How to Professionally Print Your Marketing Materials. An Adviser Guide

Transcription

1 How to Professionally Print Your Marketing Materials An Adviser Guide

2 Introduction The LV= Marketing Centre provides everything you need to create a professional, branded marketing campaign for new and existing clients. With a range of flyers, posters and other promotional materials you can quickly and easily create the advertising and acquisition material you need to promote and sell your retirement services. To really give your documents a high quality finish it s best to have them professionally printed. If you re not sure where to start, this guide provides simple, need to know information to set you on your way. Why print my items professionally? The benefits of printing your items professionally include: demonstrating to clients that you ve got a high quality brand items will be of a better quality can work out more cost effective than printing on the office printer 4 simple steps to printing your documents 1. Choose your printing company 2. Send print ready documents 3. Choose paper type and size 4. Choose finish Things to consider Timing It s good practice to allow up to 2 weeks for your documents to be printed, so make sure you account for this in any activity plans. Take a look at our campaign preparation planner to help you plan your marketing activity. Long term thinking Sometimes it s worthwhile making an investment in your printed item for example, pop up stands can seem a little more expensive, but they re very durable, long lasting and easy to store so can be worth the cost in the long run. Discounts The more items you are printing, the more likely you are to get a discount. Make sure that you check if there are any discounts available, for example, could it be more cost effective to have various types of posters printed in one go to last you for the rest of the year? Be loyal to your print provider - Once you have found the right printing company or for you, having a good relationship will ensure you can look to them for all manner of printed or outsourced information and advice and in turn they are more likely to offer you discounts, give you a first class service and provide additional services.

3 Step 1 - How to choose a printing company If you ve not used a printing company before, there a certain characteristics that you might want to consider: Price - This can vary throughout the industry, even for products that are of the same quality. Make sure you check the prices of the printing company you re considering in the early stages to make sure that they are within your budgeted price range. Comparing prices of online printing companies is pretty easy as most of them make their price lists available online. With local smaller companies, they may not have price lists available on their website however if you pick up the phone, you can usually get a customised quote in just a few minutes. It s worthwhile doing this, as a lot of local companies can be cheaper and more convenient than online sites. Delivery Remember to check if free delivery is offered, as if not, you will need to take this into account within your budget. Printing companies can end up charging a lot of money for delivery (depending on the size and delivery method of the order) so the cheapest quote could end up being more expensive if delivery hasn t been included. Reputation It s easy to find printing company reviews. A quick Google search will likely bring up a number of pages that tell you whether or not a printing company is perceived as good. You can also use popular business directories such as Freeindex and Yell which normally show user reviews. It s important to find out if the supplier is reliable and will fulfil/deliver the product/service in a timely manner. Quality The appearance and professionalism of your printed documents has an impact on customers as they are a representation of your company, so it pays to get it right. It s worthwhile ordering a sample pack of products from a number of printing companies (this can usually be done on their websites free of charge) to ensure that they offer quality products. Some of the cheaper ones can often offer a lower quality, inferior product. Green credentials' - If your customers care about the environment, they need to know that you care as well. Before choosing a printer, make sure you know what their carbon footprint is and that they have FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) and PEFC (Programme for the Endorsement of Forests) certification.

4 Step 2 - Send print ready documents In order to save time and avoid any hassle, it s best to make sure that your documents are print ready. This means having your document in the right format (normally a PDF), with a minimum of 3mm bleeds. Particular publications, such as press ads, will also need crop marks. All documents within the LV= Marketing Centre have been pre-designed as print ready so that you can download, save and send to your chosen printing company without any delay. Step 3 - Choose paper Type - There are two main types of paper that you can choose to have your documents printed on coated and uncoated: Coated paper is coated with a compound such as clay to produce a smooth finish which can be gloss or matt. The image will generally be sharper as the ink does not penetrate the surface. Used for the high quality reproduction of artwork in brochures and book with images, coated paper is commonly used to print leaflets, menus, pamphlets and brochures that are so common in direct mail. Uncoated paper does not have a final coating applied for smoothness and have a slightly grainy texture. It s more absorbent so the final printed image can appear less sharp. They are the most common form of paper found in your local stationery supplier and are ideal for use in laser printers and photocopiers. They are also the preferred paper type for business stationery and are popular for the printing of prestigious brochures and catalogues for companies who want to give a more natural feel to their image. Size - Depending on what you are getting printed, make sure that you choose the best paper size for your document, for example it s not worthwhile getting a poster printed too small and direct mail flyers shouldn t be too large as this could add to your postage costs. Please see the most common paper sizes below: A0-841 x 1189mm A1-594 x 841mm A2-420 x 594mm A3-297 x 420mm A4-210 x 297mm A5-148 x 210mm A6-105 x 148mm

5 Weight - The weight of paper is measured in Grams per Square Metre (GSM). The higher the GSM the heavier/thicker the paper: 35gsm to 55gsm: 90gsm to 100gsm: 120gsm to 140gsm: 210gsm to 300gsm: 350gsm to 400gsm: This is very thin paper indeed. Most newspapers will commonly be printed on this paper thickness. This is the weight of most household printer paper. The stuff you might pick up in packs of 500 sheets at from a stationary provider. This GSM range covers the paper thickness of most promotional posters you re likely to find on walls. Paper with this GSM is sturdy enough to withstand a bit of wear and tear. It s also the thickness of low-cost flyers you might have had posted through your front door. This GSM range will cover most of the sturdy printed flyers. This paper stock range is approaching card but will still have a bit of a bend when held with two fingers. Think of the magazine covers you see in newsagents. This GSM is essentially card. It will stand up under its own weight and is most commonly associated with premium flyers and business cards. As well, it is likely to be the stock that high-quality wedding invitations are printed on. Samples of paper types are normally available and can be provided by your printing company upon request. Step 4 - Choose finish There are many types of coatings and varnishes which can be used to enhance your printed products, common options include: High gloss coating: Works well on brochure covers but can be applied on one side only. Gloss coating: Silk coating: Matt coating: A great solution for high quality glossy leaflet work or brochure pages and is particularly effective on white areas of paper, where it will give a real lift. Offers a classy look, available in a silk or satin finish, with a durable plastic-type feel, particularly popular on high quality brochure or catalogue pages requiring a refined look. Excellent for brochure covers, offering the same look and feel as matt lamination, but far more economical. Samples of each finish available can be provided by your printing company.