BHP Printing Blog

Cheap is a word that that can mean one of two things when it comes to postcard printing services  ... that the postcards are affordable, or that they are low-quality.

We want you to understand a fundamental concept of the commercial printing world. You can only make a product so affordable before the quality begins to suffer. Keep this in mind when shopping for cheap postcard printing, and don’t let the desire for a bargain overshadow what is really important — a quality, impacting product.

So when you are shopping for a postcard printer be sure to request some print samples from each company in addition to comparing prices. Blue Hill Press is more than happy to send sample packets upon request. This is a great way to judge the quality of our printing, and also to learn about the different sizes and paper stock we offer.

Most importantly, this kind of research will help you find a good balance between price and quality. In other words, it’s a good way to find cheap price postcard printing services without sacrificing print quality.

Think of the end result of your postcard mailings, and consider your objectives for each mailing. In most cases, you want the recipient to be impressed with your offer (products and services). But this won’t happen if you send low-grade direct mail pieces. If you send out shabby postcards on thin paper stock, with all kinds of print issues, then people will think you don’t care. And if you don’t care about your marketing materials, what does that say about your products and services.

There’s nothing wrong with searching for cheap postcard services and always keeping costs in check ... as long as you don’t take it too far. Remember, cheap can mean two things — affordable and low-grade. Strive for the former but avoid the latter.

Printing and other important terminology

Bleed: When an image extends off the edge of the printed piece.
Border: The area between the image and the edge of the printed piece.  Also known as margin.
 
CMYK: (Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, Black) the standard color model used in the printing process. It is often called four color process
 
Crop: To trim or remove unwanted portions from the image in order to make it the proper proportion to the Postcard.
 
Direct-to-Plate: This is a process where no film is used. A job will go direct to plate and then print eliminating an extra step, producing better quality.
 
High-Res: The resolution (Res) of an image indicates the number of dots per inch (dpi). High resolution is usually anywhere from 300 dpi to 2,500dpi.
 
JPEG: (Joint Photographic Experts Group) A file format used for color images. It retains a higher degree of color and files are smaller. Unfortunately, the more you compress a JPEG file the more detail and color is lost.
 
Pixel: (Picture Element) An image displayed on a computer is made up of lots of dots called pixels. The number of pixels displayed is referred to as the image's resolution.
 
PostScript: Is a language for printing, meaning it treats fonts, images and graphics as geometrical objects and stores it into one document.
 
Vector Images: Object-oriented graphics of defined curves and line segments; these are resolution independent and can be stretched or resized. (Example: An Illustrator EPS is a Vector Image).

Direct Mail and Lead Generation

Mailing lists have been and continue to be available for almost every conceivable industry, product type, job function, company size and purchase influence. There are survey files containing prospects history of reading and responding to mail solicitations.

Did you know?

• There are almost two-times as many B2B prospect mail lists as there are e-mail lists available for rental. Due to the way they're compiled, mail lists allow you to avoid waste by aiming your message at precisely the individuals you want to reach.
• People who like to get mail always will. A lot of the same marketers who claim that mail is “old school” can't resist opening everything that lands in their inboxes each day and eagerly check their mailboxes when they get home from the office each night.
• More interesting, both Gen X and Gen Y rate 70% of their mail as being of immediate value to them; 62% report that they enjoy getting catalogs, and 54% said they'd ordered something online the previous month after receiving a direct mail offer. DMA research shows that mail is well-received by prospects of all demographic groups—from Gen Xers to baby boomers. And as marketers shift campaign dollars to online strategies, every mailbox becomes less cluttered, thereby granting each piece a clearer shot at getting noticed.

True, mail is typically opened while standing over a wastebasket. But nobody wants to throw out a bill, an important renewal or something that can move their lives, their careers or the performance of their business forward. So each piece of mail gets reviewed before it gets tossed.

Do you have any idea?  Think about it.  We’ll get back to you with the answer later in this blog post.

This question was presented the other day when production was humming along and we all took a moment to marvel at the technology that surrounds us here at Blue Hill Press.  From our Fuji Dart 4300E Thermal Plate Setter to our Epson Stylus Pro 7800 Color Proofer,  as well as our Epson Perfection V700 photo scanner,  we operate and maintain  a state-of-the-art graphics department.  This helps ensure that you receive the best printing quality service on time each and every time because new quality equipment rarely fails but always amazes.    

OK…so back to the question.  It  sure seems like we’ve all owned and operated a digital camera since we can’t remember when. The first digital camera for the consumer-level market that worked with a home computer was the Apple QuickTake 100 camera (February 17 , 1994).   It sure seems like they have been around a lot longer than that.

Delivering For You in a “Green” Kind of Way
 
We’re getting asked, “What’s with the windmill picture at the top of your website”.  That windmill graphic means that when it comes to being good stewards of the earth’s environment, we put our money where our mouths are.  Our day-to-day business operations are powered in part from wind-generated electricity.  

Most of you are aware of the multi-facetted actions that we take in the interest of environmental protection. We purchase production supplies that are made of recycled products, we use natural inks (soy and linseed-based), and we produce no silver-bearing waste.  

Why do we do this? It is a genuine pleasure and a privilege to serve both our new and ever-increasing repeat clientele knowing that we do this in the most environmentally responsible manner possible.

You are about to go to print on your latest marketing campaign but are still asking yourself if the intended message resonates.  You should have the confidence in your Printer to be able  to offer competent, honest, and professional feedback.  Feel free to ask us.  

We have processed thousands of jobs over the years and can give solid feedback regarding your marketing piece.  Having an addtional set of eyes is particularly important for those ads where a single person manufactures the product from concept through production.  All too often print orders simply do not convey the intended message as well as they could.  Being too close for too long to any project can cloud an author’s ability to objectively assess the work.  Make sure you get honest assessment of your work prior to going to final print.  

Before going to print, here are some basic questions you want to ask your third-party reviewer:
Did it grab your attention? Did it hold your interest?  Did it communicate quickly and directly without making you guess what was going on? Could you relate to the message? Did the message create a desire for the product or service?  Was it memorable?

And remember, you can always lean on us!

With prepress technology, the natural surface of uncoated papers is a suitable substrate for four-color process printing. Adobe Photoshop and newer color-management systems make it possible for any designer and/or printer to create consistency and predictability on uncoated papers.

Uncoated stock is absorbent, so inks, perform differently than on coated papers. For multicolor and specialty printing projects, it is important to choose the paper that will print with the best uniformity and consistency. Good-quality uncoated papers are manufactured to adjust to the sensitive balance between ink holdout and ink receptivity.

To ensure your design will print as you envisioned, consult your printer and/or prepress professional at the beginning of a project and clearly communicate your design expectations.

• When designing a project, keep in mind that printing on uncoated paper stocks can increase dot gain in halftone and screened areas. For best effects, choose photos or illustrations with sharp contrast.
• Don't use varnishes to highlight designs on uncoated paper. Smooth sheets may seem as if they accept varnish like a coated sheet, but all uncoated papers absorb varnish.
• Drying times vary, making it important to plan ahead for your piece to have ample time to dry completely.

Glossy or Matte Brochures?

Glossy - Most designers and consumers love glossy paper. It makes your full-color brochure pop with brilliance by reflecting light off of the paper's surface. Deep, rich blacks and blues bounce off glossy brochures and other colors appear smoother, hotter or even more flamboyant on glossy paper. As paper goes, glossy paper is often less expensive than matte and is seen by some as the more professional option. That's not always the case, as glossy brochures do have some drawbacks. If they'll be changing hands a lot or placed in a dirty area, for instance, the coating that gives them their sheen may pick up fingerprints, smudges and dust.

Matte - By comparison, matte finishes offer a softer, glowing appeal that is perfect for new-age designs. In particular, the soft look of many Web 2.0 websites has inspired many designers to incorporate similar soft shadows, inner glows and other elements into their brochure designs. Matte paper is a better choice, because it helps the ink diffuse by limiting how much light is reflected off the paper's surface. High-quality matte paper can be more expensive than glossy paper but it will not retain fingerprints, smudges or dust. This makes matte a great choice for high-traffic areas or where the brochure in question will be passed around a lot.

Choosing the right paper - Whether you choose glossy or matte, make sure you go with a high-quality paper. If your design is bright, hard-hitting and bursting at the brim to tell customers the brochure's message, go with a good 100-pound text gloss paper .   If your design is softer, with a more thoughtful message and more subtle design, go with a 80-pound matte — especially if the brochure will see a lot of wear and tear. 

You will find a huge selection of colors are available for brochure printing (full color). However, often the most cost-effective brochures are designed using just one or two colors. Occasionally, gray-scale brochures end up generating better results than colored brochures.

Always keep in mind that the cost should be evaluated when selecting colors for your brochure. More colors usually means a higher printing cost, but at the same time, if your brochure is in need of many colors to generate results and improve your business, then the desired outcome is worth the investment.

After deciding on the colors, you will need to choose the type of paper for your brochure. Paper is also available in many different colors and many weights too. If you are trying to go green in your business or organization, then you may look at using recycled paper. Recycled paper is an ideal way to cut down on the amount of natural resources you use and it’s also a wonderful way to promote yourself these days as more and more people are becoming environmentally conscious. Use recycled paper when doing brochure printing, postcard printing or pamphlet printing, and you will certainly stand out with your audience.

Partnering with a Commercial Printer

Although shopping around for the best price is important to most businesses, one should also consider the time required in getting numerous quotes and the time involved in learning the requirements and quirks (product capabilities, specialties, etc) of a variety of different printers or printing companies. Ask most printing companies and they will tell you existing and regular customers often get higher priority when it comes to allocation of time and resources (capacity).  Another important factor is being a one stop shop ... printing, graphics, binding and mailing under one roof. The more hands in the pie the more difficult it is to get the finished product you want and to keep costs within budget.

As our long time customers can attest, you are better off developing a good working relationship with your go to printer that you can return to again and again. At Blue Hill Press, we pride ourselves in helping our customers get the quality product they need to be successful, as well as helping them get the most for their money.  In the long run partnering with Blue Hill Press saves time and money for you and your customers.