cards: Now Only £7.50 Per 100

We can produce as little as 100 business cards single or double sided, full colour on a 300 gsm matt or 350 gsm silk board, and despatch them within 2 working days. Try using our business card templates online. We specialise in top quality, cost effective, fast turnaround Business Cards.

Postcards: From just £35 Per 100

Business postcards for marketing. Postcards in full colour on a range of card from 200gsm up to 350gsm matt or silk board, dispatched within 2 working days. Design your business postcards online or let us design them for you.

Appointment Cards: Now Only £7.50 per 100

Premium Appointment Cards for business. Ideal Appointment Cards for many applications such as chiropodists, chiropractors, dental surgeries, doctor and more.

Leaflets: From Just £36 Per 100

Quick leaflet printing, quick delivery and top quality leaflets.

Brochures

We can produce as few or as many brochures as you need. Please contact us for more details.

When designing for Variable data printing we use our uDirect XMPie Software. Please read on for details of what it does and how to design for it. For more information see our Variable data printing webpage.

BENEFITS OF USING VARIABLE INFORMATION APPLICATIONS

The output file is created such that static elements should get ripped only once and reused as needed. Both static and variable images, graphics and text can be printed on the same page. In many cases, large elements such as images, are not embedded in the output fi le, similar to an OPI workflow (referred to APR
by Creo). This allows the output file to be much smaller. It is commonly used for producing postcards, leaflets, brochures, annual reports, parish plans, town plans and business cards.

DESIGNING DOCUMENTS WITH VARIABLE INFORMATION

Unlike designing documents for offset presses, careful consideration must be given to the placement of static versus variable information. Graphic artists should have a good understanding of database and printing technology. They must also understand the capabilities of the software and hardware they are
using in order to successfully design a variable document.

LAYOUT AND DESIGN CONSIDERATIONS

• Avoid using Quark frames on elements that contain variable information.
• When designing VI documents, keep in mind that trapping text at the RIP may not be applied to variable elements.
• When using variable imposition, ensure that all document pages are the same size and orientation.
• Printing documents containing simplex and duplex pages within the same document may not be supported. If documents must be printed with simplex and duplex pages within the same document, insert blank pages in the original layout and duplex the entire document.
• Whenever possible, embed all fonts or else the font must have the exact match at the RIP. However, OpenType fonts are cross-platform compatible.
• Type 1 fonts may have problems with kerning (may not be able to supply the kerning file).
• Some VI applications that create VIPP will take PDF resources and convert them to EPS but the result can be unpredictable.

IMAGE QUALITY CONSIDERATIONS

• For the best performance, ensure that all images are set at 300 dpi. Using a different resolution may slow down the RIP or reduce image quality.
• Ensure that all images are at their final resolution, size and orientation.
• All variable elements for a specifi c area should be cropped to the same size. Rotating, scaling and clipping images during the RIP will slow down performance and could cause improper placement or scaling.
• Do not save TIFF images with LZW compression.

VARIABLE FORMATS

• Some VI languages may not comprehend layering.
• If the VI authoring tool allows, position variable elements above static objects (bring to the front).
• When using APR with variable images, ensure that the names of the variable images conform to the same naming restrictions associated with APR and static images.

Information provided courtesy of The Printing House Ltd incorporating Print Buying Direct.

We start off our day by checking the 4 printing presses we have, Litho B2, SRA2 & SRA3 sizes and digital SRA3, which work was completed on the late shift, we print till 10.00pm Monday –Thursday and work finished on the early shift, presses start running at 6.00am Monday – Friday.

We then have to ask plate making where they are up to with the plating of print jobs. Generally they are ahead of the game and usually chase production for more work to be plated. This generally relies on which jobs have had artwork signed off by the customer. Each time a job is booked in and we have had to design it or with the case of print ready artwork, we have to rip it through, we send a proof across to the customer for checking, usually a pdf or if the customer requires a colour match it would be a Contract Proof (Colour Accurate).

The production office runs by a ‘Tee-card System’ which means by glancing at the production board, we can instantly see where each job is currently up to and can very quickly assess customers delivery dates when they ring up to see how quickly print jobs can be received.

The production office will mainly generate the delivery dates for each job, but in the case of the customer requesting delivery dates, we adhere to this and will make sure paper is ordered in plenty of time, so when the job signs off we can issue it to a press straight away for printing.

Meetings are held daily with Production, Studio Manager and the Works Manager so we can discuss together the order of sign offs, print and deliveries.

Lisa & Steve – The Production Office – The Printing House Ltd (Print Buying Direct)

As of 3.30pm today, 23rd December The Printing House (and our online Brand Print Buying Direct) have shut for our Christmas Break. We re-open on the 5th of January 2009. As always December has been a frantic rush of Christmas Cards & Calendar printing along with all the other print & design that we usually produce.

If you have any emergencies – prices or questions. Then please email Pete or Paul – we will be checking our email on our phones from time to time.

Please note that we are launching our January Wallet Folder Sale (presentation folders) from the 5th to 31st January 2009, we’ve had a good google around and believe that these are the best prices you will find anywhere. Just call for more information or visit our webpage.

From all at The Printing House – We wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a rewarding New Year.

5 things you need to know about Spot UV Varnish

Spot UV Varnishing is a great way of enhancing your printed products. Check out our FAQ below for some helpful hints, more information on Spot UV, rollercoat UV and Lamination are available on our website.

1. Ultra Violet Varnish can have total page coverage (Rollercoat UV Varnish) or to certain areas such as logos or photographs (Spot UV Varnish).
2. Spot UV is used to enhance a printed item with a high gloss finish – highlighting logos, photographs, large text or just to create an unobtrusive effect on a solid area of print (or blank space).
3. Spot UV is ideal for use on used on Brochures, Annual Reports – but note that Spot UV is charged per thousand sheets, but there is a significant minimum charge – so printing up to 1000 copies doesn’t give any economies of scale.
4. Spot UV is particularly effective on Board which has been Matt Laminated. This creates a tactile feel and a great contrast between matt & gloss.
5. Spot UV Varnishing isn’t suitable for some small detail, eg. Text smaller than 18 points or with fine serifs, or intricate logos.

For more advice or help with anything to do with printing, just call on 0870 950 8444

Are you the person in your organisation who has drawn the ‘short straw’ and has to buy the printing for your company and are not quite sure what to do or what to ask for?

NO WORRIES! Speak to one of our print professionals here at The Printing House (Print Buying Direct) and we’ll guide you through some of the issues, giving you all the help and guidance you need to make drawing that ‘short straw’ a positive experience. All advice is given with no obligation, and our prices are among the most competitive in the printing industry. If you prefer to read then browse other articles on our printing blog, some recent articles include, paper thickness, VAT on Print, digital print vs Litho, Loop Stitching, Parish Plan Production, about Paper and Direct marketing with Leaflets & Flyers.

So if you need leaflets, flyers, pamphlets, design and artwork, point of sale, stationery, pull up banners or not even sure what you want, give us a call today and let The Printing House start making your life a little easier. We can also help with you graphic design needs, look after your brand and give you print a design edge over your competitors. For help and advice just call us on 0870 950 8444.

Have you been disappointed by the finished result of printing you’ve ordered in the past? The brochure cover isn’t quite as stiff as you thought it was going to be. That pamphlet won’t push through doors very easily because it’s too thin. Or you thought your postcards should be thicker.

Well, here at The Printing House (Print Buying Direct) we’re aware that paper thickness can be confusing and specifying the correct grade for your job is not always easy. So we’ve taken the guesswork out of the process with some helpful hints. The thickness of paper and board is measured in grams or GSM and generally the smaller the number followed by GSM denotes thin paper and the higher the number followed by GSM denotes thicker paper, commonly referred to as board.

• 80gsm/90gsm/100gsm – the usual thickness of copier paper.
• 100gsm/120gsm – the usual thickness for Stationery Paper (Letterheads, Compliment Slips), although always check the technical specifications on your laser or inkjet printer to see if those weights will actually run through without miss feeding. Ask us for samples if you need them.
• 130gsm/150gsm/170gsm – popular thickness for Leaflets, Pamphlets, Flyers or the text pages for Brochures, Annual Reports, Parish Plans, Prospectus etc.
• 200gsm – usually classed at the midway point where paper becomes board. Usually a little on the thin size for Brochure Covers but ideal for Posters or a slightly more substantial Flyer or Leaflet.
• 250gsm/300gsm/350gsm – popular thickness for Brochure Covers and Presentation Folders, Wallet Folders or ring binder Tabbed Dividers (don’t forget we offer loop stitching for brochures that need to be inserted into ring binders)

If you need any advice either email info@printbuyingdirect.co.uk or call 0870 950 8444 and talk to one of our print professionals who will advise you on the best thickness of material to give you the result you won’t be disappointed with. If you are based in the Crewe, Nantwich, or Cheshire area, you could even pop in, we are always proud to show customers how we produce print & design.

There’s never been a better time to buy print, with the recession starting to bite many companies are cutting down on their marketing and print spend, which may in the short term see a saving on company expenses but will undoubtedly cost more in the long run, especially if your competitors aren’t cutting back.

Here at The Printing House (Print Buying Direct) we’ve always offered great value and great quality, combining this with the recent reduction in the rate of VAT, there’s never been a better time to spend on print.

So whether your requirement is for a flyer, leaflet, stationery (letterheads, business cards, compliment slips etc), design and artwork production, brochure, point of sale or pull up banners, give one of our print professionals a call on 0870 950 8444 and let us show you how you can improve your sales by spending your print budget with The Printing House.

We’re finishing on the 23rd of December for our Christmas Break, but we’re back on 5th January, re-invigorated and ready to go.

Keep an eye out in January as we will be launching our Big Wallet Folder (Presentation Folder) Sale, with some great prices on Wallet folders.

You’re confused? Don’t worry, you’re not alone, even the VAT officers find printing confusing. VAT on print can be a minefield but here at The Printing House (Print Buying Direct) we don’t make the rules regarding VAT, but if you’re unsure, then give one of our print professionals a call today (0870 950 8444), as some advice before the start of a project could mean the difference of paying or not paying VAT. Also if you are a small business or Charity then you may not be able to reclaim the VAT.

Here are some simple rules that may help you.

1. All stationery items (letterheads, business cards, compliment slips etc) are subject to VAT
2. Posters under A3 in size are exempt, but A3 and over are subject to VAT
3. Advertising material (Leaflets, Flyers, Postcards etc) is generally exempt, but any tear off portion or area that needs to be filled in by a recipient is subject to VAT
4. Books are generally exempt along with Newsletters and Brochures
5. Ring binders, Tabbed Dividers and Point of Sale (Shelf Wobblers, Shelf Talkers etc) are subject to VAT

Remember, with the Chancellor reducing VAT to 15% there has never been a better time to order your print.

With digital print, personalising each copy (Variable Data Printing) is easy and cost effective as there are no printing plates used in the process unlike litho. Small quantity jobs are fast and inexpensive. Digital printing is high quality and is suitable for printing and/or personalising newsletters, direct mail items such as leaflets or postcards, business cards and any application that combines variable images combined with unique personalised information.
Litho printing (the full name is Offset Lithography) offers a slightly more superior print quality (although digital is very good nowadays), especially where colour matching is important. Litho is best suited for long run, higher quantity print jobs where the highest quality is required.
Where the high quality of litho is required combined but with the flexibility of digital variable data, call one of our print professionals on 0870 950 8444 for an informal chat and a quotation. Or fill in our online form.
Here at The Printing House we are probably the most experienced printer in the not only in Cheshire but in the North West dealing with litho and digital information. We are also one of a very small number of printing companies capable of Variable Data Printing and have the full XM Pie U Direct Professional suite of software.

Not sure of some of the technical printing terms?.
You’re not alone, the printing industry is littered with technical terminology and jargon, but it needn’t be daunting or complicated, call one of our print professionals here at The Printing House (Print Buying Direct) on 0870 950 8444 and we’ll guide you through some of the issues you may be unsure of. Whether it be a single sided flyer, pamphlet or colour brochure, call now for some sound impartial advice.