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