Print Buying Direct

Environmentally Aware Printing – Dealing with the stickies problem – Part 2 – 1st March 2010

A number of factors, both chemical and physical, influence the solid. Colloidal content in the system. Increasing agitation during pulping will increase the colloidal particle concentration and reduce solid particle size, thus making effective screening more difficult. A similar situation may occur when pH is raised during the de-inking process.

Low attrition systems, utilising a much lower shear pulpling stage, will obviously favour products which can be effectively removed by screening. This type of system is commonly employed in the more modern European mills and is increasingly accompanied by a closed loop water recirculation system. These are becoming more prevalent as a result of tighter restrictions on disposal of contaminated water. Within the recirculation system problems with dispersed particle concentration may develop over a period of time causing saturation, agglomeration and possible formation of secondary stickies. In these cases, efficient screening of adhesive particles is preferred.

Stickies can potentially cause problems both at the wet end and dry of the paper machines where they may build up on forming fabrics, the press section, calendars, blades and drying cylinders. This leads to recued efficiency, web breaks and regular cleaning necessitating costly downtime.

Peter Harrison is Joint Managing Director of The Printing House Ltd, and Print Buying Direct of Crewe, Cheshire, UK.

NEW: We now sell Large Poster Printing online (A1 Posters, A0 Posters etc) and Banner Stands

Also – checkout our new online print prices Print Buying Direct are UK market Leaders in Leaflet Printing | Brochure Printing. For more free articles on Printing and Graphic Design see our Online Printing | Print Buying Direct Website. For more information on printing and graphic design please see some of our recent blog articles;

• Environmentally Aware Printing – Dealing with the stickies problem – Part 1
• Environmentally Aware Printing – Definition of recyclability of Adhesives
• Environmentally Aware Printing – Inks | Adhesives | Bookbinding adhesives
• Environmentally Aware Printing – Adjusting to alcohol free printing
• Environmentally Aware Printing – Alcohol free benefits

Print Buying Direct is the online division and a Trading Name of The Printing House Ltd. One of the UK’s leading quality printing companies for short run, long run and wide format colour printing. Based in Crewe, Cheshire, in the North West of England – delivering to customers across the UK and Ireland.

Also see our other websites The Printing House, Print Buying Direct, Prospectus printing, Golf Club Centenary Books

Paper Recycling legislation as it concerns the print industry – 14th January 2010

Achieving an eco label that will work throughout 12 countries is one thing. Co-ordinating waste paper legislation across Europe is another.

The pressure is building up. There is scarcely any landfill left in some parts of western Germany – in other parts there is none, and the building of new incineration systems and waste disposal sites in opposed powerfully by the public.

Green Dot

The ‘green dot’, printed on packaging is an attempt to divert some of the waste stream back into paper and board manufacture. If you are a conscientious German, rubbish is not just something to be thrown away before close inspection. If the package has a green dot, it goes into a special yellow bin, instead of into the usual black container.

Printed on 80% of all packages sold in Germany, including wine bottles, food wrappings, cans and cartons, the green dot has become the most visible sign of the ambitious German scheme which aims to sort, collected and recycle the bulk of household waste. The law, introduced in 1992, effectively coerces manufacturers into recovering and re-using the ever increasing quantities of packaging waste.

But recycling capacity is in no way sufficient to cope, leaving volumes of unwanted waste paper flooding European Markets. And what may worry UK waste merchants even more is that it has been considered by the EC as a possible blueprint for a Europe-wide packaging directive.

Eco-emballage

Other EC countries are trying to similar systems. Last September, France set up an ‘eco-emballage’ system which requires municipalities to collect packaging products already marked for sorting. So far there is little sign of enthusiasm among the French for sorting their own rubbish, but these are early days.

Eco-emballage has a target of a recycling rate of 75% by the year 2000. This compares to 80% for the German Green Dot system and 60% set by the European Commissions’ packaging waste directive.

The movement is spreading. Aiming to increase the use of recycled fibre, the Belgian Government proposed in January 1993 to introduce a broad ranging eco-tax on the sales of products ranging from batteries, disposables razors, pesticides, PVC and most paper grades. It would apply, from January 1994, to domestic production and imports of newsprint, magazine paper, corrugated case materials, carton board, tissue, copy paper and leaflet printing paper.

Belgium uses less waste paper than any other EC country – 23% in 1993. This compares with an overall average for the EC countries of over 50%.  BF10 will be charged for each kg sold of the undesignated papers unless they contain a minimum quota of recycled fibre by certain dates between 1994 to 1999. The minimum quotas range from 15% on tissue paper by (by 1997). If it can be shown that the pulp used in the manufacture of a paper grade was leached without chlorine gas, the proposed eco-tax will be reduced to BF5 per kg. Adding up to BF5, 000 per tonne, that is a considerable price incentive.

The industry has responded with howls of protest. The recycling levels are ‘arbitrary and incapable of verification’, according to Cepi, the Confederation of European Paper Industries. And the level of 50% recycled fibre for A4 copier paper is not technically possible without increasing costs and reducing quality, it says. Moreover, it is incapable of verification because it would require the calculation of material input at mill, so imports cannot be checked.

The success of these ventures will depend on the public’s response. And as a taste of what’s in store, European households could be treated to the sight of ‘Hugo the bin’ and ‘Egon the sack’, tow comic characters used on German children’s television to publicise the Green Dot.

Peter Harrison is Joint Managing Director of The Printing House Ltd,
and Print Buying Direct of Crewe, Cheshire, UK.

Print Buying Direct are UK market Leaders in Leaflet Printing | Brochure Printing.

For more free articles on Printing and Graphic Design see our Online Printing | Print Buying Direct
Website.

For more information on printing and graphic design please see some of our recent blog articles;

• Printing and Recycling- definitions and legislation
• Print and paper industry – Other emissions to water
• Print and Paper Industry Environmental Facts
• Paper for Printing – Other areas of environmental impact
• Sustainable forestry and the Print and Paper Industry

Print Buying Direct is the online division and a Trading Name of The Printing House Ltd. One of the UK’s leading quality printing companies for short run, long run and wide format colour printing. Based in Crewe, Cheshire, in the North West of England – delivering to customers across the UK and Ireland.

Also see our other websites

The Printing House, Print Buying Direct, Prospectus printing, Golf Club Centenary Books

Printing – Areas of environmental impact – Energy – 4th January 2010

The next issue for consideration could be energy use. Most energy is fossil fuel based and has a direct impact in two ways. The natural reserves of fossil fuels are, by definition, finite. Some would argue, therefore, that is sensible to judge a product’s environmental impact on the type of fuel used to make it, weighted according to the known reserves of the particular fossil fuel involved. If a renewable source is used, e.g. hydroelectric power, this would be seen as significantly better than a fossil fuel-based power source. In Geographic; political and broad economic factors quite often tend to dictate fuel source, rather than companies themselves.

However, technology is helping to reduce the use of energy – it is estimated that the average energy consumption per tonne of paper produced has come down by over 25% over recent years,

Fossil fuels also contribute significantly to atmospheric pollution, although sophisticated cleaning systems can be installed by power producers minimise this. This is, inevitably, very expensive.

For more information on printing and graphic design please see some of our recent blog articles;

• Sustainable forestry in paper making for printing
• Marketing Offline to increase website revenues
• Environmental printers – Environmental Issues and Printing – Introduction
• Newsletter Printing – Features Show Your Products & Services in Action

Print Buying Direct is the online division and a Trading Name of The Printing House Ltd. One of the UK’s leading quality printing companies for short run, long run and wide format colour printing. Based in Crewe, Cheshire, in the North West of England – delivering to customers across the UK and Ireland.

Also see our other websites

Main Site: www.theprintinghouseltd.co.uk

Buy Print Online: www.printbuyingdirect.co.uk -

Leaflet Printing, Brochure printing, Postcard printing, Appointment Card Printing, graphic design etc

Prospectus Print: www.schoolprospectus.info

Sports Book Print: www.golfclubcentenarybooks.co.uk

PR: wait… I: wait… L: wait… LD: wait… I: wait… wait… Rank: wait… Traffic: wait… Price: wait… C: wait…

Environmental printers – Environmental Issues and Printing – Introduction

21st December 2009

Environmental issues are becoming more and more important in people eyes, as the effects of an increasing world population, its method of behaviour and in particular its industries, are becoming obvious.

This is affecting printers in two main ways: legislation is increasing – both in extent and strictness – and customers are considering environmental issues when deciding which printer to use, and what materials should be used in the job.

Gone are the days when a print firm can put what it likes down the drain, into the air or onto the local rubbish tip. Gone also are the days when it could annoy local residents with its noise or smell; the Environmental Protection Act of 1990, Local Authority Inspectors and representatives of the Water Authorities will see to that. Fines for transgressions are rocketing, and even imprisonment may face the persistent or deliberate offender.

Customer purchasing power has also started to play its part; increasingly would-be suppliers are being asked to provide company environmental statements or other formal evidence of their commitment to the environment.  Some customers are also becoming more knowledgeable about the environmental-friendliness of papers and boards, inks and glues. Many more are confused by the often conflicting stories they hear, or cannot differentiate between what is environmentally important or not. All of them will be looking to printers for information and advice, and the one who can provide it will stand a better chance of getting the custom.

To these two compulsive reasons for action should be added a third- the economic (as well as environmental) benefits to be gained by reducing the quantities of materials and energy used. Paper is generally the largest single slice of company’s costs and even a small reduction in waste can bring considerable bottom-line rewards.

While the printing industry in general is not a larger user of energy, in most firms it is often relatively easy to save some of it. In particular, firms employing flexo, gravure and heat-set web offset processes with their attendant dryers, will benefit from assessing their energy use carefully. The abatement devices necessary to prevent emissions of volatile organic compounds to the air, only now being fitted by some firms, will increase the use of energy, making it even more essential to use the right methods.

Promote your business or charity with our offers on Wall Calendars, Desk Calendars, Xmas Cards, Promotional Wall Calendars and CD Calendars. We’ve recently redesigned all of our Print Buying Direct website and cut our prices on all promotional print.

We shut down for Xmas on the 23rd December 2009 and re-open for business on the 5th January 2010.

For more information on printing and graphic design please see some of our recent blog articles;

• Newsletter Printing – Features Show Your Products & Services in Action
• Newsletter Printing – Guiding Readers to the Reply Card
• Newsletter Printing – Magnetise the Eyes with Pull Quotes
• Newsletter Printing – Subheads Net in Skimmers
• Kickers in your printed newsletter will Jump Start Headlines
• Headlines Bring Your Promotional Newsletter to Life
• Start With the Desired Response from your Promotional Newsletter
• Writing Newsletter Copy that Sings
• Let Your Subconscious Do the Writing – Newsletter Printing
• Sifting With a Promotional Screen – Newsletter Printing

Print Buying Direct is the online division and a Trading Name of The Printing House Ltd. One of the UK’s leading quality printing companies for short run, long run and wide format colour printing. Based in Crewe, Cheshire, in the North West of England – delivering to customers across the UK and Ireland.

Also see our other websites

Main Site: www.theprintinghouseltd.co.uk

Buy Print Online: www.printbuyingdirect.co.uk -

Leaflet Printing, Brochure printing, Postcard printing, Appointment Card Printing, graphic design etc

Prospectus Print: www.schoolprospectus.info

Sports Book Print: www.golfclubcentenarybooks.co.uk

PR: wait… I: wait… L: wait… LD: wait… I: wait… wait… Rank: wait… Traffic: wait… Price: wait… C: wait…

Newsletter Printing – Size- Muscling Through the Mail Stack – 18th December 2009

Does your newsletter get stacked in with the magazines, flyers, letters, or somewhere in between? Your newsletter’s page size and number of foils will determine where it lands in the stack.

The standard page size of most newsletter is A4.  Standard sizes have the advantages of lower cost, matching standard envelopes and their ability to fit in binders if readers want to save them (and many do).

If you mail a standard size newsletter flat, it falls with the magazines. If you fold it down to A5, it’s between the magazines and the letters (and with cheaper postage). And if you fold it like a letter and mail it with or without an envelope, it appears with the letters. Because magazines are set aside for later reading, you should stay away from this size by folding your newsletter for mailing.

The most attention-getting location of the mail stack is on top with the letters. People pay special attention to this section. They look here for personalised correspondence and checks.  Fold your newsletter in thirds to land here.

If your readers enjoy newsletters and look for them in their stack, fold your newsletter in half, versus in thirds. You’ll have more room on the mailing panel for teasers and other information about the newsletter.

Newsletters are sometimes mailed in envelopes. Some publishers feel its well worth the expense. Newsletters mailed in envelopes arrive in better condition and look more like official correspondence. In addition, you can add flyers, letters, reply cards and other promotions to the envelope.

Postcard newsletters have special mail stack advantages. They arrive “pre-opened” and look easy to read. People don’t feel like they’re reading other people’s mail when they read postcards. You can print your news on an oversized postcard with lots of room for your news or enjoy special postcard mailing rates when keeping its size to A5.

Promote your business or charity with our offers on Wall Calendars, Desk Calendars, Xmas Cards, Promotional Wall Calendars and CD Calendars. We’ve recently redesigned all of our Print Buying Direct website and cut our prices on all promotional print.

We shut down for Xmas on the 23rd December 2009 and re-open for business on the 5th January 2010.

For more information on printing and graphic design please see some of our recent blog articles;

• Newsletter Printing – Features Show Your Products & Services in Action
• Newsletter Printing – Guiding Readers to the Reply Card
• Newsletter Printing – Magnetise the Eyes with Pull Quotes
• Newsletter Printing – Subheads Net in Skimmers
• Kickers in your printed newsletter will Jump Start Headlines
• Headlines Bring Your Promotional Newsletter to Life
• Start With the Desired Response from your Promotional Newsletter
• Writing Newsletter Copy that Sings
• Let Your Subconscious Do the Writing – Newsletter Printing
• Sifting With a Promotional Screen – Newsletter Printing

Print Buying Direct is the online division and a Trading Name of The Printing House Ltd. One of the UK’s leading quality printing companies for short run, long run and wide format colour printing. Based in Crewe, Cheshire, in the North West of England – delivering to customers across the UK and Ireland.

Also see our other websites

Main Site: www.theprintinghouseltd.co.uk

Buy Print Online: www.printbuyingdirect.co.uk -

Leaflet Printing, Brochure printing, Postcard printing, Appointment Card Printing, graphic design etc

Prospectus Print: www.schoolprospectus.info

Sports Book Print: www.golfclubcentenarybooks.co.uk

PR: wait… I: wait… L: wait… LD: wait… I: wait… wait… Rank: wait… Traffic: wait… Price: wait… C: wait…

Libel & other dangerous content in your Newsletter Printing - 13th November 2009
Whether you generate all of the content yourself, or utilise a news service, you are legally responsible for what is printed in your newsletter. To conclude the discussion on content, heed a few warnings.

Whenever you publish a news piece, you are opening yourself up to a certain degree of liability. If you let this bother you too much, you’ll publish a stilted, boring newsletter. Caution is necessary, however, to assure your publication promotes rather than harms client relations. For this reason, let’s discuss some of the potential problems with newsletter caution.

Libel.  If you publish an article, statement or piece of art that injures a person’s reputation and is not provably true, you can be sued for libel. If you have to print this type of material, verify all names and facts, and if you are unsure about an item, consult a lawyer or do not print it.

In a promotional newsletter, stick to more positive information. Avoid printing any potentially defamatory information. This doesn’t mean you can’t include controversial stories; just be sure you represent the facts in a fair, unbiased and accurate manner free from personal attacks.

Disclaimer & Compliance. If you are carrying professional advice in your newsletter, consult your lawyer. Request an appropriate disclaimer to place in each issue. Such a disclaimer might read, “Information provided in this newsletter is general in nature and should not be relied upon to solve any particular situation.” If you offer stock tips or financial advice, consult your trade association or parent company for information on compliance.

While you want your newsletter to be helpful, you don’t want your readers to rely solely on the information contained in the newsletter. Try, wherever possible, to encourage readers to call for complete information such as to request a prospectus.

Letting the Competition Know. There’s a problem with keeping your prospects well informed of your activated and new products. You run the rick of your competition seeing the publication and finding out, too. That’s especially true if you have an online sign up form where if’s easy for competitors to sign up to receive your news.

Your job of making the newsletter content newsworthy and attention-getting becomes quite challenging when faced with the decision of whether or not your newsletter is dangerous on the hands of your competition. The benefits of spreading your organisations news far outweigh these drawbacks. The exposure and increased sales gained by educating readers outweigh any losses occurred from competitors seeing your products.

If your news will truly hurt your company, consider including intriguing information that keeps interest and alerts dealers and customers that you have something coming but doesn’t divulge enough information to get you in trouble.

Telling too much. An interesting psychological phenomenon occurs when you tell your customers and prospects exactly how you do what you do: they want you do it. Publishing a newsletter is a lot like teaching. When you teach others, you always learn more about the subject in the process. Instead of having your “students” catch up with you, you advance even further.

Corporate Christmas Cards and New Year Promotional Print – promote your business or charity with our offers on Wall Calendars, Desk Calendars, Xmas Cards, Promotional Wall Calendars and CD Calendars. We’ve recently redesigned all of our Print Buying Direct website and cut our prices on all promotional print.

Get 30% off our online xmas cards now – simply enter the code ‘ XMASOCT’ at the checkout.

For more information on printing and graphic design please see some of our recent blog articles;

• Copyrighting your own Corporate Newsletter
• Copyright Overview for Publishers of Newsletters – Part 2
• Copyright Overview for Publishers of Newsletters – Part 1
• Newsletter printing – Do you need Multiple Newsletters?
• Newsletter Printing – Structure & Time Savings with Standing Columns
• Newsletter Printing – Reader Response Mechanisms
• Grab Readers with Industry Summaries in your Printed Newsletter
• Company Newsletters – Including Your Organisation’s News
• Newsletter Printing – Let your Customers Sell for You – part 2
• Newsletter Printing – Let your Customers Sell for You
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• Six Types of Newsletter Content
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• Order your Christmas Cards Online in October and Save £££s
• Newsletter Printing – Using survey results for improved promotions
• The best way to survey how effective your newsletter is…part 2
• The best way to survey how effective your newsletter is…
• Every question has a goal (Newsletter printing)
• How to Conduct Your Survey about your Newsletter
• Newsletter Print and Design – Why the Pros Survey Fewer People
• Newsletters – Pinpointing Reader’s Interests – part 2
• Newsletters – Pinpointing Reader’s Interests – part 1
• Printing – Paper and board – Certified and recycled
• Printing – Paper and board – Pricing and availability
• Printing – Paper and Board
• Print Finishing
• Digital Presses
• Digital Printing
• Offset Printing
• Print Production Management
• How to create a marketing plan incorporating promotional newsletters
• All you need to know about Digital Printing
• The Future of Printing
• Print Finishing
• Variable Data Printing
• ISO 12647 and Colour Management in Printing
• Pre-press – In Flight, Pre-Flight and Post-Flight
• Print, Paper and Recycling
• Design of the times – (Article reproduced from Printing World February 2009)
• Pre-press – 20 years of change
• Transactional and Direct Mail

Print Buying Direct is the online division and a Trading Name of The Printing House Ltd. One of the UK’s leading quality printing companies for short run, long run and wide format colour printing. Based in Crewe, Cheshire, in the North West of England – delivering to customers across the UK and Ireland.

Also see our other websites

Main Site: www.theprintinghouseltd.co.uk

Buy Print Online: www.printbuyingdirect.co.uk –

Leaflet Printing, Brochure printing, Postcards printed, Appointment cards, graphic design etc

Prospectus Print: www.schoolprospectus.info

Sports Book Print: www.golfclubcentenarybooks.co.uk

Newsletters – Pinpointing Reader’s Interests – Part 1 6th October 2009

Understanding your readers’ likes and dislikes is the only way to create a newsletter targeted to them. If you know your readers’ hot buttons, you know the type of content that will attract them. If you know demographic data, such as their ages, where they live, their education level and so on, you know the design techniques and writing styles that will appeal to them.

Anything less is a shot in the dark. Yes, you might connect a time to two but only by pure chance. This chapter covers how to find out more about your readers by surveying them, as well as how to use ongoing reader feedback to keep your newsletter on track.

Ask yourself three questions when designing your survey:

1) Whom am I going to survey?
2) What am I going to ask?
3) How am I going to ask it?

Its time to do some scouting….

Find Those in the Know

The first step on your scouting mission is to find out what information is already available. Your trade association or an industry magazine should have demographic data such as age, sex and buying authority for your particular audience. Your fund raisers may already know the top five reasons why people support your cause. Even if a formal survey hasn’t been performed, top promoters can give you a general idea. This may be all you need. Your marketing department may know the publications people read. Going on a few sales calls, answering customer emails, or working in the booth at your next trade show is a great way to a fast start. You can also ask for feedback from salespeople.

Don’t underestimate informal methods. A person who has spent hours face-to-face with your supporters has knowledge that no survey in the world can assess.

Once you find out what’s available and what’s not, concentrate on whether or not you need to conduct a survey. Surveys are useful as you develop your newsletter, as well as for making changes as you go along.

New Year Promos – promote your business with our forthcoming offers on Wall Calendars, Desk Calendars, Xmas Cards, Promotional Wall Calendars and CD Calendars.

For more information on printing and graphic design please see some of our recent blog articles;

• Printing – Paper and board – Certified and recycled
• Printing – Paper and board – Pricing and availability
• Printing – Paper and Board
• Print Finishing
• Digital Presses
• Digital Printing
• Offset Printing
• Print Production Management
• How to create a marketing plan incorporating promotional newsletters
• All you need to know about Digital Printing
• The Future of Printing
• Print Finishing
• Variable Data Printing
• ISO 12647 and Colour Management in Printing
• Pre-press – In Flight, Pre-Flight and Post-Flight
• Print, Paper and Recycling
• Design of the times – (Article reproduced from Printing World February 2009)
• Pre-press – 20 years of change
• Transactional and Direct Mail
• 7 Guidelines For Good Newsletter Printing
• Graphic Design
• Printing – Where in the world are we?
• Improving Your Response Rates to Leaflets, Flyers and Brochures
• HINTS & TIPS…The sales letter
• The History of Printing
• 10 Tips for Creatives in a Digital World
• Eight Easy Ways to Improve Digital Print Sales to Creative and Design Agencies
• Transactional and Variable data printing
• PUR or EVA? That is the question
• What you need to know about…… Perfect Binding
• What’s the point of Recycling Paper and Board?

Print Buying Direct is a Trading Name of The Printing House Ltd. One of the UK’s leading quality printing companies for short run, long run and large format colour printing. Based in Crewe, Cheshire and delivering to customers across the UK and Ireland.

Printing – Paper and board – 1st October 2009

The paper market supplying to the printing industry has seen many changes over recent years not least a massive consolidation of paper manufacturers. The face of papermaking has changed beyond all recognition in the last ten years, with the loss of score of mills across the world.

Within merchanting too, the fragmented industry if past years no longer exists, with more and more independents coming under a global corporate umbrella, with the big getting bigger and small is ceasing to exist.

Those smaller merchants and mills that do manage to hang on usually opt for working in specialised fields or providing niche products. So, how does this all impact on the paper buyer, and what does it hold in store for the next year?

Paper will be with us for many years to come in one form or another- and the forecasts of paperless office, or the extinction of paper because of electronic media, is still many eras off. But, there will be challenges throughout 2009/10, and the environment will play an increasingly important part in paper choices.

New Year Promos – promote your business with our forthcoming offers on Wall Calendars, Desk Calendars, Xmas Cards, Promotional Wall Calendars and CD Calendars.

For more information on printing and graphic design please see some of our recent blog articles;

• Print Finishing
• Digital Presses
• Digital Printing
• Offset Printing
• Print Production Management
• How to create a marketing plan incorporating promotional newsletters
• All you need to know about Digital Printing
• The Future of Printing
• Print Finishing
• Variable Data Printing
• ISO 12647 and Colour Management in Printing
• Pre-press – In Flight, Pre-Flight and Post-Flight
• Print, Paper and Recycling
• Design of the times – (Article reproduced from Printing World February 2009)
• Pre-press – 20 years of change
• Transactional and Direct Mail
• 7 Guidelines For Good Newsletter Printing
• Graphic Design
• Printing – Where in the world are we?
• Improving Your Response Rates to Leaflets, Flyers and Brochures
• HINTS & TIPS…The sales letter
• The History of Printing
• 10 Tips for Creatives in a Digital World
• Eight Easy Ways to Improve Digital Print Sales to Creative and Design Agencies
• Transactional and Variable data printing
• PUR or EVA? That is the question
• What you need to know about…… Perfect Binding
• What’s the point of Recycling Paper and Board?

Print Buying Direct is a Trading Name of The Printing House Ltd. One of the UK’s leading quality printing companies for short run, long run and large format colour printing. Based in Crewe, Cheshire and delivering to customers across the UK and Ireland.

Digital Printing presses – part 1 – 24th September 2009

The mighty march of digital is set to continue in 2008. With some dubbing this year’s drupa as the ‘inkjet drupa’ or even the ‘digital drupa’ it will be interesting to see the many new products that manufacturers are bringing to market. The enhancements to print quality over the last few years on most of these machines has meant that to the layman, the quality of the output is almost indistinguishable from that of offset no longer merely fit for purpose, these machines are able to produce extremely high quality and premium jobs.
So, if that is taken for granted, what is there to look forward to this year? Well, running speeds are still of some concern and we will see a number of manufacturers bringing to market both colour and black and white devices that run faster than ever. For example, Xerox has recently launched its fastest black and white continuous feed system in the 650/1300, which can print up to 1232 duplex A4 images per minute.
Another trend will be for machines to be more flexible. This will mean that they are able to handle a broader selection of media and substrates making them suitable for a wider range of markets. There are some exciting new opportunities that will open for digital print companies as they move to new sectors and increase revenue streams from outside the comfort zone of general commercial print. This can mean anything from entering the short run packaging market, to prototyping, to books on-demand to fine art, to highly sophisticated one-offs including variable data, to bespoke projects.

The transpromo market (where a marketing message is included on the ‘white space’ of transactional documents) will also allow printers to make use of their digital equipment, and the variable data features to the full.

Light production machines will also be important as more and more print companies look to make their first move into digital without the investment costs of a full production machine.

Kodak NexPress, for instance, is now available in a smaller, more compact version – the M700- to give those looking to start out in digital a further option.

Promo - look out for our forthcoming offers on Wall Calendars, Desk Calendars, Xmas Cards, Promotional Wall Calendars and CD Calendars.

For more information on printing and graphic design please see some of our recent blog articles;

• Digital Printing
• Offset Printing
• Print Production Management
• How to create a marketing plan incorporating promotional newsletters
• All you need to know about Digital Printing
• The Future of Printing
• Print Finishing
• Variable Data Printing
• ISO 12647 and Colour Management in Printing
• Pre-press – In Flight, Pre-Flight and Post-Flight
• Print, Paper and Recycling
• Design of the times – (Article reproduced from Printing World February 2009)
• Pre-press – 20 years of change
• Transactional and Direct Mail
• 7 Guidelines For Good Newsletter Printing
• Graphic Design
• Printing – Where in the world are we?
• Improving Your Response Rates to Leaflets, Flyers and Brochures
• HINTS & TIPS…The sales letter
• The History of Printing
• 10 Tips for Creatives in a Digital World
• Eight Easy Ways to Improve Digital Print Sales to Creative and Design Agencies
• Transactional and Variable data printing
• PUR or EVA? That is the question
• What you need to know about…… Perfect Binding
• What’s the point of Recycling Paper and Board?

Jump Start with a Marketing Plan – Part 3 – 31/07/09

Every newsletter is published with the hope of generating a flood of responses. But before you can achieve your dreams, you must first set up your marketing goals.
These goals will give you the direction you need when choosing newsletter format, content, design, mailing lists and other elements. This chapter shows you how to set specific goals that can be achieved within the pages or screens of your newsletter. It also shows you how to streamline the promotional efforts of your newsletter with your other marketing projects.

Set Performance Goals
In general, all marketing materials seek to:

• Increase awareness of the organisation
• Sell products, services, ideas and causes
• Maintain contact with clients, members, volunteers, employees or supporters
• Contact prospects
• Reinforce other advertising campaigns

Your newsletter’s goals may encompass the general ones listed above, but they also include specific goals unique to your newsletter. You may be trying to maintain or increase membership of your association. Perhaps you’re lobbying an issue to legislators or community leaders. If you provide a service, such as accounting, you may be trying to find clients fitting a certain profile.
If your newsletter is being used to promote your existing products and services. Include your existing support base in your promotional goals, so that jobs from current clients continue to come in while you’re converting other prospects.

Many publishers think only of existing supporters and exclude prospects. In fact, some organisations send newsletters only to their current donors and volunteers. But your news should also be sent to community members who are not already supporting the organisation.
Think about your specific goals. Why are you interested in publishing a newsletter? What do you expect it to do for you?

What Every Editor Must Know

A newsletter’s objective is stated in its mission statement or statement of purpose. The editor must know of the following:

• What direction(s) are we expanding into?
• What are our long term goals?
• How do we currently reach customers and clients?
• How do customers and clients want to be reached?
• Why do customers buy?
• What is the average time to make a sale?
• How well are we known in the market?
• What are we selling?
• How are we different from competitors?

The answer to these questions ultimately leads to the:

• Newsletter name
• Tagline
• Content
• Response mechanisms
• Layout decisions
• Distribution methods

It’s important that the goals of your newsletter be in line with your organisation’s current short-term and long-term plans.

To be continued…

The Printing House Website Great new user friendly design – We’ve been working hard over recent months to try create a new look and new content for our main brochure site – The Printing House Website – based in Crewe, Cheshire, one of the UK’s leading colour printers. When you find some time, please take a look and feed back to us. Some of the new content includes A Guide to Preparing Print Ready Artwork and information about our Large Format and banner printing service.

We’re a bit sad and are so excited by our new site that we’ve now rebranded Print Buying Direct, Golf Club Centenary Books and School Prospectus Made Easy – let us have some feedback, hopefully you agree they look much cleaner now.

Keep watching all our sites as we are continually adding new content.

To be continued…

See part one of this blog on digital printing here. Also – what does the future hold for printing – part 1

All about the new Printing House Website

Order your Appointment Cards online at Print Buying Direct – prices from £13.50 for 100 cards printed in full colour. At print buying direct we are market leaders in the printing of appointment cards and can produce them for doctors, hairdressers, dentists, physio, beauty salons, nail technicians, garages, massage therapists – for anything really. Just visit our Appointment Cards web page for more information.

Our business cards are some of the best in the business – printed in full colour on our £200,000 state of the art digital press – you’ll be proud to hand out business cards that we produce for you. Our business card prices are also very cost effective – 100 full colour business cards for only £10!

Don’t forget we’re still running our Letterheads promotion – 2000 full colour letterheads (headed paper) for £125 delivered! We’ve been producing letterheads since 1991 for hundreds of customs as diverse as Bentley and Royal Mail.

See Part 12 of this blog on Print finishing, See also our Blog on Spot UV Varnishing

Print Buying Direct and School Prospectus Made Easy are both brands of parent company – The Printing House Ltd of Crewe, Cheshire, UK. Keep visiting both websites for details of our latest offers and promotions. For more information School Prospectus including School Prospectus Design or School Prospectus Printing (we also specialise in college prospectus) see our www.schoolprospectus.info website

Have a look at our Newsletters webpage for help and assistance with writing and designing your newsletter. It deals with, company newsletters, college newsletters, school newsletters and employee newsletters in particluar. Our blog often focuses on newsletters and we have a page which specifically helps with newsletters as a marketing tool.

TOP TIP: Add that feel of quality to your company brochure by first applying Matt Lamination then a Spot UV Varnish. The UV Varnishing actually ‘lifts’ your pictures to give them a glossy impact.

Our Digital Brochures (turn page technology) are really taking off now – get your brochure put online from only £15 per page.

One of the mainstays at Print Buying Direct is Leaflets. We are experts at Leaflet Design or Leaflet Printing Check out our Banner Stands (pop up banners) only £99. Design service available.

See our partner site Massage Nantwich – for Remedial & Sports Massage – in the South Cheshire area.