We’re introducing a new blog feature today. It’s called Ninja On The Nines. Rather clever, wouldn’t you say? An entire dojo worked tirelessly to come up with that. Starting today, you can expect a blog post from us three times a month. On the 9th, 19th and 29th (except for February when the last one will be on the 28th. Unless it’s a leap year.) We’ll talk a lot about what we are all about here at PrintNinja, go more in depth with what we do, and answer questions you have.
Let’s start this new tradition of Ninja on the Nines with some affirmations, shall we? We could start with our super secret ninja affirmations, but we find that Stuart Smalley really had the best affirmations of all time:
I’m good enough, I’m smart enough, and doggone it. People like me.
Why start with affirmations? Because we are all different, unique, and have needs that generic forms don’t always meet. With some online printers, that can mean any “low price” they offer goes right out the window. That doesn’t happen here at PrintNinja. We are the place for cheap booklets, brochures, magazines and other printing needs. Because we know our customers are all unique, we offer custom quotes. Unlike our competitors though, “custom” isn’t code for “expensive”. We are able to offer a better product at a cheaper price because of our business model.
So how does this custom quote business work? Glad you asked. You’ll find the “Request a Custom Quote” link all over the site. Clicking that will put you in touch with our customer service representatives who will get your order started. And don’t worry, just because you’re requesting a custom quote doesn’t mean you are under any obligation whatsoever to purchase anything from us. We all like to window shop and price compare (especially when the new line of throwing stars come out each April), and we are absolutely confident that you’ll find no cheaper prices for brochures, booklets and other needs than here at PrintNinja.
Ready to work with us? Requestyourcustom quote today or we can send you a freesampleprintpack. Want to talk to someone right now? Call us at 877-396-4652. We’re looking forward to working with you.
Brochure Dimensions Beyond the Square Inches
Where can I find brochure dimensions?
The brochure dimensions you’re looking for are available on PrintNinja’s commercial printing website. There are six standard sizes listed under “Product Size” on the brochure order page. Here’s the link that will take you to the right page.
If you’ve designed a square peg brochure that just won’t fit into those round hole dimensions, put your plans into a custom quote request. PrintNinja and our commercial printing partners are fond of breaking molds. Hai-Yah!
PrintNinja on Brochure Design Watch
Your brochure is designed. Your artwork is prepared. Your order is ready to be placed. Now, to the uploading of your artwork into a design template to make it print-ready.
PrintNinja is one of the few printers that provides ready-made templates right from our website. You’ll find over 100 choices with a click on this link: http://www.printninja.com/brochure-printing. Pick the one that matches your brochure format, and follow the instructions.
You’re going to need to make some decisions to get the “Place Order” button ready to press. PrintNinja has some advice for the print ordering-novices among you:
Templates
Your template choice is driven by paper size (in inches), orientation (portrait vs. landscape) and fold design. Your artwork must match these template features. Stretching or shrinking brochure artwork to fit the paper is a bad idea. Even using a 9 x 12 layout and shrinking it to 8 ½ x11 paper can cause distortions. If you must have them, leave size changes to your artwork designer.
Bleed
Brochures are printed together in sheets, and then sliced into single units. The cutting process can fluctuate slightly during production. Print bleed is the margin for error and ensures there are no unwanted borders – particularly important when brochure design takes photos or colors all the way to the edges.
Images
Pictures and graphics are your eye magnets. High resolution images of 300 dpi (or more) mean the difference between an impressive business brochure and one that looks like it’s hot off the inkjet printer. Always print a copy of your artwork for intense scrutiny before you submit it for printing.
Paper
Most brochures are printed on 85 lb or 105 lb paper stock. If you are in agony over the stock that’s right for you, a 105 lb stock has a more substantial feel than 85 lb, and the cost difference amounts to pennies per brochure.
It’s a good idea to have paper samples in hand for this choice. PrintNinja can help with this one.
Request your free sample kit from the order page.
Finishes
A gloss or UV finish adds a nice shine, helps colors to stand out and provides stiffness to paper. Graphics with a lot of ink coverage and in bold colors can appear naturally glossy, so a varnish may be unnecessary.
PrintNinja manifests the principles of the Ninja legacy in the business world: Use knowledge, patience, endurance and stealth to enhance the competiveness of those we serve. Don’t believe us? Check out www.printninja.com and tell us how we stack up.
Don’t Just Break the Mold, Reinvent It with Creative Business Card Dimensions
What are creative business card dimensions?
Anything not a 2 inch by 3 ½ inch rectangle. Today’s technology, your imagination and the casualness of our business environment provide the freedom to create a business card in almost any shape this side of the 4th Dimension.
Why get creative with your business card dimensions?
Most of us are overwhelmed by competition. Anything that helps us to look even a little bit different is a boost to business. A 2 inch by 3 ½ inch business card lost its ability to attract attention around the time paper gave way to plastic. Here are just a few reasons it’s time to creative-up:
- People notice different. The latest in business card “different” is reflected in shapes and sizes.
- Your company isn’t like everyone else’s. Show that in your business card.
- Standard dimensions might be too confining for your logo, graphics and business details. Make your business card do what you want, rather than force you to fit within 2 X 3 ½ inches.
- Find a shape that is just as unique as what you sell or what your company represents.
- You can tell your own card by its shape when you dig into your stockpile in the dark.
- Set free that kid in you who used to color outside the lines.
- What the heck? Inspire your business card recipients to find their own creative muse.
Also, find out what your favorite brands are doing with their business cards? Are they typically pretty design oriented? It’s ok to draw inspiration from the big boys! Give it a try yourself with one of our business card templates located at the PrintNinja website – if you just head over to the business card product page, you can click on the “Template” tab and download one of our free templates.
Ready to move on? Check out Part 2 of our Creative Business Card Dimensions post!
Paper contributes big-time to the economy:
- · The forest products industry accounts for approximately five percent of the total U.S. manufacturing GDP.
- · Companies in the paper industry produce about $175 billion in products annually.
- · The paper industry meets a payroll that totals approximately $50 billion and is among the top 10 manufacturing sector employers in 48 states.
- According to 2010 data from the Bureau of Labor Relations (BLR), companies in the paper industry employ almost 400,000 people who make an average of $50K/year.
Paper could contribute even bigger-time to the economy. According to a 2009 report published by the Global Alliance for Incinerator Alternatives:
- Doubling the national recycling rate could create over one million new green jobs.
- It’s estimated that recycling, re-use, and composting create six to ten times as many jobs as waste incineration and landfills.
With the high price of energy and water conservation on everybody’s mind:
- Making paper from recycled materials uses 50 percent less water than does creating paper from virgin pulp.
- Recycling one ton of mixed paper saves the energy equivalent of 185 gallons of gasoline.
Whether you’re a tree hugger or not, this should put a smile on your face: making a ton of paper from recycled paper saves 17 trees.
At PrintNinja - we are all about educating our clients and potential clients about what’s happening in our world, because if you are our clients – our world becomes your world. If you’d like to read more about how PrintNinja deals with recycled products: check out our FAQ page!
Stock Up on Paper
Some paper stock comes into our shops with their final finishes. From there you get to choose what paper type you’ll start and end with.
Here are the 30 second versions of what coatings and finishes are all about:
- Uncoated paper stock – It’s everywhere. It has a natural and slightly rough feel. It tends to give off less of a glare so make it easier to read. This paper stock tends to soak up ink, so it’s good for writing upon and using with ink jet printers. Think letterhead, envelopes and flyers.
- Gloss coat – Shiny and light-reflective, it holds up to abuse. Think vacation-spot rack cards and catalogs from high-end retailers.
- Matte coat – Durable and smooth, it’s more subdued than gloss. It tends to absorb color rather than reflect it. Think restaurant wine lists and textbook covers.
”Top coats” are added to paper stock post-printing. They can be applied to the entire printed piece or as a “spot” varnish that highlights areas in need of more attention like logos and graphics. In general, these are finishes designed to give the product a rich and high-end look and feel.
- Varnish: Basically a clear ink. A varnish coating provides protection and sheen to products that get handled a lot like bookmarks.
- UV: The glossiest coating. The surface deters dirt and fingerprints but has a tendency to crack when folded. It improves the durability of products like postcards that get manhandled by the postal service. It also looks beautiful on materials that will be referenced repeatedly like brochures, catalog covers, and presentation folders.
For more durable and long-lasting paper, it’s a good idea to add a top coat. If you like shiny, understated or naked, forget the coat (even if it can be had from us for just a few hundredths of a penny more per piece).
Crop Marks Aid the Bleed
Crop marks are crossed lines placed at the corners of a page to indicate where to trim after sheet printing. Crop marks are used to orient the width of the bleed (where an image or color needs to extend all the way to the edge of the paper). Not having crop marks precisely placed will make both you and your press operator very unhappy.
No no no, not that bleeding
Trim it Good
Trim size indicates the final dimensions of a printed page after excess edges have been cut off. Crop marks indicate where to make the cuts. Trimming cuts product into its final size.
After trimming, if your bookmark size request is 2 inches by 9 inches, your bookmarks better be 2 inches by 9 inches, or the press operator gets to clean the ink off all the presses with a toothbrush.
You Got to Know How to Fold Them
Fold lines designate where to fold the paper after printing. They’re dashed or solid marks made outside of the design area. They mark the edge of the graphic or, in some cases, continue along the entire edge of the fold.
Fold lines like to be positioned just outside the border of the final paper and beyond the bleed or they turn ugly. Remember that last brochure with the uneven fold that you couldn’t fit into your display holder? You probably turned ugly too.
Does “Bleed” Require a Band-Aid?
No. Bleed means the ink coverage exceeds the final print dimensions. During the printing process the excess paper is trimmed off so that the color covers all the way to the edges. The only time bleed isn’t important is when the edge of the image area is white (with no ink applied).
Bleeds are generally 1/8 of an inch (or 2mm to 5mm) from where the cut will be made. The bleed also gives a little room for error in the cropping. This is required, even if two pages connect or “trap” together. Because of the speed of the process, some presses may require a 1/4″ bleed. Just remember, the greater the speed, the bigger the bleed.
If you’re doing your own graphics with a packaged software program, make sure to verify if an allowance for bleed is included (Ex.: Adobe InDesign does; Photoshop does not.)
If your graphics don’t have adequate bleed they’ll probably have a thin area of uneven white on the edge. Okay for parking lots but not posters and postcards.
Contact customer service if this is as confusing to you as it is to some of our office staff.
We’ll have more on crop marks, folding and trimming coming up!
The Case for Quality Paper
Beyond trying to be heard over the noise of Internet commerce, a new trend is surfacing: advertising with old printed friends like catalogs, brochures and postcards. Many of them are getting a shiny new look, too.
If a catalog that sells high-end dog treats crosses your path, (and you don’t have a dog), wouldn’t you pick it up and leaf through it just because it looks impressive and interesting? The beautiful pictures, the unique cover artwork, the texture of the paper all shout “hold me!” Just maybe you find a couple of gifts for your mother’s favorite Chihuahua…
If you go with marketing materials that convey a high-level of luxury, reaching the rich is feasible. If you’ve got the new “cool” and not just Tommy Bahama, all the better.
Breaking a Pattern with Paper
The easiest way to capture attention is to break a pattern. Getting your business noticed by a throng can be as simple as surprising people with something unexpected.
Break a pattern with something as simple as a brochure that is not your usual style. Surprise your customers with one printed on paper with a finish that’s a couple of steps up from what they usually get from you.
If you’re targeting new customers, show them something unique for your industry. Given the penchant for following the credo, “if it ain’t broke don’t fix it”; standing out among your competition shouldn’t be that hard.
Simply Words – When a Business Card is More than a Business Card
An outrageous headline at the grocery store checkout makes you look at a magazine you would never have noticed otherwise. Does your business card do the same for you? Why not try just a little “outrageous” of your own?
Let’s define outrageous as unique, unusual or unexpected. In the boring old business world, your legions of business card beneficiaries would probably appreciate a surprise.
The secret is to move people with your words. A joke, a pun or a quote puts emotion into your message. Put on your creativity hat, do some brainstorming with friends, or find a quote that has meaning to you or your company. Even if all you do is get people talking, your business card is doing its job.
Business card explosion!
Try ideas like these to make your business card more memorable:
A joke
- “A penny saved has not been spent.” (investment advisor)
- “We’re here when you need re-leaf.” (landscaper)
- “There are 10 types of people in this world – those who understand binary, and those who don’t.” (a software programmer)
- “If we can’t repair your brakes, we’ll make your horn louder.” (car repair shop)
A pun
- “We will re-fuse you.” (electrical contractor)
- “Old bikes should be re-tired.” (bike shop)
- “Our grills are a hot item.” (patio store)
- “Our opening and clothing times: 9 am to 5 pm.” (clothing store)
A quote
- “The only place where success comes before work is in the dictionary.” – Vince Lombardi
- “Eagles may soar, but weasels don’t get sucked into jet engines.” – Scott Adams
- “Electricity is really just organized lightening.” – George Carlin
An oxymoron
- Doesn’t “expecting the unexpected” make the “unexpected expected”?
- Why do they call it a television set when you only have one?
- Isn’t it good if a vacuum really sucks?
Of course, you can find a lot of great ideas on the Internet that will be perfect for your own business. Have a great time with your search.
“Rule #1 – The customer is always right. Rule #2 – If the customer is ever wrong, reread Rule #1.”
If you don’t know whether your customer is ally or foe, happy or sad, it’s time to find out. It’s time for a customer survey.
Before you have 10,000 door hangers printed: do a complete overhaul of your website, fire your sales staff, or take the plunge into social media, why not ask your customers how you’re doing?
Deliver the unexpected to them. You don’t need an elaborate survey with a complex evaluation process. It doesn’t have to be painful to administer. Ask for more than a “yes” or “no”. Think of this as a chance to exercise your creative muscle with unique and meaningful questions.
Get your survey out there, let your customers know that it’s there, and ask them to get it back to you quickly. Then, take their answers to heart and act. Changes that they can see let them know that their opinions do matter. It can give you more loyalty than money can buy.
Here are a few questions to get you started. Involve your team, and make these your own.
The angriest of all customers. Ninja vanish!
• What’s the one word you would use to describe our company?
• What’s the first thing you think of when you see our logo?
• Would you recommend us to the last business associate you spoke with?
• What was the last thing you shared with someone about our company?
• What’s the first word that comes to mind when you think of product “X” (our sales reps, customer service, etc.)?
• When was the last time one of our products surprised you?
• What’s the most important thing that one of our products does for you?
• Do we offer a product that you’d love to have but can’t afford?
• What’s the first thing you do with our products after you purchase them?
• What’s the most important thing our products do for you?
• If you could no longer buy one of our products, what would you do?
• What do you like most (least) about the last product you purchased from us?
• If you could buy another product from us, what would it be?
• Is there another service we should be providing?
• What happens when you have to contact us with questions?
• When was the last time our company made you mad?
• Who in our company would you like to hear from?
• If you had a problem, and we didn’t answer your call, what would you do?
• Do we have a competitor who does something better than us? What is it?
• When was the last time we surprised you?
• Now that you’ve answered our questions, is there anything you’d like to ask us?
• Is there anything else on your mind?
• What did you like about this survey?
• Is there anything else you think we should ask in this survey?
Keep asking questions on a regular basis. Ask your customers for their opinions at every point of contact. Take their answers seriously, and make changes. When customers see it in action, they’ll notice their input does make a difference. If you don’t ask your customers for their opinions, you’re ignoring half of the conversation; the most important half.
