Good approach to marketing

The use of promoting a business through cards is very important and a handy means of advertisement. This is especially true if you are traveling and have the opportunity to meet new clients. The convenient size of these cards allows the potential client to easily hold on to them without much inconvenience on their part. This is why it is important to ensure customers have your contact details and will remember you.

Important aspects:

If you are interested in designing your own business cards – use Minuteman Press’ online design tool.

In general, it is a good idea to use newsletters from competitors and other companies in the market to see what type of newsletters work best and what readers want to see. While colour is the best option when it comes to newsletters, black and white also works provided the articles are interesting and relevant. The company’s employees can be approached to write articles on their area of expertise and a team should be appointed to oversee the production of the newsletter.

In terms of specific tips to ensure readability and maximum impact, consider these newsletter tips:

• Choose a great name – be creative and have fun choosing a name for the newsletter.
• Cut down on the sales pitch – readers do not want to be overwhelmed with sales propaganda. Rather use a subtle sales approach by linking the newsletter articles to products and services by highlighting how they can address the issues that were raised.
• Use the third person – model the newsletter writing after the type of language and phrasing that gets used in newsletters. If, however, you offer a personal service, consider a first person approach.
• Be conversational but informative – don’t use formal language. It is better to use simple and easy to understand language and avoid technical references unless your readership includes a lot of industry experts.
• Choose a great first page story – this should be of interest to the readers and should be attention grabbing. If they read the first page, they will probably read the rest of the newsletter. Don’t use the ‘Message from the President’ or Chairman on the front page – use the space more effectively.

If a newsletter is created and maintained keeping these tips in mind, it will accumulate a readership that will follow it loyally.

Contact Minuteman Press Newton Park for all your printing needs.

Benefits of branded company stationery

• A little for a lot. Branding your stationery does not have to be an elaborate affair. Think about some of the most well-known brands in South Africa – FNB, Pick n Pay or even the Proudly South Africa logo – these logos and branding designs aren’t over-the-top, but they’re completely recognisable to everyone.
• You can start small. If you are a start-up company with a tight budget, start by branding something small (like erasers or pencils). To be even more economical you can opt for a black and white colour scheme. As long as there are some unifying elements on your letterheads, envelopes and business cards, you will reap the benefits.
• Productivity. As mentioned earlier, productivity increases when people are reminded that the success of a specific task, section or department relies on the outcomes of the job they do.
• Morale. Something as small as branded company stationery can make employees feel more at home when they enter the office. Try it and see the change.
• Identification. Whenever potential clients or investors are in or around the office it is good for them to see the company’s logo. This will help with brand recognition in the long run.

Always look for new and creative ways to broaden your enterprises’ publicity – there are always more people who could be potential investors or customers. Start branding your company stationery and create a branded experience for your employees and clients today!

Contact Minuteman Press Newton Park for all your stationery printing needs.

How to give your newsletters maximum impact:

Get the edge with professional newsletter design and printing services in Newton Park.

Contact Minuteman Press Newton Park for all your newsletter design and printing needs.

Postcard marketing can make a big difference when it comes to advertising your company’s goods and services.

Postcards

Your customers should know about your business. They should know where you are located, what you do and how they can contact you. An easy way to make sure this is the case is through the use of compelling marketing techniques.

Though it may seem an old-fashioned idea, the effectiveness of postcards makes it an increasingly popular advertising medium amongst small business owners as well as large organisations. The recipient of a postcard can’t help but see the message it contains – all you need to do is make sure you’ve got an eye-catching design to get your message across.

Postcard design suggestions

A postcard arrives in the post amongst all the other letters and bills. To ensure that it gets the attention it deserves, use these design tips:

• Use colour. When used effectively, colour can make a big difference. Full-colour postcards are eye catching and draw the attention of the recipient, making it more likely that they will read the message.

• Use high quality materials. Make sure to make a good first impression with your postcards by using high-quality materials. Heavy or glossy paper adds a professional look and feel to your advertising material.

• Be legible. Avoid an overuse of text on your postcards and use a plain, easily-readable font. Use short sentences. Visual elements, such as you logo, will ensure that the recipient recognises the brand you are advertising.

A postcard marketing strategy can make a big difference in your advertising campaign. Make sure you’ve got the right postcard printers in Newton Park for your specific needs.

Contact Minuteman Press Newton Park for postcard design and printing

The tone of your invites should be a direct reflection of the tone – and level of formality – you are planning for your big day. If you are planning a formal wedding, the wording of your invitations should also be formal.

Putting in the right amount of time and effort in the wording of your invites will help set the tone and ambience of your wedding – you might not even have to include the dress code if people can tell how formal or informal your wedding will be from the wording of your invitation.

Here are some of the most popular ways to word wedding invitations:

• If the bride and groom are hosting: Kim Jones and John Hall (optional: together with their parents) request your presence at their wedding…
• If the bride’s parents are hosting: Mr. and Mrs. James Jones, request your presence at the marriage of their daughter, Kim Jones to John Hall, son of Mr. and Mrs. Lucas Hall…
• If the groom’s parents are hosting: Mr. and Mrs. Lucas Hall, request your presence at the marriage of their son, John Hall to Kim Jones, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. James Jones…
• If both pairs of parents are hosting: Mr. and Mrs. James Jones and Mr. and Mrs Lucas Hall invite you to the wedding ceremony of their children, Kim and John…

What needs to be included in your wedding invitations?

The most important information to be included in your wedding invitations includes the following:

• Date: You can state the date in any way you like, 1st of May 2011, first of May 2011, 1 May 2011, May 1st 2011 etc.
• Time: Here you can also use whatever you feel comfortable with, 4 pm, 16h00, 16:00, four o’clock in the afternoon etc.
• Venue: If your ceremony and your reception are at different venues, communicate this clearly so that guests will know where to go after the ceremony. Street addresses are important if your guests are out-of-towners. Including a roadmap is the best option.
• Children and dates: If you aren’t planning to host children at your wedding, say so in your wedding invitations. Parents need to make arrangements for babysitters so it’s better to let them know as soon as they receive their invitations. The same goes for dates. If your guests are allowed to bring dates, communicate this in your invitation.
• RSVP: If you need a headcount for the catering you can include an RSVP-date.

We can create a memorable image for your wedding with an integrated system of wedding programmes, invitations, reception cards, and much more. You can choose from our samples or have our design department create a customized look from scratch. Contact Minuteman Press Newton Park for perfect wedding invitations

Binding methods such as ring binding, spiral binding and wire binding all require extra steps such as punching holes in the pages of the document. These extra steps involved in the binding process cost you both time and money. For example, punching holes in the document can cost you quite a bit in time and money as only a few pages can be punched at the same time, i.e. the more pages in the document the more steps involved (except if you are going to outsource the job to a printing company).

It is a good idea to choose a binding method that does not require any – or many – extra steps. Your document can then be bound quickly and cost effectively.

Simple binding

The two most popular simple binding methods would be stitched or sewn binding and tape binding:

1. Stitched or sewn binding: Saddle stitching is one of the most cost effective and simple ways to bind small documents, such as booklets. It does not require many extra steps as no punched holes are required. The only time that that this type of binding and finishing may require a few extra steps is when it is used to bind large, intricate documents where materials other than paper are used.
2. Tape binding: This binding method is very affordable and also does not require any extra steps. While tape binding is not the most durable of the available binding methods, it is very convenient it won’t cost you an arm and a leg.

Contact Minuteman Press Newton Park for all your binding and finishing needs.

Litho printing step by step

In order to understand the litho printing process, you will first need to understand the basics of litho printing using a stone and crayons (this is a very basic form of lithography).

• The key principle: To understand litho printing you need to first understand the key principle of lithography. It is based on the fact that water and oil or grease to not mix.
• Stone preparation: A stone (or plate – when referring to printing companies) is used to offset graphics, text and images onto materials. The stone that is going to be used needs to be prepared before the lithography process can take place. This is done by smoothing the surface of the stone with grit. The texture of the surface of the stone will determine the level of grit used.
• Making the design: An artist uses a greasy crayon or material to draw an image onto a stone. A layer of powder is then applied and this will absorb any excess grease.
• Processing an image: A specific type of acid is applied to the surface of the stone. This sets the greasy image in place and desensitises other areas so that they do not absorb ink. More chemicals are then applied and the stone is covered with a thin film of water.
• Printing the image: A layer of ink is then evenly rolled across the stone. The greasy areas will attract the ink and the other areas covered in a thin film of water will repel the ink. A piece of paper is then placed on top of the stone. Newsprint and a board are placed on top of this to even out the pressure before a pressure bar is rolled over the stone. The image on the paper will be a mirror image of that on the stone.

Contact Minuteman Press Newton Park for Litho printing and all your printing needs

Chinese woodcuts were also used, but these were only for the most skilled and practiced artisans therefore it vanished into the mists of time shortly after a few centuries. In both China and Egypt though, the use of smallish stamps most certainly preceded the use of these coloured blocks and the printing of cloth became the printing of paper once paper-production was in full swing. The intaglio process made it infinitely easier to print both in colour and monotone as the colour was simply painted on top of the surface and then alternated in order to create the desired affect. 

Chromolithography then became one of the most successful of all of the printing methods and relied on the woodblocks of old, hand-coloured until modern printing processes became the norm. Chromolithography may have been a slow and expensive method yet it produced the finest results. Companies such as Minuteman Press have been using the successors of these aged technologies for their services for their lucky customers and will continue to do so for many years to come.

Contact Minuteman Press Newton Park for you full colour printing and all your printing needs.

Brochure design is affordable, convenient and effective – when done correctly. If, however, you fail to evaluate your brochure before sending it to the printers and distributing it to your target audience, it can be an extremely ineffective, expensive exercise.

Evaluating your brochure design is an importing part of the process. Not only do you want to make sure that you don’t have any typo’s or grammar mistakes, but you need to make sure that your brochure is designed in such a way that your goals will be reached. These are some of the common goals of a brochure:

• Educating clients;
• Brand building;
• Communicating news;
• Getting new business;
• Selling new products;

Brochure printing can go a long way in enticing a prospect to do business with you, so make sure you have evaluated your brochure design and considered various options before you go to print!

Your brochure should…..

• Not have any mistakes: Get a copywriter or proofreader to check your brochure before you order your prints. (Remember that your eye will naturally fix any small typo, so you might not be able to see your mistakes – get somebody to check your brochure with fresh eyes)
• Grab attention: There’s nothing wrong with a plain black and white brochure design, but you need to make sure that your prospective client or customer is compelled to read the copy on your brochure (regardless of the colours or graphics used). Use fonts that are easy to read, make sure the brochure design isn’t cluttered and try to list things in bullet-point format (or with headings and sub headings) so that a reader can quickly scan over the content if necessary.

Minuteman Press Newton Park has a team of skilled employees that are ready to help you with your next brochure design and printing. If you need reliable, high quality solutions – we are the people you should contact for all your printing needs in Newton Park!

For brochure printing and design contact Minuteman Press Newton Park