Effective Direct Mail Idea - Company in Kent

Direct mail can be a really effective way of engaging with clients or potential clients. The key is to grab the attention of the recipient and then as long as the message is strong and appropriate they should respond to your call to action.

The Apple iPad Mini printed direct mail is clever because it immediately taps into what we already know and to some extent, desire. So rather than just the same old 'win an ipad leaflet' this brochure immediately engages the recipient into the ipad experience. In fairness, my only experience of the dimensions of the iPad Mini is with the brochure.

Before you carried way - a word of caution. Make sure that the cost of printing your direct mail item cost effective before you commit. There are always several ways to approach these projects and this one was relatively short run so it was 'round cornered' economically. The process of printing stunning ideas like this need to be carefully thought out before proceeding - ie it needs to be printed cost-effectively in order to be viable.



Printed Brochure Design and cut to the sahpe of iPad Mini

 Lastly, the amount of direct mail has dropped off due to the cost of postage - however, plan you mailing carefully and the you could slash the cost of postage and also REMEMBER.....LESS COMPETITION = GREATER RESPONSE RATE!!

Paper Weight Caution!

Ever ordered some expensive brochure only to find that on delivery the cover or the text pages feel a bit thin? Don't be fooled by the weight of the paper. Paper is generally measured and sold in weight ie 350gsm or for say letterheads 115gsm. Although weight is an indication of 'thickness' it's not an accurate measure of it.

The same weight paper can vary in perceived thickness. In addition, different finishes also have a different thickness:

For example: a 200gsm range of papers: a gloss coated feels thinnest , then feeling heavier as you go on from silk to matt to an uncoated board.

Top tip: if you want your brochure cover to feel substantial either avoid a gloss coated board or better go up to higher weight board. Finally, as a fail safe, always ask for a sample of the board before giving the go ahead to print!

Paper Sizes - a quick reference!

The most common system of paper sizes in Europe is the ISO standard All sizes are given in millimetres

The aspect ratio of ISO paper sheets is 1 to 1.414 (the square root of 2). This creates a useful property; if you cut an A sheet in half the resulting parts will be the same proportion as the original. This also creates two sheets of the next A size down, for example an A4 cut in half = two sheets of A5.

You may hear about two other paper sizes, the RA and SRA, which are used in print manufacturing. These are larger than the A sizes to allow for trim marks and bleed. Some print jobs will also require to go on B sizes if they are non standard.

(The ISO system is much rarer in the USA)
Please bookmark this post to keep as a handy guide!

The easiest tip in the world!

Worried about overprinting? Had trapping issues and paid for costly reprints? Trying to use spot colours across different design packages, but are being told by the printer's it's set-up wrong?

The answer? The easiest tip in the world!
Many people who design and create artwork appear to have forgotten one of the best tips in the world. If you have any worries, or had an issues with some of your artwork, why not try and print out the separations? A quick run-out on a laser printer with colour separations on, can save you time and money in the long run. Quark, Indesign, and even Acrobat Pro can do this, and it takes almost no time. Any glaring trap issues, such as a white logo set to overprint, will show up straight away!
Good artwork will always help your print workflow too! (less proofing, resubmitting artwork etc...)

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Pantone to CMYK conversion, the problems + A few tips

Pantone to CMYK conversion (but it doesn't match?)
There has been a long standing problem with matching the industry standard 'Solid Pantone' colour swatches when printing them in a 4 colour process job. A pantone ink colour is a solid ink colour, where as the 4 colour process colour is tints of Cyan, Magenta, Yellow & (K)Black which creates the optical illusion of that colour; and therefore is limited in the range of colours it can reproduce. For example, the 4 colour process system has great difficulty in producing bright orange colours.
Colours and their reproduction has always been a reoccurring issue with printing. There are far too many possible issue to list out here. However, we can point to a few of the obvious problems, and a few solutions, especially from an artwork point of view.

The Pantone Swatches - A long standing colour system for guaranteeing colour consistency.
Unfortunately not, there are some issues. Pantone supply software manufacturers with the relevant cmyk breakdowns of the solid colours. These breakdowns however, are not consistent. There are constant revisions in the specification of colours, and these are passed on with every new version of software. For example, an old version of Quark 3 may well have a different cmyk breakdown for a colour when compared to the same colour in Quark 8! An obvious issue, possibly, but one that isn't always considered. There are further differences in the handling of colours from Photoshop to Illustrator! On top of these issues, there is the introduction of colour profiles which alters the colours within a file to simulate a type of printing-press & paper, an in-depth subject not to be explored here (yet).

Paper - coated, un-coated & the finish will affect colour!
The type and quality of paper the job is produced on, will have a large affect on the final colour. Also, if there are any extra finishes, such as laminates, these will change the colours.

Without writing a volume of manuals and help books, there are few tips you can have in mind to help, or avoid these issues;

Have you got the latest colour books?
It is worth having the suite of latest pantone books, visually they will give you the best idea of how your colour will look (ON SCREEN IS DECEPTIVE!). Despite the cost, they are cheaper than re-prints!

Not all pantone 'solid' colours are reproducible in 4 colour process.
Check you intended colour in an up-to-date Pantone Colour Bridge book. This will show you how different the Solid Pantone Colour will be in 4 colour process, some colours are never going to match when produced in 4 colour (orange 021!!).

Is the paper coated or un-coated?
On top of the reference in the colour bridge book, you can cross reference your colour with the coated and un-coated books. There is a noticeable difference in the colours on different paper types. You may need to adjust your choice of colour for different papers.

Is the final job having a laminate or coating?
If your are having a laminate or coating, this will affect the colour greatly. It is not always possible to predict the result, so be aware.

Do the cmyk break-downs match the up-to-date colour bridge? Is your artwork set-up correctly?
If you have the latest colour bridge book, you can make sure you are creating colours with the right 4 colour breakdown, as the book will give you the correct percentages of cmyk. In particular, if quark or indesign is suggesting the wrong break-down, you can manually change the colour in the file to get the best result.
A good way to check the final artwork, is to check the PDF in acrobat professional. See the tool: advanced > print production > output preview This gives you a tool to check colour breakdowns (and overprinting!).

If you have any further ideas and thoughts, please leave a comment. If you found this post useful, pass it on with the retweet button!

Image resolution's for print? (A few pointers)

To put it simply the image resolution affects the quality and size of an image file. There are many confusing 'crossed definitions' in design programmes, some may use ppi (pixels per inch), others use dpi (dots per inch). For litho print and to a lesser extent digital print, an ideal image size would have an effective resolution of 300 dpi @ 100% to ensure no loss in quality.

For example, if you wanted to print an image at A4 size, the file would need to be A4 in size and 300dpi (expressed in pixels as 2480 wide x 3508 high). You can achieve an effective resolution in two ways:

• You could use an A2 image, with a resolution of 150 dpi, which would be reduced down by 50%, creating an effective resolution of 300 dpi.
• or alternatively, an A6 image at 600dpi, increased by 200% to A4 would also have an effective resolution of 300dpi.

Both techniques aren't ideal; they are very dependant on the original quality and size of the image to be used. For example, it is particularly apparent when up-scaling an image from a small resolution: this often happens when images are taken from the web at screen resolutions of 72dpi, just increasing the resolution (resampling) in a package like photoshop will not make the image 'ok to print from'. This is largely due to the way in which the software has to squish more pixels into an image which doesn't have the required information. It has to guess what pixels to add in, and invariably, this creates a 'pixelated' effect (see image below).

If the 72dpi image has a 'physical size' much greater than the required 'print size', the resolution can be increased to 300dpi by reducing the physical dimensions, usually this is done by resampling the image in a programme like photoshop; and because the number of pixels is high enough to populate the 300dpi image space, this has the least effect on quality. (You will find with most digital camera's they produce large scale 72dpi images which can be reduced in 'physical size' whilst increasing the dpi resolution.)

There is a quick sum that can give you effective resolution of an image:

Finally, your images should be saved in a format which has the least affect on the quality. JPEG compression is known to create artefacts in images, so where possible use a 'lossless' format like TIF's.

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Reduce Costs Without Cracking

A heavy crease, about 3mm wide, is pressed into the board before folding to assist with the prevention of cracking along the fold in papers & boards over the weight of 160gsm. Creasing is especially important if the job is printed over the folded area.

There are various methods in producing the crease, but the two most popular are detailed below.
The most reliable is using a Heidelberg cylinder, which presses the crease into the board.  Although you achieve a quality crease and it would be recommended for anything over 250gsm in weight, it is expensive. A die needs to be produced, the sheets run slowly through the machine and there is the separate process of folding.

A Tri-crease can be used as an alternative.
This is an attachment which fits onto the folding machine, allowing a crease and fold to be produced in line and will run as fast as the folding machine. Although a more cost effective process, there are limitations in the weight of material that’s suitable, usually up to 200-250gsm.

So next time you think a job needs creasing... ask yourself,
"Can I get by with a Tri ?"

3 Quick Tips For Getting Print Delivered On Time

1). It sounds simple but check you have the full delivery address (including postcode, telephone number and contact name if possible). Most of the overnight couriers use postcodes these days, so if your shipment is important and time crucial, it’s worth spending the time double checking it’s correct. These can be can be verified for free online at www.royalmail.com/postcodes4free Make sure the address label is securely fixed to the package/s and include a return address, just in case!

2). Use suitable packaging. If you want your shipment to arrive in one piece use sturdy corrugated boxes (minimum of double walled) of the correct size and weight for the content and use bubble wrap. Cramming something into the wrong sized box will end in tears as the box will either split from being overfilled or damage the goods if they are rattling around in a part filled box. Ensure these are securely fixed and sealed with packaging tape.

3). Use the correct courier for the size of the job. We use several different overnight carriers depending on the size of the shipment, we wouldn’t necessarily send an envelope containing a printing proof out with the same company that we would use to send 6 boxes or a pallet. It’s a competitive market use it to your advantage.

p.s. Much to my colleagues disapproval I always try and re-use packaging, it’s good for the environment and saves on costs. It may not look smart, but what does that matter as long as the content is received in perfect condition!

How to achieve a dense black - Litho printing

How to achieve a dense black? 
Many contemporary designs use large areas of solid dark colours. Black solid areas in particular, have a tendency to look dull or washed out when printed in 4 colour process, especially on uncoated and matte paper finishes. Generally speaking this is because the black ink used in CMYK (litho process), is less dense, than that used in a single colour 'black only' job.

"The best way to 'achieve a dense black' is by using an underpin; it isn't as complicated to set up as some people may think."

The solution is an 'underpin'
An underpin works by boosting the black's density with a neutral colour underneath; but without creating an overly large amount of ink on the sheet.  For a designer, or an artworker, the easiest option is to create a 'special black' for the areas they want to appear dense and dark. 

A 'special black'? 
The 'special black' needs to contain the underpin colour and can be easily created in most design packages.  The most commonly used underpin is a 40% tint of Cyan. So our custom black needs to be created as a 4 colour process colour with a 4 colour break down of: 40% Cyan, 0% Magenta, 0% Yellow, and 100% Black. See below for a visual

Advantages! 

For an easy way to create a dense black, the use of a 'special black' colour works brilliantly.  The main advantage of this method, is to keep the normal process black colour available for any type used in the design (which would look messy with an underpin). 

Also, this technique is the most widely used, and litho printers are generally comfortable printing files which use the special black method.