HOW TO CHOOSE THE BEST PRINTING PAPERS FOR ONLINE PRINTING

Choosing the best paper for your printing job can be confusing. Many new and experienced commercial print buyers ask "what's the best or the cheapest paper you have"? It's not really a stupid question and it's asked all the time. Commercial printing is very competitive and price sensitive, so searching for the best value, not the cheapest price will improve your marketing success. The most important thing is to know what your choices are. Picking the correct stock for your job is vital to achieve your goals.

The most popular standard stocks online printing services use are:

14pt card stock is impressive for business cards, postcards, trading cards or anything requiring a heavy card stock. It feels high quality in the hand. Anything less than 14 pt. feels flimsy and cheap.

16 pt card stock has the same characteristics but is slightly thicker than 14 pt. It's a good choice that holds up well in a pocket or in the mail. Some online printers offer 16 pt. as a free upgrade.

16 pt. silk card stock is more expensive but worth the price. It has a smooth silky feel that says upscale elegance; it's perfect for luxury products, services and professionals. It's an elegant option for business cards and postcard and sure to make a strong statement of quality.

100 lb book (text) is the high quality standard paper stock for flyers, brochures, newsletters and the inside pages for a catalog. This stock is thicker than the average magazine paper and the coating allows this paper to perform better on press for color and detail. 100 lb. gloss Book is commonly used for flyers, brochures and the inside pages of catalogs. Most printing services with modern presses should offer free aqueous coating and satin coating or overall UV coating options. Printing services that don't offer aqueous coating have old presses.

100 lb gloss cover stock is an excellent for those who want a heavier weight. For the highest quality100 Lb cover should be available in both gloss and matte/dull aqueous coating. Cover stock for brochures, catalog and booklet covers, spec sheets and special properties real estate flyers.

70 lb uncoated text (book) is an affordable lightweight smooth bright white paper that produces color faithfully. 70 lb. is equivalent to 28 lb bond paper. It's a good choice writing paper and letterheads and envelopes. Due to the fact that it's uncoated and absorbs ink into the fiber it should not be use for printing dark color over large areas which may have see trough on the back side of the sheet;

70 lb linen text (book) has a textured finish that is embossed after the paper is manufactured. It has the look and feel of linen fabric that makes it perfect to present as an elegant and impressive writing paper It can be written on and is laser and inkjet printer friendly. It's a top of the line choice for letterheads and envelopes. Linen paper is made of 25% cotton with 30% Post Consumer Recycled Fiber which makes it an eco-friendly option.

100 lb linen cover has the same characteristics as 70 lb linen; it is the matching heavier weight to it is ideal for business cards, postcards, presentation folders and multi page booklet covers. For the best green option it should be printed with soy or vegetable inks and water based solvents on the press. Linen paper is easy to deink and recycle for other uses.

10 PT EndurAce water proof and tear resistant paper is a unique product that consists of special materials that make it water proof, resilient, and give it a durability that will last for many years. They are great for restaurant menus, emergency services, insurance cards, business cards, maps, flyers and brochures. It's the ideal solution for under water use and outdoor and harsh environments. This paper is very rouged and last for years.


When choosing the best printing paper for your job, keep in mind cheap is cheap and you don't want to project your business or yourself that way if you want to be successful. The little money you may save by going cheap can destroy your marketing efforts.  I'm not saying you need to find the most expensive printing service to get the best quality. The things that count are competitive pricing, the highest quality and personal customer service.  You need be able to speak with printing professional that can help you make decisions, not a customer service rep that has no knowledge of what your choices are.

10 Tips To Finding The Best Online Color Printing Service

Buying color printing wholesale online can save your business lots of money that you can put to other uses. Online color printing services that provide the highest quality, fast service and wholesale prices are quickly replacing traditional small local printers that don't offer easy to use convenient online services. The number of savvy business owners that trust and buy their advertising, sales and marketing tools from wholesale online printing services is growing fast and will continue to grow as more and more people realize the convenience and continue to buy online.

Many small local printing companies produce excellent quality work on easy one and two color simple jobs. Neighborhood printing services often buy your color printing job online, then mark it up 100% or more and resell it to you. Since you can't throw darts at your monitor, with so many online printing services it can be hard to pick the right one. Here are some tips to save you time and money.

The lowest price is tempting but not always the best decision unless all you are looking for is the lowest price and you don't care about anything else. A better decision may be to compare value between online printing services. Use these factors to judge value.

1. Paperweight is important. Printing is not only visual, it is also tactile. No matter how strong the design and call to action is if the paper feels thin and cheap, you have defeated your purpose. You may save money but you could lose interest and respect due to lack of quality. For the best feel, use 100 Lb gloss book or cover weight for flyers, brochures and booklets and 14 or 16 Pt. gloss coated stock for cards. These stocks are perceived as the best weight for most jobs.

2. Paper brightness affects the quality of the printing. Coated papers come in 5 grades. 1 being super premium smooth bright white and 5, which is dull and has visible ground wood. Brightness is measured by the papers ability to reflect light. Paper grades 2 and 3 have brightness in the 90% range and are the best balance between price, quality and value. Be sure to ask the paper grade your job will be printed on.
3. UV or aqueous gloss finish coatings are an important value that should be included in the price. These coatings enhance the color and protect your job from scuffing and scratching. If your printing service can't put aqueous coating on your job that indicates they are using an older and/or a cheaper press that does not have the features of newer presses. Result is your job may not print as well.

4. Free file checks should be available on every job. Customers often make errors in their files that may not be seen until the job is delivered. Make sure your printer checks your files for printing errors. DO NOT expect the printer to check errors in your copy. Over the years I seen hundreds of job printed with the wrong address and or phone numbers. This is your responsibility. That said, if your printing service notices something that may be an error, you should be notified. It's just the right thing to do. The bottom line is your printing service is not responsible for your errors.

5. Free online digital proofs should be provided. This gives you, the customer, one last chance to find errors before changes become costly. If an online printing service charges, even $5 for proofs, you should find another one. Free digital proofs for final approval should be included in the job price.

6. Your printer should have the ability to add special features. You can often get a good idea of value from a printing service that offers lots of options such as WOW Factors to your job. Spot UV coating, metallic ink, color metallic effects, foil, waterproof EndurAce paper, plastic cards and silk cards are just a few of the options available. If your online printer offers these services, you can be sure they have the latest state of the art print technology to enhance your job.

7. Easy to use free templates offered. Templates with crop marks, safety zones, and bleeds (when color goes to the trim line) are extremely useful and should be available for all product sizes.

8. Check out your printer's customer service. Personal contact before your first job is very important. Ask questions to see what kind of response you get. Do they answer the phone quickly? Is the sales rep professional and knowledgeable? Does he or she know their products and services? Can they meet any special needs? How fast do they get back to you? You may want to ask a question that requires a call back. That can give you an idea of the kind of personal service they offer. Ask the rep if they will be your personal contact or if every time you call you get someone else.

9. Ask for free samples or fill out a sample request form on their site. You can expect they will send only their best work. Quality can always be tested by seeing their work. Do the samples arrive in a timely manner? What kind of guarantee do they give?

10. Is your online printer's site user friendly? Can you easily find what you are looking for and get prices in one click. Is the order form easy to use?

If you follow these 10 steps and you should be able to find an online color printing service that meet or exceeds your expectations. Finding quality, service as well as price is not difficult if you know what to look for.

Marketing professionals with big custom printing budgets uses wholesale online color printing serves. Small and medium sized business can level the playing field with wholesale priced high quality color marketing tools you can order online from: http://www.colorprintingpros.com.

If not now when is is the time to take the challenge tat 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. See all the useful custom printed marketing tools that will make your business grow.

For low prices from the best value online full color business printing service go to: http://www.colorprintingpros.com.

6 WOW FACTOR PRINTING EFFECTS THAT GET A LOT OF ATTENTION

The idea of printed marketing tools is to promote your brand, get attention and create more sales. It also has it pay for itself with a high ROI. Color printing is a very popular way to achieve these goals. Business cards are essential and postcards are very popular marketing tools used by most big and small companies.

One problem is most cards don’t get the attention you are hoping for. The reason is they are so common that they hardly get attention after they’re received. An easy way to get high retention is with an eye candy WOW FACTOR EFFECT that stands out and is remembered, grabs the eye like a magnet and is shown to others for its uniqueness.

They cost a bit more than the standard cards, but when considering the big bang for the buck they produce they are well worth the price. Another benefit is they pay so themselves by impressing the receivers while sending the message you and your company are different than your competition.

SILK LAMINATED CARD STOCK has an impressive silky texture so they look and feel first class, top of the line. These cards are printed on extra heavy 16 Pt. card stock and then laminated both sides with a thin silky film finish that’s impressive and feels like luxurious silk. We apply a special film laminate that protects the card and makes it a little more ridged so they don’t get dog eared and scratch, water and tear resistant. Silk cards are versatile so you can add rounded corners and wow factor eye candy effects such as spot UV coating and gold, silver and EveyColor foil. Silk laminated cards are like pocket billboards that stand out and get noticed and remembered.  If your business represents top quality and attention to detail these card are for you. Silk cards are easy to make just follow the simple directions and use one of our free layout templates.

SPOT UV COATING is a high gloss coating applied to selected areas of an extra heavy 16 pt card so feel expensive and unique. The way spot UV coating works is it creates two visual levels of high gloss and dull. It the a perfect way to highlight area of the card that need more eye contact, like a logo or call to action copy.  Adding this effect doesn’t cost much more than a standard card. To find more information about spot UV business cards to get more information on spot UV postcards.

 

GOLD AND SILVER FOIL has been very expensive top of the line. With our unique high tech cold foil process you don’t need an expensive die to stamp to  the foil so it make the luxury of gold or silver foil affordable. Color Printing Pros uses a way to apply foil right on the press as a fifth color. The foil is applied using a modern five color high speed printing press.  Traditional foil stamping is an expensive process that requires a custom made die, heat and pressure and only one card can be stamped at a time. The advantage of cold foil is you don’t need a costly die, heat or pressure and it takes a lot less time.

EVERY COLOR FOIL is a remarkable process that can convert every CMYK into a foil. Unlike foil stamping, which can make only one solid color this amazing printing process can mix colors and make blends and gradations to create extraordinary card that can be discarded. Even if your name is forgotten your card will be remembered.

PLASTIC CARDS are a fantastic and unexpected way to standout and be remembered.  They are available in white, frosted and clear. Our plastic cards are printed on a heavy 20 pt. and come with round corners. They are available as   a 2 X3.5 business card 2 X3.5 oval business card, 4.25 X 6 postcard and a 2  X  8 bookmark. These extraordinary cards make a memorable greeting that will not be forgotten.

LENTICULAR CARDS are an eye candy irresistible branding and marketing tool. Animated business cards and postcards can tell a story in 2 or 3 flips. This effect cannot be ignored and it will be shown to others. People love to play with them so you message will be extended to others. They make an unforgettable presentation and say you and your company is exceptional.

Any of these outstanding eye candy marketing tools will give you a leg up when you make a presentation. Each of these WOW FACTOR EFFECTS starts a conversation that will break the ice and open a conversation that will put you in command.

5 Postcard Printing Effects That Attract Attention

Postcard promotions fill mailboxes very day and a majority of households don’t notice them and go directly into the trash. The average 1 to 3% conversion rate can be greatly improved by adding a secret sauce.  To improve the odds you need Wow Factor that captures eyes like a magnet.

The reason most postcards go unnoticed is they are not interesting and don’t grab the eye. It takes just a millisecond to either lose attention or capture it. The secret to attracting instant attention is to capture the eye with something unique, unexpected and interesting before the offer is seen.

To grab attention you need an eye candy wow factor that grabs attention. By using this secret your can turn a simple postcard into an affordable, powerful mailbox billboard that attracts immediate attention. Using any one of these 4 high tech printing effects will increase attention.  

Spot UV Coated Postcards
Spot UV coating is a high gloss laminate coating that can be placed on selected areas of a postcard. It can be used to highlight photos, illustrations, copy or backgrounds. Spot UV coating adds a modern distinguished elegance that is sure to stand out and be noticed.
By placing spot UV selectively on a solid color background you can print copy, patterns and textures. It works best with darker backgrounds because you will get a high/low contrast finish the eye can’t resist.

Silk Laminated Postcards
Silk laminated postcard offers a smooth silky feels that implies expensive, elegance and luxury. Silk laminated cards are very affordable. They are printed on heavy 16 pt card stock that is water and tear resistant and make a very professional strong statement of quality. The immediate reaction to a postcard is the feel, this is very important because feel is the first sense that decides quality and a positive or negative impression. If your postcard is unique and different is will create immediate curiosity, which is the first step that takes the targeted receiver to the next step and and forces the important second look. Spot UV coating can be applied to silk cards for an extra sensory pop.

Gold or Silver Foil Postcards
Gold and silver are precious metals that have been strongly desired before recorded history. They are recognized as the standard for the highest quality. Some online printing services offer a high tech process that’s less expensive than the traditional hot foil stamping process, which requires expensive stamping dies and a hot foil-stamping machine. The new cold foil process prints on silk laminated card stock. Printed foil postcards are very elegant and will create a lot of buzz. Foil is actually printed on the card inline with or without the standard CYMK color process. Costly dies and specialized hot foil machines are not needed.  The power of bright gold or silver foil printed on a postcard is irresistible and very impressive.

EveryColor Foil Postcards
EveryColor foil postcards are a designers dream. This new inexpensive process can make every CMYK color in foil. You can even make gradations and color blends never available before. It’s very simple to make as many colors as you want into foil using an easy to make foil mask that is a second layer under the areas you select to be foiled. Foil can be used as spot color on both sides of the card. EveryColor Wow Factor effect is spectacular and will hold attention for a long time. By using this effect you will extend your brand awareness because kept and shown around and get a lot of attention. It is so unique that it will be passed around and shown to others. These foil cards are a perfect solution to getting your promotion noticed and remembered. They are also effective as handout at trade shows, networking functions and any place people gather.

4D Lenticular Postcards
Lenticular postcards are the newest, most sophisticated extreme eye candy Wow Factor illusion you can use for a postcard campaign. lenticular cards have 2 or 3 flips that animate you message and tell a story. Lenticular postcards always attract excitement because they are fun to play with. They make an unforgettable positive statement to reinforce your branding. They are the most powerful direct mail marketing strategy to build customer retention and branding. With a strong call to action you will capture new buyers and attract repeat customers. Lenticular cards will attract more attention then any other postcard.

The truth is, the first mailing of a postcard marketing campaign, probabley will not produce the high return you may expect. Don’t waste your time and money unless you plan to use these strategies for at lest 3 monthly mailings to the same people. The more you mail over a period of time the stronger your branding the higher the retention and ROI.