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How to Get the Photo Quality Custom Printing that your Competitors Have

By Michael Joseph, E-commerce Manager, My1Stop (www.my1stop.com)

Your competitors’ custom printing projects have it - their marketing materials are vibrant, photo quality works of art. Even your smaller competitors with smaller marketing budgets have it. Their presentation folders and brochures, even their business cards are photo-sharp. How can they afford the photo quality results they get? Do they have a better marketing team?

Guess what — they probably just know things you don’t. They know more about emerging photo quality commercial printing than you do.

Can you get the same quality? Sure. But it comes from print vendors you might not expect –and it doesn’t have to cost more. In fact, if you find the right vendors, photo quality custom printing can cost less than traditional color printing.

How do you find these vendors and keep costs in-line? Let’s get up-to-speed on photo-quality printing. Then, I’ll offer a few tips to get you started.

What You Should Know

Photo quality custom printing is easy to understand. Printing done with a resolution of 2400 dpi or better is high photo quality. True 2400 dpi printing is what’s giving your competitor the edge. The competitor’s brochures that you envy were not printed at 1200 dpi then enhanced with software to look like 2400 dpi printing. No way. Your competitor knows better. Here are five things that your competitors know:

1. True photo quality printing is reproduction of actual images
2. Not all digital printing is true photo quality
3. Very few print vendors have true photo quality
4. Lots of print vendors “fake” photo quality
5. Most photo quality commercial printing is done on a press – not a copier

Photo Quality Printing Can Save Money

So-called photo quality printing of the past was done on digital presses, copiers and printers. These devices often require special toners, papers and press materials. Special materials mean higher costs. Enter the new era of digital presses. They print on almost any substrate and they use commonly available inks. Waterless inks are used in some digital presses which results in better ink hold out. Using common materials lowers cost. Your competitor has found vendors with these new presses.

Right now, your competitor gets better printing and pays less than you do. Here’s what you can do.

Find a Photo Quality Commercial Printing Partner

Here are some quick tips for finding a photo quality commercial printer.

1. Search the Web for “2400 dpi printing companies” – not “photo quality printing companies”
2. Learn about the presses
3. Ask the press manufacture for their customer list
4. Compare the difference of a hard copy proof versus a soft copy proof
5. Compare pricing – does photo quality cost less or the same?
6. Talk to photo quality printing press manufacturers, and ask for a list of potential vendors

Use the list above and you’ll find true photo quality print vendors who print in true photo quality output.

Get Free Samples from Vendors

Once you do find a vendor, be sure to ask for samples. Do you see the difference in quality or more depth? If a vendor won’t give you free samples, move on to the next vendor. And take the photo quality edge away from your competitors.

About the Author

Michael Joseph is E-commerce Manager for My1Stop (www.my1stop.com), a commercial printing company that provides a complete range of custom printing for presentation folders, brochures, booklets, full color labels and many other products. My1Stop utilizes time-tested print manufacturing as well as the latest digital printing equipment and processes. From spot color printing to better than photo-quality digital printing, My1Stop has a printing solution for any need.

My1Stop, 408 East 23rd Street, Fort Scott, KS 66701, Phone: 800-691-7867

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Wise Business Decision Making: Outsourcing your Logo Design

You’ve been in business for more than a couple of years. You’ve enjoyed moderate success through positive word of mouth and by delivering top-level quality of service, but your industry is becoming more and more competitive and the need for a more professional look is becoming imperative. Sound familiar? The truth is that in today’s market even the best companies need to sell its image and brand in order to succeed. This is achieved primarily via the company logo as it is associated with all of the company media: letterhead, envelopes, websites, business cards, brochures and advertising campaigns.

Many companies will choose to have their logo designed internally. This has the potential of producing good results, but it can depend on the talents of the individuals involved. Often times, it will be hard to come up with a high-quality logo this way. The time and resources spent on the efforts will simply not be worth it. Problems designing a logo in-house stem from the fact that it is often difficult to picture an effective marketing image when one is too closely tied to the business itself, and is all too familiar with the details and inner-workings of the company. This will often complicate the image that is attempting to be portrayed rather than clarify. Remember, a good logo design needs to be simple and eye-catching, yet unique to the company’s core mission.

The question then becomes: why not outsource to a company that specializes in logo design?

There are many companies that now focus their efforts solely on logo design. There are a variety of benefits to choosing this path:

• Cost Savings: Outsourcing your design will cost you a fraction of what it would hiring an independent designer or using in-house staff.
• Faster Turnaround Time: Logo design companies will make your project a priority and have a thorough understanding of the design process.
• Fresh Perspectives: Having someone look at your ideas and concepts from a fresh point of view is always a good idea in logo design.

One of the key benefits to outsourcing your design is often you will have a team of designers work on your project. At LogoBee.com, a team of at least 4-5 professional designers will work on any one project to ensure that the client gets a variety of variations and styles to choose from. In addition, the process is customer-centric so the client is never feeling left out of the picture. Changes to the designs can be requested at any time and are guaranteed to be completed within 24 hours.

Ultimately, the main advantage of working with a logo design company is that it allows you to focus on the most important thing: your core business. The next time you decide to launch a new product line, start a new business or re-brand your company, try it with the help of logo design professionals. The decision could determine the success or failure of your project.

Russell Arsenault is the Director of Marketing and Public Relations for LogoBee, Inc. For further information on logo design and branding visit the articles section on www.logobee.com.
info@logobee.com

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