Online Printing Blog

What Affects the Variation in Printing Costs?

There are two ways to consider the term ‘Printing costs’. Firstly, it can mean the price that you have to pay to the printing service provider at the end of the project. Secondly, it might also mean the estimate held by a company or enterprise for any printing project. In this case, companies can plan their work according to the estimate. But whatever be the meaning, it is desirable that you know about the factors that affect the value of your printing project so that you are not up for a shock. Following are the points that will help you to judge a printing service from the point of view of costs incurred:

• Having Designs Ready: Before going to a printer make sure that all the designs are foolproof and final. If you have to chop and change things in the middle of the project, then it will call for professional help from the in house team of experts, costing you additional fees and computer charges.
• Save Time: Printing cost is not just limited to the money. Make sure that the printing project suffers no delay and you get all the work on time. As a client you are paying for timely delivery.

• Keep Track of the Project: Knowing every detail of what is going on in your project is a good way to control the costs. Do not let the printing agencies include unnecessary details that will increase the final cost of your project. One thing that you should never do while your printing project is in the offing is to take unplanned decisions.
• Decide upon the Real Value: Printing projects are undertaken to make profits. They are not a run-of-the-mill type of job. So, always think about the quality, quantity and services of the printers.

• Double Check for Hidden Costs: Many printing agencies do not include the shipping costs, sales taxes and other charges in their brochures. So, you have to inquire whether the price is the final price or there are some add-ons to it.
• Standard Sizes: Printing costs may also vary if the prints asked by you are not of the standard sizes or weight.

These facets will help you to keep a track of the prices that can be incurred for your printing project. You may also use these as guidelines to set a plan for printing.

At PrintPapa we have prices for most of the common products online. Just use the quick Instant Quote Calculator and configure it per your needs and you will get the price instant, and then place the order, and upload the files. For custom products which we do not have on our website – request for a custom quote, and we will get back to you in 24 hours.

PrintPapa Achieves G7 Master Certification

PrintPapa recently attained the G7 Certification from IDEAlliance and is now a certified G7 Master Printer, making it one of only 5 printers in the Bay Area and about 220 nationwide to achieve this goal. This program certifies that PrintPapa has been trained to implement the new G7 Proof-to-Print process and recognizes that PrintPapa uses the most modern technology and techniques as well as process controls and standards required to consistently produce high-quality commercial printing.

“The G7 process will provide our clients with 100 percent verifiable accuracy of color reproduction throughout the entire workflow, from digital image to final printed press sheet. Achieving this certification is a major accomplishment, and PrintPapa is proud to be part of this elite group,” says Shawn Nag, Vice President & CTO of PrintPapa and one of the key people who was a driving force in securing the G7 certification.

Shawn says, “Being a G7 Master Printer means that PrintPapa has invested the time and money to calibrate our equipment and to train our people on consistently providing the highest quality on all our printed products.”

Paul Nag, company president, said, “Customers benefit because they’re getting the very best color management available in the industry today. Printers who are G7 certified have to prove they can match proof, plates and press sheets—so the customers get a product that has been run with much tighter process controls than those simply depending upon a press operator’s eye for color consistency.”

PrintPapa is one of the Bay Area’s premier provider of printing services that strives to provide customers with high quality printing and other supportive services. PrintPapa offers the ability to design, print and mail—all under one roof.  

“We help our clients build their business by bringing customers to their door,” Paul said. “The G7 certification is just another tool that ensures that we provide our customers with a top-notch product at no additional cost and also reinforces our commitment to maintaining the highest level of quality across our product line.”

Why CD Printing Helps Improve Your Professional Image

Why do you think firms and companies use printed CD/DVD jackets while shelling them out for sale? Protection from damage did you say? Wrong! The exclusively single reason that CD jacket printing is in existence (and popularly so) is because of the fact that they can be a great way to market your product (CDs, DVDs or Blu-Ray discs) literally to the potential consumer base.

With the mercury-like rise in the popularity of CDs or DVDs as a medium for storing information and data, they have also become the ideal weaponry for new-age marketers to convey their marketing message or USP of their firm to the consumer base. How? Simple, by printing an elaborate and attractive CD jacket, which not only has useful information about the contents of the CD or DVD, but also has an embedded marketing message and company marketing punchline on it.

So what are the advantages of using CD Printing services as your new marketing strategy:

• An affordable yet powerful marketing collateral.

• Direct contact with the target consumer group results in a better potential for sales.

• Improved lead generation statistics due to heightened interest in the CD as well as the company/firm itself.

• Helps build a real brand image and a stable brand value without investing a huge amount of effort or money into the same.

• Also provides a much higher level of consumer retention within the niche consumer base.

• A CD or DVD jacket also allows you to put forward your skills of creativity and innovative edge with the help of basic graphic design or artwork, setting a benchmark for identifying the level of quality within the content of the CD/DVD or of the firm itself.

However, employing an amateur company or following a DIY (do-it-yourself) manual to complete your CD or DVD printing assignment may look attractive from the perspective of keeping a control on your budget, but is not a wise path to follow if you wish to save in the long run.

Professional CD duplication/printing ventures are much more deft at putting forth your brand image to the target consumers, with professionally crafted designs for the CD/DVD jackets as well as a much better representation of the company too. The placement of the logo, the textual content, punchlines, etc. are much better delivered with a professional agency than with an amateur venture.

With a professional printing agency, the colors are also several notches more vibrant and appealing than with an amateur counterpart of the same. Because of the small size of the CD or the DVD, having clear and crisply printed textual matter along with the graphics is crucial to send out a powerful marketing message. Only a professional printing agency can hope to achieve the same.

Therefore, if you have been thinking about using the CD or DVD jacket printing as your new marketing strategy, especially, to net the tech-savvy niche consumer base, make sure that the printing agency you opt for is professional to the core. Otherwise, the purpose you had set out to achieve would be lost, along with the financial investments you make into the campaign!

How Do Bleeds Add Appeal to Artwork

If you are a novice and haven’t used any printing services to get your promotional material printed then it should always be remembered that bleeds are an important facet of printing. When taking up the printing services it is always important that you know the way a printer works. Suppose you require 4000, 320 GSM (or 14pt.) 4×6″ flyers, these are generally not printed on 4×6″ sized pages as is the common conception of most designers. They are in fact printed 8 UP on SRA3 (12.6×17.71″) cards that are bigger than the 4×6 size papers and then they are neatly trimmed into size to make them appear like 4×6 size.

What are printers bleeds?

Suppose you are ordering for an 8.5×11 flyer, it is not possible for the printer to print to the edges of the paper. So, the printers take a larger sized paper and trim it to the size ordered for. In order to produce a bleed effect for the images, fills and photos, the printing service providers extend the artwork to 3mm beyond the cutline. Many believe that for producing bleed on a 8.5×11 artwork, the length of the artwork should be 8.5″ x 11″ (i.e., same as the paper length). This is a very wrong notion because you will always need to extend the artwork by 3mm to get good bleeds.

What happens if a bleed is not added?

When an artwork is trimmed for printing it is shortened by 1 or 2mm. Though the movement looks negligible but it can cause some problems with the print output. If you do not add bleeds to an artwork then there is a 2mm white border on the sides of the print. Though it’s small it will be noticeable. One thing that should be remembered while printing promotional materials is that the texts should not be close to the trim cut line. If so happens then there is a chance that they might be cut off. You should always ensure that the text or logo is at least 5mm (in normal course) or 8mm (in case of bleeds) in from the trim/cut line.

Any promotional material that you create should be clean and clear to bear its fruits. So, sending the files in proper print ready format is always the least you can do.

Tips for Choosing the Right Printing Company

Before starting a printing project you must have chalked out every detail like the color of your booklets, the type of paper to be used, pictures to be used, etc. But all this planning can go in vain if you have not chosen the right printing service for your project. There are thousands of printing service providers available online and all of them claim that they can help you to attain your goals. It can, thus, become very confusing as how to choose the right printing service provider. The following tips might be of help in your quest to find the right printer:

• Quantity: You should know the amount of prints that are required for your project. This is a very important task before you begin your search for a printer. Inquire time and again, whether the company you are looking to take up the services can handle the bulk orders or not. You should also try and know whether the company will be doing the work themselves or send it to any third party. Outsourcing of work may cause unexpected delays as well as higher costs. Though most of the printing companies deliver the orders prior to the deadline, it is better to be safe.
• Quality: Take a close look at the past projects and judge the quality of the output. From materials to color to equipment, everything should be taken a close look at to make an informed judgment on quality.

• Customer Services: Choose those companies that do not make you wait in the counters consuming your precious time. Such companies also ensure speed and ease in the completion of your printing tasks. If you choose such a company, then you are sure to get efficient, effective and smooth services.
• Color Capabilities: Color is an essential ingredient of printing. So, the quality of color used for printing is very important for the clients. Choose a company using the latest equipment that will deliver only satisfactory results.
• Ask for Previews: Ask the printing company to give you a visual demonstration of how your prints will look. Seeing the preview before the printing is done will give you a lot of mental satisfaction.

• Order Tracking Facility: Select the printing company with order tracking facility. Thereby, you can judge the status of your delivery at every step.

These tips will make the task of choosing the right printing company easier. It will also ensure that nothing goes wrong with your printing project.

At PrintPapa we do all of the above:

• We offer short run printing from 50 sheets to long run or bulk printing upto 10000 sheets.
• Our quality is the best and we can boast about it. All the jobs are printed on state of the art printing presses, which are calibrated daily and can keep up with the growing demands. These presses are highly automated which allows us to produce high quality output at the correct cost.
• We excel in customer service. Check out our testimonials on our site and also on Yahoo local.

Customized Printing: Online v/s Local Printers

Printing in the past years dealt primarily with choosing local printers with whom clients could interact directly and give constant advice regarding their projects. But the Internet has brought in the concept of online printers that are located at a distance from their clients. Though the proximity is an issue there are many other positives that such printing services offer to their client base. Earlier people used to feel jittery in giving over their project to people they do not know, but with passing time, this gap has been bridged by various means. So, let us take a close look at the positives and negatives of online printers and local printers:

1. There is a large list of online printers available on the Internet that can give you the best deals for your custom printing project. Such websites also feature reviews by users so you can know the expertize of the printer before taking up their services.

2. In the online world, you can get the latest news regarding the best options in the field of custom printing as also the various promotional deals that are given.

3. Online printers thrive on their customer service; they make it a point that you get the best printing service. Often you might get a significant discount given out mainly to beat the competition. Local printers, on the other hand, may or may not provide satisfactory customer service.

4. Proofing often consumes a lot of time. With online printers, this is not a problem. Most of the online printers provide free proofing services where your projects are thoroughly checked for file problems. You may also ask for a PDF copy of the work to be mailed to you in case you want to proof the work personally.

5. With various means of communication available online nowadays putting through all the minute specifications across to the printers is not a problem. Online printing companies also go to such lengths as to call and email you all the details that are needed for the project.

It is up to you to choose the best printing services and for that you require an in-depth knowledge about the various facets of custom printing. With a good choice, you are sure to have good print quality, fast and quick delivery and all this without having to frequent the printer’s office.

PrintPapa has a  5 star rating from local Yahoo Users. Check out the products and the reviews. If you are local in Bay Area, then stop by at our shop and take a look at samples, our presses and most important us.

Digital Printing and Its Effects on the Printing Industry

The printing industry has grown by leaps and bounds from the beginning. With time, the printing technology has evolved considerably giving more options to those who have a printing job to be done. Even though digital printing has been in vogue for quite some time, it is still a new technology that many people are not yet used to. It is definitely much faster and reliable that the traditional methods of printing.

Early Days of Digital Printing

Xerox was the pioneer in digital printing and met the needs of a low end print market. As the bulk of work was in the hands of the printers, it was not considered to be a threat to the printing industry. With the introduction of franchise printers or quick printers a new business model started developing. The digital printers could not attain the amount of popularity in their early days as they had many drawbacks. Some of the systems were so problematic that there was a joke going around about them – if you bought a machine you have also got to hire a technician! Though it was faster than other modes of conventional printing, digital printers couldn’t produce a large quantity of work and the printing industry was not at all bothered by the entry of this hybrid.

Evolution of Digital Printing

The costs for digital prints were rather high in the initial years and only the high end clients could afford them. The modes and types of digital printing were also quite less in number. Then came direct imaging, color copiers and digital press. The make-ready time for digital printers were much less as they didn’t require any expensive plates and could be saved for future use. But the print quality in those days was still doubtful, as a result of which very few people opted for it. With time the quality of digital printers and their print quality also improved significantly, leading to lowering of costs. Later many businesses thrived on digital printing.

Popularity of Digital Printing

In today’s context, digital printing is perhaps the least expensive and the quickest ways to get good prints. Not only is digital printing being used for reproducing images and photos, it is also used widely for catalog printing, color brochure printing, flyer printing and leaflet printing.

Digital printing has become a multi-million dollar industry offering quality printing services to clients worldwide. Its popularity can be measured by the growing number of websites offering such services.

At PrintPapa we offer both Digital and Offset Printing thus enabling to provide short runs (printed digitally) at a low cost and long runs (printed offset) also at a low cost. You can order as low as 50 flyers, or 50 business cards and still get the superb quality which you would get for 1000 flyers or 1000 business cards. We use the top of the line digital and offset presses. So next time when you need to order just few, don’t worry we have it covered.

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Warning! The following jokes are in very poor taste CANNIBAL: Someone who is fed up with people. Cannibals capture three men. The men are told that they will be skinned and eaten and then their skin will be used to make canoes. Then they are each given a final request. The first man asks to be killed as quickly and painlessly as possible. His request is granted. They poison him, then set his skin aside. The second man asks for paper and a pen so that he can write a farewell letter to his family. This request is granted, and after he writes his letter, they kill him saving his skin for their canoes. Now it is the third man’s turn. He asks for a fork. The cannibals are confused, but it is his final request, so they give him a fork. As soon as he has the fork he jumps up and begins stabbing himself all over, yelling, “To hell with your canoes!” Did you hear about the cannibal who loved children? He just adored the platter of little feet… Did you hear about the cannibals who attended the wedding? They toasted the bride and groom. Quick tip Tricks to minimize pdf files for email and download • If an image is reduced in size or cropped in your layout, a pdf generated from it will still include the data for the full size, uncropped image, which can increase file size significantly. Make crops and resizes in an image editor first. • RGB files include less data than CMYK files, so if you are generating a pdf for web/screen use from a print file, save images and/or the pdf as RGB color. • Switch off the setting that embeds thumbnails in the pdf (Print >PDF >Edit Settings >General). PDF viewers will still generate thumbnails, but they will not be retained in the document. • Set your document using only standard system fonts and no fonts will need to be emebedded in the pdf. This is particularly helpful for lightweight forms. • Unless necessary, avoid converting type to outlines in extensive pdf documents. Embedded font data may well be smaller than the vector data required for the outlines. • Open your finished file in Acrobat and use the Save As command to optimize the file. A cannibal entered the meat market to buy something nice for dinner. The owner greeted him and told him to look around. The cannibal began to inspect the meat case and noticed the market specialized in brain. Upon further inspection he noticed a marked disparity between the costs of brain meats. A carpenter’s brain sells for $1.50 per pound. A plumber’s brain sells for $2.25 per pound. He noticed with alarm that a politician’s brain sells for $375.00 a pound. With not a little curiosity he asked the owner why the huge difference in price between the similar meats. The owner responded with a deadpan look on his face, “Do you realize how many politicians it takes to get a pound of brains?” Why don’t canibals eat clowns? Because they taste FUNNY! What do cannibals call athletes? Fast food! Recently, a large corporation hired several cannibals to increase the diversity of the company, “You are all part of our team now,” said the Human Resources rep during the welcoming briefing. “You get all the usual benefits and you can go to the cafeteria for something to eat, but please don’t eat any employees.” The cannibals promised they would not. Four weeks later their boss remarked, “You’re all working very hard and I’m satisfied with your work. We have noticed a marked increase in the whole company’s performance. However, one of our secretaries has disappeared. Do any of you know what happened to her?” The cannibals all shook their heads, “No.” After the boss had left, the leader of the cannibals said to the others, “Which one of you idiots ate the secretary?” A hand rose hesitantly. “You fool!” the leader continued. “For four weeks we’ve been eating managers and no one noticed anything. But now, you had to go and eat someone who actually does something!” I’m here to help. Got questions about printing? I’ve got answers and solutions! Whether you are working on large, complex projects, or simply need something small turned around quickly, I can help you make every dime count. You can depend on our friendly, professional service to deliver the results you need, when you need. View Our FAQ Expecting the world to treat you fairly because you are good is like expecting the bull not to charge because you are a vegetarian. Dennis Wholey Some folks are wise and some are otherwise. Tobias George Smolett What the world needs is more geniuses with humility, there are so few of us left. Oscar Levant Live out of your imagination, not your history. Stephen Covey Lights on, nobody home “Hello, is this the Fire Department?” “Yes.” “My house is on fire! You have to get here right away!!” “Okay, how do we get to your house?” “You don’t have those big red trucks anymore?” Brochures | Menus Newsletters | Posters Announcements | POP Labels | Postcards Business Cards Stationery | Flyers Whatever you need, we make you look great! Visit us online

How Notepads Can Be Used As a Promotional Tool

Notepads are perhaps the most innocuous and the most powerful business marketing stationery in the corporate world. Sleek yet subtle, these imbibe and reflect the very essence of marketing collateral – to promote without being overtly aggressive.

Notepads, if developed, designed and printed with care, can be one of the best lead generating ways within the firm’s repertoire. This is more important in the contemporary market situation, where the recession has not yet released its strong clutch on the finances of most of the companies, irrespective of size, budget or employee strength. Notepads, being easy on the budget to print and market and provide a good yield of sales leads and business associates, can be a great investment strategy for marketers who wish to play it safe.

So, what are the things to keep in mind to help make your notepad shine as a promotional tool for your firm? Here are a few tips:

• Stand Out – Your notepad is your own, and it is simply not just another notepad that you use to jot things down. To make the desired impact on potential consumers, your name needs to be highlighted on the notepad. Have your company name or professional nuances written in bold and conventional fonts. It should be written such that the user can easily read the name as well as comprehend the marketing message you wish to convey.

• Logo – The logo is one of the most important elements to have in the notepad. They not only add credibility to the notepad, but also help to make it visually appealing, re-iterating your company name and brand image wherever possible.

• The Notepad a.k.a. Resume – Have your credentials, highlights of the company history, etc. printed on your notepad in brief. This will help you to serve as the resume or the prima facie introduction of the company to new clients. You can also have client testimonials, images of achievements, etc. printed on the back of the notepad to help improve consumer retention.

So, what kind of notepads can you put to use while using them as a complimentary hand in a business marketing campaign? A notepad can differ not only in its design and print quality but also in shape. One should be aware of the different sizes of notepads used for specific purposes, hence, while targeting the niche consumer base, use the shape that best fits the bill. Some examples may include spiral pads, cube notes (stick-ons), work desk notepads, telephone diaries, customized notepads, etc.

Apart from these, notepads can also be used as a covert marketing assignment in seminars, trade fairs and similar events – where the potential consumer or business associate may need to jot down points in the melee of information. With a stylized and well-designed notepad, your marketing war may already be half won , with you on the better side!

However, for a notepad marketing campaign to succeed and achieve what it had set out for, only a professional printing agency should be hired to do the job. While many may mistake it as a burden of an investment, flawed printing of notepads not only fail to make the mark but also leave your company and brand image looking famished and amateur. Therefore, hire a professional printing agency as a little extra invested in quality will reveal large business profits later for the firm itself!

Advantages and Disadvantages of Print on Demand

Print on Demand (POD) is a new technology that utilizes digital technology, allowing you to print even one copy of any promotional material. This technology has become very popular among many corporate houses for the sake of saving time and money both. But like all other things there are many advantages and disadvantages in this technique. It is desirable that you keep these points in mind before choosing the printing method:

Advantages

Time: Any material ordered by you gets published and is ready for distribution as per the schedule set by you as opposed to the prolonged time taken by the publishers.

Copyright: You will have all the rights to the material published. You own all the materials and not the publishers. As the rights lie with you, you can use more than one Print on Demand publisher and be sure that it will not violate the copyright rules in anyway.

Customizable: You can choose any idea, caption or image that best describes your business and will communicate well to your target audience. So, no more compromises with the ideas provided by art workers at publishing houses.

Amount: You can order for only the number of promotional materials that you require and don’t have to give bulk orders to save money.

Costs: Traditional methods would cost you a fortune for small printing orders, but by using the Print on Demand technique you get a cost effective bargain.

Disadvantages

Marketing: It is up to you to research and decide upon the marketing and promotional methods. You should set up your own marketing plans and decide upon the venues where you need to promote your products. This is important as you’ll not get any guidance from the publisher in this regard.

Varying Payments According to Needs: You should be ready to pay the amount that is required to meet the design and style standards that you have selected for your brochures, flyers, booklets, etc. Printing costs might go up or down if you want anything special.

Designing and Content: You will be the sole person responsible for the graphic designing and content development of the print materials. This is because the printers will in no case be liable for mistakes in the promotional materials that you want to print.

Print on Demand is a great method to promote your business effectively but you have to be in total control of your marketing needs and decisions.