Design Basics

In preparing that new brochure or other printed item for your marketing efforts, consider the following simple points:

• Does it appeal to the emotions of your audience?
• Is it professional?
• Does it speak personally to the audience?
• Is it readable?
• Does it speak in the language of the target audience? That is, do you sound like you know the industry?
• Does it focus on benefits rather than features?
• Does it make it's point quickly and is there only one point?
• Is there a call to action?

Simple points, yes, but clear and very doable.

The Executive

Thinking Ahead to the New Year

What plans do you have for the new year? How do you plan to promote your business?

Now is the time to look ahead for those days and times in the upcoming year when you will be promoting certain aspects of your business. A little planning will go along way to saving you money, time and lower your stress level.

Here are some things to think about as you plan your printing needs for the new year:

• What promotions will you be sending out direct mail for and how often?
• How many customers or prospects are you reaching out to?
• Will you have any new employees who will need business cards?
• Are your letterhead and other stationery up to date?
• If you publish a catalog, do you have any specific deadlines for its release?

You can add to this list--it's just a starter kit. The point is to think ahead so that you can plan your spending and time.

The Executive

Types of Printing

The process of printing is fascinating and interesting and, to some degree, a mystery to most people. Here, briefly (and thanks to the folks at "How Stuff Works"), we'll talk about types of printing processes.

There are nine main types of printing processes:

• Offset lithography is the workhorse of printing.
• Engraving is used for fine stationery.
• Thermography relies on raised printing, used in stationery.
• Reprographics is typical copying and duplicating.
• Digital printing has become very common and is high quality able to be used for short runs.
• Letterpress is like what the original Guttenberg process relied upon.
• Screen printing is used for T-shirts and billboards.
• Flexography is usually used on packaging, such as can labels.
• Gravure is used for huge runs of magazines and direct-mail catalogs and relies on large presses and complex processes.

Each, as we have noted, has a special application. We'll cover the specifics of each process in upcoming posts.

The Executive Pressman

What Makes a Good Logo?

What makes a good logo? If you are working on your company's brand and are developing a logo as a part of that process, several things come into play:

• What your company does?
• Who is your primary audience?
• What does your company stand for?

With these (and other criteria) in mind, a designer will consider the following "memorable" list:

• Describable (simple)
  
• Memorable (timeless)
  
• Effective without color
• Scalable (versatile)
  
• Relevant (appropriate)
  

A good logo represents you and your company. This list of attributes is a best case. If you arm a designer with the background information (the first list is a start) they will create something that holds the brand up and together. Don't just give them your desires for color and shape, let them know more about you and your company so the personality of the company shows up in the design.

The Executive

Thanks to Lee Newham, David Airey and Jacob Gass.

Direct Mail Ideas

Now that you have decided to use direct mail as a marketing tool, how can you ensure the campaign's success?

Here's a list of a few things to consider:

• Provide a coupon or some other incentive and give it a time limit. For example, so many cents off until the end of the month.
• Participate in a co-op mailing. Is there a valued partner you can team with to make sure teh mail gets attention?
• Test the program. Try sending the initial mailer and offer to a smaller sample than you plan just to see the response.
• Use the mailer to drive traffic to your website. There they will find teh rich content they are looking for to make a buying decision.
• Use a catchy headline. Underlined copy or colored blocks also help draw attention to what needs to be read.

There are more. These are some basic ideas to start with.

The Executive Pressman

Gift Giving and the Holidays

With the holiday season officially started with Thanksgiving tomorrow, we thought it a good idea to pass along a few ideas on gift giving for your clients and hosts.

Here's a short list of what and how to give:

• If you go to a dinner party or holiday part, consider bringing a bottle of wine. If your host isn't a drinker, opt for a simple fruit basket.
• Company gift exchanges usually have rules on dollar amounts and types of gifts. Neutral gifts such as artwork, desk accessories or a clock work in these instances.
• Annual gifts to clients or prospects can vary depending on how many you have and your budget. From elaborate gift baskets to gifts such as warming blankets, choose carefully.
• Thank you cards after you've attended an event are an excellent idea, when done sincerely, to keep you and your host in each others' thoughts.

Happy Holidays and have a great Thanksgiving.

The Executive Pressman

Choosing an Appropriate Printing Partner

In today's economy, we all have to be more and more discerning about how and who we choose as partners to help us with our business challenges.

Do you know what to look for in a printing vendor?

We all need printed communication. From letterhead and business cards to catalogs and instruction manuals, the printing needs of a business are myriad. Here is a short list of what to look for in a potential printing partner/supplier:

• What is the range of their capabilities?
• Do they offer design services as well as printing?
• Do they offer both offset as well as digital printing?
• Can they bind or package your final product?
• Are there limitations on size of the final product or number of finished pieces?
• Do they offer mailing services?
• Do they deliver or ship?
• Do other people you know do business with them?
• What is their reputation in the community and their industry?
• Is their pricing competitive?
• What do they know about your industry?
• Do they ask questions?
• Do you know anyone at the company?

These are just "getting started questions" but we all have to start somewhere. Maybe you want to give them a trial job before you choose to give them all of your business. Be discerning, choosy and careful--but also be fair.

The Executive Pressman

Direct Mail: Making Sure Your Program is a Success

Before you embark on that direct mail project too far, make sure you have the right elements in place to make the program a success. Here is a short list of things to consider as you devise your strategy:

• Are your lists in order?
  
• Are they correct?
  
• Are their duplicates?
• Is the list matched to the offer you are making with the mailing?
• Can you monitor the results?
• Do you know what works and what doesn't in terms of design and copy (message)?
  

A successful direct mail program is more than just printing a post card and stamping it. You have to be very deliberate about who is getting and when and what you expect them to do with it once they receive it.

Thanks to our friends at Frugal Marketing dot com for the ideas presented here. Here's the whole story (http://www.frugalmarketing.com/dtb/directmail.shtml)
The Executive Pressman

The Value of Direct Mail

With all of what today's technology offers in the way of outreach to potential customers and clients, we shouldn't discount the value of direct mail.

While it is a bit 20th century, people still receive and open mail received either by the US Postal Service or the package delivery companies.

A recent story at Printing News.com came up with these three key attributes for direct mail:

1. The colors in a print add or mailed piece are usually more correct than what you can see or print at home from an on-line site.
2. We are still tactile and like to hold things in our hands. Direct mail is a thing you can hold.
3. Print has credibility. The reader knows that this piece they hold in their hands had to be research, edited, proofread and press checked before it got to them. Something comforting about something that gets that scrutinized.

So, before you cast direct mail to the scrap heap, consider these ideas. For the whole story, go to http://www.printingnews.com/publication/article.jsp?pubId=3&id=7093&pageNum=1

The Executive Pressman

More Holiday Printing Ideas

With Christmas and the other end-of-year holidays approaching, it is time to consider other printing projects to help grow your business. We've already covered Christmas Cards. Here are a few more ideas:

• Consider customizing your business cards and letterhead for the reason. Either print a small quantity or add adhesive messages.
• A direct-mail offer for a reduced price item or special good during the season.
• A first-quarter catalog--we really need to think about holiday and Christmas catalogs the summer before the current holidays.
• A Christmas Card that is an ornament. Dye-cut printed items are easily done in small quantities.

Try something different and get attention for your business at this busy time.

The Executive Pressman

Christmas Cards

It is almost the end-of-the-year holiday season. Time to be thinking about Christmas Cards.

Whether you send out customized or off-the-shelf cards, send them to business associates or friends or family, cards mean a lot at this time of year. In business, they help you keep in touch with your clients and prospects by letting them know you are thinking about them.

Some rules of thumb when it comes to cards:

• Consider a custom card. Your contacts are less likely to find it in a store or receive it from someone else. You are more likely to be remembered as well.
• Sign your cards personally. If you have a large number of cards, this could be an issue. You might consider dividing up the list between your colleagues in the office to make it more manageable as personal.
• Do it in a timely fashion. Aim to have them arrive two weeks to 10 days before the actual holiday so that they can enjoy the card as well as be able to respond. Cards that arrive in January will be remembered but for possibly the wrong reasons.

The Executive Pressman

Concepts of Basic Design

One of the critical things to think about when you consider doing a brochure, catalog or other printed communication is the design of the piece.

Let's call this Design 101: the basic concepts of design.

Consider these concepts when you are talking with your designer. After all, it is their language:

• Balance
• Rhythm
• Proportion
• Dominance
• Unity

Balance is the concept of elements (text, graphics, white space) within a given space (in this case, the printed page). Balance is either symmetrical or asymmetrical.

Rhythm speaks to the repetition or alternation of those same elements.

The size and relationship between elements speaks to proportion.

Dominance is the relationship of size and position between the elements: what is dominant in the design?

And unity is describes the parts and the whole of the piece.

If you speak the language, you will not only communicate clearly to your designer, you will also understand how you are communicating to your audience.

The Executive Pressman
*Thanks to Joshua David McClurg-Genevese; from his article in Digital Web Design Magazine (http://www.digital-web.com/articles/principles_of_design/)

Letterhead, Business cards and brochures

They are the basics of reaching out to your clientele:

• Letterhead
• Business cards
• Brochures

Your letterhead, even in this day and age of electronic communication, is critical. If you do invoices or formal printed proposals in addition to correspondence, you need letter head (printed and an electronic version). Your letterhead should include:

• Logo or recognizable header including your company name
• Street address
• Phone numbers
• Website and e-mails

Business cards play a similar role. While all of the contact information is there, the color and choice and placement of a logo is key to recognizable brand.

Brochures could fill a whole post just by themselves. However, the same rules apply recognizable as being associated with you and your company and with the rest of your communication.

The Executive Pressman

Business Cards

Let's talk today about one of the first elements of your brand identity that gets seen by your clients, prospects, partners and competitors.

It's your business card.

These days everybody has a business card, even those between opportunities. You must have the basics of how people can reach you:

• Name
• Address
• Phone
• E-mail

Then consider other things:

• A logo and or tagline
• A website or blog or LinkedIn address

Now that people can find you, consider appearance:

• The type of paper stock--weight, color, coated?
• Printed both sides or just one side?
• Standard shape or a dye cut shape?
• Printed horizontally or vertically?

It is the first line, but it is alos something that speaks after you are gone. Choose wisely.

ThExecutive Pressman

The office family

OK, it's Friday and the Pressman is feeling a bit lighthearted.

This is Rocco. He is the resident dog at our neighbor and partner's office, The Lamination Station. We share space with them to house our Canon Digital press. Rocco is kind, polite, but pretty much all business.

Why am I telling you this? Because people do business with people (and other office occupants) that they know, like and trust. Sure, Rocco is a dog, but it tells you something about the nature of how we do business. We want our clients to know that we like what we do, we enjoy our work and the atmosphere and want them to get to know it and like it, too. Being at ease with one's work is the key to a successful business.

We think we are a successful (and friendly) business. We like what we do.

So, stop by some time and ask for Rocco.

The Executive Pressman

Digital Press

The final piece of a printing capability in any effective print shop operation is a digital press.

Take for example our digital press, this Canon machine.

"With this machine we can do 4-color quantities of your project as small as one copy," Tom Sadler said. Tom is President and an owner of Executive Press.

"This press adds just the right element to our mix of machines and capabilities,"Tom continued.

The machine was added to the operation at the request of a client who did a large-volume, product manual printing on a regular basis. Since then, Tom said, its capabilities have been applied to work done for other clients.

"Short run, long run and specialized digital work really shines on this machine, Tom added.

When shopping for a printing look to see the breadth of their capabilities and if digital is a part of the mix.

The Executive Pressman

Newsletters--electronic and printed

Reaching out to your constituents--clients, prospects and suspects--is critical in today's business environment. that's pretty obvious.

While many companies are leaning on social media to make contact, most are forgetting the personalization and the directness of newsletters. While social media is an outreach, it is more "broadcast" in nature. Couple that with a directed outreach of a newsletter and you are building rapport and a connection with your audience.

Electronic newsletters are good in that they land on your target's computer desktop or phone in box. Good information shared quickly makes you memorable.

For a more traditional audience or to supplement the electronic and broadcast outreach, a paper newsletter distributed via U.S. Mail is every workable, affordable and effective. Studies show they are still widely read.

The bottom line is that you should consider a targeted outreach via newsletter to your constituents as a part of your marketing mix.

The Executive Pressman

Traditional printing presses: real examples

These four traditional offset printing presses are found in our shop:

• Itek 975
• Ryobi 3302
• Hamada B452A
• Heidelberg Speedmaster

The Itek 975 is from the 1980s but is a workhorse. It does 2-color printing of envelopes for us.

The Ryobi 3302 does letterhead and 2-color jobs from 8 1/2 x 11 to 11x17 inches.

Only 5 years old, the sheet-fed Hamada handles volumes up to 9,000 sheets per hour. Able to do 4-color work, it is an automated plating machine and handles paper up to 14x20 inches.

The largest and most complex machine in our inventory is the Heidelberg. This sheet-fed machine handles paper up to 20x28 and up to 11,000 sheets per hour. Long runs and larger (catalogs, etc) are produced on this machine.

These four machines give us flexibility and capability few others can match.

The Executive Pressman

Traditional printing presses

Traditional printing presses are complex devices that are made up of subsystems and smaller parts. Like anything if you break them down to components, they are easier to understand.

The models and features we will talk about today are those of offset presses.

What does this mean to me? Well, the better you understand how the process works, the better you can match the right work to the right process. For example, choosing traditionally printed pages, books brochures over digitally printed versions of the same things.

Now, back to presses: The key parts are:

• Ink tray(s)
• Paper feeders
• Plate surfaces and types

Four-color presses use more than one tray. Some are automatically controlled, some older presses still rely on the pressman to meter the ink(s).

Paper feeders range from copier-like trays to large stages holding large sheets of paper or rolls.

The plate surface and the blanket are where the image is transferred to the printed page. Powder sprayers are employed to make sure pages don't offset ink to the adjacent page or stick together.

The resulting images are of a different quality and presentation than a digital image. Each has its own application and presentation option.

The Executive

Proofing made easy: being clear

We've all done it: reviewed that design or document and when the final product came--there was an error of some kind.

You can beat this--easily. Here are a few simple rules:

• Keep a markup copy of the document you sent to the printer or designer for reference to the next version.
• Proof each change in detail--read the line backward, it helps you see the change better.
• Do an overall scan of the page and document--especially headlines and photos.
• Most printers and designers not only give you a place to initial, they will give you a checklist of what to look for. Follow it.
• Look for your typical typos--"teh" for "the" is pretty common.
• If you don't know color or PMS or CYMK standards, ask. Your printer will be more than happy to help you.
• Note page count, numbers and bindery.

A few simple rules will result in a more complete and satisfying document.

The Executive

The Amazing Shrinking Machine

Think shrink.

No, not psychiatrist. No, not the over laundering of your favorite cotton shirt. We're talking print shop packaging here.

At Executive Press, we use a shrink wrapper to package finished goods after they are printed. The plastic wrap protects the finished catalogs, business cards, letterhead and other printed pieces for their trip to the client.

"No detail is too important," Jennifer Beaty said. "How it goes out the door is just as important as how it was produced," she said. Jennifer is co-owner and executive vice president of Executive Press.

Every detail is important.

The Executive Pressman

Recycling and your print supplier

Being green takes effort. In some cases, not a lot, but it does take effort.

For example, recycling the waste paper in a print shop.

This extra effort of recycling paper, ink and plates results in some good things for all concerned:

• Less waste in the environment
• FSC certification for the printer
• A cleaner work space

Recycling paper is just one aspect of the paper part of this equation. Buying paper stock made from recycled and waste stock is also green.

FSC certification is recognition that a printer is really doing their part. Look for this designation when you choose your next print supplier. It means they use recycled paper and also practice recycling of used materials and supplies.

A cleaner work space means higher-quality work and a reflection of their attention to detail.

Another good thing to look for in your print supplier.

The Executive

Beth Stacy, Director of First Impressions

The first voice you hear at any company can make or break your relationship with that company. So, Executive Press hired the best.

Beth Stacy is not only the receptionist, she is also handles all things financial for the company and is the direct mail department.

“I do everything from meet clients on the phone and at the front door to process mailing lists to cutting checks,” Beth said. “The secret to my success is that I love paperwork!”

The direct mail part of her job takes up a big part of her day. And it is more than sticking stamps on mail going out the door.

“The finished print pieces come to me, but there are a number of steps first,” Beth told me.

“Using specialized postal software, I process the list and divide it into the groups to get the best postage rate and discounts,” she said. Beth went on to describe how after those steps, the printed pieces are fed through the postage machine. The completed postcards, catalogs and other mailing pieces are then stacked in outgoing postal bins ready for delivery.

One of the things that makes Beth so approachable and likable as the company’s first impression is her love of animals.

“Our home is filled with our pets,” Beth said. “Two dogs and four cats warm up our home and keep me busy when I’m not at EP.” Being a dog person myself, I could tell when I met Beth that this made her special.

Executive Press is proud of our people and the work they do for our customers and in the community. When you call in, you can be assured that Beth and the rest of our team will do their best to meet your communication needs.

The Executive Pressman

Turnaround Time

Turnaround time. So, just how patient are you?

From the time of monks putting quill pens to parchment, the issue of "how long will it take to finish?" has been in the minds of both producers and customers. Once movable type came along then things moved faster. It only took days to get printed pages.

By the time computers made the scene as regular parts of the process in the 1980s, it got to the point that we were impatient. Waiting minutes for a desktop printer to spew out type when just a few years before we didn't mind waiting more than a day for the same output.

Technology does move the hands of time, so it seems.

So much so that one industry source has forecast that by the end of 2010, 30 percent of all printing done by professional printers and providers will take 1 day or less.

Wow, Gutenberg would be astonished.

Seriously, this is something we all have to consider when we place an order. How long something takes to be designed, printed, packaged and delivered varies by the product (simple brochure or catalog) and the complexity of the content. And the time sensitivity of the content.

Think about all of those things before you ask your printer to deliver something sooner than is practical.

The Executive

Typefaces and Fonts and Brand

Integral to the design of all documents that are read is the choice of a typeface or font.

It really is the "face" of a document.

First of all, what is a typeface or font? Actually, they are two different terms. A typeface, as defined by Wikipedia, "...is a set of one or more fonts, in one or more sizes, stylistically similar...compris(ed) of a set letters, numbers and punctuation marks..."

A font is, since the advent of computer technology, a single style of letter (to paraphrase Wikipedia).

So, fonts are a part of typography.

What does this mean to you?

Well, as a consumer or business owner, you can help shape your brand and look of your company. A certain typeface tells a story about you--from serious to playful to what your company does.

Setting type together with color, lines, shapes and photographs will define your collateral materials as well as your webpage. Be sure to be consistent and use the same faces in similar situations.

A qualified designer can take the concepts of your company and interpret them into these forms and shapes just as a qualified writer would tell your story in print or in a speech. Whether it is a PowerPoint presentation, a printed brochure or your webpage, what is written, both as a content and as viewed, is powerful to the reader's brain as well as their eyes.

The Executive

Presses versus copiers

As the digital age overtakes us, so do changes in the processes that we depend on and take for granted.

For example, printing and the printed page. We all have access to a desktop printer or a personal copier. And companies like Executive Press use printing presses and digital printers.

What's the difference between all of these beasts?

A traditional printing press relies on ink, a plate or platen for transfer and paper. The image is typically transferred photographically to a plate and then the plate afixed to the press. Ink is applied and paper fed through the press to capture the image.

Digital printers or copiers typically dispense with the photographic part and send the image straight to the image transfer system.

A good article describing the difference can be found here: http://americanprinter.com/digital-presses/printing_going_digital_staying/

The point is, while one might seem archaic or old, it still has it's place. Many applications (catalogs, books, larger forms) require large-scale reproduction and bindery. Most processes find a place, while maybe reduced in scale, as we move forward.

The Executive Pressman

Today's 5 Design Terms

We're going to review design terminology periodically in this space. Here are five terms to think about as you choose and work with a designer.

Bleed--when an image extends beyond the margins or the page itself.

Body Text--the central text or copy in a brochure, book, catalogue or printed collateral piece.

Descender--the letters y, g, j, p and q (in lower case), named so because their "tails" descend below the line they are written or printed on.

DPI--dots per inch, a measurement of definition of a digital image. Typical DPIs are 300, 600 or 1200. Usually measured at the full size of the image.

Greeking--dummy type used as a placeholder in an initial or draft design.

Those are today's five. Questions?

The Executive

Heather Hunt, Customer Service

She understands both the rhythm of the dance floor as well as the beat of the print shop. You ask and she understands and delivers.

Heather Hunt is Executive Press' Customer Service Representative (CSR) and newest employee. But new does not describe her experience. A Dallas native, she grew up in the printing industry, starting with her dad's print shop.

"I started working in the shop when I was about 12," Heather said. "From bindery on through, I've done every job in a printing company over the past 20 years."

Heather's experience is key to her day job at EP. She writes up orders and estimates jobs for clients. She fulfills orders by providing quotes and requests for the services of the company. She may be the voice you hear when you call in for an order status or as a first-time customer. Every job originates at her desk.

"This is a fun place to work," Heather said. "the hardest thing for me is to let go of a project to someone else because I want to see them all through the shop."

Having fun is something Heather knows about in her away-from-work life. As a professional belly dancer, she performs in dance concerts throughout the United States. She also performs in local restaurants, private functions and at the Scarborough Renaissance Festival every Spring.

“I started dancing a few years back at the local Renaissance festival and it grew into a passion,” Heather said."It is a great way to stay in shape and the moves require a precision that my other life experiences fit right into, she added.

Executive Press is proud of our people and the work they do for our customers and in the community. When you call in, you can be assured that Heather and the rest of our team will do their best to meet your communication needs.

The Executive Pressman

Jennifer Beaty, Face of the Company

You know you’ve seen her before. She looks familiar, yet you can’t quite place her. Then, when she walks over and introduces herself to you and starts her “short introductory speech, you know.

Anybody who is out networking in the business community in North Texas has met Jennifer Beaty at one time or another. The visible owner of Executive Press, it is Jennifer’s job to be the face of the company, develop new business and make and manage relationships.

“I love the printing business,” Jennifer said. “That’s why I am in and stay in this business.”

With nine years in the business, she got into it after a career start in being a network administrator in the IT business didn’t take hold.

“I love math and seeing a finished product,” Jennifer told me. “I also like people and love to network,” she added.

The last part is what drives the rest of life. Besides all of the business associations she keeps up with from the North Dallas and Garland Chambers and networking groups like First Tuesday, her kids and their activities keep her running.

“We have two teenaged girls who are involved in sports,” Jennifer said, ”As a result, I am treasurer of the Garland High School Boosters Club.” But that’s not all.

“Every summer, our family gets involved together in a number of charities,” Jennifer continued. “We require the girls (and their two brothers) to volunteer or contribute to at least two charities each year. ”Habitat for Humanity, Komen for the Cure and Special Olympics have been the recipients of the Beaty clan’s attention in recent years.Those relationships will continue this year and for years to come.

Executive Press is proud of our people and the work they do for our customers and in the community.When you call in, you can be assured that Jennifer and the rest of our team will do their best to meet your communication needs.

The Executive Pressman

Using Soy Inks

Using soy inks is a part of being a green printer and being FSC certified.

What are soy inks and how are they made?
Instead of being made from petroleum, soy inks use a base of soybean oil. The soybean oil is refined and blended with pigments, waxes and resins. Using soy inks makes it easier to recycle the paper printed with soy inks.

Why use soy inks?
To be environmental friendly and supportive of our environment. The manufacture, use and disposal of soy inks do little, if any, harm to the environment. Since soybean oil is naturally cleaner than petroleum inks, the colors are brighter. Images printed with soy inks are sharper, studies show. While they can be used in most applications, they take longer to dry. But that tradeoff is minimal considering the advantages of image quality and cost.

When did soy inks take over?
Since the late 1980s, newspapers began using soy-based inks to save money (over expensive petroleum-based inks) and to give them sharper, cleaner images. In 2004, over 95% of newspapers in the US used soy-based inks.

Who uses soy inks?
Printers and suppliers who are either FSC certified or environmentally friendly or conscious, use soy-based inks and printing products. Plus anybody who wants to save money.

How do you make sure soy inks are used?
Ask your printer if they use soy inks. Or specify them when you place an order. Or ask your designer to specify soy inks.

The use of soy ink is so pervasive and become such an industry standard that the National Soy Ink Information Center (established in 1993) was closed in 2004. Soy ink use is now regulated by the National Soybean Council.

The Executive

Primer on Paper

Paper is a basic ingredient in anything printed. But there is more to it. Here is a basic primer on paper. There is more to paper than what you will read here, so our intention here is to share some basics to get you started.

Paper is comprised of ingredients like all things. Most papers include paper pulp, cotton, postconsumer waste fiber, millwaste fiber, calcium carbonate, dyes and colorings, optical brighteners, fillers, sizings and coatings.

When choosing paper, consider:

• "Hand"
• Grade
• Weight

"Hand" is the way paper feels to the fingertips. It will be the first impression a reader or viewer gets of your brochure, book, catalog or other printed piece.

Grade refers to the quality and type (application) of paper. Grades include:

• Opaque
• Offset
• Coated
• Writing (bond)
• Text
• Cover

Ways to measure paper start with weight, but also include:

• Caliper (the thickness)
• M weight (the weight of 1000 sheets)
• Basis weight (weight of 500 sheets in a specific size)
• GSM (grams per square inch, a metric measure which standardizes weight regardless of size)

This should get you started and prepare you for that discussion with your designer and printer. For more information visit us at Executive Press (www.executivepress.com)

The Executive

Source material for this post came from www.mohawkpaper.com

What is Bindery?

“It binds us and the whole universe together,” Obi-Wan Kenobi said about the force. Well, published things need to be bound together as well. But it usually involves a different kind of “force”.

In the trade, we call it bindery.

Bindery or binding is the fastening together of pages or printed pieces into a whole product such as a book or presentation or pages in a binder.

There are a number of types of bindery. Modern commercial print suppliers use techniques such as:

• Coil binding
• Comb binding
• Velo binding
• Perfect binding

The term, bindery, especially in copy and print shops, has expanded to include other forms of paper finishing, such:

• Paper drilling
• Lamination
• Foam-core mounting

it will be used
Whatever the situation, bindery should be chosen based upon the use of the finished product and by whom. Other factors such as cost, subject matter and expected lifespan should also be considered.

The Executive

Digital Printing Made Understandable

Digital printing is printing using techniques developed for computer printers such as inkjet or laser printers.

Many graphic projects begin with analog sources such as 35mm slides, transparencies or reflective art (photographs, original artwork). To produce a digital image, these elements are converted to digital files that can be manipulated on a computer system.

Digital printing differs from other types of printing (lithography, flexography, gravure, and letterpress) in these ways:

• Every print can be different, because printing plates are not required.
• There is less waste of chemicals and paper,because there is no need to check for registration and position during the actual printing.
• The ink or toner does not permeate the surface it is being printed on, as do conventional inks.

Because there is less initial setup, digital is useful for rapid prototyping, and cost effective for small print runs.

Digital printing is used for personalized printing and print-on-demand (POD) systems. This is ideal for short run books of varying page quantities and binding.

The Executive

Thanks to Wikipedia for some background information used here

Brand consistency

Your brand is more than a logo. However, being consistent within your image and brand does extend to your logo and daily image creating items. This list includes:

1. Business cards
2. Letterhead
3. Collateral or website

Anything that you put out these items should project who you are from one platform or medium to the next. When devising or ordering each of the above items consider:

• Typeface
• Color of ink
• Type of paper stock
• Position of elements on the page or card
• Spelling and use of catch phrases

Use a designer if you can. A good printer or freelance designer in your area can help with the layout and production of these importnat tools.

The Executive

FSC Certification

The Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) is an independent, non-governmental, not-for-profit organization established to promote the responsible management of the world’s forests. Their website is www.fsc.org.

Many companies working in an industry dealing with wood products or paper and paper goods seek to be identified with the FSC to show their awareness and commitment to responsible forest management worldwide.

Executive Press is FSC-certified. FSC’s certification system provides internationally recognized standard-setting, trademark assurance and accreditation services to companies, organizations, and communities interested in responsible forestry.

By having the FSC label the public and consumers recognize our responsible practices. There is a level credibility with customers and business partners as well as financial institutions and watchdog organizations.

For more information and real examples of our commitment to this certification, please get in touch with us.

The Executive

Green Initiative

Being green is all the rage today.

To people in the printing and communications industry it means acting responsible in the use of processes and materials in the products and services we provide to our clients.

When a company makes the commitment to become a green printing company it mans they are more sensitive to the environment. To meet this goal, many suppliers have converted to soy-based inks and print on post-consumer, waste-recycled or FSC-certified papers. Also, by implementing proven systems in production areas that reduce energy usage and recycling all paper and aluminum plates used in the printing process, printers have become more “green”.

End users need to consider that these initiatives just might make a big difference to their customers. Many place a small footnote onto their printed materials that read "Printed with soy-based inks on FSC-certified paper" or "Printed with soy-based inks on recycled paper" (whichever is applicable) to indicate their environmental awareness to their customers.

Being green is both a conscientious thing to do as well as financially responsible.

The Executive