March 21st, 2015
Posted in Printing on Food | Comments Off on Custom Printing: Printing on Food for Valentines Day
Food is the quickest way to my heart. I think I’m not alone. Since Valentine’s Day is just a few weeks away, I thought I’d take a look at the technologies used for custom printing on M&Ms, Sweethearts, and sheetcakes. After all, the only thing more intimate than shared food is personalized food. Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in Printing on Food | Comments Off on Custom Printing: Printing on Food for Valentines Day
March 17th, 2015
Posted in Plastic Card Printing | Comments Off on Plastic Card Printing: A Supremely Effective Promo Tool
Over the last few years it seems like everyone has been giving me plastic cards as gifts–mostly food cards, since that’s the quickest way to my heart–but other kinds of cards as well. These seem to have become the gift of choice, not only for the recipient but also for the branded businesses for which these have become some of the best advertising opportunities available. Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in Plastic Card Printing | Comments Off on Plastic Card Printing: A Supremely Effective Promo Tool
March 15th, 2015
Posted in Letterhead, Paper and finishing | Comments Off on Commercial Printing: A Few Identity-Package Paper Tips
A print brokering client of mine just landed a new account. The client is global in its reach, which is particularly exciting. Now my client’s client needs an identity package to project its image around the world. Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in Letterhead, Paper and finishing | Comments Off on Commercial Printing: A Few Identity-Package Paper Tips
March 11th, 2015
Posted in Design | Comments Off on Custom Printing: A Few More Text-Design Tips
Design Basics Index by Jim Krause has always given me food for thought regarding the fundamentals of effective publication design, including anything from posters to brochures. Since I’ve always considered it valuable to constantly practice the fundamentals of any craft, I get a lot of pleasure just dipping into this print book periodically, just to learn “one more thing.” Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in Design | Comments Off on Custom Printing: A Few More Text-Design Tips
March 7th, 2015
Posted in Mailing | Comments Off on Commercial Printing: A Few Bulk Mailing Postage Tips
If you design marketing materials of any kind, it will benefit you to learn as much as you can about the USPS rules and regulations. (Go online and read the United States Postal Service Business Mail 101 web pages, or visit the Post Office and ask for printed business mailing guides.) As a start, here’s some introductory information culled from the USPS website on ways to pay for postage. Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in Mailing | Comments Off on Commercial Printing: A Few Bulk Mailing Postage Tips
March 3rd, 2015
Posted in Design | Comments Off on Custom Printing and Design: Contrast and the Element of Surprise
Have you ever seen a printed photograph of a sunset, perhaps in a wall calendar, and wondered just how the printer got the sun to appear so bright? Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in Design | Comments Off on Custom Printing and Design: Contrast and the Element of Surprise
February 28th, 2015
Posted in Book Printing, Catalog Printing, Magazine Printing | Comments Off on Custom Printing: Thoughts on Spine Design for Books, Catalogs, and Magazines
While I was on the phone today, on hold for a half hour waiting to speak with a health insurance agent, I had plenty of time to look at the walls and ceiling. My gaze also fell on a collection of print book on a shelf, and more precisely on their spines. Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in Book Printing, Catalog Printing, Magazine Printing | Comments Off on Custom Printing: Thoughts on Spine Design for Books, Catalogs, and Magazines
February 26th, 2015
Posted in Book Printing | 2 Comments »
A book printing client of mine, whom I have written about recently, just downloaded an InSite proof of the text of her and her husband’s print book. She also received hard-copy proofs of the photo section of the book and a color Spectrum proof of the cover. Some questions arose, and I wanted to share these with you. I think they may be helpful in your print buying work. Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in Book Printing | 2 Comments »
February 20th, 2015
Posted in Printing | Comments Off on Custom Printing: Paste Binding Web-Offset Booklets
Have you ever received a financial statement in the mail, perhaps a short (8- to 16-page) prospectus for a mutual fund, and noticed that it was not saddle stitched, perfect bound, or bound in any other usual way? The nested pages just stuck together and didn’t fall apart. This is called paste-binding, and for the right commercial printing jobs it’s a wonderful way to save money and time. Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in Printing | Comments Off on Custom Printing: Paste Binding Web-Offset Booklets
February 17th, 2015
Posted in Printing | Comments Off on Custom Printing: Evaluating Printing Estimates
I spent some time yesterday reviewing a detailed printing estimate for a brokering client of mine. It was for a print book, but it just as easily could have been for a brochure, booklet, poster, or any other job. Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in Printing | Comments Off on Custom Printing: Evaluating Printing Estimates