Are you being read?

According to studies, the use of color in printed documents has resulted in increased readership and faster understanding.

On the same note, 78 percent of consumers are most likely to remember a message or advertisement printed in color than one that is done in black and white.

Reports, presentations, brochures, postcards or any other kind of printed material it is that you have, color can help you get read, heard and remembered.

No matter how profound or extreme the reason behind this psychology is, one fact remains. You get the attention you need in the first place. As long as it works, price is no longer a big deal.

At present, nothing can compare to the speed of in-house color printing. Just think of the alternative; delivery or pick-up time, job preparation, processing time and anxiety about whether the job will be ready when you need it. These things are reason enough for you to go out and buy a color printer of your own.

Besides, color printers are faster than ever and comes with high-quality settings. What more can one ask for?

Ever heard of Printable Stationeries?

These are stationeries that are already designed and formatted and made available online for your printing directly to your printer.
It is the quick solution to your printing needs if you have the computer, software and the printer, preferably colored. The design stationery is generally free of cost, but you need to pay for your own materials.
A diverse range of Printable Stationery is available online. It includes calendars, letterheads, envelopes, greeting cards, wedding cards, stickers, bookmarks, labels, shopping list, recipe cards, scrapbook templates and gift-wrapping paper.
Printable Stationery is also available for children, which could be based on themes like animals, birds, flower, nature, toys and cartoons. And there is no limit to the number of sheets you print.

Printable Stationery is usually readable and printable through some predefined software. Typically this software is available as a free download, so if you do not have the right software, you can easily procure it without much hassle. Printable Stationery is designed to be printed on a specific paper size.
It is best to check that before taking your printout. The sites distributing the Printable Stationery frequently have clear instructions on how to print their products. There is also a copyright and terms of use agreement for you to comply with.

Do judge a catalog by its cover

What are the design choices that should be made before getting a printing quote for your catalog project?

Let us start off with paper for the cover followed by the inside that is often referred to as body or text pages.

There is an old saying about the need to tell what is in a book by its cover. This is also true with catalogs.

With that saying in mind, the cover needs to be your single most important and “full of impact” page. This is why the covers are frequently printed on a heavier weight paper called cover stock.

Using cover weight stock results in greater durability and a heftier, more upscale feel especially for catalogs with 16 or fewer pages.

The body or inside pages are usually printed on text weight stock. Text paper is lighter than cover weight stock. For catalogs of 20 or more pages it often makes economic sense to print what is called a self-cover book.

This is where the cover and body are both printed on a relatively heavy text stock, such as 80 lb. gloss text.

What would the photo printing world be without digital printing?

The greatest advantage of digital photography is that you can preview and erase photos, thereby saving yourself the expense of printing blurry, off-centered, or otherwise poorly composed photos.

Printing digital images will cost you, but the price of a photo printer may not be your greatest concern when deciding whether to buy one. You also must consider the ongoing costs of photo paper and ink cartridges or ribbons.

To figure printing costs, begin with the assumption that you will use paper and ink made by the manufacturer of your printer. There are several good reasons for doing this.

First, compatibility issues may prevent you from using third-party supplies, especially ink cartridges.

Second, printers may be limited in the size, thickness, or type of papers they can print on. A printer’s owner manual or the manufacturer’s Web site will guide you in selecting the right kind of paper to use.

Third, using third-party products that damage your printer may void the manufacturer’s warranty.

The solution? Read the fine print. There lies the answer to your problems.

Being friendly, economically and environmentally

Inkjet printing is the most famous printing technology for home users and small businesses. Inkjet printers are versatile, inexpensive and produce good printing quality.

The price of inkjet printers has dropped significantly over the past few years. But the cost of replacement ink cartridges remains tremendously high.

To reduce the printing cost, consumers are looking for cheap alternatives. There are many options available. But the most economical and environmentally friendly way is to use the inkjet refill kits.

Most people can refill the cartridges themselves. It is as easy as following simple instructions. Nevertheless, some precautions should be taken when refilling your own ink cartridges.

Refilling old cartridges is also good for the environment. It saves landfill space to dispose used cartridges and extra resources to produce new cartridges.

In general, the cartridge should be refilled before it has run out of ink. If printing continues after the ink has run dry, the cartridge's nozzle may burn out and be permanently damaged. Once the nozzle is damaged, it is impossible to reuse the cartridge.

In addition, refilling the cartridge with too much ink can also cause it to overflow or uneven absorption of ink into the sponge, resulting in ink leakage and poor print output.

Printers as your best partners

Digital presses today have very much improved their quality and are great for short runs variable data and large format small quantity jobs. Turnaround is the key and digital jobs usually can be done in days if not hours.

Offset presses are good for jobs of greater than 1000 to about 100,000 like brochures, fashion catalogues, price lists, letterheads, business cards, envelopes. These types of jobs usually take days or a week or two, depending on the intricacy of the job.

Web presses are great for large runs of magazines, newspaper flyers or large run business forms.

Suggestions by your printer should help your business grow. They should help in deciding paper stocks, colors, finishing and offer you different price options. New technology can save company's great amounts of time by offering e-commerce ordering and proofing systems.
The idea is for your printer to help you market your business so that you can become more successful. Penny pinching on costs can be short sighted. For true long term growth you have to work in partnership with your printer so that both of you benefit.
Have you got yourself a good partner?