I’m a digital subscriber to The Times but I love the touch and feel of my monthly glossy fashion magazines and just for good measure I also take two digital magazine subscriptions I know I can’t help myself.

The ongoing print vs digital debate has been done to death, a long debated subject about it’s place in the order of things. You would think people would stop perpetuating the myth that all things electronic are marvellous and that the utopian ideal is a paperless office, worse, a national paper free day.

What harm has paper or print ever done. It is the first medium that children come into contact with as babies and when learning to read because they can see the words and pictures.

89% of consumers get their ideas from a print ad, which starts them on a journey toward purchasing. Paper volumes have dropped and print is likely to be a secondary or tertiary medium but used in conjunction with cross media marketing it is extremely effective.

 

1. What does it feel like to pick up a hard back book? (my preference over paper back) I love it, I love smelling old books there is a sense of history to it, I’m a bit anal about print.
2. Print really gets to me in a different way than screen viewing. Paper doesn’t contain hyperlinks whereas interactive screens are full of distractions with online ads which often annoy and distract my viewing. You can google a search term and end up never going back to the original text. Screens are more taxing mentally, it’s hard work navigating around a screen than a piece of paper because you are having to navigate from one screen to another to find information.
3. Books, magazines, catalogues, any paper medium gives you a sense of progression as you turn the page but with a screen once you have read it, it’s gone and it feels never ending.
4. Finding typing or spelling errors on screen is far harder than if you print out the manuscript and then the errors appear as if by magic.
5. Good design grabs your attention and communicates the idea, an advert can take advantage of a full page and is very effective, it has no distracting links, pop up ads or videos.
6. Print is everywhere – newspapers, magazines, outdoor billboards it touches you on a deeper level often unconsciously. Digital is very different. People try to work out the differences between print and digital, which one is better or more effective, why bother? The reality is each one is very effective if employed in an intelligent and thought provoking way ultimately engaging with the reader.
7. Fashion brands use visual imagery to promote and define their brand through fashion magazines. But they use digital channels to really engage with their target audience by telling their story, showing the personality and style of the brand and what their values are. But print is the first point of engagement that consumers have with a brand.
8. Multi-channel campaigns start with print then move to the digital channels. Print is a great starting point when coming up with a new idea, concept or design. When that is done it’s easier to adapt it for multi-channel campaigns.
9. When I think of an idea I drop it down in my evernote moleskin notebook because it’s easier and quicker than opening my iPad, by which time I’ve forgotten the thing I was suppose to remember to write down.
10. I love my workflowy (quick notes) and smartsheet (project task management) but by the time I’ve opened the blasted applications I’ve forgotten why I was opening it in the first place so guess what I use my tasks in my filofax, yes that ever wonderful paper based filing and index system. Isn’t it fab when you strike through a to do when you’ve completed it you just don’t get the same feeling when you do it digitally. Works for me.

Research has shown that reading from a screen is 20-30% slower than reading from paper.

Ink on paper is an enduring technology. The only thing you need is the human eye to read it.

There you have it that is why I love print and why it has such an enduring quality for me.

Tell me what you think? Are you like me or are you a complete convert to digital versions only?

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The post Ten reasons why I love print. appeared first on Digital Print Management.

Working with a proven print and fulfilment partner ensures your brand’s continuity

In spite of Royal Mail price increases and the availability of multi-channel distribution for documents, organisations still have a requirement to mail out letters, invoices, statements and remittances.

Every organisation faces the challenge of producing great content, delivering it in different formats from paper to digital and being able to produce more with less and with a reduced marketing budget.

The problem is how do you find a print and fulfilment service that that will offer expert advice and deliver the end product to your customers?

Achieving this can be a difficult task to accomplish.

Can organisations trust a potential print and fulfilment services supplier?

Is there a reason why you shouldn’t partner with a print and fulfilment supplier?

A supplier you have a good relationship with, who, will give you honest feedback which in turn helps deliver on your customer relationship strategy and grow as a business.

Suppliers are an integral part in developing and protecting your brand awareness and there are tangible benefits to working with a single vendor who understands your vision, direction and the various challenges you face as an organisation.

Selecting a reputable print and fulfilment supplier is a lot like a marriage, you need a partner that listens, understands your goals, how they will be delivered and ultimately be loyal to your company and brand.

Fundamentally it must be a partnership based on trust and communication.

Key points to think about before working with a print and fulfilment services supplier

1. What is the vision for your organisation? Where do you want it to be in say 3-5 years? What things do you want to change? How would a print and fulfilment supplier benefit the company?

2. How do you market yourself as a company? What is your brand and has it come to fruition? Are you well known? Do you have a good reputation with your customers?  How are you positioned in relation to your competitors?

3. What challenges do you face within your industry? What new technologies and solutions would benefit the organisation but due to cost constraints cannot be fulfilled in-house?

How to choose the right print and fulfilment company

1. How often do they review the services with their customers?

At the very least you should be visited by your supplier every 6 months.

This will ensure you are kept up to date with latest innovations, products and services and it also gives you the opportunity to highlight any issues that you may not be happy with. It is also important to advise your supplier of any up and coming print campaigns and direct marketing efforts that are being developed.

This ensures that both you and your supplier collaborate on new projects so that you get the very best solution for your next marketing effort.

2. How proactive is the potential supplier in suggesting alternate print and fulfilment solutions to ensure you get the best service for all your printing needs?

An expert advisor will seek to understand what your intentions are as an organisation and what you hope to deliver with each marketing objective that way the supplier can stay ahead and suggest practical solutions that deliver the best results.

3. What accreditations do they have?

ISO 9001, (quality) ISO 27001 (Information Security & Management)

Having the above accreditations ensures that best practice is maintained and that procedures and processes are in place it also ensures that any confidential data is correctly managed and that the company can demonstrate the relevant protocols.

4. Is the print and fulfilment provider customer centric? Will they provide bespoke solutions for you rather than fit within the constraints of their services and equipment?

The key to any long term relationship is whether the incumbent supplier can deliver your needs now and in the future.

5. Will they be flexible and respond quickly and systematically to a change in specification or delivery dates?

What system(s) do they have in place to make sure they can manage any last minute changes?

6. Can the supplier offer free data cleansing and checking to ensure your addresses are complete and suitable for mailing discounts?

7. Is the print and fulfilment company financially stable?

How long have they been in business and what customers do they currently supply?

8. Can the print and fulfilment company produce what you want to sell today and tomorrow?

Think about the future products and services you are working on as an organisation. Can the supplier accommodate your needs now and in the future. There’s no point in establishing a rewarding relationship only to find out in year 2 that one of the marketing campaigns you intend to develop cannot be fulfilled by your supplier.

9. Does the print and fulfilment company have a great reputation?

Ask for testimonials or a list of references and it’s also a good idea to ask the supplier to give you an example of a case study

10. Is the print and fulfilment company’s pricing fair?

When reviewing print and fulfilment companies, it shouldn’t come as a surprise to see the difference in prices from one supplier to the next. By ensuring the supplier has matched your specification only then can you make a comparison between other suppliers. A higher cost may indicate that the print and fulfilment company are offering a higher level of services. Again is this what you asked for or is the supplier being proactive by demonstrating what should be incorporated into the campaign.

10. Hypothetically, if a job goes wrong, after all, we are only human, is the supplier able to demonstrate best practice? Do they have the capability to ensure that the right processes are in place to resolve the issue

A slightly difficult one to address in the ‘what if stages’ but an organisation should be able to ask the question  of the supplier and establish how flexible they can be in the event of a mistake being made.

Any print and fulfilment company you consider should be happy to answer your questions and be able to demonstrate fulfilment and print capabilities so that when you decide on your chosen supplier you can be confident in the knowledge that the marketing campaign can be delivered from paper to digital to social media.

Need some help with a print and marketing campaign?

Want to be able to send out customer letters but don’t know where to start then Call us for more information by clicking here

Are there any other points that should be added to this list?

What do you think?

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The post How to find the right print and fulfilment services supplier? appeared first on Digital Print Management.

An Online printing service or web to print solutions can provide quick, cheap and efficient print from business cards to letter headings; marketing leaflets and flyers.

So I thought it might be a good idea to give you a quick overview of what online print actually is and how it can reduce your costs for short print runs.

Online printing also known as web to print; print on demand and digital printing it offers a variety of print options that make it fairly easy for those of you who don’t have a background in print or design to order online. It is a commercial prepress process that bridges the gap from digital content online and commercial print production.

What this means is that you can create, edit, upload you’re own designs and templates or choose from a vast array of pre -designed templates allowing you to view and approve the completed online template during the prepress phase.

Web to print increasingly calls for a PDF work flow environment with output provided by digital colour printers; although there are many print services that offer fulfilment using both digital production and offset facilities.

 How does web to print work?

Accessing a website with a storefront view enabling the customer to peruse through a variety of templates or catalogues in   which they can choose business print, marketing  leaflets, newsletters. Within these storefronts, customers can choose pre-designed templates where you can alter the copy, typeface, images and layout; or alter a layout and design that has been created by another person.

While most web to print applications allow customers to customise pre-designed templates it also allows for customers to upload their own unique content for automated print production.

It’s a great way of producing small print runs at low prices with quick delivery ideal for marketing ideas that you get in the middle of the night and you want to test before going down the route or producing a full blown direct mail effort.

What makes our web to print different?

Simple really we have evolved a workflow process that enables us to personalise your templates so if you want to do a mailing to say 2,500 customers easy! Working either from a pre-designed template or by uploading your own; we will process, print and post all in one click. A payment summary is provided so you know exactly what it is costing you and your order will automatically be acknowledged once payment has been accepted. Despatch will be confirmed at the end of the order placement. Online printing gives you the flexibility to print just what you want when you need it 24/7; because the order can be processed in real time online!

Which means freeing up your time to get on with your business.

If you want help and advice as to how the service could work for you then call or email us and we will be happy to advise!

Don’t forget to follow us on twitter and facebook to keep updated with news, views and reviews!

The post Web to Print. How to reduce the cost of your short print runs! appeared first on Digital Print Management.

Technology is affecting our lives exponentially; it doesn’t tire easily; is constantly changing, evolving and getting faster!

Change and development are good things without technological development the world wouldn’t move forward.

More and more content is being made available, quicker, richer through every conceivable channel and device known to man from T.V, ipad, PC, smartphone, SMS, mobile phone and so the list goes.

Information is in abundance, anything you want to buy, need to understand or want to look at is viewable at a swipe of the hand or a touch of a button.

But have we gone too far? Are our brains becoming saturated with too much information? Are we coping with managing this information from social media and the internet and the speed in which it moves?

Only you can answer that definitively!

The last two decades the rate of technology has increased year on year; the social media revolution has exploded, proliferating into each and everyone of our lives.

There has been miles and miles of copy written on social media; how it has changed our lives, what impact it has on our businesses.

I believe there is a slow noiseless rebellion in our midst; with lines between work and home time becoming ever increasingly blurred people are looking for a way of escaping from “always being in contact”; always “on” social media; perhaps that refuge is the printed word?

Is it possible that although we once viewed the printed word as a our primary source of news and articles; we are now turning toward it in search of solace and relaxation? Where we switch off from our screens and mobile devices by turning to print to help us relax, tune out and read at our own pace rather than being governed by the speed of the internet.

I, for one can lay claim to the above, I’ve always enjoyed reading books, magazines and the written article why? Because its tactile, the smell and feel of a new book; you appreciate turning over a page and the satisfaction of completing a novel; something you don’t get with an e-reader or mobile device!

Print is a distraction from our ever increasing work-life balance; you become absorbed into the contents without being distracted by an email ping or other distractions. Reading print gives you time to yourself, time to reflect. OK so the same can be said using an e-reader but there is something more fulfilling about reading the printed word as opposed to holding a screen in front of you.

When I started composing this article I became aware when I was out and about in London just how many people were absorbed into books or magazines I hadn’t really given it any credence at that point and then it made me analyse why it might be that people are straying back to print. Could it be a way of getting out of our fast paced modern world to just slow down, relax and reflect.

Time to relax and read

Despite billions being spent on digital technology and there can be no disputing its influence pervading our lives; it has improved our lives everyday; the opportunity to relax isn’t one of its advantages.

There is a general view that online or digital publications should be free rather than paid for; yet we feel comfortable subscribing to a magazine. Is this something to do with print being tactile?

Could it be that printed publications are a way of telling us a little bit more about the person, what their interests are and what it says about them?

Why do you think so much investment is put into the covers of glossy magazines and books? It adds to the uniqueness and attraction to the purchaser.

Does the newspaper or magazine tell us a little bit more about the person who is holding it in a subliminal way?

In our life where time is currency; time is a precious commodity; what is it that we all want but very rarely get enough of time!

There are still a few pleasures in life to be had; a fine wine, delicious food and reading a book on warm summer evening where time becomes irrelevant as you sink into that comfortable chair and enjoy a good read!

Do you still read a book or a newspaper?

Do you enjoy the printed word and reading from a mobile device?

Are publications, books, paper dead? Has technology really sealed the fate of the book?

What are your thoughts?

The post Are you switching off from digital media? appeared first on Digital Print Management.

“Can you print just 5 brochures, leaflets, well, in fact, 5 of anything?”

We are often asked.

The answer is yes, we can.

If you need good quality digital print with fast turn around times look no further.

Maybe you only want a handful of personalised leaflets because you are trying to win a contract? Or simply a marketing leaflet that is designed with only a dozen customers in mind?

Digital Print Management can print it for you and we don’t make it difficult or expensive to do!

A finished job in a matter of hours.

The most valuable thing is not having to chase around looking for a short run printer. We save you time and MONEY!

From hi-res PDF artwork, we can produce catalogues, booklets, leaflets, manuals, direct mail, newsletters, promotions…. all produced in short-run quantities in digital 4 colours and on-demand and at a fraction of the price more traditional methods cost.

How good is that?

Why not find out…contact us and try us out!

Better still look up our Virtual Stationery Cupboard (coming soon) and see how you can get the most out of our online print services highly personalised and individual marketing documents anytime, any day and anywhere!

The post Short Run Brochure Printing? appeared first on Digital Print Management.