Morgan Print Management

Is print dead or just dying slowly?

2011-05-24T03:24:00.000-07:00

This would have to do with how you define “Print”

If you take a look at traditional print such as litho, web etc then yes the market is shrinking.

In today’s market people’s expectations are changing, people expect to have their print in their hands in two to three days rather than the two to three weeks we used to expect. And because of this, digital print technology is increasing rapidly; think of the increase in vehicle/ building wrapping as well as large format/digital billboards and the movement from paper to electronic print.

Unfortunately, at the moment digital paper print still has many limitations, such as size and the lack of multiple finishes and I still only think of digital as an alternative for litho for when run size and cost are an issue, but as technology progresses then quality and cost will become less of an issue.

Twenty years ago our high streets were inundated with record shops and who would have thought then that they would disappear as if over night. The same is happening with print, even in the early days of computers we would wait weeks to see our masterpiece in print now it can be a matter of hours if not minutes and as print becomes more versatile we will find more ways to represent ourselves using the new technologies.

With regards to the change over from traditional to electronic print I don’t think we will be losing traditional print just yet, but as electronic print becomes the norm, seeing your product in a glossy brochure or magazine will seem like something out of the ark to the younger generations who have been brought up purely on electronic print.

So is print at the end of its lifecycle? Print is morphing and changing and as long as we all move with the times we will be fine.

Electronic or physical print?

2011-03-29T05:41:00.000-07:00

About three weeks ago I asked, via LinkedIn, the following question:

Do you prefer to read your books or magazines electronically or to have a physically printed item?

Now this is a bit of a controversial question, as I obviously work in the print industry but the results were staggering and have helped me take a big sigh of relief when looking at the future of print. I was amazed at the number of responses I received and the strong feeling from everyone regarding their reading habits and to find that 75% of respondents still prefer to read their books in hard copy is music to my ears. I do, however, feel that over the next couple of years these statistics will change dramatically and is definitely a question to ask again next year.

Now the reason why I asked this question was because late last year my mobile phone company offered me a sparkly new smart phone on renewal of my contract (I love it) and being an avid reader my whole life I quickly found a great free Ebook app. I typically have two books on the go at any one time but if you’d asked me this question 12 months ago I would have emphatically said no, I will not give up my hard copy books for an electronic version. This changed, however, after downloading a couple of free open source books (I had made a promise to myself to read more of the classics) and I found myself reading predominantly Ebooks, so much so a couple of months ago I invested in a 7” tablet EReader. Now, whenever I have five minutes to myself I find myself reading, in the doctors surgery or waiting for appointments no more lugging books around for me.

Don’t get me wrong, I still love reading magazines and newspapers in hard copy, getting them through the door, the smell of the print (I know, I know, I am a print geek after all) and then flicking through the pages until I find an article I am interested in - there is no way a phone, PC or tablet is going to be able to replicate that, so as you can tell I am currently in the both category but this may change J

I thought you might like to read the best of the responses to the question.

Carlos Gutierrez

http://uk.linkedin.com/pub/carlos-gutierrez/b/826/2b9

Personally I prefer to have them physically printed but I do believe that the electronic world is catching on very fast in the sense that devices such as the kindle and a number of ebook readers have come onto the market. This makes storage of books etc a lot easier that carrying around bulky books, another thing that these manufacturers have realised especially with the kindle is that the screen doesn't resemble that of a computer making a more viable alternative to books as after sitting at a screen 8-10 hours a day the last thing I want to do is come back to a screen to read a book.

Kathryn Thomas-Daniels

http://uk.linkedin.com/pub/kathryn-thomas-daniels/27/602/82a

I prefer a printed copy, also there is something about an old book, it may be the mystery or the romance? but it tells a tale, the smell, the turned corners, the coffee stains on the back cover! to pass a book on is a good gift to share.

Lee Clouse

http://www.linkedin.com/in/lclouse

I love the Kindle for reading books--I actually think I read faster on it. Magazines look great on an iPad. Newspapers, for no reason whatsoever, I like the print version. Seems arbitrary, I know. It's very interesting to see that most every answer here prefers print. That is definitely contrary to what we are being led to believe

The Effective Use of Leaflets to Market your Company

2011-03-05T03:17:00.000-08:00

Leaflets are type of open letter which can be circulated in a number of ways and they are a great cost effective way to get your message across to your future clients.

I have put together a 10 point check list of what you need to think about before you even start putting your ideas onto paper.

1. What are you selling and to who? Who is your target market in this instance, you will need to narrow this down so your company's message is clear.

2. How do you intend on getting your information to these people. By hand, post, through the door or left at various venues etc.

3. Who is going to be reading your leaflet - you need to design it with this in mind. There is no point in writing your text at graduate level if it is going to be read by average Joe Public.

4. Decide on your paper stock, if your target audience is upmarket you need to be thinking about using a high quality, heavy gloss or silk paper/card, if downmarket then a lightweight, cost effective paper will do.

5. When deciding on what is going to be in your leaflet always give a thought to what is the end benefit to your customer.

6. When designing your leaflet always use AIDA

A - Attention - you need to grab the attention of the person reading it.
I - Interest - once you have their attention you need to sustain that by keeping them interested.
D - Desire - now you have their interest you need to get them to desire your product. Use customer testimonials, case studies etc.
A - Action - always have a call to action, such as a specific offer, discount or maybe a voucher.

7. Reflect your brand identity throughout your leaflet, making sure that your brand is clearly recognised. Potential customers typically need to have seen your customer's message 6 times before they will buy from you.

8. Do not be afraid to leave white space - too much information and your may lose your message, it will also make it difficult to read and is therefore much more likely to end up in your potential clients recycle bin.

9. Don't use jargon.

10. Remember to leave room for your contact information, telephone, email and web address.

With the increase in digital print it is much more cost effective these days to target your leaflets to specific markets. There is no point in producing one leaflet in their 1000's if only a quarter of them are going to be of interest to who you are handing them out to.

Always keep your target market in mind at all times and design your leaflet to that specific market.

Print Perception

2011-02-08T05:58:00.000-08:00

During the 10 years plus I have been working in print I have had the pleasure of working with people who totally understand the print process but on the other side of the coin are the people who do not. Don’t get me wrong I am not putting anyone down here, in my opinion you have to be a little odd in the first place to find print interesting but in the same way I think it is odd that people find crunching numbers interesting, hence why I outsource my accounts.

I don’t expect everyone to be an expert at print but there are a number of printers that do, they set tight criteria of how artwork must be set up and if it is not exactly correct then they will not accept it. Others will take your artwork and charge you a fee for getting it print ready. 'Hey' I hear you say, 'it printed ok on your office printer so why do you need to pay someone to get it “print ready” for you?'.

Unfortunately when Microsoft were designing their suite of packages they set their criteria for viewing on screen, and what you see on screen is light which is produced in RGB (red green blue) but when it comes to print your artwork will need to be CMYK (cyan, magenta, yellow and keyplate black) and unless you have a professional program such as photoshop or adobe indesign you will have some difficulty making that conversion.

Next, if you have any images that touch the very edge of your paper you have supply your artwork with “bleed” which is usually 3mm on all edges (even the edges where images don’t touch the edge). This is so your document can be printed oversized and then trimmed down to the correct size so that there are no white edges around your final printed image. If you have one of the above professional program or you are getting your artwork professionally designed your artwork should always be supplied with crops (these are a pattern of lines indicating to the printer where to trim (crop) your design) and bleed (minimum 3mm all around).

If designing yourself make sure all artwork, text and images are at least 300dpi (dots per square inch) this can be quite tricky to check unless you have a professional program (see above) so it pays to be friendly with your printer or print manager so they can check this for you.

Finally before sending your artwork to print, check, check and check again for typo’s. If you can get someone else to proof read it for you all the better as a fresh set of eyes on the artwork are always worth it. If you are using a professional graphic designer don’t presume that he is going to spell check your work for you, he or she will send you a proof before it goes to print and the onus is on you to ensure that all names, telephone numbers, spelling and grammar is correct.

Here’s a little horror story for you:

A few months ago I met a guy at a networking meeting whose marketing leaflet, when it came back from the printers, had over 20 spelling and grammar errors - he was not a happy bunny. There was no way anyone would accept the leaflet as a serious marketing piece so he had to bin all 5000, a very expensive mistake for a fledgling business. He had used his computer spell checker rather than proof reading the text himself and words such as unformed rather than uniformed and there instead of their had crept in.

Alwasy remember, it is not the graphic designer or the printers responsibility to check your work for spelling and grammar errors it is yours.

If you liked the above article and have some questions relating to print please drop me an email to jo@morganpm.biz or give me a call on 01443 472565

2010-11-03T12:26:00.000-07:00

Presentation folders are extremely cost effective to produce, and presenting something to your client that looks professional and organised will speak volumes about your business before the folder is even opened. They are an excellent marketing tool but can be used for many other purposes within your business such as company handbooks or for business seminars.

Do you have a lot of marketing literature which is relevant to specific markets? Then a presentation folder is the way forward. You can select which marketing material you need dependant on who your target market is and if your company literature and marketing materials constantly require updating a presentation folder is the ideal way to keep your print budget down. By printing short run up to date folder inserts you can save yourself considerably on brochure printing costs.

These days image is key and information contained in inserts, flyers, leaflets, brochures etc which are presented in a neat, professional manner will grab the attention of your potential client and give them a sense that your company has their effects together and really knows what they are doing.

There are many different types and style of presentation folder available and they can be customised with your company logo and information. Have a chat with your graphic designer or print manager as they will be able to help you with the various options available to you from pre-manufactured and assembled, to flat and ready to fold. They will discuss with you the different finishes available from matt/gloss lamination, to embossing and spot uv etc. but always remember, these additional finishes can increase your folder cost considerably, they look great but before adding these on always consider who your potential client is whether what they will bring to your company is worth the additional cost.

And lastly, presentation folders retain a large quantity of your business information within them as well as printed on them so always ensure that your contact details are clearly shown on all literature.

Recycling Paper around the Office

2010-10-04T07:41:00.000-07:00

As a print manager it is strange that I am always babbling on to people about how to save paper, you would think that would be the last thing I would be passionate about.

As much as I like to see words and pictures actually printed rather than on screen and to be able to hold a magazine or brochure and read at my leisure I am still concerned about how this paper is disposed of.

I have written a previous blog about the affects of paper in our landfill sites and would like to see that reduced significantly; so I have put together the following hints and tips to enable us to be more eco friendly with our office paperwork.

1. Re-use. Turn your scrap paper into note pads by stapling or bulldog clips. If you have printed something that you no longer require, keep it in a box on top of the printer so non essential office information can be printed on the reverse.

2. Organise your office, pool together all office supplies before submitting your next stationery order, you may find that you do not require everything on your list.

3. Opt for a supplier who is committed to providing a choice of environmentally friendly products and will take back packaging for reuse.

4. Choose paper and wood products which are FSC certified to guarantee they come from certified sustainable sources.

5. Re-use envelopes, cardboard packaging and especially jiffy bags as these usually have a high plastic content and are not suitable for recycling.

6. Set your printer to double print so that both sides of the paper is used.

7. For all internal mail use reusable envelopes and provide clearly marked storage containers for these, cardboard and jiffy bags.

8. Provide recycling bins around the office for all paper and plastic.

9. Reuse shredded waste as packaging material

10. Encourage all communication to be made by email and ensure that they are only printed if absolutely necessary.

Brochures the Why? What? Who? How?

2010-09-01T03:47:00.000-07:00

Why?

Most companies these days have a website so I can hear you asking why do I need a brochure? A website cannot replace the immediate visual impact of placing a brochure into a prospective clients hands.

A well designed brochure will give your company credibility, clients like to see that a company has invested in itself and a well written and presented brochure will show just that.

As all of us business owners know, it is extremely difficult to get in front of your prospects and so most of our contact is made over the phone or by mail. A cover letter to a prospective client will only present a fraction of the information they require and whereas a letter may be read quickly and binned a brochure can contain all the relevant information and is typically kept by a prospect to be looked over at a later time.

What?

What is the purpose of my brochure?

Firstly, you need to define what your brochure should be doing and then carry out some research.

Do you need one or many? Are you going to have one brochure listing all your company’s products or a separate brochure for each product?

Who?

Who is going to be receiving your brochure? Are they for new or existing customers?

Is it for a specific campaign or for general use throughout your business?

You may require an initial lightweight sales brochure to draw in new customers and then a heavier information led brochure for requests for further information.

If you decide on two or more they will each need to be targeted to the different audiences because if you send out the wrong brochure you are just wasting your money.

How?

There are many thoughts on the best way to go about producing your brochure, the first is to employ everyone you need from copywriters, to marketing experts, to graphic design agencies and stock photo libraries but if your budget won’t allow for that you will need to decide what you can and can’t afford.

Have a look at some online brochures, speak with graphic designers/graphic design agencies and get some ideas of the price for design and print. If design does not fit into your budget there are many online templates which may be of help to you.

Always know who your target audience is and what message will get their attention. Find out what type of brochure and level of sophistication is crossing your target audiences desks, there is no point in sending out a tri-fold leaflet if your competitors are sending out glossy 32 page brochures, with matt laminated and spot UV cover.

Early research will save you time and money when it comes to getting down in writing what you want to say and you know your company better than anyone else. Take a look at your competitors, how are they selling themselves and is it effective? What approach have they taken and does any part of it jump out at you?

Do some customer analysis – think about what your customers want to know and then answer this in a logical sequence, speak with your existing customers and find out why they bought from you. Any testimonials are always great to include in your brochure.

For the front cover, think of the benefits of your product or thought provoking statements which will motivate your prospect to pick up your brochure and read it.

If you are using the one brochure for many products ensure you have a contents page as your clients will not want to be wasting time flicking through your brochure to find the relevant information.

Remember AIDA see previous post on “How to utilise your leaflets effectively”

Attention – Interest – Desire – Action

Ensure that you have included all key information in your brochure, your mailing address, telephone numbers, email address and website and get someone else to proof read it.

Do not include any information which is likely to change in the next 12 months, there is no point in spending several hundred possibly thousands of pounds if the information becomes obsolete before you have managed to distribute them all.

Have an idea of your print budget and how many your require and then with the help of your printer/print manager you can work out what you can achieve for your budget.

Remember you don’t have to have a standard size, depending on your budget you can change the size of your brochure to make it stand out from the crowd. However, if your brochure is going to be mailed out anything of an unusual size will cost more in envelopes and postage than a standard size brochure and so must be taken into account when working out your budgets.

Always ensure that your graphics are the highest quality possible (at least 300dpi – dots per square inch) so they will print satisfactorily. Make sure your text is enthusiastic and stay away from clichés, technical jargon and crowded text.

Use the right paper, if you are unsure ask your printer/print manager for some samples.

A brochure is not the end of your marketing material but should be used in conjunction with other advertising material such as direct mail, online promotions or as a tool by your sales people. A brochure will not close the sale; that is for you to do, so always remember to follow up sending out your brochure with a call.

The difference between Print Management and Print Brokering and how both work within my business.

2010-08-09T11:21:00.000-07:00

A print manager can work for their clients in two ways:

They can operate for their clients as an internal resource or employee without the need for ongoing salaries:

If this client is you, before our meeting I would ask you to go through all the printed items your company has produced over the past 12 months and I then carry out a print health check. This health check enables me to thoroughly understand your needs and business goals and to transform these into effective and efficient print procurement strategies. Together we will then produce a forecast of your print projects which I will review with you regularly over the next 6 to 12 months and at all times focus on the profitability of the projects and to provide hassle free solutions for you.

They can work for a client on an ad hoc basis providing print as and when the client needs it, finding the most efficient and effective way to accomplish each printing task.

If you are not looking for the full print management service because you have local printers for your run of the mill print items, business cards, stationery etc. when you are looking to produce your glossy catalogue or brochure or you require help with the production of your literature folders and inserts you can call on me for help. I am happy to work with your graphic design team to advise on the most cost effective but print efficient way to produce the required item or alternately I have a number of great graphic designers who I am more than happy to refer to you. This early advice can definitely save you hassle later on and will certainly save you money in the long run.

A Print Broker matches their client’s requirement with the right printer for the job and really their responsibility ends there.

As a print manager I also broker print as I work for a number of graphic design and marketing agencies and they do not require the full management service. In this instance I still continue to monitor the job throughout the print process and ensure that it is delivered in a timely manner and acceptable quality as I do with all my clients.

If you are interested in anything I have written above please give me a call.

Business Cards and how to stop them getting binned

2010-07-05T10:06:00.000-07:00

Your business cards are a reflection of your company but you would be surprised at how little time some business owners put into the design and style of their business cards. A little thought beforehand will enable you to have a business card which promotes you and your company effectively.

Firstly, your business card should tell people what you do and give a meaningful benefit, anything less will just confuse and your card will end up in the bin. Get rid of the tagline and put your USP on there, tell everyone what makes you different from the rest.

Always make sure you use both sides; yes a single sided card is cheaper than a double sided one but what a waste of space, and £100 well spent is much better than £60 spent badly. This space could and should be used to further promote your company, why not list the services you provide or you can place a couple of testimonials on there, what better way to sell your company than letting others do it for you. Another idea is your photograph, if like me you attend a lot of networking meetings, by the time I get back in my office and go through the cards I have forgotten who they are for, but you can guarantee if there is a picture I will remember them. Also, what about about putting on a Do you remember statement as in “do you remember me, we met at …… and discussed………” this can be a great memory jogger.

When it comes to the design of your business cards, you need to ensure that your message is the same across all of your company literature. If you have a logo make sure it is reproduced on all stationery and your stationery design should match your business image, for example, if you are a designer and your cards are a simple black and white design this is not going to help you promote your creative side.

Ensure that the fonts you use are easily readable and legible and that your card is not crammed with information. Having white space on your card helps the information get absorbed much easier.

Ensure that all your contact information is on the cards, your prospective clients should have as many means as possible to contact you so make sure you list your telephone numbers, landline and mobile, fax, email and website address etc.

One of the biggest problems when it comes to print is typo’s, leave yourself plenty of time to proof read your cards properly and if you can, let someone else do it for you, it is commonly known that you cannot proof read your own work.

Make sure your cards are of regular size, if they cannot fit into a standard business card wallet the chances are they will end up in the bin, standard size business cards in the UK are 85 x 55mm or 90mm x 50mm.

Ensure that your business cards are printed on a good quality card, at least 350gsm. Many of the free business cards sites only print on 250gsm or lower which is not a good reflection of your business. Have a chat with your printer/print manager about the different types of card available and what you plan on printing on them as they can be an invaluable source of advice. Do not print your business cards yourself, your desk printer although it may be “photo” quality is not designed to print on thick card stocks and you are likely to get inconsistencies of colour and trimming if you do these yourself. And stay away from the perforated business cards you find in most stationers as they just scream out that you do not value your company enough to produce professional business cards.

You only have the one chance to make a good impression and in most cases your business cards will be that first impression so make sure they are of the best quality and design you can afford.

How to Utilise your Leaflets Effectively

2010-06-16T08:32:00.000-07:00

Leaflets are one of the most popular ways of promoting your business; they are great to boost sales by getting your message out in a hurry.

But leaflets should also be used as a part of an on going marketing plan as they are a cost effective way of disseminating your information.

It has been proven that most customers will only make a purchase after they have seen a company’s marketing message 6 times and by specifically targeting your potential clients and tracking the results you should be able to increase the normal low response rates of leaflets from 1-10% to 25% and above.

Before you go any further you will need to think about how you want to disseminate the information. Are you going to business shows, networking, door dropping, magazine inserts or just handing them out in the street?

Who is your target audience and where are they based? Think about who your ideal client is.

Design and layout used to be the realm of a professional graphic designer but these days there are many pc based design programs such as Word or Publisher. These are great for a basic leaflet design but please be aware that most printers prefer print ready pdf (portable document format) files set for CMYK (cyan, magenta, yellow and black) and most home PC programs do not have this capability. If you are unsure it is always worth having a chat with your printer as they can help you with this as well as give advice on size and paper weights along with colours and fonts etc, and If you don’t wish to go down the self design route they should be able to put you in touch with a reputable graphic designer in your area.

Make sure if you are taking your own images that you use the highest resolution your camera allows. Be aware that most camera phone images are not of sufficient quality for printing. Always check the resolution of all images used as they must be at least 300dpi for printing (your printer can help you here if you are unsure), just because an image looks good on screen does not mean it will print correctly.

If you are stuck for relevant images you can download royalty free images from websites such as istockphoto.com usually for a small fee.

When designing your leaflet always think AIDA

Attention – does your leaflet grab your audiences attention, open with something that pulls them in not pushes them away such as a question:

“Are you paying to much for…”

“Have you ever…”

“Can you see…”

Interest – now you have their attention you need to sustain it by getting them interested.

What is your USP?

Convey the benefits of using your services, if you don’t know then ask your existing customers why they use you.

Cut out jargon and waffle

Desire – now you have their interest you need to make them desire your services:

Obtain customer testimonials.

Show them how what you have to offer will solve some of their problems and appeal to customers by always using ‘you’ and ‘your’ in your text.

Can you offer a guarantee – money back/lowest price/100% satisfaction/quality etc.

Action – lead your customers towards taking a specific and measurable action:

‘Call now, on ….’

Give a discount if you are contacted before a certain time.

Have a voucher with a deadline etc.

….and make sure you track your results.

By having different special offers or leaflet designs going out to different areas/target audiences you can track your results and concentrate on areas that work and discard those that don’t.

Remember to include all the important information such as phone number, email/website address and always allow plenty of time for checking and editing. Let someone else do the proof reading as it is commonly known that you cannot proof read your own work. Check and double check all contact details, and finally, make sure you have permission to use all images and quotes.

How Your Business Could Save Money With Print Management

2010-06-08T08:12:00.000-07:00

Orange, the mobile and cellular communications giant owned by France Telecom, is well known to UK consumers. This is not least because of the large scale advertising and marketing campaigns it runs, just like any major brand. Advertising and marketing in print format (ie on actual paper) forms a big proportion of this budget. This includes things like leaflet printing, booklets and pamphlets, consumer magazines, billboard posters and direct mail marketingmaterials. It is completely feasible that such a huge company would spend vast amounts on this type of work.

But a recent news story in the print indusrty press revealed that Orange also spends £7 million every year in the UK on 'print management'. Not a penny of this is actually spent on ink or equipment or printing costs - it all goes into the strategic planning of that printing. It might seem a little OTT to spend this much on a third party service merely to oversee printing. Yet if you understand what is meant by print management, you might begin to see why such sums are justified. The basic fact comes down to this. Companies which spend money on a print management specialist actually tend to save money compared to those who try to manage their printing by themselves.

A large part of these savings comes down to reducing wastage. Millions of dollars are lost every year by mistakes such as incorrect color calibration, problems with paper stock and simple typos which were ignored before sending to print. If you consider unwieldy and complex print marketing strategies this is quite often the case and these costs are written off as 'inevitable'. It is because commercial printers needed to find an efficient solution to these that the discipline of print management was born.

Aside from reducing waste, another thing print management is able to achieve is planning the logistics of all the varied print campaigns so that resources and time are used most efficiently. Print jobs and schedules are planned in scientific detail to reduce the cost associated with electricity use, overheads and purchase of unneccesary equipment. For example if you are using a large number of printing machinery units during peak times, by planning ahead and spreading the load you can use less machines, and less power, at any one time. Do the math and the outcome of this is that your printing costs come down. So you can either achieve the same amount of output for less money, or reinvest the savings in more print marketing and ultimately more ROI.

Here's the good bit: print management is no longer the exclusive domain of huge enterprises like Orange. In the past decade the gains in digital printing technology have meant smaller scale print management solutions are possible for small to medium enterprises, meaning that the rest of us can enjoy the same kinds of cost savings the 'big guys' have been enjoying for years. Is your business taking advantage?

Sourced from www.printerscentralonline.com/blog/How-Your-Business-Could-Save-Money-With-Print-Management

Why use a print management company when you can do it yourself?

2010-03-24T09:14:00.000-07:00

If you have the knowledge of print that you know where to go to get a cost effective price, the knowledge of design to know that your images are the required DPI to print clearly or the knowledge of paper to know that what you are printing will print exactly how you want it to look and feel, then you don’t need a print management company.

If however, you don’t have this knowledge, and these points are just a few of thousands of different specifications which set your print project apart from the next one, then you do.

Why not go straight to the printer? I hear you ask.

You can go direct to the printer but do you know what print presses they have and are they geared to print your project cost effectively? Each print company has a unique tool and skill set and will only be able produce a limited number of projects cost effectively.

A Print Management company is independent and has the flexibility to represent several different companies, they will be able to give you best advice at all times and ensure that your project is delivered to you ontime everytime. So if you work in a busy department which deals with a variety of print products then the right Print Management company would be a valuable addition to your team.

VAT on Print - could it be more confusing?

2010-02-07T01:04:00.000-08:00

The rules and regulations on VAT on printed items is a minefield, even after working within the print industry for over 10 years now I still have to refer to the HMRC website from time to time.

A client of mine only last week said that she isn’t bothered about vat as she isn’t vat registered when in reality she is exactly the person who should be concerned about vat. Depending on what she purchases she could find an additional 17 ½ % charged on top of what she was originally quoted.

She asked me why printers couldn’t quote all prices with VAT and I can see where she is coming from. It would benefit the smaller non vat registered business to know whether the item is vatable or not before they purchase and it is definitely something I will be looking at in the very near future.

Anyhow back to the regulations – I don’t want to bore you with this as I am quite aware after spending a lovely couple of hours last week refreshing my memory on the minutiae of VAT rulings in the UK how sleep inducing it is so we will just look at the most commonly printed products.

The rules and regulations regarding VAT on print are dependant on what the item is, what it is to be used for and what it is printed on.

Most print items as classified by the HMRC are standard rated (which means you are liable to pay standard rate VAT, currently 17½%) and where it gets us business owners is on our stationery e.g business cards, letterheads, compliment slips, posters, postcards and envelopes.

However there are exceptions to the rules and they are for the following:

Books and booklets

Restricted to goods produced on paper and similar materials such as card and are usually bound with a cover. Goods containing text in other formats such as audio or video cassettes or CD Rom are classed as standard-rated.

Brochures and pamphlets

Brochures usually consist of several sheets of reading matter fastened or folded together, but are not necessarily bound in covers. They usually contain advertising material in the form of text or illustrations.

Pamphlets are similar, but are usually comprised of material of a political, social or intellectual nature.

Leaflets

Leaflets normally consist of a single sheet of paper not greater than A4 in size. They must be intended to be held in the hand for reading, convey information and must be supplied in a minimum quantity of 50 to permit general distribution. They must be printed on limp paper and designed to be read a few times and then thrown away. Items printed on stiff paper and card are not automatically excluded, however the use of stiff card indicates that the item is to be kept and would then be excluded from the leaflet classification.

If an item has an area to be completed, as long as that area is under 25% of the total area then it may still be classed as Zero rated.

Whatever the area for completion, a publication which is designed to be returned whole after completion is always standard-rated.

Here are some more items not covered above and their VAT liability:

Accounts (fully printed)

Zero-rated

Albums

Standard-rated

Annuals

Zero-rated

Appointment cards

Standard-rated

Articles of association (complete in booklet form)

Zero-rated

Badges

Standard-rated

Bags, paper

Standard-rated

Calendars

Standard-rated

Catalogues

Zero-rated

Certificates

Standard-rated

Circulars

Zero-rated

Colouring books (children’s)

Zero-rated

Comics

Zero-rated

Company accounts and reports

Zero-rated

Delivery notes

Standard-rated

Folders

Standard-rated

Holiday and tourist guides

Zero-rated

Instruction manuals

Zero-rated

Invoices

Standard-rated

Labels

Standard-rated

Magazines

Zero-rated

Mail order catalogues

Zero-rated

Manuals

Zero-rated

Membership cards

Standard-rated

Memo pads

Standard-rated

Menu cards

Standard-rated

Music

Zero-rated

Newspapers

Zero-rated

Note books, pads and paper

Standard-rated

Order books and forms

Standard-rated

Orders of Service

Zero-rated

Painting books (children’s)

Zero-rated

Picture books

Zero-rated

Price lists (fully printed leaflets or brochures)

Zero-rated

Printed pictures

Standard-rated

Programmes

Zero-rated

Rag books (children’s)

Zero-rated

Receipt books and forms

Standard-rated

Reply-paid coupons and envelopes

Standard-rated

Sports programmes

Zero-rated

Stickers

Standard-rated

Tickets

Standard-rated

Time cards and sheets

Standard-rated

Timetables (in book or leaflet form)

Zero-rated

Trade catalogues

Zero-rated

Trade directories

Zero-rated

Travel brochures

Zero-rated

Vouchers

Standard-rated

Wall charts

Standard-rated

Please note the above is not all encompassing and for more information go to the HMRC website www.hmrc.gov.uk/vat

2010-01-12T05:55:00.000-08:00

Recycled paper is certainly the ethical way to go when it comes to printing as it is a practical resource which preserves energy. Recycled paper typically uses 70% less energy than virgin paper*.

In the past recycled paper has, in quality and cost, been the poor relative when compared to virgin pulp paper, but improvements in recycled paper production and the combination of mixing virgin pulp with recycled pulp has meant that it is now almost impossible to spot the difference between the two. And because of this the cost difference has been brought down to approximately 10% difference between recycled over virgin pulp paper.

Recycled paper advantages

Every year more than 11 million tonnes of paper and board are consumed in the UK and a considerable amount of that ends up in landfill sites

The breakdown of bio-degradable substances in landfill (which includes paper) causes the production of methane gas. Methane gas remains in the atmosphere for approximately 9-15 years and is over 20 times more effective in trapping heat in the atmosphere than carbon dioxide, so if we can avoid putting paper into landfill we’ll be doing our bit to prevent global warming. According to the environmental charity Waste Watch for every tonne (about 2 pallets) of 100% post-consumer recycled paper purchased instead of virgin fibre paper, we save:

1. At least 30,000 litres of water.

2. 3000 - 4000 KWh electricity - enough power for an average 3 bedroom house for one year.

Much of the UK wood pulp used in the paper and board making processes comes from Scandinavia and the majority of natural forests in that area have been converted to intensively managed forests where the natural flora and fauna in that area struggle to survive. There is only about 5% of Scandinavian old-growth forestry remaining and each day more and more is being logged and as a result, hundreds of plants and animal species are becoming endangered*.

We also have to consider the increased carbon footprint to get that paper pulp from Scandinavia to the UK paper mills. Paper pulp used for recycling, particularly office paper, tends to be based around our cities. The UK could produce much more of its own paper and not have to rely on expensive imports if the market for recycled paper increased which could save us up to £800 million on balance of payments. This saving could then be reinvested into more recycling centres countrywide and publicising recycling, so that there is an increased participation by residents.

About 20-25% of paper cannot be recycled, as the fibres degenerate each time they are recycled. Typically paper can be recycled approximately 5-7 times before the fibres become too small (the smaller the fibres the lower the quality of paper produced) so we must be aware that there will always be a need for virgin pulp, although we can reduce the amount required through using recycled paper.

So - should you choose Recycled Papers?

As said before it is an ethical issue and is up to the individual or organization, but the main advantages are:

1. Reduced landfill sites- our landfills are rapidly becoming full and fewer sites are available – who would want one of these on their back door step?

2. The more we recycle the higher the demand – we currently recycle because there is an end market, if that end market is not there then we cannot recycle.

3. Paper recycling optimises the use of a valuable material and reduces the amount of virgin pulp required. Although forests are increasingly managed in a sustainable way there is a need to reduce wastage by using more recycled content.

* Source Friends of the Earth.

RGB & CMYK

2009-12-11T02:36:00.000-08:00

RGB Stands for Red, Green and Blue and they are know as 'additive colours'. Additive colours are used for light projection or for displaying images on a screen and are primarily used in web design. If you combine the three colours of RGB, in the middle, white will appear. RCG is the principal behind TV screens and computer monitors and uses light to produce its images.

CMYK stands for Cyan, Magenta, Yellow and 'Keyplate' Black. They are mainly used in printing and graphic design. They are different from RGB because if you combine Cyan, Magenta and Yellow it will form Black, however this black is not always acceptable during the print process hence the reason why Keyplate Black is used. Printers prefer files in CMYK because the majority of their print machinery is geared for this process.

The Offset Litho Process

2009-11-25T08:34:00.000-08:00

Offset Litho printing works on the principle that oil and water do not mix. A photographic image is transferred onto a thin metal plate which is treated so that the image area attracts oil based inks while the wet no-image areas resist them. This plate is then passed over rollers of a clean solution or water and then passed over inked rollers so the oil based inks “sticks” to the image area. The image is then transferred onto a rubber blanker which is then transferred onto the papers surface. Each plate prints a separate colour and dependant on the press size they can work in any combination of colours including pantone and metallic inks but mainly work in four colour process (CMYK).

Because of the upfront set up costs of the plates and the presses this makes Off-set Litho printing more beneficial to longer run print projects.

There are many types of Offset Litho printing presses available for example single colour, two colour, four, five, eight and ten colour with different presses being able to print on various sizes of paper from Oversized A3, A2, A1 and upwards.

The Digital Print Process

2009-11-20T05:46:00.000-08:00

Similar to your office printer or photocopier. Is very cost effective and is usually used for quick turnaround or short run jobs because the process is very similar to sending a job from your PC to your printer. The quality of digital print has improved dramatically over the last few years and should soon be comparable to litho printing. They are limited to printing in four colour process (Cyan, Magenta, Yellow and Black - CMYK) and therefore cannot use single Pantones or metallic inks.
Other uses are poster printing and large format vinyl printing.

Do you know which printer is the right one for your project?

2009-11-18T08:13:00.000-08:00

Do you have time to go through the yellow pages to look for a printer? There are so many different types of printer out there that you could probably call every single one in your area and not necessarily get the right one for your print requirement.

I have worked for many years in various print companies and each is geared up to produce a limited range of products cost effectively and if they couldn’t produce it cost effectively they would broker the job to one that could, put a mark up on that job, and sit back and let someone else do the work.

There are many types of print processes and I will go through these with you over the next few weeks.

Print Management is not Dead!

2009-10-23T05:58:00.001-07:00

Print management has had a bad reputation over the past few years.

There have been too many individuals taking back handers to place clients print and people jumping on the print management band wagon using cheap overseas suppliers without really understanding the print process or their clients needs.

A print management company should always add value, its not just buying and selling print, done properly it encompasses every aspect of a clients business.

For a print management company to be effective they must do all of the following:

They must build strong ongoing relationships with their clients

Keep abreast of new print and production technologies

Respond quickly and efficiently to their client’s changing requirements

Be proactive and take responsibility

Be flexible and accountable

Save clients time and money

Meet tight deadlines

2009-10-22T03:46:00.000-07:00

Research claims outdoor extends effectiveness for financial service advertising
Matt Whipp, printweek.com, 20 October 2009

Print and online are the most effective forms of advertising for financial services companies, new research has revealed.

According to figures from Brand Science, radio generates just 87p for every pound spent on advertising, while the figure for TV is £1.57/Direct mail achieved £1.43, while print offered £1.80, bettered only by online at £1.89.When production costs were taken into account, the revenue return on investment worked out as £1.75 for online, £1.67 for print, £1.47 for outdoor, £1.34 for TV, £1.33 for DM and £0.99 for radio. However, coupled with outdoor advertising these rates rise, with printed boosted some 14% and TV by 30%, while online is improved even further by 82%.Brand Science global director Sally Dickerson said: "Outdoor helps the response media, including print and online, to work harder. Outdoor also delivers high returns on investment in itself, and deserves a much higher share of investment.

"The study was carried out for Clear Channel Outdoor

Business Card Printing Scam

2009-10-21T13:29:00.000-07:00

The Federation of Small businesses reports the following:

Just a quick message about a scam that a Swansea Bay Branch member has just been the victim of:

"We have recently purchased business cards on-line from Vista Print - the cards are quite good and reasonably priced.

We recently noticed a monthly subscription of £9.95 being taken from our credit card account that we had not sanctioned.

This charge was shown on our statementas "vprewards.com 0845 260 110" needless to say the phone number is not genuine.

A Google search under vprewards scam has provided lots of evidence of others being conned. It would appear that Vista Print are associated with vprewards.com and pass on payment details to extort this money.

Please be very wary of Vista Print - we most surely will never deal with them again.

http://www.fsb.org.uk/default.aspx?id=29&loc=080