Showing posts with label printing. Show all posts
Showing posts with label printing. Show all posts

Thursday, March 11, 2010

Numbering by Color!

We just came up with a way to sequentially number documents and forms in any Pantone color ink you would want. Before, like almost all other printers, we could only do black and red.

So now you can let your imagination run wild. We can match your logo color scheme. Also, for security we can print in metallic colors or fluorescent inks to keep people from duplicating your stuff on a color copier.

While it is not earth shaking news, it is one more innovation we can offer you, our clients.

Tuesday, November 11, 2008

Free Photos

Here is a special offer we want to let you know about—free stock photos. In partnership with a great stock photo agency, we are offering their entire catalog for your use, for free. Order any poster, banner, full color flyer or brochure to take advantage of this offer. Call us today to start your order and we will let you browse their online catalog or assist you with a search that fits your theme or topic. This offer will be good through at least March, 2009.

Tuesday, November 4, 2008

The Best Deal at the Post Office

I was talking to a client the other day about her newsletter mailing. It's a big mailing. Not just in the number of recipients but in the size of the mail piece. It's one of these 12 page newsletters that also includes a return envelope. Their current printer is organized such that the only way to mail this piece is pre-sorted, first-class mail. For two ounces, this is costing them a small fortune.

She was hesitant when I talked about pre-sorted, Standard Mail. She was under the impression there would be all kinds of problems mailing it this way. When I assured her that thousands of companies and organizations send their correspondent out this way every day without a problem, she softened up a bit.

Then I explained something to her she had never heard before. With Standard Mail, the post office allows you to mail up to 3.3 ounces for the same cost of mailing a postcard. What a value! Now that their mailing list has gotten bigger, their total cost of mailing will go down by 25-33%.

Think about how you can use this tremendous value to your benefit. You can send out a larger mailing in an envelope with many pieces in it. This is something we call “lumpy mail.” You can send a promotional product that ties in with the theme of your mailing. You can group a mailing with your neighbors, networking group, or marketing affiliates so you can take advantage of the postage discount.

Give Allegra Print and Imaging of Rolling Meadows a call today at 847-398-2500 to discuss this and other great ways to save money on your direct mail marketing campaign.

Wednesday, October 22, 2008

Henry’s Model T

Most of us remember reading somewhere Henry Ford’s famous line, “the consumer can have any color cover he wants, as long as it’s black.” But you probably do not know that when the car was introduced in 1908, in addition to black you could also buy it in red, green, or blue. Black only became the standard when Henry Ford realized he could save costs by eliminating the other colors.

Ford created a standard that is with us to this day. Businesses either eliminate choice from us or give us a wide variety of choice. We usually have no choice in the color of Cabinet of a new HDTV. But look at the choices we have for an iPod Nano. Businesses pick a niche in which to market.

Printers, like your humble blogger, are generally in the choice business. We don’t dictate what the customer is going to get, the customer tells us what she wants. Virtually nothing we print looks exactly like any other thing we print. Sure, the paper size may stay the same, there are only a couple thousand fonts to choose from (two or three of these make up over 90% of everything printed in the U.S.), and layout typically follows some pattern. But inside those limits, the choices are endless.

For years I’ve tried to come up with a niche product. Something that I can produce that would almost be off the shelf. So far, no luck. It is been far easier for us to market Allegra Print & Imaging of Rolling Meadows like a standard print shop.

That is beginning to change though. Customers are pushing us to offer more services to them. At the same time we are looking to expand our service choices to stay ahead of them. We are starting to test the definition of what a print shop is. So far, it’s going well.

By the way, the Model T was introduced the same year my beloved Cubs last won the World Series.