The Voice of the Customer: WaterMax

Getting call backs from your marketing efforts is the name of the game. So is being "green."

"Originally WaterMax used a tri-fold color brochure printed on 30-pound paper because it was inexpensive," Spencer Matthews of WaterMax told us recently. "Executive Press suggested a larger brochure with a heavier card stock. We NEVER received a call back from our first brochure. But now, we get them all the time."

That attention to detail won Spencer over to Executive Press. His company, WaterMax, produces water-saving products for the construction and agriculture industries. Spencer is the chief marketing officer for the company.

"People even pass the brochures on to others we never had the opportunity to meet," Spencer added.

The green aspect of both businesses was a plus as well.

"Being a green company ourselves, it only makes sense for us to have a green printer," Spencer said. "It’s actually cheaper for us to go green with Executive Press than it was to print with our old printer."

For more information on how working with a green printer who also understands effective marketing, call Executive press at 214-217-7000.

The Executive Pressman

What Our Customers Say: WRA Architects

Having a business partner who knows what they are doing is very important to the success of your business. We are very fortunate to have WRA Architects as a partner.

Recently, our client at WRA, Grady L. Frank, told us what he thought of the working relationship he has with Executive Press.

"Marketing professional services, especially in the design arena, demands very high quality in all our printed imagery, Mr. Frank said. WRA depends on imagery to help sell their end product and brochures and other quality printed pieces are a part of their promotion as well as the final deliverable.

Mr.Frank, AIA, is Director of Marketing for WRA Architects, Inc.

"I've been in marketing over twenty years and started using Executive Press four years ago, and have never looked back," Grady continued. "Their pricing is competitive, their turn-around time is excellent, and their quality is outstanding."

Grady also feels that while quality is important, a printer's consistent dependability and ability to deliver is just as important, if not more so.

"Executive Press delivers our expected level of high quality on every job without variation," he said. "But what puts Executive Press above other printers in my book is the knowledge and professionalism of their staff. They are very accommodating with my press-checks, they know how to make my jobs come out right every time, and they remember our firm's subtle preferences, which is not easy, but greatly appreciated."

"I highly recommend Executive Press to anyone needing a fully equipped, agency-quality, commercial printing source."

To learn more about Executive Press, please call Jennifer Beaty at 214-217-7000.
The Executive Pressman

The Three M's of Direct-Mail Marketing

This is a real simple way of remembering what is important in direct-mail marketing:

• The Market
• The Message
• The Mailing List

Any one of these without the other is pointless.

Know who you are marketing to and what you are offering to them based upon what they need. Knowing the market and its preferences makes the rest easier.

Define your message by your audience, then stay on message. Being clear about who you are, what you do and how you do it will help your suspects, prospects and clients get to know you and continue to do business with you.

Knowing who is on your list and how closely it resembles your target audience is critical. Sending your information to the wrong audience doesn't do much good for either of you.

This post of generated after reading this article by Janet Attard on the Business Know-How site.

The Executive Pressman

The New Image of Executive Press

Every day we work with our clients to help them with their image and brand to be the best in their industry.

Now it's our turn.

"We have a new look to our brand," Jennifer Beaty said. "Beyond the new logo and colors, we have refocused our business and are emphasizing the way we do business with our clients."

Jennifer is Vice President and managing general partner of Executive Press. Executive Press is a Richardson, Texas-based provider of printed communication.

The launch of the new look is the culmination of many months of work by Jennifer and her team to emphasize the team aspects of Executive Press both to its customers and within its own walls.

"Executive Press is built on long-term relationships, both with our clients and our staff," Jennifer continued. "Without the constant support of either group, we wouldn't be in business."

Emphasizing quality work, excellent turnaround times and clear communication, Executive Press is positioned to be the best mid-sized printer of 4-color and digital printed communication and mailing services in North Texas. However, with clients in Colorado, Houston and Oklahoma, that reach is growing.

"We are growing and improving every day," Jennifer said. "This new identity is just the start for the next phase of Executive Press."

The first public viewing of the new company identity will be at today's 1st Tuesday Connections networking group in North Dallas.

The Executive Pressman

Save a Forest: Print Your Emails--A Different Lesson in Being Green

Recently International Paper Company reprinted a story from the Wall Street Journal that encourages us to print our emails to save a forest.

Huh?

The common perception is that "being green" means keeping trees, not using paper and natural resources. However, the authors, Chuck Leavell and Carlton Owen, argue otherwise.

"What many folks don't realize is that it (not printing) also may indirectly hasten the conversion of forests to other uses like strip malls and parking lots and housing developments because the nation's forest landowners can't keep growing trees without markets for this natural, organic and renewable product," Chuck wrote for the WSJ.

It is not that the authors are advocating waton waste, they said. More forests are dying of insect infestation and disease or being paved over...right now than could be converted to an email print-out in a thousand years, they said.

Paper is a renewable resource and using it carefully and recycling it and its byproducts is more green than ignoring it completely. So be green by using paper.

The Executive Pressman

Executive Press Appreciates Labor-Saving Features of New Suprasetter

Running cleaner and greener is a long-term goal of Executive Press. Since we replaced a violet Platesetter with a Suprastter A75 thermal computer-to-plate device from Heidelberg we have been both.

Used to image Heidelberg Saphira Chemfree plates for the company’s four offset presses, including a 6-color Speedmaster SM 74 and 4-color Printmaster GTO, the new Suprasetter “fell right in line with our workflow,” said General Manager David Allen. Most impressive to Allen and his team is the automatic top-loading capability of the new platesetter, which provides fully automated plate loading and slip sheet removal that permits mostly unattended operation of the unit.

Executive Press has a longstanding commitment to green printing. Accordingly, the company has converted to soy-based inks and prints on post-consumer waste recycled or FSC-certified paper, unless our customers specify otherwise. The company has implemented proven systems in its production area to reduce energy usage while recycling all paper and aluminum plates used in the printing process.

The new Suprasetter contributes to this effort with its own set of environmental credentials. Consuming 0.7 kilowatts per hour, the Suprasetter A75 platesetter draws around five times less power and generates around five times less waste heat than comparable models from other manufacturers.

“Heidelberg equipment is simply the best there is, and their service technicians are well-trained, knowledgeable and persistent,” Allen said. “There’s none better.”

Approaching a quarter-century in business, $2.5 million Executive Press currently employs a staff of 12, and serves real estate and building clients and a variety of associations doing business in North Texas.

The Executive Pressman

Choosing a Valued Marketing Partner: Ovation Health & Life Services

We are very fortunate to have the clients we have. We appreciate them for choosing to do business with us and we appreciate their challenges as well.

Daniel LaBroad, President, Ovation Health & Life Services, Inc., is one of our key customers. When Daniel was in the process of branding his company, he was looking for just the right partner to help.

“A company is only as good as it’s brand. Ovation has spent lots of time and money creating and managing our image," Daniel said.

Ovation Health & Life Services provides and manages benefit programs for businesses and public sector groups.

"Recently, our media firm created a high-quality print piece that is now the center of our marketing," Daniel continued. "After several interviews, we chose Executive Press to handle the printing of our marketing collateral."

"This was a large expense for us, and I was nervous, Daniel said. "Executive Press did an outstanding job throughout the entire process by communicating constantly, offering suggestions, and giving us a high quality product. They put all my concerns at ease."

Ovation now uses Executive Press for all of their printing needs including their client benefit books and event fliers.

"Executive Press is a great business partner. We highly recommend them," Daniel said.
The Executive Pressman

Things to Consider in Design

With all printed products, the design and creation phase is critical. Some things to consider when you either ask to have something designed by your print partner or bring to them:

• The program it is originated in
• File sizes
• Appropriate notes and instructions
• Time

"Each of these are important considerations," Jennifer Beaty said. "If you can't provide most of these either quality, schedule or budget will be compromised," she said.

Jennifer is the managing partner of Executive Press, one of North Texas' premier print and direct-mail companies.

The program the design was originated in is important because that tells the print house what the output will look like. Most designers or printers us one of the following programs in either Mac or PC:

• Acrobat
• Photoshop
• InDesign
• Quark
• Illustrator

File size is important, given that you will most likely have to pass the file along over the internet (electronically). Consult with your IT provider to see if there are file size limits for outbound files; check with your print partner to see if they have limitations on inbound file sizes.

Always include notes and instructions with your files to make sure that the people on the receiving end understand things like finished size, output color and paper stock.

Time is probably the most critical: give your partner time to produce the piece if you have a deadline. That doesn't mean that if you have a Tuesday deadline that they get it Monday night!

A little planning and a lot of consideration go a long way toward a successful finished product.

The Executive Pressman

Making Premiums Work for You

There are any number of ways to get visibility for your company. One of the most direct is using premiums or branded giveaways.

But simple it is not.

"We work with a number of premium suppliers here in the North Texas area," Jennifer Beaty said. Jennifer is the managing partner of Executive Press, a marketing and printing company based in Richardson, Texas. "They all tell us the same thing: you get remembered by being in front of people each and every day."

Premiums include the typical pens, shirts and hats. But they can be more than that.

"We provided reflective stickers for breaker boxes," Whitey Thomas of WT Promotions said. "That way when the lights go out, the customer knows who to call."

Even in the usual places your items need to be branded.

"I want my customer's names in front of their clients every day," Judy Smith of Promo Pizazz said. "It's all about repetition."

Key things to look for in promotional items:

• Are they useful to the client?
• Is the brand name prominent?
• Is it durable and lasting?
• Will the client comment on it?
• Is it integrated into a larger program? That is, does it fit a theme or is it tied to your company somehow?
  

"The best promo items are the ones your client thanks you for later," Jennifer continued. "Whether it is a useful or fun item, it has to be memorable."

For more ideas or to reach Jennifer or one of her North Dallas Chamber (NDCC) colleagues, call 214-217-7000.

The Executive Pressman

The Importance of Business Cards

They are the first line of defense of the networker: a business card.

It is amazing how this thin sliver of heavy weight paper with your name on it can be so important. But consider this as you go out and meet clients and new prospects and suspects that each card has:

• Introduces you by name and brand
• Your contact information
• A life after you leave

And if you design it right, has blank space on the back for notes and can be read by most scanners.

"In my seminars I tell my students to "always carry business cards. Always," Paul E. Maynard said. Known as the Relentless Networker, Maynard knows. "I've traded business cards with people in cabs in Mexico, in airport terminal everywhere and through the mail for almost 30 years."

A good card design features:

• A clear typeface and a simple design
• A quality paper stock to reflect your professionalism
• A blank back for notes
• A logo or other identifying mark

And be sure and buy them in enough quantity to last. Also consider your letterhead, envelopes and other stationery to be consistent with your brand.

The Executive Pressman

The US Post Office and Direct Mail

While they are in the mailing business, the US Postal Service has done a great job of promoting and marketing direct-mail marketing. On a visit to their website the other day I found a whole collection of information that is a good resource for you if you are considering integrating direct mail into your marketing program.

The USPS cited a number of advantages of DMM on their website. Direct mail is:

• Targeted
• Personal
• Flexible
• Tangible
• Measurable
  
• Easy to start and run

Now, if the guys who deliver the mail say all of these things, than it must be true, right? Well the DMA (Direct Marketing Association) backs them up on their website and most professionals in the field, including ourselves, say the same things.

But remember, too, that direct mail is most effective when it is part of a concerted, coordinated, branded program. And you have to give your targets the option to "opt out." Courtesy is still important.

The Executive Pressman

www.executivepress.com

Direct-Mail is Not Dead

Direct-mail marketing is not passe--not even close.

The DMA (Direct Marketing Association) reports that in 2009, marketers--commercial and non-profit--spent $149 billion on direct marketing which was over 50% of all advertising expenditures for the year.

A big part of this effort was direct mail.

Direct-mail marketing is popular and results in a high return because:

• It is targeted to a specific prospect by name.
• The content is customized.
• The return and results are measurable.

For more information on how you can make direct-mail marketing work for you, please call Jennifer Beaty at 214-217-7000 or visit our website at www.executivepress.com.

The Executive Pressman

Invitations

Courtesy, kindness and protocol die hard.

While it is popular (and sometimes, accepted) to issue and respond to invitations electronically, the days of printed and mailed invitations and thank-you notes are far from numbered.

Invitations to important life events still are popular and alive. The kinds of events that still rely on printed invitations include:

• Weddings
• Bachelor and bachelorette parties
• Baby showers
• Super Bowl parties

Step back, Evite, you aren't the end-all-be-all.

As for other printed cards, consider that hand-written notes still have a significant impact with those who receive them. For example:

• A new business associate remembers a hand-written thank-you note longer than an email thank you.
• Newly married couples still follow the protocol of sending hand-written thank-yous to their wedding guests and gift-givers.
• A potential or new employer not only remembers a hand-written note, they appreciate the gesture.

Printed invitations and notes live on because personal interaction is still very important.

For more information about how to design, print and distribute these important printed items, please call Jennifer at Executive Press at 214-217-7000.
The Executive Pressman

Coupons and Offers

Quite often a story appears in the media about people who buy their groceries with coupons and little or no cash. But coupons and offers aren't just for groceries.

"We've been experimenting with text offers and Q codes," Jennifer Beaty said. "We've had a good response, too."

Jennifer is the managing partner of Executive Press. They found that using these new age "coupons" was a natural extension of their direct-mail and other marketing offerings they provide for their clients.

"We first have tried it for ourselves to see how it would work to build our business," Jennifer said. "Our first text offer came at the recent North Dallas Chamber of Commerce's Building Business Expo."

Executive Press started with a sign in their Expo booth with an offer to text to a number for either dollars off your next order or a free digital print.

"The response was more than we expected, quite frankly," Jennifer said. "It shows that people are far more digitally oriented than we imagined in a business-to-business environment," Jennifer said.

Q codes are another option. The simple barcode variation allows customers to scan them and be taken to a specific website or custom URL.

For more information about direct text marketing and Q codes, visit www.executivepress.com or call Jennifer at 214-217-7000.

The Executive Pressman

Why Use Direct-Mail Marketing?

Using direct-mail marketing as a part of your marketing mix still is valid.

A source no less than the US Small Business Administration's SCORE (Service Corps of Retired Executives) advocates direct-mail marketing. In a recent on-line post, SCORE reiterated why to use direct mail as a part of your marketing mix:

1. It works when you aren't working.
2. It leverages your efforts.
   
3. It targets your audience(s) with precision.
4. It gives you an immediate response.
5. It is easy to track return on investment.
6. It is relatively inexpensive.
7. It gets you one-on-one attention.
8. It is something you and touch and feel.

As the story points out, it hangs around, too. One of the biggest documented users of direct-mail marketing is Google. Why would the largest search engine in the world need to use a service and technologies that are so 20th (and maybe 19th) century? Because people still read their mail and react to it.

"Nothing replaces direct contact," Jennifer Beaty says. "Whether it is in person with a handshake or landing a piece of mail or a package on someone's desk, nothing replaces tangible contact," she continued. Jennifer is the managing partner of Executive Press, a North Texas company that specializes in direct-mail marketing.

"Our clients like the personalization of it," Jennifer said. "And being able to target very specifically and track the results quickly have made a real difference in their marketing programs."

As you formulate your marketing plans, seriously consider direct mail as a part of them. For more information visit Executive Press' website or call 214-217-7000.
The Executive Pressman

To read the whole SBA story go to www.score.com.

To Print or Not To Print...That Is The Question

OK, Shakespeare we are not, but the thought is in the right place:

Think before you print.

Before you commit resources, time and money to printing something--anything--think first.

• Will it help the reader to have this in their hands?
• Is the item more likely to be read if it is in hard copy form?
• Will it have more impact as a printed piece?
• How many people need to have it?
• What do you expect the reader to do once they've read it?

Whether you are pressing "print" on your computer or asking your printing partner to set up and print a 4-color brochure, the thought process is the same.

Some things go without saying that you need to have a printed copy. That list is pretty short these days--your business card. You still make connections and trade these things to make an impression. While business cards can be delivered electronically, more than likely they will always be printed and handed out.

So think carefully--and in a green way--before printing.

The Executive Pressman

www.executivepress.com

Print is Not Dead

In a conversation this morning, The Pressman was reminded of the fact that the printed word is not dead. Here in Dallas alone there are signs like:

• The Advocate Magazine is delivered door-to-door to thousands of East and Central Dallas residents.
• The New York Times, Dallas Morning News, and USA Today are sold daily at hundreds of Starbucks locations in North Texas--and being read.
• Magazine bins are a regular feature by the doors of most restaurants in the Metro area.
• "Briefing" is published and delivered to Metro area homes by the DMN four times a week.
• Direct mail postcards show up daily in our mailboxes.
• Nordstrom still relies on catalog sales from the books delivered to its card holder's mailboxes.
• The same Starbucks still uses direct mail postcards to ask its gold card holders to come in for a free drink on their birthdays.

The printed word being alive means we are still reading as a society. It means many printers, writers, designers, postal workers, delivery people, fulfillment workers and others have work because of this vibrant industry.

Take a look around and take note.

The Executive Pressman

www.executivepress.com

Small Businesses and Printers

How can a small business or start up use a printer?

Let's make a list of simple start-up ideas:

1. Design your logo
2. Help you with the rest of your brand
   
3. Print business cards and letterhead
4. Run a direct-mail campaign
5. Print and distribute a brochure about your company
6. Publish a catalog of your products
7. Help you with a newsletter
8. Print flyers for local distribution
9. Print any internal, specialized forms you may need to run your business
10. Connect you with other people in your business

Hmmm....that last one is interesting. You, mean network with people? Oh, yeah, connect me with people either in my same business or potential customers. Maybe a partner or supplier. Yes, your printer probably belongs to chambers of commerce and other networking groups and most likely, is a small business themselves.

Not a bad list.

The Executive Pressman

www.executivepress.com

Five Direct-Mail Terms to Know

Direct-mail marketing is alive and well. In the interest of helping you understand how it can work for you, here are five terms from this business that help make clear what makes this marketing option work.

1. Compiled list .Names and addresses taken from directories, newspapers, public records. People who have something in common. Compiled lists are usually the least useful or responsive for direct marketing. Response lists are better.
2. Control Group .Every database promotion should include a control group of customers who are not exposed to the promotion. The success of the promotion is measured by the difference in response of the promoted group compared to the control group (after subtracting the cost of the promotion).
3. Conversion rate. The percentage of responders who become customers.
4. Database Marketing. Collecting data on customers and using it to provide recognition and services to customers, resulting in increased customer loyalty and repeat sales.
5. Direct Response. Advertising or promotion that seeks not just to provide information, but to generate an inquiry, order or visit.

We'll bring up more terms in future posts. In the meantime, this will help you understand what makes this interesting business tick.

The Executive Pressman

www.executivepress.com

(some content courtesy of the Database Marketing Institute, www.dbmarketing.com)

Five Printing Terms You Need to Know

Remember vocabulary tests in school? While this won't be a test, it is importnat in business to have a broad and varied vocabulary. It helps you communicate.

A good person to be communicating with clearly is your print service provider. So today we are talking about print terminology that is valuable to know.

Let's pick five terms to become familiar with:

1. PDF
2. Digital printing
3. Offset printing
4. Press proof
5. Green printing

A PDF is a software program/product developed by Adobe that allows for a piece that is to be printed to be packaged for ease of production. Most desktop computers have the program and many printers can work directly from these files to finished printed product easily.

Digital printing is imaging done by a printing machine (press) using laser, inkjet or solid-ink technology to make the images. Xerography is a form of digital printing.

Offset printing is traditional printing that is done on a printing press and uses plates and image-transfer processes. Used primarily for large run jobs and specialty projects (catalogs, for example).

A press proof is a review of the printed project as it comes off the press during it's initial run. Ink color and density and image quality can all be judged at this time and corrections made.

Green printing is a broad term that encompasses what a printing service provider does in terms of using environmentally safe products and processes. Soy inks, recycled papers and careful recovery and use of solvents are all a part of being a green printer.

For more information, please visit www.executivepress.com. Or call us at 214-217-7000.

The Executive Pressman

On-line Ordering

Does your print and mail house offer on-line ordering? If not, here are some things to consider that make this service offering invaluable:

• The convenience of delivering to-be-printed files electronically.
• Reviews and proofs can be accomplished remotely and electronically.
• Orders can be reviewed and placed online.

By placing, processing and managing orders on line, you do the following:

• Save gas
• Save travel time
• Speed the process--no time lag
• Increase productivity
• Increase quality--more attention to detail and fewer revisions.

For more information on how an on-line ordering system works, contact us at www.executivepress.com.

The Executive Pressman

Positive First Impressions: Building Your Brand

A first impression is always the best impression--or at least a lasting one. Some things to consider as you build your business and along with it your brand:

• Does everybody in your company have the same design and style of business card?
• Do you all know the key messages you are expected to deliver when talking about the company?
• Does everybody have or know an "elevator speech"?
• Does the receptionist (the "director of first impressions") answer the phone in a consistent fashion?
• When your prospects or clients come to your website to they see the same image or have the same impression as when they come to your office or meet your representatives?
• Do all your media (web page, brochures, offices, trade show booths, ads) have the same branding (logos, colors, messages)?

Thinking and inventorying these items will go a long way toward to building your brand in a positive way from the first impression. And don't forget to act on that list!

The Executive Pressman

www.executivepress.com

Brand Brand Brand!

We hear the word all the time: Brand.

What exactly is it?

1. A logo?
2. A typeface?
3. Actions and words?
4. All of the above?
5. None of the above?

Well, it is parts of 4 and 5. Really. There are the elements of brand and then there is the image of brand. There is also the brand promise.

Wikipedia defines brand as a "the identity of a specific product, service or business."
Do you know your brand or brand identity? Are you:

• Consistent in its use?
• Clear in its appearance and identity?
• Able to articulate the promise of your brand?

Look at how others define and use their brands. Talk with marketing professionals and other known experts if you aren't clear. Reach out to your network to get the best ideas and then apply them to your business plans and objectives.

Consult with us at Executive Press. We can help you define and implement your brand.

The Executive Pressman

The Value of of a Good First Impression

You’ve heard it before. You never have a second chance to make a first impression.

Think about the first time you did business with a company. If you had a bad experience, you may not give them another chance. What impression does your business give? Here are some tips to leave the right first impression with your customers.

• Consistency. Whether it is with your marketing materials, your physical location or your employees’ appearance and service, you need to send a consistent message.
• Employees. You aren’t the only one that works with your customers. So it’s important to train your employees to give the same level of service you would give.
  
• Get feedback. Want to truly know if you are making a good first impression? Then ask your customers for their opinion.
  

If you want to portray a professional image you need to look at these important details and approaches. For more information and for help in making a good first impression, please visit www.executivepress.com.
The Executive Pressman

Get Smart About Your Mobile Marketing

Look up! Take a look around you and you’ll see everyone doing it. Americans are nose down in their BlackBerrys, Androids and iPhones texting, checking in on Foursquare or Googling for an answer. You’re probably reading this on your smart phone right now. With the holidays coming and smart phones becoming more accessible, this trend will only grow in 2011. This means it’s time to think about mobile marketing. Here are a few ways mobile marketing can help your business.

Make your website mobile friendly.
If you look at your phone bill, you’ll notice that you’ve probably spent more minutes online or texting than actually on the phone. Smart phones can double as a computer, so it’s important that you think about how you want your customers to interact with you when they’re on the go. Of course you’ll want those potential customers to be able to find you or call you as they navigate your site. If you have an online ordering component for instance, you should consider an application that allows users to work with you online.

Text message your customers when they’re nearby.
Rather than just e-mail marketing, consider text message marketing in your mix. Mobile Marketing Watch claims the reaction rate for text message marketing is 70 percent compared to 30 percent for e-mail marketing. You can send special coupons at the exact times of day that your potential customers would want to hear from you. Of course, like e-mail marketing, make sure your customers have opted-in to receive these messages.

Apply some creativity.
If you have a smart phone you know that there are hundreds of applications that you can download to do just about anything. Think about what your business can offer in the form of a useful application that will get people to install it on their phones. It’s a great way for them to interact with your brand and to increase sales.

The Executive

http://www.executivepress.com/resources/news_archive.html/article/2010/11/08/get-smart-about-your-mobile-marketing

Trade Shows Making a Comeback in 2011

In the last two years, trade shows took a hit. But 2011 looks promising as many companies pull themselves out of the recession. If you’re one of those companies that intend to spend some of your marketing budget on displaying at trade shows this year, look for these trends to help you attract more customers to your booth.

Technology is king. These days, technology rules and tradeshow displays are no exception. Incorporate technology into your booth to attract attention. The good news is that technology is more durable than the plasma screens of yore. Touchscreens are one of the hottest trends and they give your visitors an interactive experience.

LED screens can also garner attention. At the Expo 2010 show in China, the State Grid Pavilion hosted a 49 x 46 foot LED display theatre named the “Magic Box.” Once people gathered in the box, the 112 LED panels morphed into one giant screen and attendees appeared to speed across the desert and leap onto Mount Everest. While the “Magic Box” is beyond budget for most, we can learn that creatively integrating technology could make your trade show booth the one everyone needs to see.
Green is here to stay. For anyone who thought that going green was a fleeting fad, it’s still a trend in tradeshow displays. While having plants in your booth is a nice touch, people are expecting more from their companies. Visitors who are concerned for their carbon footprint will be looking for companies that share the same interest. Consider building an entire exhibit out of recycled materials or become a carbon-neutral company and promote your concern for the environment.

Pictures are stronger than words. You have precious few seconds to capture the attention of a tradeshow attendee. Rather than litter your exhibit with all the words from your brochures, just show them through interesting displays. An exhibit designed by Triad Berlin Projektgesellschaft mbH, featured a ceiling-high cylinder swirling with water. On the cylinder were 40 faucets ranging in size to represent how much water a country such as China or America uses. Again, you may not be able to go to those lengths, but you can use interesting imaging to attract attention.

Trade shows are you best way to interact directly with clients and prospects. Use them to your best advantage.

The Executive Pressman

Never Assume Anything

Your new brochure just came back from the printer.

And there is an error!

Hmmmm. What happened? Well, maybe an assumption was made. These can come at different steps in the process or for different reason? Did you assign or assume that someone was going to:

• Approve the bid?
• Sign off the basic design?
• Approve the copy before it was sent to the designer?
• Read the copy?
• Approve the illustrations or photos?
• Be at the press check?
• Inspect the final delivery?

These are basic things, but when there are assumptions made, then ink can be spilled needlessly.

Don't assume anything.

The Executive Pressman

Providing PDFs to Your Print House

Providing a PDF file to your printed didn't used to be an option. Now, with improvements to files, software and output devices, this file type is now useful and available to printing companies for use in the production of finished, high-quality printed products.

The Adobe product is now become the standard file for file exchange and output in the design and printing community. Since the PDF format is compact and platform independent, it is versatile and fairly easy and accurate to use.

By following the simple guidelines in the step-by-step tutorials offered on the Adobe website for your platform (PC or Mac), you will be able to repetitively create usable PDF files for production of your printed materials. The advantages are:

• Speeds the creation and approval of the final product.
• Generates a virtually error-free PostScript file.
• Shows exactly on screen how fonts, graphics and layout will print.
• Speeds the whole process, thereby saving time, money and relationships.

Consider this useful tool for your next design project. For more information, contact Executive Press for step-by-step help.

The Executive