One of the good things about the growing use of the internet is that it is becoming easier to promote your business in your local community.  We are a printing business and we have been here in Sonoma County for over 50 years.  And we have experienced real pressure on our business because of computers and the internet.

But now there is an opportunity to capitalize on the fact that people are looking to find things in their own communities, like Sebastopol or Santa Rosa, not just buy things on Amazon or Ebay. On the whole people are developing in the use of their computer and are searching for services and products in their local community.  And the search engines have recognized that.

Google, Yahoo and Bing have set up local search results that help find local businesses that people are looking for.  And getting your name into these  directories is free.  The search engine companies realized that making it easier for people to find what they were looking for, especially on a local level, made the search engine more valuable because people would use it more regularly.  So they decided to add these local search capacities for free.  nadda.  zilch.

This is like being listed in the yellow pages for free!  I suggest you look into how to do this for yourself.  Below is a link to a youtube video where Google introduces their service. They call their service Google Places.

I suggest you check it out and consider making your business more findable on the internet.  This is something you can do yourself or we at Ajalon can help you do this if you don’t have the inclination or time to set it up.  The search engines are battling for this part of the market right now and you can benefit for free.

Written by David Walrath

Ajalon Printing & Design

Referral Pads or Forms

Some specialties such as periodontics and orthodontics rely on referrals from general dentists.  Ajalon has been involved in providing attractive, effective forms for dentists from Ukiah to Petaluma for many years.  Whether you need pads or individual forms.  Carbonless forms are no problem.  Maps and postcards are easily provided.  Whatever you need is only a phone call away.

Practice Brochures

It is especially important when someone comes in contact with your office, whether it is in Sebastopol or Santa Rosa, that you have a well done brochure to explain your practice to them.  Your brochure should communicate the particular focus that your practice has and provide a warm, welcoming message.  We are proud of the many medical and dental professionals that we have been honored to help over the years in designing and printing their practice brochures.

Welcome Packets or Pocket Folders

When a new client comes to your office for the first time there is a lot of information that needs to be communicated and forms to be filled out.  It is a good practice to have a welcome folder with the forms to fill out and information about your practice for them to take home.

At Ajalon we are experienced experts in planning and producing presentation materials that fit for your office.  If you are looking to upgrade your look, and to present your practice in the best light possible, call or email Ajalon today.  707.528.0288 ajalon@ajalon.com

Written by David Walrath

Ajalon Printing & Design

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.

With the computer and the digital world upon us, it is possible to print most any size or quantity of books.  It can be a short run of poetry books for a reading in Petaluma or the book faire in Santa Rosa.  We can do perfect binding (soft bound), so that the book looks like a regular trade paperback.

Or for that especially precious biography, we can do a hard cover book in a large or small quantity.

We do many different types of binding from plastic spiral binding or comb binding.  Wire-0 or velo binding.   Or the traditional saddle stitched pamphlet or chapbook.

We love helping our clients with their books.  For some people this might mean even scanning something previously printed for which there is no digital file.  Scanning can be done quickly and it is a lot easier than retyping many pages.

Some people bring in books created in Microsoft Word and we can format them for printing into a book of a traditional size paperback.  We can add art or pictures to a book and help in the layout.

So book printing is right up our alley.  We have been helping folks from all over Sonoma County with their bookmaking needs.  After we do a book, often times people bring in their friends so that we can help them.

With our letterpress we can produce beautiful poetry books where the type kisses the fine 100% cotton paper and leaves a sweet impression.  The quality of the written document literally makes an impression that is beautiful and classic.

So we aren’t one of those big publishing houses, but if you want to self publish a book or just get a few copies of a manual printed, Ajalon Printing can help you.  Give us a call today.

We’re all familiar with the normal pocket folder that is 9″ x 12″ and holds a full size letter.  But many businesses in Santa Rosa or Sebastopol have need to present and protect materials that are different sizes.

Gift Card Holders

Over the years we have made many different types of folders for gift certificates, or now in the modern era, magnetic gift cards.

We have a number of dies available for various sizes and can custom make just about anything you might need. Colorful gift card holders add value and allow the purchaser to write a personal gift message.

Warranty Papers or Contract Folders

A very popular size of folder is in the 4″ x 9″ size.

This versatile folder can safely protect warranty papers or other important documents (such as a contract) that are folded up.  Or they can carry a tri-fold brochure or rack card and other material for a streamlined, but effective, presentation.

Half Size Folders

Sometimes the best size is half size. For various reasons sometimes what needs to be kept together only needs a 5″ x 8″ size folder.  We have produced various models over the years.

Pocket Folders

Because of our invitation business we have access to a wide range of pocket folders for just about any size presentation. Click here to view available sizes and colors.

So we have been providing businesses from Petaluma to Healdsburg and Freestone to Sonoma with their presentation folder needs for many decades.  We offer letter size pocket folders, legal size folders, reinforced edge folders, small folders, box pocket folders, expansion/capacity  folders,  three-panel presentation folders, etc. all with attractive and custom designs.

If you are interested in letting people know of your new products or services, presenting your products at trade shows, or just want to make a good impression, Ajalon Printing can provide you with folders that guarantee a high marketing appeal and are durable and affordable.  Give us a call today or visit us on the web at http://ajalon.com.

Written by David Walrath

Ajalon Printing & Design

The Santa Rosa Junior College class schedule and Community Education Bulletin are examples of program guides.  You can find a lot of these bulletins and guides in places like Sawyer’s News in Santa Rosa or Copperfield Books in Sebastopol or Petaluma.

In some ways a catalog, program guide or bulletin is really just grown up brochure or newsletter. Services or programs grow to the point they can’t fit into one of these former printed publications, and become a stand alone catalog.

We have worked with guides for the Occidential Arts and Ecology Center, the Angela Center in Santa Rosa and programs from Life School in Bodega Bay.  We can help with design and layout or just take your files and prepare them for printing.

Some smaller organizations don’t need thousands of program guides and we can economically produce smaller numbers with our digital capabilities.  We are always happy to talk with you and assist you at whatever stage you are in with putting together your program guide or bulletin.

Written by David Walrath

Ajalon Printing & Design

It is essential to have the tool of business stationery available to further your image of a sound, established business.  When real business is being done between companies there is usually the exchange of ideas written on paper.  To help you in creating the right letterhead and envelopes for your business I have 4 do’s and don’ts:

Don’t put design over readability

This is important.  The other day we got a business card that was a full solid with small, fine type reversed out of the light blue solid color.  It looked beautiful but was not easy to read.  Sometimes a person can get caught up in a design element and focus on how well it looks and forget that the purpose of business stationery is to transmit important business information well, not just look pretty.

Don’t be afraid to try some layouts yourself

There are many programs and templates available so that just about anybody could work in the comfort of their home and come up with a letterhead design.  And I think it is a good idea to do so.  However, let a professional designer do the final polish to your design. It is much easier from a printer’s or designer’s point of view to work with somebody who has some idea of what they want.

Do consult with someone besides your mother

Just as I think it is important to work on your own ideas and designs, I think it is important to consult someone who has been professionally trained in producing letterhead and business stationery.  While what your mother or friends think is important, it is good to get the opinion of a trained eye.  Any printer or designer should be happy to talk to you for a few minutes about your ideas and design.  I know we are at Ajalon.

Do be consistent

When you are considering your logo, design, and the fonts and colors, you will want to remember that you need to have something that can work in a variety of settings.  Will your identity look well in black and white in a newspaper?  Can it easily be used in a web site?  You don’t want to build a design that only properly communicates in color or must always be one way or the other.  In this day and age of mixed media it is important to be versatile.

Despite the use of phone and email, it is necessary to make that positive  impression when you use written business stationery.  The purpose of letterhead and related items is to communicate your particular identity.  The exchange of business cards and then written communication is part of the process of sealing a business deal.  Ajalon Printing is ready to help you create the exact business stationery that expresses what you want within your budget.  Give us a call today.  Or shoot off an email to ajalon@ajalon.com.

Written by David Walrath

Ajalon Printing & Design

Client communications and business operations are dependent upon these vital documents.  At Ajalon Printing we offer a wide range of custom, personalized products–checks, labels, envelopes, business forms–to help you start, manage, or grow your business.  You can depend on us to help your business as we have been doing for over 50 years here in Sonoma County.

We offer consulting

We provide consulting services to help you design the most efficient and cost-effective way for you to keep track of all the important processes in your business. Our years of experience can save you time and money when it comes to your business forms.

We offer design services

We have thousands of dollars worth of programs so that we can  design your forms quickly and make them effective for you.  When you have the right form it can make your business run more profitably.  Mistakes are avoided and productivity is improved.  Having the right contract form can save you untold heartache and dollars.

We are local and real people

When you call us, a knowledgeable person answers the phone who is interested in your business, because we live in the same neighborhoods.  You can trust us to provide everything you need with exceptional personal service.  We have been printing business forms for folks in Windsor or Rohnert Park since before they were incorporated cities. We know what we are doing and we care about you.

Old, Traditional and New

We have companies that we have been printing their forms for over 20 years.  We still print lots of carbonless forms, those documents that make multiple copies with no carbon paper.  And if you are ready for the latest in stock inventory and scanning we can provide you with QR codes, allowing quick response  at the speed of a computer.

At Ajalon Printing and Design we are proud of the many businesses we have helped prosper and grow here in Sonoma County by providing  the correct form to aid in running their business.  Join the many business who have learned that they can trust Ajalon to give them their best value in printing.

Written By David Walrath

Ajalon Printing & Design

Businesses in Sebastopol or Windsor are always looking for an advantage in marketing and printed postcards are an effective way to do that. There are a number of ways that postcards can be used.

.        Increase sales from your customer base

.        Get new customers

.        Attract more traffic to your web site

.        Generate leads

.        When using postcards you must grab the reader’s attention quickly to keep them reading your card.  Offer them an incentive.

.        Advertise the higher quality of your product

.        Tell them of your special

.        Let them know of your lower price

You need to grab your customer’s attention quickly, before the postcard gets thrown out.  There is a better chance they will read and keep the postcard if you print the incentive so that it grabs their attention.

A powerful way to get their attention is to personalize your postcards.  A generic looking card will not be as likely to be read as one that is personalized.  Use your client’s first name and watch their response go up. Just think of the power of greeting a person who comes into your store with their name.  It builds instant rapport and usually produces a smile on their face.

It is the same with a postcard.  This style of postcard looks like a brief personal message from a friend.  They may realize it is advertising, but it lures them in and attracts their attention.

So you can tell that I like postcards when thinking about effective marketing plans. They are inexpensive.  You can have a stack of them handy to send out for various occasions like thanking customers who recently bought something or to alert people of an upcoming event or sale.

I love to imagine this web reaching out from your business in Petaluma or Santa Rosa criss crossing Sonoma County, keeping you in touch with your most important asset, your customers.

Written by David Walrath

Ajalon Printing & Design

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