Posts Tagged ‘business card’

Getting the “Feel” of the Business Card

Thursday, January 28th, 2010

Yesterday I was at a trade show in Santa Rosa and stopped to talk to one of the vendors.  He handed me his business card.  I looked at it and held it in my hand while I talked to him.  I noticed that I was rubbing the card between my fingers.

After I finished talking with him, I walked away and looked more closely at the card.  It was embossed.  I have known about embossing for many years but had never had such a personal experience with it.  It had really drawn me in.

emboss%20001 Getting the Feel of the Business Card

Embossing and debossing can certainly draw attention to your printed pieces. Embossing is  usually subtle and adds a sophisticated and elegant touch to a business card or letterhead.

How is it done?

Embossing, or its opposite cousin, debossing, is typically done with a die and counter.  The die is usually made from metal, often copper or magnesium, and the counter is made from a plastic or polymer based material that is capable of taking the pressure and still keep the details present.  It is usually done on a letterpress.

The die is a convex impression of the image and the counter is the positive or concave impression.  When the two are fitted together a nice impression is created in the paper or card stock.emboss 004 Getting the Feel of the Business Card

Types of Embossing

You can use embossing by itself, with no ink, called blind embossing. emboss%20002 Getting the Feel of the Business Card It can also be used in conjunction with ink, called  register embossing.

It also can be used with foil stamping, which when embossed with foil is known as foil/embossing or combination stamping.  This can produce outstanding results, but it is more expensive since a specialized die needs to be created and two passes need to be made through the press.  The first press pass stamps the foil and second pass creates the emboss.

At Ajalon Printing we can do all of these processes in our own shop, ensuring consistent quality.  So when you are wanting to improve the ‘feel’ of any of your printed material give us a call, 707.528.0288, or visit our web site at http:/www.ajalon.com.  We have been right here in Sonoma County for over 50 years and are ready to help you.

Written By David Walrath

Ajalon Printing & Design

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Good Business Stationery Builds Business

Tuesday, January 12th, 2010

Every business in Santa Rosa wants to grow.  We have been talking about how businesses in Sonoma County have been using business referral marketing, newsletters and postcards to attract new business.  Often after the initial contact a follow up written on your letterhead is the next step.

With your letterhead and business card you begin building the relationships that will make your business a success.  The image that others form about your company will be influenced by the stationery that you use.  Following are some design secrets that will aid you in creating and using fine business stationery.

Choose a good quality paper

Don’t skip on the paper.  The paper is a small part of the overall business stationery package, usually less than 20%.  Trying to save money here may be penny wise and pound foolish.  Choose a paper that has some cotton content.  The cotton makes the paper feel warmer and appears more professional.

Create a strong logo

Make sure that your company name and logo communicate clearly who you are and what you do.  You don’t want somebody guessing at what you do after they see your name.  You don’t have to spend a lot of money creating a logo. Your business name, set up well, can do the job.

Use a tag line

Your name alone may say it all and your logo, if you have one, may present you as a professional, but using a statement that explains what you do and communicates how that benefits your customer can keep working for you long after your initial contact.

A gardener in Sebastopol had the phrase “Expect Excellence” as part of his business stationery.  I always felt this set the groundwork for what his customers could expect in dealing with him.  A simple tag line can be powerful communicator when used properly.

Create your personal identity

Communicate the appropriate message to your prospective clients. Do they want to know you are licensed, insured, professional, new or old, creative and innovative, a larger, secure corporation or a nimble start up?  Give some thought to the image your real customers will be most attracted to and build that into your letterhead and envelopes.

All businesses communicate with their business stationery.  You want to do it well and appropriately.  Whether you are in Windsor or Rohnert Park, you have competition in your business, use your business card, letterhead and envelopes to distinguish you when you get to that all important presentation of a proposal to do business together.

Written by David Walrath

Ajalon Printing & Design

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Print is Credible

Tuesday, November 10th, 2009

Printed Forms add Security and Can Save You Heartache

You make more money when you use well-printed business stationery.

A printed business form or contract that spells out the work to be done and is signed is critical in businesses that provide service. The phrase, “Get it down on paper” has never been more meaningful. Having words and images that you can examine and hold in your hand, review, show to others and keep in a safe place provides a degree of reassurance that no computer screen can match.

We have covered how printed business forms are durable and easily portable. How postcards and brochures prospects receive increase sales when used with other media. There is always the warmth and beauty of printed catalogs or flyers that can lead to a buying decision. Buyers often want to see it written down before the give the final yes. All these practices contribute to making sales increase.

People love the speed and scope of the Internet, but the www’s fleeting nature makes them wonder: Am I getting the fast shuffle here? And what’s all this contradictory information? Conversely, our ink-on-paper medium is believable because print is real, print is timeless and print is focused.

An increasing number of marketers are leveraging print’s high credibility by using custom publications to get their messages out and absorbed. More than 32 billion custom publications circulate annually in the United States, according to the Custom Publishing Review’s 2006 Annual Report. Total expenditures on the medium amounted to $29.9 billion for the year. The researchers also found that 66% of people surveyed read custom publications and that 80% agree that custom publications contain useful information. They are believers because print is the credible medium.

At Ajalon Printing we use variable data printing to customize letters or to aid in addressing brochures or catalogs that are being mailed out. By utilizing these data base capacities we help companies increase the return on their marketing. When people see their own name in a flyer or a postcard there is an increase in the credibility of the offer and an easier buy in.

Print is credible. That means that all of the printed materials that you use add to your credibility. Can you imagine doing business with somebody who can’t even offer you a business card? What response would you give to a sales letter that was written out on a sheet of paper from a yellow pad and not on printed letterhead?

Using professionally designed business stationery builds confidence and helps create that important first impression, so that those who come in contact with you are more likely to feel confident to buy from you.

Written by David Walrath

Ajalon Printing & Design

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