1) Printing is like chocolate – make it last and enjoy it
If you’re going to invest time and money in producing a brochure or leaflet, don’t include information that may give it a short shelf life unless the piece is being produced for a one-off event. Avoid ordering hundreds of brochures only to change your telephone number a couple of weeks later.
2) Design & text – Less is more
Unless you’re printing a fact sheet or catalogue, let imagery and graphics do all the talking and keep text to a minimum. From our experience, customers prefer to browse and look at pretty pictures than reading endless amounts of text.
3) Pictures paint a thousand words
Just because you have a camera, doesn’t make you David Bailey. If your images are poor quality, choose a professional. This will save you time and achieve the best results. If you don’t know any good photographers, we know plenty!
4) Show me the paper! Request samples.
Any credible print company will be happy to provide you with paper samples free of charge. We have our very own swatch books, which are available free of charge, you simply need to ask us for one.
If your order is being digitally printed, then most of the time, you can request a printed mockup on the actual stock before you go to print. This way, there are no nasty surprises. Sometimes, there might be a small fee for this but if your order is worth a lot to you, then it will be well worth it.
5) Order the essentials
Essential Print Services was created on the firm belief that you should only use and order what you need. OK, it doesn’t cost that much more to get double the quantity. But if you don’t send out the extras, then they are a false economy. It makes us very sad when we hear people say, “I ordered 1000 flyers but 500 are sitting in a cupboard and are now out of date”.
6) There is no such thing as a silly question
If you’ve received a quotation and you’re unsure about the weight of paper or technical information, ask! Be certain about what you will receive. There’s nothing more disappointing than working hard on a lovely looking leaflet and expecting it to arrive on a heavy card but, it arrives on paper.
If you need advice or ideas, now or in the future, call us. We’d be delighted to talk to you or your contacts. What may be daunting or boring for you, is fun and exciting for us. So, make our day – and give me a call on 01332 418377.
