What this means for the somebody who wants to get something printed is that with digital printing we can produce the quantity that you need at a cost savings to you.  This is particularly true with color printing.  Short runs of full color printing are now economically done.

It used to be that in order to produce a full color brochure the only way to do that was to put down the four process colored inks, cyan (blue), magenta (red), yellow and black.  This was expensive and only made sense with long runs over several thousand.  Quality was good; however, set up expenses were high and short runs meant individual pieces could be quite costly.

With digital printing it is now possible to apply the same four color process, but it is done directly from a digital file.  This saves all the production costs of film and plating and the time to set up the proper inking.  All this means that we can produce printed pieces for you at a cost savings.

So printing and copying have changed and merged and the distinctions that used to be made no longer hold up. The old adage, printing is expensive, copying is cheap but the quality isn’t there, is no longer true.  Today printing is economical and copy quality is very good.  The two worlds continue to meld and the winner is our customers.

Ajalon has been helping businesses with their communication needs here in Sonoma County for over 50 years and we will continue to stay on top of the printing marketplace so that we continue to give you great service and value.

In earlier posts I have indicated how to help your clients remember you by using a printed newsletter.  Now I want to show you how businesses in Rohnert Park or Cotati can keep in touch for even less money.

Postcards can be an even less expensive way to reach out and touch clients and prospects.  Postcards are usually cost less to print than a newsletter and are mailed for less postage.

Newsletters can contain more information than a postcard, and therefore have more ways to connect with a reader.  A postcard on the other hand has a short and sweet message that doesn’t have to be opened in order to be read and has an immediate impact on the receiver.  No delayed gratification here.  From the mailbox to their eyes.

Therefore postcards cut through many of the defenses that consumers have built up against the constant barrage of advertising messages.  Yet there can be enough content to get their attention and deliver your message and call to action.

Postcards also seem to have an ability to be saved more than other mailed pieces.  I know that I will tuck a postcard into a book, put into a briefcase or toss it into a drawer more quickly than I will a letter or flyer.   If I know I might want the information in the future, I am more likely to keep it than a flimsy letter.  Don’t know what it is, but I have more postcards around than old newsletters.

Postcards are less expensive than almost any other printed mailing piece.  There is no envelope and postage is always less than a letter (unless you send an oversize postcard).  Letters mail first class for $0.44 while a traditional size postcard mails for only $0.27 – quite a cost savings.  Using standard mail (for mailings 500 pieces or more) can bring the price down even more.

And you get a 100% guaranteed open rate. No other form of mail can promise that. It has to be read before it is thrown into the circular file.

There is a certain “openness” about postcards.  Unlike letters, you do not have to worry about your mailing being simply thrown out without even opening the envelope.  The customer immediately reads your message.

It is easy for a business in Sebastopol or Healdsburg to send out a postcard to someone in Windsor or Petaluma.  It costs only a little more than a quarter and provides an opportunity to get a personalized message out to someone  asking them to come in and see you or to visit your web site.

Written by David Walrath

Ajalon Printing & Design

One of the positive characteristics of business printing is that it is portable. When you hand a business card to a prospect anywhere in the beautiful Sonoma County wine country that person can take it with them. A printed postcard can be easily carried around.

When you want to have a record of the work that is going to be performed, you want a written business form. Even a quick list on a notepad is more lasting than trying to remember something. The old adage that “the most faded pencil note is better than something committed to memory” is still true today.

When a person receives from you a handwritten note card they have something they can keep and carry around. An email is hard to get out of your computer. So business stationery and brochures that are printed are far more permanent and portable.

Long after their iPhone battery is drained, people will still be reading what you send them in print. Print is the ultimate in portability and playability. My daytimer is a resting place for the many printed announcements and reminders that I receive. I know they are there and can be referred to or used to remind me of an upcoming event.

People can pick up a magazine at a newsstand, buy a book on the fly or grab your brochure from a trade show exhibit. There are no compatibility issues, no need to keep anything charged, and never a worry about screen glare. When a prospect picks up your event marketing materials they have something they can take with them and browse at their leisure.

You can fold print, stuff it, clip it, even scratch-and-sniff it.

Print can be carried and consumed anywhere, at anytime: on trains, planes and automobiles. Take it to bed, to the beach or to the bath. There’s no need to boot it up or power it down. Print is always there and always ready to instruct, inform and entertain.

Print is interactive. Personalized magazine bingo cards let readers send for more information with quick check offs. Or, combine media and use a direct mail campaign to drive prospects to a personalized website where they can tell you their aspirations and expectations.

So we can see that business printed materials are very portable and can help you stay on the radar of all your local business prospects. When you give a person something printed you don’t have to worry about whether they have wi-fi or are computer literate. They have something they can read and take with them.

Written by David Walrath

Ajalon Printing & Design

The weather cooperated beautifully, as the day before the temperature was in the 90′s, but on this evening it was a beautiful summer day with the cooling breeze coming from the ocean and our large roll up doors open, bringing in plenty of fresh air.

We had explanations of offset printing, digital printing and letterpress printing. During the letterpress demonstration, I was explaining how we are using presses that were built 40 or more years ago, based on the printing practices that were hundreds of years old. While the printing practices are old, we’ve adopted modern plastics technology to make photopolymer plates instead of using the traditional lead type.

Afterward, one of our guests pointed out how it was ironic that the computer and modern imaging practices had impacted the printing industry so much, and yet it was the internet and our website that was making it possible for us to be printing letterpress wedding invitations for clients all over the world.

I was struck by this observation and realized that, yes we are given new opportunities in today’s business climate to be versatile and innovative. My son, home from college, is fond of reminding me that every business must innovate or perish. Certainly here at Ajalon we have been reinventing ourselves and approaching situations with new eyes.

We are always on the lookout to find new ways to make business cards more economically, to save our clients money. We try to stay on top of the changes in the printing industry so that we can use the latest proven technology to meet our client’s needs in this ever speeding up world.

We try to stay on the leading edge of innovation. This allows us to utilize processes that benefit our clients, but does not find us chasing after the latest unproven idea.

Both at home and in the office, you most likely get scores of direct mail a month. Pick up each piece and give it a one-minute evaluation. Does it capture your attention? Does it interest you? Would you consider purchasing this product? Looking into it further? Does it inspire you to take action?

You were targeted, rightly or wrongly, to get all the direct mail you get.

By evaluating its effectiveness on YOU, you’ll develop a keen understanding of what makes a successful campaign…and what doesn’t.

First, service is having a comprehensive inventory. This is true. You can’t deliver what you don’t have. Our access to paper, be it tree free, recycled, FSC certified, or the many specialty pages that we have available to us, means that we can provide the paper that our clients want.

Service is a staff that can answer your questions. One of the guiding values in dealing with all people, over the 60 years we have been printing for businesses in Sonoma County, is to answer their questions directly and openly, guiding them to their best choices.

Three of our staff members have over 20 years experience in the graphic arts industry each. Our experience is hard won and freely offered.

Service is being open for business. When you call Ajalon Printing, a person answers the phone and you are not sent into a phone tree jungle of “push this button if.” We don’t hide behind technology, but use it to better serve our customer.

Service is delivery. On time and when you need it. We always endeavor to meet your needs for delivery time. We have access to the means to give you what you want when you want, at a price that pleases you.

Service is having comprehensive abilities. If you need graphic design, marketing consultation, mailing services or just want to bounce your ideas off a receptive ear, we can do it. We also print, fold, score, die cut, foil stamp, emboss, mail, address, and print variable data on just about any project you have in mind.

Service is service after the sale. Ajalon is not going away. We have been here over 60 years and have always stood with the business community of Sonoma County, helping grow and strengthen individuals and corporations.

I recently came across a word that describes well the printing industry today.  It is versatile.  It’s first meaning is having an aptitude for various tasks or occupations; many sided.  It comes from the Latin word vertere, to turn.

Today’s printer has to be versatile.  Yesterday’s printer could often work alone, doing all the operations necessary, such as writing, setting type and printing.

The modern print shop is anything but simple.  At Ajalon we have over 10 devices to put images onto paper.  Each with its own requirements.  And we have six computers involved in producing the words and images that are to be printed  on those machines.

All this leads to an environment that demands today’s print shop to be staffed by well trained, versatile people.

Ajalon has been printing in Sonoma County for over 50 years.  During that time much has changed, including the needs of our clients. We pride ourselve on being versatile and innovative in anticipating the needs of our clients, while providing a trusted and reliable source for all their printing needs.