BUSINESS CARD PRINTING ONLINE

You probably won’t realize quite how many options there are for printing your business cards until you actually start the process. This is why it is vital to use an online printing service that has the knowledge and experience to make it easier.

The first choice you will have to make is what card stock to use for your business cards. A lot of companies will settle for using flimsy 10 or 12 point card stock, and will advise this as acceptable, but it is better to use 14 or 16 point stock. It is obviously more durable, and gives your business cards that expensive look. However, it needn’t be expensive. Color Printing Pros offer a free upgrade from their standard heavy 14 to extra heavy 16 point card stock. You could even choose the eco friendly linen option that contains at least 30% recycled material and has an attractive linen uncoated texture. This is a good option if you want your company to be branded as a “green” one, which is very important in this day and age.

 Want something really different? try one of the latest stocks Color Printing Pros has added for that WOW Factor effect such as transparent plastic, waterproof cards or silk laminated. Be the first with these new stocks that offer you that one-of-a-kind looks.


When it comes to the design and color of your business cards, there are yet more options. You can choose to have both sides of your card in full color, one side color/one side black and white or one side color/one side blank. You can also have a combination of attractive options such as foil or spot UV on the front or back (or both) of your business card. Good use of color will be eye catching and help set your card apart from the rest.


The finish of your card is important too. Again, there are many different options to choose from to make your card exactly how you want it to be. Overall gloss UV coating comes as standard on all 14 and 16pt card stock. It is environmentally friendly, and helps bring your design to life and to preserve it, keeping it looking fresh. However, you can feel free to opt out of this and have your card finished in a dull matte instead. This certainly adds an elegant look and feel to your business card, and works very well over type as it removes any glare.


Spot UV coating is a wonderful way to draw the eye to your logo or design. This is when the glossy coating is only applied to a specific area of the printed product, and it gives your business cards a really professional, premium look. The contrast between the matte background and the shine of the design is very impressive.


Of course, making sense of all of these options can be somewhat daunting. If you don’t feel inspired to start from scratch, you can always make use of the templates at Color Printing Pros to either model your design on or to just give a little inspiration.

You can trust Color Printing Pros to make the business card printing process as easy and enjoyable as possible, whilst giving you full creative control and plenty of help along the way, should you need it.

BUSINESS CARDS THAT STAND OUT

     Business cards are a vital advertising and networking tool, even in this digital age. Not only do they allow your prospective clients or customers to keep your contact details close at hand, they also offer them an easy opportunity to recommend your company to their friends and family. It is therefore very important to make sure that your card stands out from the crowd and sets you apart from your competitors.

     There are three main areas to consider when designing and printing your business cards: design, layout and printing. Each is as important as the other, and if one of these areas is sub-standard, it will ruin the effect of the whole card. Cheap business cards does not have to be inferior quality business cards.

     You need to decide whether you will incorporate a logo, design or photograph as the main focal point of your business card. This will of course depend on the kind of business you have, and on your general preference. Each can work equally well. Whatever you choose, it is important to remember that the image will be associated with your company so pick something that is eye catching, professional-looking and memorable.

     Layout is the next thing you must take into consideration. What information do you want your business card to hold? There is no need to over-inform your prospective customer via your card; just your logo, contact details and company name will suffice. Sometimes, a little extra information can work; it all depends on your business. Think about the positioning of these different elements.It is worth bearing in mind that the human eye is drawn to designs that are slightly off-center, to the right hand side. This can give your cards a really classy, different look than the ordinary centered alignment.

     The area that pulls it all together is the printing. You can have the slickest design in the world, but a shoddy print job will spoil the whole thing.  When it comes to business card printing, its worth doing your homework. Simple, affordable things like choosing a heavy or extra heavy card weight can give your business cards a real premium look. You can choose to have them finished with a glossy UV coating to draw attention to your card and to preserve the design, or a dull matte aqueous coating which certainly adds to an elegant look. You can even have the corners of your business cards rounded, to add that little more interest. There are countless special effects you can utilize, such as silver or gold foil, colored foil or Spot UV coating to really bring your design and logo to the forefront.

     For a job as important as this one, it is important to choose a company that will handle your business card printing with as much care and attention as you give your own company. For high quality and excellent value business card printing that will set your company aside from the rest, use Color Printing Pros. With a number of free upgrades and plenty of helpful advice to guide you through the entire process, they are the clear choice.

CHEAP BUSINESS CARDS ONLINE – 10 TIPS TO FIND A GREAT PRINTER

     Cheap business cards and cheap business cards online are two of the most popular business search terms online. Google results for cheap business cards are about eleven million, four hundred thousand at the writing of this article. Can all of these printers be wonderful? So how do you find the best deal? Do you buy the lowest price or the best value you can find? Chances are you will check out a few online printers. On some, you can find exactly what you are looking for in one or two clicks with an easy quick quote and a user-friendly order form. That’s a good start, but how do you know your getting the best deal for your money.


     Business cards are the most important marketing tool for most businesses. They create the first impression others will have of your business so it’s important to get the best deal you can.

There are a few things you should look for to get the cheapest, more affordable deal without losing quality.


    1.    How long have they been in business? Newer companies may not be as reliable and don’t have long track records of customer satisfaction.

    2.    Call them to see how helpful they are offline. Do they respond to your questions knowledgably and professionally?

    3.    Do they offer free file checks and free PDF proofing online?

    4.    What is their standard turn-a-round time?

    5.    Are their shipping rates reasonable? Some offer low prices and high shipping rates. Beware of free shipping. It’s built into the price or it’s too good to be true.

    6.    Free cards are often worth what you paid for them. Remember how important your business card is. Can you afford to get them for free?

    7.    If you have time, ask for free samples. Did you get them quickly? Is their quality up to your expectations?

    8.    Paper weights for business cards are important. They should be heavy 14 Pt. or extra heavy 16 Pt. card stocks so they feel important and not too flimsy. Some printers offer 16 Pt. at no additional charge for a better value.

    9.    Is overall UV or matte coating included? Coating puts a protective finish over the ink and adds a professional look and feel. If there’s an up charge for coating, are you really getting the best value?

    10.    Does your online business card printing service guarantee the highest quality and offer lot of different styles of cards? If they do, it’s safe to guess that business cards are one of their specialties.

If you follow these tips, you can be sure you have found a company that can meet or exceed your expectation. Just remember to look at the details of the offer, not just the lowest price.

WHY BUSINESS CARDS ARE CRUCIAL TO BUSINESS

     Your business card is likely to be one of the first pieces of marketing that a prospective client or customer will see. It is certainly one of the only pieces of advertising that will fit neatly into their wallet or purse. There are many reasons why business cards are so incredibly important to the success of your company, and we will go over some of these reasons in this article.

     Firstly, they are a vital networking tool. If you are trying to spread the word of your products and services, you need something professional-looking to hand to prospective customers and clients so that they know how to contact you for more information when they have a need. Simply digging in your purse or your pocket for a piece of scrap paper to scrawl your company’s website address or phone number is not impressive, and it makes you come across as very unorganised. That’s not really the image you want to give your company, is it? It is much quicker, slicker and more professional to be able to hand over a well-designed business card with all of your contact information on it.

     Business cards are also a very effective method of marketing. Business cards are cheap and you can even use a business card as a portable mini poster that draws attention. A double paneled business card is great for this.

     Your business card should be well designed so it is kept for later reference. Sometimes it’s even a good idea to put a few business cards into a small package to be sent to a customer, so that the customer may recommend you to a friend. It is as easy and convenient as handing over a card.

     Business cards are cheap, too. For the amount that business card printing costs, it would be madness to choose not to utilize this hugely powerful networking and advertising tool. Take the time to pick an eye catching logo or photograph, and make sure that all of your contact information is on the card. There’s no need to over-inform your prospective customer on your business card; simply pointing them in the right direction, where they can find more information about your products and services, is enough. Some people choose to have a slogan on their business card and others do not; it is your choice.

     Choosing a company to handle your business card printing is not a decision to be taken lightly, considering how crucial they are to the success of your company. Color Printing Pros offer complete control over how your business cards turn out, and can offer special effects (many of them as free upgrades) to make your company stand out from the others. Be sure to check out our affordable prices and many choices of stock and finishes.

HOW TO DESIGN A TRI-FOLD BROCHURE

Tri-fold brochures printed in full color are a very powerful advertising, sales and marketing tool. A well-designed printed full color brochure is sure to get an excellent response and a high ROI. If you have a good sense of design and are comfortable using professional design software like Photoshop™, Illustrator™, InDesign™, Quark™ or other professional design software you may want to design your brochure yourself. Most people in business don't have the time or knowledge and hire a professional graphic designer that understands all the technical stuff involved designing a color printed brochure.

A word of caution, many small business owners think they don't have the money to hire a professional graphic designer. The idea of a printed color brochure is to attract more business. If the design, the text or both is not created correctly and there is technical printing issues you could be shooting yourself in the foot.

Keep in mind; no one knows your business better than you. A professional graphic designer is an insurance policy for the success of the job. Make sure you know what you want and keep control. Make the changes you deem necessary. If you spend some time doing your homework and thinking about your tri-fold brochure you should know what you want. Many design customers know what they don't want after they see it. By having a clear picture of the finished brochure you can save a lot of time, money and aggravation. Over the years I've seen this happen over and over again. It's not the printer's fault. Remember the old saying "garbage in, garbage out".

Before you even think about the design think about what you want to say. You know your product or service better than anyone else. A brochure contains more information than a flyer. The most common for a brochure size is an 8.5 X 11 tri-fold. No matter what kind of fold you choose if you take a piece of 8.5 X 11 paper and fold it into thirds you have 3 panels on each side, each panel is 3.366." Brochure templates online are free and it's a good idea to use one for your copy layout. You can design your tri-fold brochure using all 6 panels or use the backside of the brochure opened to 8.5 X 11.

The front panel of the brochure should feature a photo or illustration. The design should be compelling so your brochure will be opened. Keep the copy to your logo, headline, subhead, company name and 3 to 5 bullets listing your products or services, don't forget to make sure your phone number, address and URL are correct.

The inside panel behind the front panel of your tri-fold brochure should have a photo or 2 and tell the reader the name of the product or service. Your tri-fold brochure should explain all the features and describe what the product or service does to make the reader life better in a short few line of copy. Bullets should tell the customer exactly why they should buy your product and how it will improve their life, for example:
• Guards against cracks 

• Moisture resistant 

• Dries in 2 hours 

• Easy one-step application
 
• Protects your investments

The back middle panel and right side pane can be used with additional copy that may include more detailed information about additional benefits or specs of product and or service.

The next brochure panel is on the right. It folds inside to the left inside and can be used for anything you want to get attention. Keep in mind that this panel must be about.062 narrower than the other panels so when it folds in it doesn't touch the middle panel fold line. The brochure panel that forms the back cover side is the outside middle panel. Be sure to make a strong closing with a call to action and a small discount code or other free benefit that will increase your response. The great thing about using a code is that you can track the effectiveness of the brochure.

If all of this is not for you, contact an online printing company and ask if they have an in-house design service or can recommend a designer that knows how to design a tri-fold brochure. If the online printing company recommends a designer you can be sure they know how to set up files for print. If the online printing company can do the design for you let them do it so they become responsible for the quality of the printing. Even if it's more expensive consider you are buying an insurance policy to make sure the job is printed to the highest quality.

Marketing professionals with big custom printing budgets use full color printed tri-fold brochures to increase sales and brand awareness. Small and medium sized business can level the playing field with wholesale priced high quality cheap full color brochures you can order online.

Now is the time to take the challenge, which could put your business on a new road to success. It costs nothing more than a few minutes to see how affordable and easy using a personal online color printing service is. Make your business stand out as a leader in your field. Go to Color Printing Pros and see all the useful custom printed marketing tools to help you make your business grow.

POSTCARDS - A Cheap and Effective Marketing Tool

Postcards are one of the oldest direct marketing tools that are still effective today.

In our high tech digital world low tech postcards are still the best, fastest working direct marketing tools ever. If you don't believe me, check your mailbox. Don't think the companies that stuff your mailbox are stupid. If they didn't make big bucks, you wouldn't get all that mail from the same companies over and over again.

Postcards Get Noticed

A well-designed inexpensive postcard campaign with strong call to action copy will keep your company at the top of the mind of customs.

Postcards Are Cheap

Postcards when compared to other marketing tools are the cheapest to print than they ever have been. Online printing companies make it easy to find the best value cheap postcards without spending a lot of research time. As a matter of fact, full color postcards are cheaper than two color cards were just a few years ago, so you get more bang for your buck. You can buy 5,000 4.25 X 6 high quality full color postcards for under $160

Postcards Are Read By Almost Everyone

It's harder not to read an interesting postcard than to avoid reading it. An eye candy design and a compelling offer can catch your eye and it's difficult not to read it. Nothing else in your mailbox can capture that much attention except a large check from the government. Most junk letters never get opened unless they looks official. People don't have the time or care to read. Flyers can also have too much to read and they instantly get tossed. On the other hand, postcards are noticed and read because the message requires just a second to decide if you're interested or not. They don't have to be unfolded and they don't waste time with a lot of words.

Postcard Campaigns Return a High ROI

If you plan on sending only one postcard, you may be wasting your money if you are trying to determine the results.You don't have to have a huge mailing list to monitor your postcard stats. If you don't have a lot of money to test the direct mail marketing waters- and what small business does-, you can print wholesale inexpensive postcards in short runs of 100, 250, 500 or 1,000. The trick is to send them every 4-6 weeks to the same list. Each time with a different offer. It's not the quantity, but the frequency that keeps your brand in front of your customer.

Postcard Effectiveness Testing is Fast and Easy

Use short run postcards to try different ideas and see which ones have the best returns. Once you know what works slowly increase your mailings and keep on checking results. The best value for short run postcards is about $55 for 1,000. You can send as few as 100 cards at a time to spread your mailing cost. Just make sure you change lists.

Postcard Printing Tips:

1. When buying cheap postcards online, don't buy the cheapest deal you can find. Cheap looks cheap, feels cheap and can represent your company as cheap. Considering the size of a postcards, the paper stock should be the issue unless you are printing hundreds of thousands. The minimal card stock weight should be a heavy 14 Pt or extra heavy 16 Pt.- either UV or matte coated card stock.

2. If you're distributing the card through the mail, the address area should NOT be UV coated. UV coating is a liquid laminate that can't be overprinted with a personalization or address for mailing. There are two solutions for this issue. Order your cards with UV coating one side matte coating one side or pay a little more have your cards printed with spot UV coating so you can decide what is to be glossy. Spot UV coating is an eye candy wow factor effect that will catch attention so your card has a better chance of standing out and getting noticed.

3. Bigger is better when it come to postcards and diamonds. Postcards are available in many sizes. Small 4 X 6 and 4.25 X 6 postcards can be sent at lower postcard postal rates. You'll save money but lose impact. If you're going to do it, do it right.

4. Print "SAVE THIS CARD," you'll be surprised at how many will then save it. If you say it, they will be it.

5. Be sure to put a time limit on your offer. Add a tracking code so you can identify the mailing you sent out. The offer should be redeemable only with that code. Customers like to receive codes because they are identified as being special.

It doesn't matter if you have a small local pizza takeout or you're selling tours to Europe nationally, the key is to make sure you have a "can't refuse" offer and your card looks impressive. You don't have to spend much money to get a postcard campaign going. Plan to send six different postcards in 6 months and you will make money fast and easy once you get your program started. Remember it takes money to make money and cheap but high quality postcard campaigns will make you money and a high return on what you have spent.

HOW TO CREATE A POWERFUL MARKETING BROCHURE

Brochures, pamphlets and leaflets are a printed and folded piece of paper used as an advertising tool for business and organizations to sell products, services, promote their brand and corporate image.  They are designed to tell a story about the benefits, products and or services a business provides.

Brochures provide information about how a potential buyer will benefit from your products and services. They are a tactile tangible call to action used to inform and assists you in closing the deal. They develop a key message that will convert a buyer to your service rather than your competitor.

If you have the time, are creative and willing to learn the file requirements which are easy to find online, then this is a project that may be fun and self satisfying. The first thing you need to do is think about the benefits you customers will get from your product and service. Explain what makes you different. Every company advertises they are the best, lowest price, high quality, etc. The message is why they should buy from you, what makes your company unique in its field. Write your copy and decide the size and the number of panels you need to tell your story. Once you’ve thought this out gather the photos, illustrations and charts and any other visuals you need to make your brochure easy to understand and visually attractive. Now think about the layout, design, fonts and background.  Now you’re ready to do it yourself.

TIP: Don’t make your brochure about your new equipment or your company and how great it is. Your customers don’t care about how you do it; they only care about the results. Buyers are only interested in how your products and services can solve their problem and make their lives better.

There are many sizes and folds of paper you can use when you are thinking about designing a brochure. The most common brochures are an 8.5 X 11 piece of paper folded in half to 5.5 X 8, have 2 panels on the ourside and 2 panels on the inside  which  separate information. A trifold, also called a letter fold has two folds that create 6 panels. Other standard sizes are 8.5 X 14 to make 4 panels, 11 X 17 that folds to an 8.5 X11 four page,  8.5 X 22 which folds to three 8.5 X 11 panels  8.5 X 11 panels and l1 X 25.5 six panel brochure. These sizes are standard sheet sizes  that fit most efficiently  for the least paper waste on large color printing presses.

Another option is to hire a professional that specializes in print design and knows the rules needed so your job will print correctly. Most designers that are not experts in print design will create technical problems when your brochure goes to print. It takes more than a pretty design to create great out come. Most printers cannot or will not take the add liability to correct your mistakes. If they do they will charge you for your designers. This will slow down your job. If you have the budget to pay for a graphic designer it will be the safer, faster way to do the project. Don’t try going cheap, you get what you pay for. You can find excellent, affordable print designers online.

Do it yourself or hire an expert print designer, the end result will be an effective marketing tool that will strengthen your brand, move your products and sell your services. Brochures are essential for trade shows, direct mailings, counter displays and business meetings. When distributed to your target audience they provide a high ROI.