Offset printing

In this day and age of the digital press, there still is a place for offset printed products.

So, just what is offset printing?

"Offset printing is a printing process that transfers an image from a plate to a blanket to paper," Jennifer Beaty told us recently. "There are several types of offset printing, including photo offset, sheet-fed offset and web offset."

Jennifer is the managing partner of Executive Press, a full-service printing and mailing company based in Richardson, Texas. Offset printing is a big part of what they offer their clients.

"Understanding the offset printing process is critical to understanding printing in general," Jennifer said. "The creative input stays about the same, but the mechanical differences between offset and digital are vast."

For larger jobs, offset is the better choice. Catalogs, magazines and multi-page products with special bindings are better matched to offset, Jennifer told us.

"We are very fortunate to have some of the best pressmen in North Texas on our staff," Jennifer said. "Between them, Luke Stacy and Todd Johnson have almost 60 years of printing experience."

"When you add in Jay Norwood, our bindery manager, we have three great craftsmen working for our clients," She said.

To reach Jennifer, Luke, Todd, Jay or any of the Executive Press team, call 214-217-7000 or visit their website. They know offset.

The Executive Pressman

A Fulfilling Opportunity

OK, so you’ve printed up the manuals, product brochures and posters that your clients and prospects need to use.

Now what do you do with them?

“We learned a long time ago that when a customer asks for help, you find a way to help them,” Dave Allen said. Dave is a principal owner in Executive Press in Dallas.

Recently, Executive Press’ client, Atlas-Copco, requested help with their literature and product support materials distribution. While Executive Press’ primary business is printing and mailing, collateral distribution is only a few steps removed from the kinds of fulfillment they were already doing for other clients.

“My partner, Jennifer Beaty, went on a visit to A-C’s Denver operation,” Dave related to us. “When she arrived she thought she would be touring the facility and meeting some new people. However, before she left they asked for help in the distribution of their manuals, brochures and posters, We were more than happy to lend a hand.”

What Dave and his team did was create a system that can be applied to other customers’ needs as well. All of the collateral is stacked on simply-built shelves in an empty portion of Executive Press’ warehouse. All of the 400-plus shelf spaces are labeled with a bar code. That bar code corresponds to a line in an inventory program.

“With a basic storage and distribution system,” Dave said,” we distribute over 400 pieces of printed material to nearly 300 distributors and end-users of A-C’s products. Our bar-code-based system helps us reach out to these clients on average 6 or 7 times each day.”

The distribution system has done a number of things. First, it took the load off of a valued client. Secondly, it is a low-cost alternative, since the client pays for the shipping and gets one bill for all distributions at the end of each month. And, lastly, it allowed Dave and Executive Press to regain use of unused warehouse space and cement an important relationship.

“We’re very grateful to Atlas-Copco for asking us to help them with this business issue,” Dave said. “We’re happy to help.”

You can find Dave and the other members of the Executive Press team by calling 214-217-7000 or by visiting their website.

More on QR Codes

More and more of our clients are using QR codes as a way to communicate with their customers. We are seeing codes used in these ways:

• On the backs of business cards to either bring up a website or contact information.
• At the bottom of a brochure or fact sheet as a way to link to deeper information or a longer form type of content.
• In a technical manual (which, by the way, have gotten really small) to take you to the in-depth version of what you are trying to fix/adjust/replace.
• On equipment to give more information of how to operate that equipment.
• In flyers or single-page ads that allow for more information to be shared--including photos and videos.

The list keeps getting longer and more useful by the day. Consider the code. Here are some links to software that both creates and reads codes.

• Kaywa
• QR Stuff.com
• Smartytags
  

Then bring the code to us and we'll include it in your printed piece.

The Executive Pressman

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