Online Printing Blog

What Are The Different Kinds of Book Binding Available For Self Publishing?

Self publishing has become very common in the industry these days. Many authors do not depend on publishers and head straight to the printing agencies for their printing jobs. This however puts the author into a decision making chair where he or she has to decide on each and every technical details from paper quality to book binding. Your book’s cover often decides it’s sales and binding plays a key role in the look of the book.

You as a author need to take the decision of choosing the kind of binding for your book. It is important that you choose the right kind of binding to make your book look attractive in the book stores. You should check for book binding samples with your printing agency before zeroing in on one. Following are the book binding options available to you:

• Saddle Stitched Binding: In this method of binding loose printed pages are secured with staples down the middle of a folded sheaf of papers. This is the most economical process of binding and ideal when the number of books is less. The cost comes down as everything is done by machine. In this binding method card stock can be used as a cover. This binding is usually used in case when the number of pages in a book is low especially in cases of booklets and catalogs.
• Soft Cover Perfect Binding: This is used for books which are thicker than ones in saddle stitch. It comes with a which can be used for title of the book. In this the book is divided into multiple sections and these are glued together at the spine with a strong adhesive. This is one of the most commonly used types of binding and half the book in your book shelf will have a soft cover perfect binding.

• Spiral Binding: Although not as popular as saddle stitching and perfect spiral binding is widely used for books which are meant for short term use. You will have a lot of options to choose from when it comes to the cover from clear plastic cover to art paper. The biggest advantage of spiral binding is the fact that it can have any number of pages.

For your book to have a perfect binding it is important to ensure that you get it printed from a professional printer like PrintPapa. They have the expertise in printing banners, posters, greeting cards, flyers, envelopes etc. They also undertake CD/DVD duplication jobs and other designing services. They have been delivering high quality services to all their clients on time over the years.

Design A Perfect Corporate Greeting Card

Greeting cards are not just meant for personal use but are used extensively to start and keep up good relationships. Unlike letter heads and business cards, greeting cards have an informal flavor in them. They are an excellent way to wish your clients, affiliates, colleagues and other season’s greetings, or congratulations. There are a few things that you need to keep in mind while designing a perfect greeting card:

• Be Informal: This is one mistake that many make and their greeting card looks like an official company letter. Keep the tone of your card very informal as it will appeals to the readers more. Avoid highlighting your company’s performance in the card as your readers won’t find it interesting. Use a catchy slogan instead in the body or front of the card.
• Logo and Brand Name: Since your corporate greeting card needs to advertise your brand, it is important that you put the company name, logo and address in the greeting card. These are the only things that you need to promote your business through a card. The back page is ideal as they don’t spoil the card and also serve the purpose of your greeting card.

• Images And Graphics: Printing the images of your product or office may seem ideal way of promotion but it should be avoided. It is better to use a scenery for the greeting card If you want to be playful with your card you can use caricatures and cartoon images in the card. This way your greeting card will both promote your business at the same time make the card look informal.
• Keep Changing: Many corporate houses do the mistake of printing greeting cards in bulk and using the same card again again. The same card sent to clients doesn’t earn you a great reputation. Thus it is advisable for you to make sure that your corporate greeting card keeps on changing. You can regularly alter the size of the card, it’s shape and the messages written inside.

It is important to ensure that greeting cards are printed on high quality paper and by professional printers. A printing agency like PrintPapa is the place that you should be looking for a perfect greeting card printing. They have an excellent track record of delivering high end printed material on time. They use the latest technology available in the markets in terms of printing and have a team of highly experienced staff. They have expertise in printing bookmarks, calenders, posters, newsletters and rack cards.

The Advantages of Short Run Printing

Short run printing is the biggest buzz in the printing industry. But one thing should be clarified in this respect that short run digital printing is never going to replace offset printing. Though the short run is a more updated option but offset printing is always the favorite for people looking to place bulk printing orders to their printing agencies. Short run printing is a great option to compliment with offset printing since it can cover all the options that you might not find in offset printing. With the need of businesses to print more and more varieties of promotional materials such as business cards, bookmarks, banners, flyers, etc. Now let us take a detailed look at various advantages of short run printing:

• Cost Effective: This is a direct printing method so there is no need to go through the tedious processes such as creating plates, film stripping, color separation, etc. The files will just pass through the computer and transfers the data into the printing machine directly. Thus you never have to pay the cost of the materials associated with offset printing.
• Number of Copies can be Low: In terms of bulk orders short run printing allows you to place order for the exact number of copies you require. Before short run printing came into vogue people had no option but to order for larger orders as they had to bear the cost of producing and dyes too. In the short run printing process the printer can enter the exact number of copies required and thus there is no excess and extra charges that have to be paid.

• Time Saving: As short run printing does not involve lengthy process and you just have to insert the data in the computer and get prints from the machine it will save a lot of time. Another fact is that in Short Run Printing the colors are sprayed directly on top of the paper and then the paper is coated with aqueous finish. In this process the ink dries instantly. In case of offset printing to get the desired color effect the papers are run through 4 rollers for 5 or 6 times. This process requires more time for the colors to dry.
• Helps in Direct Mail: Short run printing is a great boon for direct mailing campaigns as this process allows you to be more specific about the target audience as you can specify the number of prints to be produced for a given marketing area.

It may be for these reasons that short run printing is widely used by marketeers. All types promotional materials envelopes, calenders, doorhangers, greeting cards, letterhead, newsletter, postcards, rack cards, etc. are nowadays printed using this process. Print Papa is a printing service provider that can give good short run printing services.

Tips to Design An Attractive Calender

A calender is one of the best promotional tools for your business. It holds an advantage over brochures, newsletters, flyers and envelopes as all these things can land up in the trash. Calenders are a very useful things and most of your clients would use them in their offices and homes. Although there are no hard and fast rules for calender size, but 8.5×5.5 (when folded) and 8.5×11 (when hanged) calender and 8.5×11 (folded and 11×17 when hanged) calender are the most commonly used ones. There are a few things that you need to keep in mind to make your calendar attractive:

• Focus On Design: Design a very simple yet attractive layout for your calender. Do not clutter it with too many pictures as they make calenders look very amateurish. You can use a desktop publishing tool like  MS Publisher or Corel Draw to prepare the layout. You can also download some good looking templates from the internet and work on them, this will save time.

• Text Is Key: Do not compromise with the text size of the days and dates as they define the purpose of a calender. Many designers make this mistake and resulting in little use of the calendar. Having a 50:50 ratio between pictures and text is ideal while designing a calendar.
• Make It Colorful: You need to grab the attention of your audience immediately so play with color. Theme the calendar on the color of your business (if you have any). Have a mix of bright and dark colors as the contrast attracts eyeballs. However, overuse of colors should avoided as it might spoil your brand name.
• Use Pictures: Try using pictures related to your business in your calendar as it will promote your business. However if you do not have attractive images to promote your business you can purchase some from a good photographer or download from the internet. Try giving a brief description of these images as they tend to make your calender look good.

• Print High Quality: A well designed calender should be complemented by high quality printing. All your hard work is spoilt if the printing is not up to the mark. Make sure you get your calendar printed from an experienced printer on high quality paper over state-of-the-art equipment.

Hiring the services of a professional printer like Print Papa ensures high quality printing of your calendar. The company over the years has built it’s expertise in print promotions and satisfied it’s clients to the maximum. The company undertakes all types of domestic and corporate printings from letterheads, business cards to short run books and greeting cards.

5 Non-Holiday Occasions to Send Greeting Cards

Greeting cards are the  graphical illustration expressing friendship or other sentiment to   make people come closer. In order to keep the clients informed and to keep in touch with them  greeting cards can effectively be used. But one thing that most of the marketeers wish is, to have more occasions to send the greeting cards. So they look out for every special occasions when they can communicate with their clients with the use of the greeting cards.

To help the marketeers out of this situation, below are some occasions when greeting cards can be sent:

• After A Client’s Meeting: You have just had a meeting with one of the client’s, (this may be over the phone or face to face) and want to appreciate for their time given to you. Send a greeting card to mark the occasion. The messages within the card should not be sales based rather write an appreciative note.

• To Cherish A Major Life Occasion: Greeting on holidays is for a wider celebratory cause but if you wish a person on his/her special day then it is remembered. You can congratulate a person on buying a new home or a customer whose child has graduated, etc. Not only do the congratulatory cards have effect on the recipient but same is with the conciliatory ones. You can of course send greetings cards to someone who is sick or a customer who has just lost his near ones. Do not make the mistake of sending any promotional material along with the greetings during such times.
• Celebrating A Major Business Milestone: This is very applicable for the B2B companies. You can send cards along with your brochures to the customers congratulating them on a partnership, expansion, acquisition, anniversary, innovation, etc. If your customers understand that you monitor their progress and are associated with them, they will pay more heed to the promotional materials that you sent with the mail.

• Declaring Your Milestones: It is good to share your joys with the others. So if your company has achieved some milestone, or if you are celebrating some grand  event you can of course consider sending a greeting card along with the usual newsletters.
• Just Like That: Any time can be a good time to  get in touch with your client by sending a greeting card. So if you feel that you are not getting an occasion then send a greeting card just out for nothing.

Thus greeting cards are one great medium to stay in touch with the customers as well as to market your services. Use the custom printed envelopes bearing your company name and logo. The messages though should be personal but the name of the company should be mentioned.

In order to get the best greeting cards you will always require a good print service provider. PrintPapa is one such company that specializes in the printing of various types and sizes of greeting cards.

5 Tips to Create Custom Greeting Cards

Greeting cards are great giveaways on special occasions. Development in technology has meant that the cards can be customized according to tastes and wishes of the sender. Nothing makes a person more happy then to wake up on his birthday and see a beautifully designed greeting card bearing a memorable picture of his life. This is the power of custom greeting cards. It makes you a designer and you can create whatever you wish and not go for the same old stuff that all the others buy.

Creating a custom greeting card is a very easy task and it is a great tool for marketing too. Such greeting cards can be ordered from any of the printing agencies. But the better the printer the more prominent results you can expect. But here are 5 tips for those that want to create a custom greeting card sitting at home:

• Hardware Required: You will definitely need a computer which has graphic editing software such as CorelDraw and Photoshop installed. To get good quality prints you also need to have a Laser Jet printer. High resolution laser quality prints make even an ordinary print look great and the greeting card look professional.
• 
• Unique Idea: The designing and the content of the card would be focused on the event. For example if it is a Christmas greeting card then a picture of you dressed as a Santa and some personalized messages  is a good choice.
• High Quality Paper: Do not pick any paper that you get. There have been so many instances when a beautifully designed card has suffered due to poor choice of paper. So it is of utmost importance to pick a paper that will give you high quality outputs.
• 
• Bright Photographs: Choose pictures that are taken in full light. Dark looking photographs on top of the greeting card gives a dull look to it.
• Designing: There should be separate designs in the front and inside the card. The top messages should be catchy while the inner messages can be more personalized. Adding some humor to the cards makes them more interesting.

It isn’t tough is it? But then again customizing a greeting card requires a lot of time and some amount of precision. So why not entrust the job to the printing service providers such as PrintPapa?

Advantages of Using Greeting Cards for Marketing Purposes

Greeting cards have more than what meets the eye! Why? Well, you never would have guessed they could be used as a direct marketing collateral would you? But the truth is, in the age of innovation and ingenious marketing strategies, greeting cards too can be used as invaluable marketing weapons to edge out rivals in the industry.

Greeting cards have generally had the reputation of being the bearer of good wishes or greetings (as the name itself implies) for the recipients.  This feature, till date, has been considered a drawback for those interested in using them as a marketing collateral. Today, it is considered one of the primary reasons for using them as marketing material. Greeting cards, being personal and having a greater potential of establishing contact with the target consumer base, have emerged as the choice of marketing weaponry in the contemporary scenario.

Greeting cards can also be used for retaining customer loyalty and interest in the brand. So, what are the other advantages of using greeting cards for marketing purposes? Read on to know more.

• Affordable – Greeting cards are much more easier to develop and print than other business marketing collateral such as newsletters and press releases. With simple, suave yet appealing designs, one can easily mold the greeting cards into concrete marketing tools without having to invest a fortune.

• Loyalty – Build customer loyalty and trust in the brand through a constant correspondence via greeting cards. Since they can be sent any time of the year and without any specific occasion, they are a great way to reach out to consumers and hold on to them. Greeting cards not only build a better brand image but also help improve consumer retention statistics for the company.

• Personal Touch – Greeting cards can be a great way to personalize your marketing message for each individual customer. This may be done in spite of using a huge mailing list with generic messages such as Christmas greetings or the Halloween extravaganza. Personalized marketing messages tend to get more results than conventional marketing tools.

• Referral – Publishing the name of past clients or references on the back of a greeting card is a great marketing strategy. This helps to build trust in the service provider or the enterprise, and also helps to present your portfolio to attract potential customers.

• As a Mode to Showcase Gratitude – Your greeting card marketing campaign is good to go with many offers and discount options that will tie in potential customers. But it need not have an offer all the same. A small gesture of ‘thank you’ or ‘welcome to the team’ can boost the morale of the client as well as help improve the chances of a long-standing professional relationship with them.

Greeting cards can be a joy to behold forever – both for the recipient as well as the enterprise that uses it in its marketing campaign! The latter, more so, because of the great financial and publicity advantages it provides to the marketer.