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2010-03-13T03:32:00.001-08:00

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Printed item of the week 10.03.10

2010-03-10T00:01:00.000-08:00

Printed item for this week comes with a warning:

A5 8pp roll folded brochures and leaflets which are not bound or stapled are a potential pit fall for any printer as there are a number of ways to fold them.
This example printed by Print Hut last week is such an example.
The eight panels of text were not a straight forward fold from the right to the left. Instead the clients wish was to fold the document in half first and then folded again to finished size. Only the keen eye of our production team picked up the issue. With print required to be turned around at increasingly quicker speeds, please can I ask all designers and marketing people to brief their printers as to exactly which folded technique will be required. There is a saying in the print game that goes something like this: it doesnt matter how quickly you think you need the delivery, there always appears to be time for a reprint when things go belly up
Anyway, printed in full colour process throughout on a B2 litho press onto 150 gsm silk paper, this item was successfully turned round in only 2 working days from receipt of artwork. Well done again to David and Neil. Budgets agreed and met with a successful outcome and delivery on schedule.

How bright is your paper?

2010-03-08T02:30:00.000-08:00

Paper is a material known to everybody. It has a network structure consisting of wood fibres that can be mimicked by cooking a portion of spaghetti and pouring it on a plate, to form a planar assembly of fibres that lie roughly horizontal. Real paper also contains other constituents added for technical purposes. Last week we looked at the effects of Opacity. Now lets have a look at the Brightness of the printed sheet. Brightness refers to the amount of light a sheet reflects through a scale of 0 to 100 percent. Crisp white sheets often exceed 90 percent. Whiteness refers to the colour of the reflected light; either yellow-white or blue-white, i.e., warm or cool. Brightness and whiteness affect readability. Too much light tires your eyes when reading long blocks of text and the crispness of photos where as too little light reflected back makes photos seem dark or muddy. So yet again another factor is consider when ordering your printing: however after all said and done there is also the fashion element to consider. For example uncoated papers that reflect very little and generally make photography look less detailed are as popular as ever and now transcend all printed media whether business, marketing or promotional printing. A move that would have been unheard of as little as 5 years ago!

Charlotte Abbott
Finance Department
Print Hut!
Plenty of Print for Everyone!
The UKs ONLY Ultra Wholesale Printing Company
01480 216 331
Call Free 0800 9545 014
http://www.printhut.co.uk/
charlotte@printhut.co.uk

Print Item of the week 02.03.2010

2010-03-02T00:04:00.000-08:00

Printed item of the week this week is an A5 Flyer. Printed one side only on 130 gsm gloss art paper. Produced for a local start up company specialising in the heating and plumbing sector. What I would like to demonstrate here is the power of messaging. After inviting the client on site for 30 minutes we listened to their business and uncovered the benefits to his clients of the Government Bolier Scappage Scheme and built a campaign around this element and not just WHAT THE COMPANY DOES. Images were collected from Print Hut's own photo library, whilst the logo was regenerated using original files supplied.
Lead times were approximately 5 working days and budgets met. Graphic Design all compiled and executed in house.

Knowing your paper!

2010-03-01T02:30:00.000-08:00

The more you know about the characteristics of paper, the better able you will be to save money when specifying paper for your printing jobs. In fact, if you specify the qualities you require in your paper, rather than a specific name brand, your printer may be able to offer several acceptable options.

So Print Hut are going to spend the next few weeks looking at the various characteristics you should consider to ensure you get exactly the look and feel you want from your printed items. This week its all about Opacity of paper. Opacity essentially determines show-through. Some of us love it and some find it totally unacceptable. It can be used creatively to enhance a printed item or can ruin your printed project if got wrong….

Opacity is the measure (percent) of the amount of light passing through a sheet of paper. Some papers have more fibres and/or fillers and as a result are more opaque than others. Papers containing more fibres and fillers have the ability to hold a printed image without showing through to the backside as easily as papers without as many fibres and fillers. Just because a paper is thicker does not guarantee that it is more opaque than a thinner paper. Some thinner papers may be more opaque because there are a greater number of fibres and/or fillers in their composition.
Charlotte Abbott
Finance Department
Print Hut!
Plenty of Print for Everyone!
The UKs ONLY Ultra Wholesale Printing Company
01480 216 331
Call Free 0800 9545 014
http://www.printhut.co.uk/
charlotte@printhut.co.uk

Its all about Hapticity

2010-02-22T23:32:00.000-08:00

Of course Print Hut's primary role is to reduce print spend, through our unique supply chain and Wholesale print network, however we are also fortunate to have some major blue chip clients who have the budget to require Top of the Range printed products. Here is one example of just that. This is a fashion brochure endorsed by one of the Uk's largest travel companies. This brochure was produced on Muncken Polar paper which really is the paper industry's Ferrari 380. Print Hut have used this paper stock on several occasions and every time I am delighted with the finish. So for you boffins out there, here is the specification and all that stuff:

1. Fibre sourceVirgin wood fibre from Sweden and Portugal.

2. Bleaching Pulp is bleached using both Elemental Chlorine Free (ECF) and Totally Chlorine Free (TCF) processes.
3. Disposal This material can be disposed of by recycling.
4. Produced at a mill that is certified to the ISO14001 environmental management standard

5. Produced at a mill that is certified to the EMAS environmental management standard (No S-000248)
6. FSC Mixed Sources product group from well managed forests and other controlled sources
7. Wide range of weights available for makings from 70 - 400gsm

Printing process Litho

Screen ruling 133 - 150
Printing inks. Conventional drying, UV and IR are preferred. High temperature resistant fully oxidising ink for litho pre-print when subsequent laser printing.
Embossing Yes
Varnishing. Board substances only: Machine or UV screen varnishing are both possible, provided it is carried out on top of emulsion sealing. For high gloss results it is necessary to matt UV varnish on top of emulsion sealer before gloss UV varnishing. Good results have been obtained by spot varnishing on solids or dense tones by either method. Any varnish applied directly to unprinted areas of the sheet may cause variations in gloss levels.

Emulsion sealingYes, board substances only
Hot foil blocking Yes
Film laminating Yes, board substances only
Creasing Pre-creasing is advisable on 150g/m² and above by using a creasing matrix
ThermographyYes
Copier guaranteed Mono and colour up to 170g/m²
Laser guaranteed Mono and colour up to 170g/m²
Permanence of paperYes, meets ISO9706 requirements for Permanence of Paper

New graphics for MPF

2010-02-15T23:21:00.000-08:00

Had new graphics put up on west side of the Micro Print Factory a few days ago so no excuse for not finding us now!
Print Hut! The Uk's Only Ultra Wholesale printing Company.
www.printhut.co.uk

Choose Print Hut for you Print Broker

2010-02-15T02:08:00.000-08:00

The print industry is massively diverse with a broad range of print companies having an equally diverse plant list, capable of producing a mouth watering variety printed products. It is estimated that on a daily basis the Uk printing industry battles with over 3000 different product lines from around 12,000 manufacturing companies

Anyone in a print-buying capacity will invariably deal with a range of suppliers for different needs: business cards from one, brochures from another and exhibition materials from yet another. Anyone using just one manufacturer for their complete range of printing needs will not getting the best deal financially. This is where knowledge becomes the differential and this is where you can find your competitive advantage. But have you got the knowledge?

Forward thinking companies and individuals are now recognising the benefits of using a print broker for the KNOWLEDGE.

Print brokers maintain low overheads themselves and so do their suppliers. The ideal partner for any print broker is the Wholesale or Trade printing company, who wish to focus on manufacture and not sales. The brokerage then can effectively represent several Wholesale print companies with a wide-ranging plant list and can effectively represent a true dispensary to their customers. Despite popular believe brokers are not a burden to the supply chain, but a true asset only taking sales cost ONCE out of the chain and not twice.

So, the next time you require printed materials, don't spend time shopping around: get a print broker to do it for you. They know the market and who can do what. They have the relationships and buying power. If good, they will know more than you will.

Charlotte Abbott

Finance Department
Print Hut!
Plenty of Print for Everyone!
The UKs ONLY Ultra Wholesale Printing Company
01480 216 331
Call Free 0800 9545 014
http://www.printhut.co.uk/
charlotte@printhut.co.uk

Print item of the week 15.02.2010

2010-02-14T23:55:00.000-08:00

This week's print item is a trade directory. Printed in full colour throughout with PUR binding. Total pages were 220. Text sections were printed on 130 gsm silk and the cover of a heavier 200 gsm silk. To add a bit of substance and feel Print Hut Gloss laminated the covers on one side only. Artwork was supplied as hi res PDF proofing via our FTP site and hard media. Proofing was low resolution studio proofs. Lead times from sign off of proof were 7 working days. Budget held and delivered within target delivery dates.
Final volume of 2000 units were bulk packed in boxes and palletised. Well done to Neil Parrish as project manager and again many thanks to Champion Design Consultants for the high quality artwork. A last minute change of paper weight was a wise decision. This was agreed upon to prevent any show through, that can be a distraction on the eye and reduce readership.

Print Hut's Charitable Chain

2010-02-08T23:42:00.000-08:00

Print Hut have they own 'Charitable Chain' an initiative designed to raise much needed cash for a worthy cause. By introducing the entire supply chain both upstream to the printer and downtream to the paper manufacturer we are able to fascilitate a steady flow of money through shared responsibility. All donors are recorded and the recipient of the fund will be notified of your annual contribution no matter the amount!

This year Print Hut will help support the Cambridgeshire air ambulance service by pledging a donation from every order the company receives - and in turn, Print Hut’s wholesale print providers throughout the UK match the same amount

Frank Golden the Company’s owner adds, "since witnessing my youngest son in a verbrile convulsion at the age of two and the subsequent sight of an ambulance outside our house in a matter of minutes I have always wanted to extend my gratitude to the ambulance service in Cambridgeshire. I was horrified to find out that the air ambulance service is void of any centrally government funded scheme so rely on both public and private donations only. When I approached the ambulance service in Cambridgeshire asking how I could show my appreciation, they pleaded with me to support the Air Ambulance.
"We hope this scheme and the support of both our customers and suppliers, Print Hut can help to make a small difference. If you would wish to donate directly, I have attached a few donation forms to download. Finally, a last thought; next time you hear that ambulance in the sky, just think of the consequences if that machine was unable to take off due to lack of fuel or no one to pilot it – then think of your child laying in the back of an ambulance stuck in a traffic jam on the way to hospital for a life saving operation- how much would you pay to have them flown they instead – I guess thousands, wouldn’t you!!!"
The charity is independent of government and National Lottery funding and is entirely dependent on fund-raising and contributions. To keep its two air ambulances flying and to provide the advanced medical equipment they carry over £3 million per year has to be raised. On average the EAAA are called to four incidents a day, life threatening situations such as road traffic accidents, incidents involving people in inaccessible places, cardiac arrests.
Because of the advanced skills, drugs and equipment found on board, and being able to access places impossible for a land ambulance, the EAAA can make the difference.

Making your logo work for you

2010-02-08T01:59:00.000-08:00

Designing a logo that works:

Think twice, design once is the mantra. Look ahead at least 5 to 10 years and don't get too trendy. Prepare the image carefully-Consistency and continuity are your goals……

A good logo beauty queen or hard working labourer? A really good logo is both. It looks good just standing there, attracting attention, showing off. It also labours tirelessly carrying your product and delivering your message. When you can balance the two you have a winning logo.

Definition

It's probably best to begin this discussion with a brief description of what Print Hut mean by a logo

A logo identifies the company; it's a major part of the company's overall corporate identity. Some logos give a hint about what the company does but not all.

A logo should help build the image the company wants in the minds of its customers and prospects.

It must be able to deliver the message.

It should be recognizable and easy to remember.

It should work in all materials and all media.

Pretty or ugly is only part of the equation. I've seen beautiful logos that did nothing to enhance their companies images, and I've seen so-so artwork that helped bring success. There is a balance between looking good and working hard that needs to be achieved. Neither is expendable.

Common Errors in Thinking

A logo can prove unworkable for a number of reasons. A common, and often costly, error is underestimating the importance of company identity right from the beginning.

Print Hut see this often when a company rushes the development of a logo without taking the time to evaluate whether or not it advances the image they wish to portray to clients and prospects. Later they may find that it does not enhance or build on their image as the company grows.

If they are attempting to build a brand and brand recognition, this is a fatal mistake. They end up faced with the unpleasant choice of either sticking with a non-optimum logo because they have a great deal invested in it, or abandoning the logo and any recognition they've been working to build.

An important first step in logo design

The first step in designing a logo is review and evaluation of the company, always with a view to at least 5 or 10 years into the future. This means introspection. It means having a plan for the future of the company. It means an honest evaluation of what is wanted, what is possible and what is probable.

What is the image the company needs to build in order for that plan to materialize?

Can that image be represented graphically?

Can a logo help to build that image? In what ways?

Colour, artwork, type style, size, boldness, flashiness, conservatism are all parts of reflecting the image desired.

Common Design or Technical Errors

Another part of the evaluation that should occur before the design of a company logo is determining, as well as possible, the ways in which the logo will be used. Stationery? More than likely. But what about signs? Use on vehicles, in advertising, on specialty items like pens? How about on a Web site or on an advertising board? The list goes on. Many of these have very different technical requirements that need to be considered before creating a logo that might not be adaptable.

Trust us when we write that it is possible to design a logo that is quite beautiful, enhances the companys image and yet, is completely unworkable in the real world. Print Hut have spent many hours recreating logos that could not be used where they were needed. The reasons for this are almost as varied as the logos themselves. But they break down into a few major categories and with careful thought and preparation can usually be avoided.

A valuable asset

A companys logo design, its corporate identity, is a valuable asset and should be approached that way. It should be fought for and protected from infringement and misuse. It should be updated and kept fresh through ongoing review and evaluation. It is an investment in the company and its value should be expected to last for years.

Using and Protecting

What we are about to write may be more important than all of the above. Because pretty or ugly, easy to use or difficult, your logo must be applied consistently and protected in order to be a true asset to the company. Once a logo is designed and produced we find that they way the logo is used is what builds the brand.

Consistency and continuity are the keywords here.

The configuration, colours, type style, relative sizes of elements all stay the same. We know where the Coca-Cola is in a store way before I can read the words on the can. What if McDonalds painted the golden arches orange at some locations and brown at others? No. Recognition is built by presenting the same image repeatedly.

I know I know. What about Google? Well, if your company has the recognition that Google has, then okay, go for it. But remember that the very action of creating holiday versions of their logo is part of their corporate image. And, they never lose sight of the original logo, each novelty logo is only used for a brief period, and every version is copyrighted. In general and for most of us, it is better to build the brand through consistent use.

Recap

Think twice, design once is the mantra. Look ahead at least 5 to 10 years and don't get too trendy. Prepare the image carefully in a flexible format. Consistency and continuity are your goals.

Interesting Lunch St Neots

2010-02-04T23:15:00.000-08:00

After much searching and intense negotiations with agents Print Hut, The Uk's Only Ultra Wholesale Printing Company will be announcing shortly the next dates for the Interesting Lunches. Frank Golden comments: 'We are on the cupse of signing a major celebrity to kick of the 'Interesting Season' in March, but who is it? Keep tuned to our news page to find out and book your space. Remember, these are totally Free events for St.Neots' business community, you just pay for your lunch' To find out more contact Hannah at Print Hut, or pop down to the Micro Print Factory, in St Neots.

Warning Predator on the Loose

2010-02-02T23:52:00.000-08:00

Print Item of the week has to be Hannah's new business cards. Hannah has joined the team to develop the west of the Ultra Wholesale 'Golden Diamond'. So watch out if you are a small business owner in the Bedford and MK area. She's dangerous and is trained to ask open questions!!!!
Cheers
Oh and by the way; the specification for these cards are as follows:
350 gsm smooth white silk board
Printed one side only in as many colours as you like.
If you would like to purchase this product expect to pay as little as 35 GDP for 250 units

Getting the message out there

2010-01-29T02:17:00.000-08:00

Whilst the efficiency of electronic communication is clear, and initiatives to reduce waste are to be encouraged, Print Hut have recently joined and now support two sides which has members spanning the whole Graphic Communications Supply Chain, is concerned that incorrect and damaging impressions are being given by Uk’s largest Organisations and Plcs about going paperless and the environmental benefits.
It is increasingly clear that electronic communication and in particular the energy requirements of the increasing worldwide network of servers which are necessary to store all the information needed for immediate access, has a significant and increasing carbon footprint. Electronic document storage and communication must be recognised as delivering efficiency but not sustainability. In the UK it has been suggested that PCs and servers may consume up to 50% of the countres energy requirements in the next 10 years.

Too many organisations state that paperless Billing is environmentally friendly - less paper, less shredding, less recycling, but do you know the cost of requiring your customers to keep PCs on to receive your information? It is estimated that over 60% of home PC’s are left on permanently and that, in order to distribute information, 2% of the UK's current energy requirement is demanded by data centres today. (Roughly the same as the airline industry). A significant number of recipients of e-information also print at home; with a higher environmental unit cost than a centrally produced and mailed document.
Paper is a renewable and recyclable product that, if responsibly produced and consumed, is an environmentally sustainable media.

Charlotte Abbott
Finance Department
Print Hut!
Plenty of Print for Everyone!
The UKs ONLY Ultra Wholesale Printing Company
01480 216 331
Call Free 0800 9545 014
http://www.printhut.co.uk/
charlotte@printhut.co.uk

Direct to Garment Explained

2010-01-27T00:36:00.001-08:00

Tshirt printing in small to medium volume, onto a wide range of colours including darks has become a far better business to be involved with, thanks to the invention & improvement of direct to garment printers, also known as DTG printers for short.

Direct to garment printers, are inkjet printers which have been made to be able to print directly onto Tshirts and other garments.
Initially when DTG printers came onto the market, they were very expensive, slow, and the results were not as good as with other processes, however over the past few years the speed & quality has increased dramatically - and the costs have decreased, meaning that direct to garment printing is now a great way to improve your T shirt printing business.
This new technology allows full colour printing onto any colour garments with no transfers. Liquid ink is printed directly onto the garments. The machine produces an automatic white under base as used in screen printing to allow for bright vibrant colour images including pure white on black shirts. Until now this has only been possible using conventional screen printing, the problem is setup costs make it near impossible to produce short runs economically.
An average print time is less than 1 minute for a light shirt and four minutes for a fully under based dark shirt. Typically a garment digitally printed on the T-Jet is higher quality with a screen printed feel but costing much less for print runs from 1 to 500.
Another benefit to direct to garment printing is limitless customisation, as no setup costs exist there is no penalty for making each garment individual with either a name or some type of variable data. But it doesn’t end here ! You can now print onto any surface from fabric to breeze blocks, as long as it is no bigger than 450mm x 1150mm x 120mm deep it can print any image onto any surface. Golf balls are printed 60 at a time, mouse mats, canvases, jeans you name it can be printed on..........

Be wary of the months beginning with J!

2010-01-25T01:45:00.000-08:00

Print Hut, The Uks Only Ultra Wholesale Printing Company is giving 2010 a cautious welcome. However watch out for months beginning with J!!

It could be argued that nothing is ever certain in print, but as 2010 was ushered in with restrained optimism. It is all but certain that the UK exited recession in the last quarter of 2009, there is no certainty about the speed of the recovery and there are still tough times ahead.

Talk of depression that dominated the headlines at the start of last year was of course baloney, but 2009 will still be remembered as an annus horriblis for printing companies. Things are much improved, but serious question marks remain over when, the economy will recover.

Green shoots

However, there are significant signs that the UK print industry is emerging from the recession with overcapacity in the industry in steady decline,

There are also signs that printers are adapting well to the market conditions. The gap between those printing companies reporting a fall as opposed to a rise in margins was at its narrowest for seven quarters, apparently

January is often the cruelest month for print, closely followed by June and July, but the bloodbath that plagued the industry at the start of last year marks a stark contrast to the start to 2010. With a general election on the horizon, there are reasons to be optimistic. However, challenges remain. Interest rates will rise in the coming months wont they? And what impact that will have on the ability of businesses to borrow to invest ?

So the start of 2010 is uncertain -YES, but the uncertainty we now have is about the speed of the recovery, not the depth of the fall. Isn’t that is certainly something to be cheerful about?

Charlotte Abbott
Finance Department
Print Hut!
Plenty of Print for Everyone!
The UK’s ONLY Ultra Wholesale Printing Company
01480 216 331
Call Free 0800 9545 014
http://www.printhut.co.uk/
charlotte@printhut.co.uk

Going green

2010-01-22T03:09:00.000-08:00

An fact here on recycling, which I think I should share with you. If you are in any doubt about the printing industries green credentials, then please read on.

‘Today, the average recycling rate across European countries is over 62%, representing more than 50 million tonnes of used paper collected each year.

Paper fibres can be recycled up to six times, and recycling is certainly the best way to keep waste paper out of landfill. Where the UK is unable to use all the waste fibre collected, the material is exported, thus reducing the worldwide need for virgin fibre.’

So I reckon paper has excellent credentials as a renewable, sustainable and recyclable product, and managed paper production has a positive environmental impact. At the same time, a responsible use of paper and attitude to recycling will have an even greater environmental benefit.

'When people use more paper, suppliers plant more trees. If we want bigger commercial forests, then we should use more paper not less. Our policies should directly protect important wildlife habitats, not try to reduce our demand for paper.'

So keep it green!

Charlotte Abbot

The 'Penny Pincher'

Print Hut - The Uk's Only Ultra Wholesale Printing Company

Plenty of Print for Everyone!

www.printhut.co.uk

0800 9545 014

Printed item of the week 20.01.10

2010-01-19T23:52:00.000-08:00

Ok, here is it the iconic A5 24pp booklet. The World's favourite printed item by far. Robust, heavy with content and high in hapticity!!! Goes everyway from inside envelopes, into plastic bags ,through letterboxes and into leaflet dispensers. Of course with Royal mail's 'price in promotion' it also is classed as a letter costing at little as 26p to mail out.
This particular example was printed as a 'self cover' with the weight of the outer cover being the same as the inner text pages. This is the more economic version than its more expensive cousin; having a heavier cover section to the text pages. Either version is economically assessible costing as little as 35p each. Lead times were 5 days from receipt of artwork to delivery.
Printed onto silk paper it gives off a soft sheen allowing the images to bounce of the paper.
Well done to the production team who hit target dates and budget....

Print Hut TV. Have you got a Corporate ID horror?

2010-01-18T23:58:00.001-08:00

What's the difference between sales and marketing?

2010-01-18T05:07:00.000-08:00

So whats the different between sales and marketing?

Marketing is a concept that can sometimes cause confusion. But quite simply, its the process of getting your product or service out there and wanted.

You ll often hear the words sales and marketing spoken in the same breath, but its useful to be aware of the difference between them.

A sale happens at the end of a well planned and thought out marketing process. The sale might occur following a conversation during which you close the sale, or it may happen online with the click of a button. Regardless of how the sale is made, its marketing that ultimately led you to that end result the sale and more importantly cash in your pocket.

How does marketing work?

As a result of your marketing efforts you ll grab your potential customers attention and build a beautiful relationship with them. Whenever they see or hear about you (provided its positive of course), that relationship will blossom and you ll become quite attached to one another. The more time you spend together, the more you become firm friends. And if all goes to plan, your new found friend will at some point turn into a loyal, paying customer. They ll turn into a loyal customer not just because you have a product or service they want, but because they want to buy that product or service from you and loyalty goes a long way in business.

So, how can you market your business?

There are several forms of marketing, and a combination of all is recommended to grow your business. Never rely on just one. Marketing activities include networking, public relations, advertising, search engine marketing, direct mail and newsletters.

Charlotte Abbot

The 'Penny Pincher'

Print Hut - The Uk's Only Ultra Wholesale Printing Company

Plenty of Print for Everyone!

www.printhut.co.uk

0800 9545 014

Tip for the Week small Business!!

2010-01-18T01:14:00.001-08:00

Remember the print process is actually a number of separate stages:
1. design
2. reprographics
3. plate-making or electronic equivalent (for low quantities, digital print processes now enable high quality printing direct from a computer)
4. printing
5. finishing (stapling, folding, etc if relevant)

Generally it is not possible to undo a stage and return to the previous one without re-originating at least the previous stage, so take care when signing off each stage. If your instructions to an agency or printer are not correct you will end up paying for the time they spend re-originating and amending, so think things through before you start the process.

What has the greatest impact on Planet Earth Print or Web media? 3 Guesses

2010-01-15T01:04:00.000-08:00

A Carbon Footprint is a measure of the impact that human activities have on the environment in terms of the amount of CO2 and other greenhouse gases released into the atmosphere, that have arisen through the manufacture and distribution of a product or service.

Reading a newspaper can consume 20% less carbon than viewing news online
A single person reading a daily printed newspaper in Europe uses the equivalent of 28kg of CO2 per year
For a person reading web-based news for 30 minutes a day, the global warming potential is the equivalent of 35kg per year

So put that in ya pipe and smoke it...

Yay or Nay

2010-01-11T23:47:00.000-08:00

Call Print Hut Free with any printer's quote and we will tell you if we think it's worth it or not. Within 1 hour your 'printhuteer' will email through either a green light or red light! So even if you choose not to use Print Hut we will help to get your business the right fair price. Don't spend unnecessary money on your printing bills

How to make most from your business card

2010-01-11T03:26:00.000-08:00

A business card is often the first impression a potential client has with your company and you want it to be the best. The business card design and message will ultimately determine whether it gets thrown in the bin or filed for contact later and hopefully it is the latter!

Size: Does your business card conform to the traditional size of 3.5" by 2"? Anything greater will not fit in wallets or most business card holders, end result in the bin.

Paper Quality: Is your business card design of professional quality or is it flimsy with perforated edges?

Ink: Drop some liquid on your business card. If the ink runs, it's in the bin.

Colour Test: Colourful cards can add to your professional image. Though, too much colour can be detracting. Bin your card if it is black and white or has more than 3 colours unless it's a photograph.

Message Design: Your business card should clearly tell people what you do and offer a meaningful benefit. No clear message adds confusion so your card ends up in the bin.

Image Match: Your business card design should match your business image. If your card is out of date with your image, time to redo it.

Font Size: Is your card crammed with too much information? White space on the card will make it easier to absorb your message. If you have a lot to say, add it to the back of the business card.

Contact Information: Your clients or potential clients should have as many means as possible to contact you based on their preference. Your business card design should include: phone, fax, email, and website. Lack of contact information puts your card in the bin.

You only have one chance to make a great first impression. Make sure you invest in the best business card design you can afford. The business card is your introduction to a client and hopefully new business, for the low cost per card that is money well spent.

Charlotte Abbott

Finance Department

Print Hut!

Plenty of Print for Everyone!

The UK’s ONLY Ultra Wholesale Printing Company

01480 216 331

Call Free 0800 9545 014

www.printhut.co.uk

charlotte@printhut.co.uk

The fib to Print Hut's Great Turkey Trivia was number 3

Whilst normal restrictions apply during Ramadan itself, there are no restrictions on eating Turkey during the festival of Seker Bayrami.

You'll be able to sleep at night now.

http://www.printhut.co.uk/news/2009/12/eat-ham-day.html

Print Hut, the Uk's Only Ultra Wholesle Printing Company

0800 954 5014

www.printhut.co.uk

7 Small Business Marketing Tips

2010-01-07T00:32:00.000-08:00

Here are 7 low-cost but highly effective marketing tips to help any small business find customers and generate sales quickly.

1. Don't Advertise Like a Big Business
Big businesses advertise to create name recognition and future sales. A small business can't afford to do that. Instead, design your advertising to produce sales ...now. One way to accomplish this is to always include an offer in your advertising - and an easy way for prospective customers to respond to it.

2. Offer a Cheaper Version
Some prospective customers are not willing to pay the asking price for your product or service. Others are more interested in paying a low price than in getting the best quality. You can avoid losing sales to many of these customers by offering a smaller or stripped down version of your product or service at a lower price.

3. Offer a Premium Version
Not all customers are looking for a cheap price. Many are willing to pay a higher price to get a premium product or service. You can boost your average size sale and your total revenue by offering a more comprehensive product or service ...or by combining several products or services in a special premium package offer for a higher price.

4. Try Some Unusual Marketing Methods
Look for some unconventional marketing methods your competitors are overlooking. You may discover some highly profitable ways to generate sales and avoid competition. For example, print your best small ad on a postcard and mail it to prospects in your targeted market. A small ad on a postcard can drive a high volume of traffic to your website or generate a flood of sales leads for a very small cost.

5. Trim Your Ads
Reduce the size of your ads so you can run more ads for the same cost. You may even be surprised to find that some of your short ads generate a better response than their longer versions.

6. Set up Joint Promotions with Other Small Businesses
Contact some non-competing small businesses serving customers in your market. Offer to publicize their products or services to your customers in exchange for their publicizing your services to their customers. This usually produces a large number of sales for a very low cost.

7. Take Advantage of Your Customers
Your customers already know and trust you. It's easier to get more business from them than to get any business from somebody who never bought from you. Take advantage of this by creating some special deals just for your existing customers ...and announce new products and services to them before you announce them to the general market.

Also, convert your customers into publicity agents for your business. Develop an incentive for them to tell associates and friends about the value of your products or services. An endorsement from them is more effective than any amount of advertising - and it is much cheaper.