Print Buying Direct

Label adhesives and Label printing – 19th March 2010

Safeguarding the environment through responsible selection and use of materials, technology and working methods is one of the stated aims of my company which, in common with other label printers is faced with the challenge of a more environmentally-conscious approach to the manufacture of self adhesive labels. This applies particularly to the selection of materials and adhesives where we need to balance the new environmental concerns against the commercial and technical of self adhesive label production and application.

Types of adhesives

Adhesives are made up of the following components:

• Polymer – The backbone of adhesive.
• Tackifier – Part of the formulation giving its sticky properties where required.
• Carrier Agent – Allows the polymer and tackifier to flow during coating and application.
• Additives – specific additives may be used, depending on the particular properties the adhesive requires.

Given the best composition above, adhesives can be grouped into:

• Emulsion systems – These are usually based on an acrylate (polymer) and tackifier using water as the carrier agent. They are most widely used, and are solvent free.

• Solvent systems – The polymer used may be either acrylic or rubber, with a solvent-based carrier agent.
• Hot melt systems – Usually rubber-based systems: the manufacturing process involves melting rubber or acrylic to form a thermoplastic compound.

Adhesive systems are usually inerted in the final laminate state and under normal conditions of use are not hazardous to health.

Considering these adhesives families, the ‘easy’ answer to the most environmentally- friendly adhesive question may appear to be emulsion or hot melt systems (which account for more than 80% of all label adhesives produced). However, the label printer must also be concerned with the performance and end use of the label, and sometimes a solvent system may be required to meet application conditions. There has been considerable development of emulsion systems to meet a wider range of conditions but there may always be some conditions where solvent systems will offer the best, or indeed the only, adequate performance characteristics.

Next time – more on Label Printing…

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 and Banner 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 – Types of Adhesives (continued)
• Environmentally Aware Printing – Types of Adhesives (continued)
• Environmentally Aware Printing – Types of Adhesives (continued) – 11th March 2010
• Environmentally Aware Printing – Types of Adhesives (continued)
• Environmentally Aware Printing – Types of Adhesives (continued)

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 graphic design, short run, long run and large format colour printing. Based in Crewe, Cheshire (Cheshire Printers), in the North West of England – delivering to customers across the UK and Ireland.

NEW Product Alert – we now sell Exhibition Stands, Pop Up display stands and A Boards

Letterhead Printing: We now have a new selection of Letterhead Templates Available. Choose from Traditional Letterheads, Modern Letterheads and Professional letterheads

See our other websites The Printing House, Print Buying Direct, Prospectus printing, Golf Club Centenary Books, Online printing, Printers in Oxford

See Our Latest Press Release about our Web to Print Solution.  See us on the RED TIE Web to Print site

• Print Buying Direct is the UK’s leading Web-to-print Printing Company
• The Customer Experience just gets Better and Better at Print Buying Direct
• Web revolution allows Crewe to ‘Print the World’

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…

Finishing – part 4 – Booklet makers and collators - 8th June 2009

It is in booklet making and collating where the full implications of digital print have changed the way many printers operate. Once a process reserved for the trade finisher, the demand for short run lengths had a huge impact on job planning and costing. This helped encourage the process to be brought in-house. Not only would firms have to pay to send out the work- often paying a minimum amount regardless of the number of copies produced- but they would then be at mercy of the trade finisher’s production schedule.
At the same time and as digital presses gained popularity, it became clear printers were happy to invest in highly automated equipment that was easy to run and quick to set up. Manufacturers realised if they developed systems that could be run with minimum training they could service the growing interest in bringing this discipline in-house.
Now many firms are looking to further streamline their throughput- and keep operator intervention to a minimum – by considering the need for their booklet makers to operate in line, near line, off line or dual line. Each has its own plusses and minuses. For an in line operation the print engine is hard coupled to the finishing equipment or so closely integrated that the print engine manages the set up and control. This is ideal for companies such as transactional printers producing the same product every day. Speedy and continuous, it eliminates set up times and removes the need for manual intervention between print and finishing. However, the finishing speed is limited by the print engine’s output and the finishing equipment is restricted to use on the one machine. Also, if there is a fault with either system both will be out of action.

To be continued…

Don’t forget we’re still running our Letterheads promotion – 2000 full colour letterheads for £125 delivered!

See Part one of this blog on finishing , See Part one of the Blog on Variable Data Printing – also part one of Publication Printing

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.

The magic circle – print, paper and recycling – Part 1 – 30th April 2009

Paper is one of the most environmentally friendly products in the world. The advantages of using recycled products are genuinely world saving.

Although it is fair to say that nowadays the vast majority of virgin paper that is produced is done so with care for the environment, making it one of the greenest products available, and making the industry that produces it, if not the most environmentally friendly, then certainly numbered among the top few, there is still a very real market for recycled papers.

Virgin fibre will always be needed, as recycled fibres eventually become too brittle, short and weak to hold together. Virgin fibre is grown in a sustainable manner, much like any other vegetable crop. In fact, according to the Confederation of European Paper Industries (CEPI) ‘Contrary to popular opinion, Europe’s forests are increasing by an area the size of 1.5 million football pitches every year’. So, there will always be a call for virgin substrates, but what do you with that virgin paper once it is on longer needed?
According to the report ‘Wastes –Resource Conservation – Common Wastes & Materials – Paper Recycling’ from the US Environmental Protection Agency, ‘Recycling one tonne of paper saves 17 mature trees, 7000 gallons of water, three cubic yards of landfill space, two barrels of oil, and 4100 kilowatt hours of electricity’.

To be continued…

Print Buying Direct is the online facility for buying print of The Printing House Ltd of Crewe, Cheshire, UK

The Printing House are specialists and experts in Prospectus of all kinds – see our dedicated prospectus Website www.schoolprospectus.info – New on our Schools site – have a look at our new turn page technology (also known as digital editions)- have your prospectus or brochure online (digital prospectus or digital brochure) – but turn the pages as if it was paper.

Don’t forget to see our new offer – Budget Black and white leaflets – 10,000 Leaflets designed, printed and delivered for only £199

Best of all – don’t forget that our Banner Stands (pull up banners) are still only £99 plus delivery!

Business Cards (Business Card Printing) – £10 for 100 Full Colour Business Cards.

We’re still running our very popular Lettterheads Campaign. 2000 letterheads for only £125 in full colour, printed onto a quality 100gsm laser guaranteed paper. see our letterheads webpage for more info.

At The Printing House (Print Buying Direct) we are experts at helping you with the production of your newsletter, whether it be for your employees, customers or fellow club members. See our Newsletters web page for help and advice.

Keep an eye out for our new website for The Printing House Ltd, due for relaunch in May.

Design of the times – (Article reproduced from Printing World February 2009) – Part 3

Another advantage to the customer of using a printer-cum-designer is that creative work is underpinned by production, craft and cost. Every printer knows the horror story of working for a designer who can make things look pretty on screen, but can’t tell their feeder from their delivery.

Production people ten to throw their hands up in the ait whenever these customers send in poorly outlined job specs or ask for high-quality posters from a PowerPoint document. “As a policy, we used to put everything right,” says Harrison. But now he sees an opportunity.” About two years ago, we changed. We tell them we can fix it for £40 or give them advice on how to fix it.”

Rather than deter clients, this more hard lines stance to on-the-fly artworking actually gives The Printing House an excuse to pitch its design services. “We tell our customers you can get agency-quality design at printers’ prices, and we can look after your print job while we’re at it”, adds Harrison. “You become a one stop shop.”

There’s a definite trend for customers to look for production and design skills out-of-house, says Peter Wise, managing director of franchise Minuteman Bristol. “The idea of large marketing department has really moved away.” Wise comes from a predominantly marketing communications background, including stints as such firms, as Jaguar and Nasdaq-listed furniture company Herman Miller.

Wise says that running a print shop is extension of this.” The attraction for me is this business is it’s like having a marketing department but you’ve got the production inside,” says Wise. He has found that SME customers in particular aren’t used to dealing with design houses-or paying their prices- and find a printer to be a more cost-effective option. One such client, independent vehicle finance form Mulberry Financial Services, brought Minuteman in on the ground level to develop its corporate image. This ranged from producing printed and online marketing communications, from stationery, such as A4 letterheads, compliment slips and business cards to, designing the Mulberry company website.” How you’re perceived as a business by the client is just elevated by that,” adds Wise.

To be continued…

Print Buying Direct is the online facility for buying print of The Printing House Ltd of Crewe, Cheshire, UK

The Printing House are specialists and experts in Prospectus of all kinds – see our dedicated prospectus Website www.schoolprospectus.info

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.

Every company needs Letterheads (headed paper), if designed and presented correctly, they can help reflect a
professional image.

• 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.

Graphic Design Service available

If you need design please allow an additional £25 (plus VAT)

For more information or to place your order

Call 0870 950 8444

fill in our online form 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.

Our online Letterheads & Continuation Sheets are produced on High Quality 100gsm White Laser Guaranteed Letterhead Paper.

As always at www.PrintBuyingDirect.co.uk our Letterheads are of the highest quality, produced on a state of the art press. Because we are cost effective for small quantities as well as large, you never need to print more than you need. So you will never end up with any Letterheads containing details that are out of date.

Letterheads Specification

* Print: Printed in full colour on one or both sides
* Paper/Board: 100gsm Quality Laser Guaranteed Letterhead Paper
* Size: A4 (210mm x 297mm)
* Letterheads available on this offer ARE laser compatible.

We don’t just produce Letterheads – we can print pretty much anything!

e.g.Business Cards, Compliment Slips, Appointment Cards, Leaflets, Brochures, Promotional Desk Pads, Calendars and many more printed products.

For something truly special why not ask us about:

* Gold or Silver Foil Blocking – can be used to stunning effect with the right design
* Embossing – a more subtle effect for clean crisp Letterheads

See Part one, two and three of this blog – Printing – 20 years of change

See Part one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten, eleven, twelve and thirteen of – Pre-press – 20 years of change

See Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5 and Part 6 of our blogs on Direct Mail and Transactional Print

School Prospectus Made Easy and Print Buying Direct are trading names of The Printing House Ltd. The Print Buying Direct brand was originally set up to protect the quality name of The Printing House of Crewe and Nantwich, Cheshire, Uk – recognised throught the North of England as a quality printers. Now Print Buying Direct has established itself over the last two years and has become a quality brand in its own right with very competitive prices nationally. We hope that School Prospectus Made Easy will follow in the same fashion and become a popular brand in its own right.

Print Buying Direct is one of the Uk’s leading suppliers of graphic design and print, based in the Crewe and Nantwich area of Cheshire (UK) but supplying all of the UK & Ireland. See our websites for more information on graphic design, brochures, business cards, appointment cards, leaflets, flyers, pamphlets, posters etc

Please feel free to browse our print buying website and use it as a useful tool – we are adding new pages and offers every week. So keep popping back, subscribe to our printing blog, email info@printbuyingdirect.co.uk or call call 0870 950 8444.

For more information please see our websites – especially our Printing Glossary – Printing A to Z – this makes a really useful guide for designers, printers, print buyers, college students etc.

Don’t forget The Printing House also specialise in Printing for Schools, especially School Prospectus, Secondary School Prospectus, College Prospectus, Primary School Prospectus & Sixth Form Prospectus. We have a vast range of experience design and print of primary, secondary, 6th form, college and universtity prospectus. Visit our School Prospectus Made Easy website to see examples of our work and more about our products. Our customer testimonials webpage is constantly being added to – please stop by and see our reviews.

Well, great news – we’re very busy and have maintained that over the last few weeks (while most of our competition are feeling the recession).

So as a thank you to our loyal customers we are promoting our most popular offer to date – Letterheads.

The deal we are offering is not for an inferior product, it is in fact our fastest moving product.

Please read on for our letterhead / headed paper specification;

• high quality bright white 100gsm laser guaranteed paper
• printed full colour one side on our state of the art litho presses
• trimmed and packed for safe delivery
• shipped to you on our overnight carrier

All this for only £125 – see our ‘letterheads’ web page for more information.

Don’t forget that our skilled graphic design team can create a design for your letterhead from a logo and text that you supply.

Call us on 0870 950 8444 for full details.

Print Buying Direct is a trading name of The Printing House of Crewe and Nantwich, Cheshire, UK

Banners & Letterheads (Headed Paper) – 10th Februray 2009

Hi, just a quick reminder that our offers are still running for Banners (Pull Up/Banner Stands) and also our letterheads sale.

Visit our Print Buying Direct Website for more information.

Also, don’t forget to use our new reference tool – our printing glossary/A to Z. Giving definitions from Achromatic Printing to Bioenergy, from Chalking to CMYK, from Colour Management to Variable Data Printing. Visit the page for full details – if you think we’ve missed something just let us know and we’ll try and remedy it.

For more information please see our websites

The Printing House

Print Buying Direct (Print Buying Direct is a brand of The Printing House Ltd, Crewe, Cheshire, UK)

Paper Mills pass on the cost of weak £ against Dollar & Euro
I hope that you have had a relaxing break. We have re-opened for business after our Christmas Shutdown today.

In this mornings post we have had 3 letters from our main suppliers of paper indicating that they are putting in place a 9% paper rise across the whole range of papers that they sell. Apparently this is mainly due to the 20% fall of the pound against the Euro since the summer, and 25% against the dollar.

So please be aware that our printing prices will have to reflect this increase from late January.

To protect you from this as much as possible we are prepared to pre-order paper at the current prices for jobs that you have coming up in late January and February.

All we ask is that you place a Purchase Order with us by the 20th January – and we will order the paper for delivery before the increase.

For online orders unfortunately we cannot pre-order paper, but if you order before the 20th January we will honour existing prices.

I apologise for this news so soon in the New Year, but felt it our responsiblility to keep people abreast of the situation.

If you need any further information on this then don’t hesitate to call us on 0870 950 8444.

Click the link to place an online order for order business cards, appointment cards, Leaflets, Flyers, Postcards, Letterheads, Calendars.

Please don’t forget our Wallet Folder sale (Presentation Folders) – click here for more information.

Happy New Year

Kind Regards

Pete

The Printing House (Print Buying Direct)

From the perspective of James (Jacko) Jackson – Pre-Press Apprentice

Here at The Printing House (Print Buying Direct) we have a very skilled work force in all the areas needed to cover day to day activities. Once we take your order – either online, by email, fax, FTP, or phone, the job will be sent straight down to the pre-press (before printing) work area. There, one of our team will prepare the artwork for print, whether it is folders, flyers or business stationery for Litho printing or Digital Printing. All work is prepared in the same way by checking and ripping the job through our market leading print workflow software ‘Heidelberg Prinect Printready, this software checks to make sure your job will print correctly.

If you ordered online then you need do no more, if you have ordered via our office, a proof (PDF or Contract) is then sent to you for final sign off. Once sign off is achieved, the job is ready to print and passes to our Printing Department.

James