A beautifully printed calendar is a smart gift that people will actually use!  They can also be a great promotional tool for your business or service too. When someone uses your calendar, they will get a daily reminder of your company. Not only that, when you give wall calendars, you may gain new customers from their friends and coworkers viewing the print calendar. Following are tips for designing an attractive calendar that people will want to use and share.

Use Creative Photos of Your Product – Your calendar can be both functional and a tool to sell your product or service.  Make sure your pictures are attractive and interesting to look at.  For example, if you own a boutique that sells children’s clothing, you could take photographs of animals dressed in the clothing you sell. Or if you run a restaurant, you could feature toddlers dressed like adults placed like customers.  If you have an interesting business such as making custom jewelry, you could put photos of different steps in your work. Then you could include a little information at the bottom of the picture. Or, if you own a bakery, you might feature attractive pictures of your baked goods and include a recipe underneath each corresponding picture.

Use Photos of Local Attractions – People like seeing pictures of their home town. You could include pictures of local landmarks or places of historic significance. You might also take pictures of local festivals and events. Be sure to include people in your shots, but get their permission if they are close by.

Leave Space for Writing – To encourage people to use your calendars, leave enough blank space on each page for people to write. You should make the date squares large enough to write in. You can also leave room at the top and bottom or sides of each page for notes.  Adding lines is a great idea!

Create Monthly Calendars – Give people a monthly reminder of your business by sending a postcard every month with a one-month print calendar on one side. If you send out a monthly or so newsletter, include an attractive calendar on one page with your business’s monthly events.

Print Pocket Calendars – Pocket calendars get used a lot because people can keep track of appointments in them. For example, a doctor, dentist or even an optometrist might want to print a pocket calendar.  When patients make their next appointment, ask them if you can write it in a pocket calendar that you give them.

Whatever your business, a print calendar is an excellent way to connect with customers and also create loyalty by giving them a gift they can look forward to each year. Just don’t forget to include your logo and contact information in an inconspicuous spot on your calendar so that customers remember how great your company really is!

Custom greeting cards are a great way to send a highly personalized message to customers, friends, and family.  And today’s software packages have made it easier than ever to create a completely custom greeting card for the holiday season.  Here are five easy steps you can follow to create the perfect custom greeting cards and one BONUS tip to use when selecting your printing options.  Following these steps will help you take your initial design concept and bring it to a fruitful – and beautiful – conclusion.

Select a Custom Greeting Card Template – Most professional printing firms will supply you with downloadable templates to help you lay out the design of your custom card.  Think about whether you want a horizontal or vertical card, flat or folded and the size you prefer. Then check the templates your online printer provides. Once you have downloaded the correct template, you can begin designing your custom greeting card using your favorite software.

Choose a Theme  -  Choose a theme for your greeting card, such as a holiday or special occasion.  This is an important step so that you know what kind of graphics and text to put on your custom greeting cards.  There are an abundance of themed images for public use that can be found on the internet and many that are often paired with certain software programs. The sheer number of available graphics can be overwhelming, so having an idea in mind helps keep you able to narrow down your selections. Think about designs you have seen and liked, and try to incorporate a few of those elements into your own card.

Get Your Graphics – Once you’ve decided on your theme, you can start collecting your graphics.  Keep in mind that most internet images are 72 dots-per-inch, but all professional printing should be done at a minimum 300 dots-per-inch.  Some software programs come with a library of images and graphics usually sorted by theme and category. However, there are also many excellent resources online for free and legal high resolution graphics, such as Stock Exchange.  The number and scope of graphics available can be awe-inspiring; so entering into your search with a good design idea in mind can help you narrow your search results accordingly.

Arrange Your Text and Graphics  – Once you have gathered your graphics, you can begin to arrange them on your template.  Keep your original theme in mind and use fonts that are easy to read.  Remember when designing your card to not over-do it – keep your design clean and readable, so your theme and message gets across easily. If these are custom greeting cards for your business, don’t forget to include your logo and contact information.

Proof and Print  – Finally, print off a test copy, usually referred to as a proof, to make sure what you see on your screen is what you’re going to get.  Once everything looks right, save your file, and send it to your favorite print shop.  Unless you are only printing only a few of your custom greeting cards, you should strongly consider using a professional print shop to print them as they will more than likely save you money and get you better results. Online printers also have a variety of paper stocks, coatings and other options available to make your custom card even more eye-catching.

BONUS TIP – Make It Extra Special – Check with your online printer to see what extras might be available to dress up your greeting card. A UV coating can make the simplest card look rich. A High Gloss UV coating adds a brilliant, eye-popping lacquer-like finish to the card, while a Dull UV coating gives the card a rich, matte-satin look and feel. Don’t forget to have your online printer  add scoring and/or folding to your card to make it easy to prepare for mailing.

Using these six steps will help you design and create a custom greeting card your business will be proud send to all your friends, clients and business associates!

The wealth of online printers has brought the once expensive and time-consuming use of professional printing to the masses.  Working with an online printer isn’t difficult. Most online printers today have unique software systems and easy to use graphic interfaces so almost anyone can create a professional looking printed product with minimal fuss.

Online printing has become so commonplace, that even someone who is not a design professional can create a fabulous business card, brochure, booklet and more.  Easy to use software programs, even that old standby, Microsoft Word, can be used to create your custom marketing piece.  However, there are a few things that you should look for in an online printer and think about prior to submitting your work for printing.  The following tips will make the process just a little bit easier. 

User friendly transaction processes.  One of the things that you should look out for when printing online is the transaction process. The processes of order placement, payment and uploading files should be smooth and very user friendly. The best online printers usually have a sequence of step-by-step processes that are easy to understand and that make it easy to see progress.  Some of the things to look for might include:

• Easy to use options that allow you to select paper stock type, quantity, finish, front and back side printing and more.
• Instant online pricing.
• Online templates for all types of products and folds.
• Quick and easy upload processes.
• Instant online proofing.
• The ability to store old jobs for a period of time for easy reordering.

Easy to use templates.  Templates make the process of creating printed materials much easier. The best online printers will provide free, downloadable templates for most any type of software being used. When you use a template, it will not only make the design process quicker and easier, but you will also gain a certain assurance that there will not be problems with your file when you upload it to the online printer. The printer should easily accept your design since it was made using their template.

Use high resolution images.  To lessen any issues with your design images, it’s important for them to have high resolution.  A lot of people make the mistake of putting low resolution images in their designs only to be disappointed when the final piece is returned with a pixilated look.  To lessen any resolution  issues, it’s important to use photographs or images that have a resolution of at least 300 dpi (dots per inch) or larger.  A quick way to check what your file will look like on your printed materials is to view your work onscreen at 300%.  If your image looks pixilated on the screen, there’s a good chance it will look pixilated on your printed piece as well. 

Use the right color model.  Your personal computer is probably set to display your piece in RGB color. While this mix looks vibrant on the screen, most online printers use a CMYK process for printing. It’s important that your files be submitted in CMYK color mode or the color on your printed piece will be off. To ensure you are creating your document in CMYK color, check the Help section of your software. It can tell you how to be sure you are creating in the correct color model.  It is also important to keep in mind that variations in the color printed can be a result of the computer monitor not being calibrated to a printing press.  If color is a concern, a hard copy proof should be made available (although there is usually a fee for this type of service).

Submit your layout in the correct format.  Be sure to submit your file in a format that is accepted by the online printer. At PrintPlace.com, we accept files that are in .pdf, .tiff, .eps and .jpg formats.  A .pdf file is preferred, and there are plenty of free and/or very low cost .pdf makers online if you don’t have one (do a search for free .pdf maker and you’ll see a wide variety of results).  Online printers like PrintPlace convert your file into an immediate .pdf proof, so submitting in this format is a great way to see how the system sees your file.  Be sure to follow all the printer’s other specifications for things like bleeds, embedded fonts and file resolution to ensure that your printed piece looks exactly the way you want it to.

Knowledgeable and friendly customer service.  Finally, an online printer would understand that different printing companies have different printing requirements and that customers range from novices to expert designers and print brokers.  The online printer you select should have a knowledgeable staff that can meet your service needs any way you choose – by phone, e-mail or live chat –  to answer any questions you may have about your printing project.  They should be able to answer questions from the simplest to most complex, like: Why do gang run printers require a bleed?  Your prices are low, how good is the quality?  Are sample packs freely available?  What’s the difference between offset printing and digital printing?  Understanding the online printer’s printing process will go a long way in helping you achieve your desired result.

Using these tips, and understanding your online printer’s submission specifications, will ensure your printed piece looks as good as you expect.

The ever-increasing global move to green practices has made green marketing efforts a necessary part for businesses of all sizes and industries. Conserving resources and limiting waste are becoming just as important to customers as value and quality. Since marketing materials can be a big consumer of resources and a process that creates waste, it is an important area to concentrate on when it comes to green marketing practices that are good for you and your customers.

There are many different areas that marketing practices can be greened up as well as many areas of green responsibility that your business can market. Trends of conservations, responsibility, and value will continue to grow in the business marketing arena. Use the ideas below to help form a strategy of green marketing practices for your business that will be better for you and your customers.

• Choose the Right Vendors – A large part of marketing is printed material in the form of advertising brochures and posters, direct mail advertising, labels, and packaging. Many of these items are sourced to other vendors. Make sure you are aware of the practices of vendors before hiring them. If you are not sure, ask about their green practices. A printing company should be managing waste in two ways: by avoiding it and by recycling it. The paper stock they use for brochures, posters, labels, etc.,  may have recycled material in its composition. Inks should be vegetable based inks and inks with low volatile organic compound emissions being used, as opposed to petroleum based inks.                                                                                                                                                                       
• Eliminate Your Office Waste – In addition to choosing vendors who are environmentally responsible, find ways you can eliminate waste in your own business. Take note and ask employees to report environmentally responsible practices they notice around the office. From energy efficient office equipment to healthy green grounds that help clean the air, measure and document as much as possible the savings your business is  doing.                                                                                                                                                                  
• Alert Your Customers – Finally, be sure to let customers know about the efforts you are making to use and encourage green practices in the marketing realm and in business operations. Add a little note to brochures, posters, and labels that they are printed on paper using inks with low volatile organic compound emissions. Add a paragraph to your sales brochures about your business’s green marketing and operations practices and about how you encourage vendors to use them as well. The collective reduction all of these little changes make adds up to be a big difference for you, your customers and future generations.

Effective marketing does not have to cost a fortune – it just needs to have the right persuasive techniques employed. By using these five persuasive marketing techniques, you will be able to create advertising that will, over time, increase your brand recognition and increase your revenue. Using these five principles and see what happens to your message! 

Be Frequent and Consistent -  A lot of small businesses become discouraged when their advertising efforts don’t bring about the desired results. There are no marketing techniques for “instant” results, but employing your message on a regular, frequent schedule over a continuous period of time will, in most cases,  pay off.  Effective advertising requires getting your persuasive message in front of your market as often and as consistently as your budget allows.

Create Comprehension  -  The first principle in creating a persuasive message is comprehension. Readers should be able to instantly understand the message of your marketing piece. To create instant comprehension:

• Make sure your message is clearly stated with text and illustrated in the graphics.
• Use the principle of repetition to emphasize your message.
• Keep the message simple.  

Build an Emotional Connection -  The second principle for creating a persuasive message is connection. Readers will remember and respond to an advertisement that evokes an emotional response that helps them relate to your message. To create an emotional connection:

• Use a message that has meaning and significance for your target market.
• The message should trigger an emotional response – excitement, happiness, nostalgia, passion, etc.
• Use an emotional message that calls readers to action. 

Be Credible -  The third principle for creating a persuasive message is credibility. Your target audience needs to be able to believe your message. This ties back to the reputation of your business as well as the message being used in your campaign. To create credibility:

• Have high customer satisfaction standards for your business.
• Use ethical business practices based on integrity to build a believable reputation for your business.
• Use an emotional message that your target audience can believe. 

Be Contagious -  The fourth principle for creating a persuasive message is contagiousness. Think of the Gieco gecko: he is cute, he is funny, he is clever, and he is memorable. How can anyone resist this witty little reptile? To create contagiousness:

• Incorporate elements of humor, likeability, cleverness, and energy.
• Coin a memorable slogan or catch phrase that will stay with your target audience.
• Make sure your message is able to evoke an emotional response that will have your target audience talking about it and will motivate a demonstrable reaction.