The first impression customers have of your company, more often than not, will come from your logo. There are truly a ton of guidelines that various designers and “experts” have come up with over time in regards to the right and wrong way to design your logo but folks still seem to ignore and/or bypass.

Here are a few tips that come highly recommended from the professionals:

1. MAKE SURE IT LOOKS GOOD. This may seem like an obvious rule but, you’d be surprised how many people disregard it. Share your logo idea with trusted friends and if you aren’t a graphic designer, have someone professionally create the logo for you. That being said, if you cant afford a graphic designer there are a few free services that will help you get started like, FreeLogoServices.com, LogoEase.com & LogoMaker.com. There are some fees involved on most “free logo” sites but, they are considerably lower than hiring someone.

2. KEEP IT CLEAN. The image you want to represent your company is up to you but be sure not to sacrifice legibility and cleanliness of the design. If people can’t read your company name, it defeats the purpose of a logo. Don’t be afraid to have an “abstract” design but, there has to be a method to your madness. Your logo should also transfer well from medium to medium like paper, shirts, websites etc.

3. BE INSPIRED. Most designers prefer for you as the client to have some idea of the direction you want the logo design to go. The only problem is, you often don’t know what looks good. There are sources of inspiration everyday in life throughout the day and in this generation, online! Look at other companies and see how simple or complex their ideas are. There are sites that showcase logo design and it wont cost a penny to peek. LogoPond.com and LogoMoose.com are two good ones.

The most important thing to keep in mind is that your logo needs to leave a lasting impression. You’ll notice that some big companies will change their logo every few years, either for good or bad reasons. That’s because a great logo makes branding easy and branding equals success.

Customer testimonials are a great way to reinforce the quality of your products and services. They can also influence the decision-making process of new prospects. When it comes to trying a new product or service, opinions from actual people who have experienced your products or services firsthand are the most trusted form of advertising and promotion.

Here are a few tips on how to get the most out of customer reviews:

• Start asking! Many businesses feel embarrassed or don’t have time to ask for testimonials, but the rewards of positive reinforcement outweigh the time you spend asking for them.
• Suggest specific topics for customers to write about like what part of your product or service they liked best, how you were the best value or saved them money, how helpful your customer service was, etc.
• Get people talking. In addition to static testimonials, encourage customers to post reviews or talk about your company via social media.
• Focus on quality, not quantity. Descriptive, quality reviews will garner much more trust than generic, one-line quotes. And remember, gathering reviews is an ongoing process, so don’t rush your customers to respond either, or your responses may suffer as well.

So, should you print your job 2 color or 4 color?

Back in the day, this question would never have been asked because 2 color offset printing was the only option available. With the growth of digital printing and technology, we now have new high quality options available for commercial printing.

4 color printing is the most cost effective option for all businesses in the 21st century but the innovation has left people confused on why 2 color is even an option. For this, its best to understand the advantages and disadvantages of both print processes.

2 color offset printing is one of the most common for high volume printing. This process requires the image to be inserted on a plate and then transferred from the plate to a rubber blanket, which is moved again to the print surface. Ink rollers supply the required ink to the images while the non printed area attracts a film of water. The film of water keeps the non printing area free of any ink. In the 4 color digital print process, the mechanical steps such as manually stripping the pieces to create a plate and making films for color proofs are not needed.

Now let’s look at the advantages of both print processes to compare:

4 Color Digital Print Advantages

• Provides a shorter turnaround since it does not require much manual work.
• There is less wastage, accurate counts and the colors remain constant as there is no need to balance the ink and water during digital printing.
• High volume printing costs less now. Even though the unit cost is higher than offset printing, you will find that four color printing costs much less nowadays as the there is no setup cost in digital printing.
• There are customization options in 4 color printing without slowing down the print speed. The information stored in the databases can be used to provide unique copies every time, such as ones for personalized letters used in marketing. That process is called Variable Data Printing.

2 Color Offset Print Advantages

• Can print on many types of surfaces other than paper such as cloth, metal, wood, plastic, leather, etc.
• If you order larger quantities then the unit cost goes way down.
• Modern 2 color or 4 color offset presses use computer to plate technology which assures higher quality.

If you’re still not able to make up your mind? Then use this checklist:

• Quantity: If you are ordering for a large number of prints then the cost per unit would be considerably less via 2 color offset printing, but if you are looking for short run printing then 4 color digital printing is your definite choice.
• Print Medium: If you need unusual printing surface, special type of paper, unique size, etc. then offset printing is the better choice. Though the options are gradually increasing with four color printing too.
• Color: If you require only black and white prints then the 2 color process is a choice you can make. While if you want many colors to be used in your prints then the 4 color or digital printing is your cup of tea.
• Turnaround: 4 color printing is totally automated and controlled by the computers so it will give you a faster turnaround. If you have a time constraint, 4 color printing should be your choice.
• Proof Checking: 4 color digital prints offer better proofs as they produce a hard copy sample of how the actual printed piece would look like.

All in all, choose based on your requirements. You may also ask for suggestions from the experienced service providers such as PrintPapa. They have expertise in offering high quality printing for various promotional materials such as rack cards, greeting cards, posters, short run books, NCR forms, etc.

Envelopes are not just a office stationery anymore. Smarter business organizations have realized this and have turned their envelopes into marketing tools. This does not involve any extra cost and widens your reach. To act as a promotional tool, the envelope has to be more than the traditional protective cover for letters and documents. Here are a few things that you can do to make sure your envelopes pack a punch:

• Add Color To Background – Traditionally white has been the favorite when it comes to envelope color. However there are no rules which prohibits from using other colors. You can use some bright shades of color attract the eyes of your recipient. You can also try a few gradients to make it look more attractive.
• Play with the Flap – Although envelopes have a single flap which opens upwards or on the sides you can try a few creative ideas. You can play with the flaps and divide them into two parts. If you plan to deliver the envelope by hand you can also stick a small creative button on the top of the flap to make it look creative.
• Add Shine – Once your envelopes have been printed you should ask if your printer can add gloss or a coating that may add a shiny element. This will make your envelope standout among a crowd of others. You need to make sure that your envelope is printed on high quality paper for this purpose.
• Use Texture – One good idea to add punch to your custom envelope would be to have textured paper. This isn’t used very often so being rare may help. This will definitely attract the recipients and immediately impress them.
• Images/Graphics is Must – You can ensure that your envelope packs a punch by printing images and graphics on the top and the back of the envelope. This is especially great if you have some products you’d like to promote!

A good envelope will always be the result of good printing. You need to make sure that your envelope is printed from a professional printer like PrintPapa. They have expertise in handling such jobs and have delivered high quality results to their clients. With over 25 different sizes & types, you’ll be sure to leave a happy customer!

Calenders are one of the best promotional tools available! They can be fully custom printed and serve as gifts on special occasions for your family, friends and relatives. This is a very unique concept and can be a great surprise for your loved ones. Below are some Wall Calendar gift ideas that will help in gifting to your loved ones:

• Birthdays: You can take some of the pictures of your friends or family members and make it into a 12 page calender. Use catchy captions in each and every page. If you can capture the recipient through all the different seasons of a year, the calender will be something worth remembering. You can also use pictures of the person taken through important events/holidays of the year.
• Wedding: Wedding day is perhaps the happiest day in a person’s life. Lots of pictures of the bride and groom are usually captured throughout the wedding ceremony. Select the twelve best from the lot and make a calender out of it. Try maintaining the sequence of the events along with the sequence of the months.
• Valentine’s Day: You can surprise your loved one by printing a calender for him or her. You will just need a few images of your loved ones to do this. To add flavor of love to your calender you can add a love quote to each and every page of the calender. Design the calender in bright colors like pink or red as they look more romantic.
• Mother’s Day/Father’s Day: A customized calender is the best way to send a note of thanks to your father and mother on occasions like Mother’s Day or Father’s Day. Use images of them which might also include you in their lap. Try sequencing the images through the life of your father or mother, using nice captions to say thank you.

To print the best custom wall calender, you will need the service of a quality printer. PrintPapa is your one stop print solution for all your print needs. With a long list of satisfied clients, there’s no need to look further!

Most products purchased these days come with instructional booklets. While brochures and catalogs help in selling a product, instructional booklets help the user understand how it works or gets puts together, making it a very important part of a product sale. Here are a few tips you should keep in mind when designing an instructional booklet:

• Logical Flow: A good instructional booklet should have a logical flow. As a designer your focus should be on the composition of the booklet. The flow should be logical where one step leads to the other. The overall outline should also bear the same flow. In an instructional booklet of an electronic equipment the Installation page should be put first followed by Setup and Troubleshooting.
• Be Precise: Getting to the point is key here! The language has to be simple since it needs to resonate with common clients. A reader should be able to understand what you meant on the first go. Writing long sentences can confuse a reader so its best to be short, sweet and concise.
• Index The Book: If your instructional booklet has many sections and sub-sections it should have an index. Make sure all the sections and sub sections are listed under the index which will make it easier for the users to find the solution they are looking for from the book.
• Sections Are The Key: The booklet should be well divided into sections as it makes reading easy. Do not cut any section short just to avoid going on to the next page.
• Use Illustrations: They are the most important part of any booklet. A single illustration is worth many lines of text which can relieve you from the pain of narrating every step. In most cases, people understand things better when they see how it works rather than reading about it.
• Troubleshooting: Your instructional booklet should have a page on troubleshooting if the product is electronic in nature. Many people take time to adjust to new equipment so the troubleshooting page helps in solving their problems.

A well designed instructional booklet should only be printed by a professional printer like PrintPapa.  They have an excellent infrastructure with the latest machinery available in the printing industry. They have expertise in printing books, calenders, posters, catalogs and rack cards.

If you’ve started a company then there is definitely a product or service that you want to share with the consumer world. In order to catch a large customer base, you will need great marketing not just good. In this competitive business world, marketing is one of the things that makes or breaks a company. This is why you’ll see promotional materials such as notepad printing, brochure printing, flyer printing, etc being largely used by the marketers.

These products are now the tried and tested ways, to elevate the name and reputation of a company. Promotional items are generally given free of cost to the recipients but do not let that undermine the fact that you should always use high quality printing services. Remember, the promotional material is the face of your company, so making it the absolute best should be the main goal.

Here are products we offer that are great to get you started:

1. Notepads: Notepads are one of the basic necessities for many companies. Since they’re needed for noting down important facts, they are likely going to be carried around. If you decide on notepad printing then you should always make sure that the logo and company name are prominent. Nowadays there are various designs and shapes of notepad printing available so be sure to ask to ensure you stand out from the rest of the crowd.

2. Flyers: Flyer printing does not involve a hefty expense and can be designed easily but the content must be strong enough to call the recipients into action. Full color printed flyers use bright hues and also make the logo of the company look attractive forcing the recipient to take a look at the content.

3. Brochures: Brochures in the past were thought to be for dispersing information about some specific subject but now there are thousands and thousands of marketers using this medium to carve a niche for themselves. The sizes and shapes of brochures have gone through an evolution. Be sure to check out all the different folding options available to you BEFORE designing your piece to make the most out of your brochure.

Print promotions have become a part of every company’s marketing budget. But it is very important that you choose the right printing service to do the printing for your campaign. Visit PrintPapa.com to get all your marketing materials printed.

If you want to stand out from the crowd, be different and think outside the box. Your branding should differentiate you from your competitors and should make your customers choose you over them. A well made brochure or a booklet offers you a perfect platform to engage your customers into your products or services. Remember, if you can attract the attention of your customers with your brochure you can have an edge over your competitors.

• Be informative: There is no golden rule which says that a brochure  has to be a tri-fold piece of printed paper. A brochure can be turned into a book which is filled with information for your customers. You can convert  the brochure into a guide or a toolkit. You can also use graphs and figures in the booklet to inform about the advantages that your product or service has over those of your competitors.
• Use Pictures: “Picture speaks a thousand words.” Turning your brochure into a photo album that showcases your product or service in action is just the perfect way to impress your customers. Remember nothing can be a better advertisement than the feedback of a satisfied customer. Use photographs of a few satisfied customers along with their testimonials while printing. This not only helps you in establishing the brand but also makes your claims look credible.
• Size does matter: Large size does attract people and in a promotional brochure, it is no different. Your brochure can become an instant hit if it is large in size and dwarf that of your competitors. Avoid doubling up the information rather highlight the advantages that you offer. You can also try a double fold four panel  brochure.
• Be different: Being different helps you stand out among the huge crowd. In this fast paced competitive world it is very important to make your own statement. Thus experimenting with design and printing is quite a wise path to choose.
• Print in high quality: A well designed brochure can be spoiled if the printing quality is not high. So make sure that you always print your brochure on high quality paper from a printer who has expertise in printing high quality brochures.

PrintPapa is a company that can add value to your print promotions and has the expertise in the field of high quality printing of brochures, letterheads, booklets, and other corporate documents.