Free Business Card Printing Online

If you are looking for free business card printing online, and you can stand to have the name of the printer appear on the back of the cards, then you should check out VistaPrint's website. They were the first company to come up with the ideas of offering free business cards online, and they still do it to this day.

I first stumbled across the long-running freebie when I worked for a digital printing company in Austin. A coworker of mine was moonlighting as a freelance web designer, and he showed me the business cards he ordered online to hand out to clients. Each card had the VistaPrint name written real small across the back. I asked why he paid for business cards with the printer's name on them, and he said he didn't pay for them. He ordered them for free online and had 200 of them shipped to his door a few days later.

My first thought was, how could an online printing company afford to give free business cards to so many people? And then it dawned on me. Free marketing for the printer! Each one of those cards will be handed out to somebody who could probably use some new business cards of their own. And everyone loves to get free stuff. So each card becomes a mini-advertisement for the company that produced them.

This printer is so confident in their online printing services that they're willing to let you try it for free. Sure, they have to give a product away to start the relationship. But if you end up using them for your other printing needs, they've gained a new customer from the free offer. It worked on me. I was so impressed with their print quality and quick turnaround that I began using them for all of my online printing needs.

So if you want free online business card printing services, and you can tolerate the VistaPrint name on the back of each one, then you might want to check out their website for more information. After all, you've got nothing to lose ... because it's free.

For recommendations on other printers, check out the business card page of the main website. You can also learn about the process used to print these products, how to order custom cards online, and much more.

Copyright 2008, Digital Printing Tips

Cheap Postcard Printing - Be Careful How Cheap You Go

Cheap is a word with many different connotations. And when it comes to postcard printing services, it can mean one of two things. It might mean that the postcards are affordable, or that they are low-quality.

I don't mean to insult your intelligence. I just want you to understand a fundamental concept of the commercial printing world. You can only make a product so affordable before the quality begins to suffer. Keep this in mind when shopping for cheap postcard printing, and don't let the desire for a bargain overshadow what's really important -- a quality product.

So when you are shopping for a postcard printer, and comparing prices from one company to another, be sure to request some print samples from each company. Most of the postcard printing companies I've encountered are happy to send sample packets upon request. In many cases, you can request these right from the company's website. This is a great way to judge the quality of their printing, and also to learn about the different sizes and paper stock they offer.

Most importantly, this kind of research will help you find a good balance between price and quality. In other words, it's a good way to find cheap postcard printing services (price-wise) without sacrificing print quality.

Think of the end result of your postcard mailings, and consider your objectives for each mailing. In most cases, you want the recipient to be impressed with your offer (products and services). But this won't happen if you send low-grade direct mail pieces. If you send out shabby postcards on thin paper stock, with all kinds of print issues, then people will think you don't care. And if you don't care about your marketing materials, what does that say about your products and services.

There's nothing wrong with searching for cheap postcard services, as long as you don't take it too far. Do some research and make a short list of five or six printing companies. Then request print samples from each of them. Compare quality and pricing to find a good balance. Remember, cheap can mean two things -- affordable and low-grade. Strive for the former but avoid the latter.

My Pick for Postcard Printing

I've worked for a couple of direct mail and printing companies, so I know a thing or two about them. I've also researched and utilized about a half-dozen more. So if you need some recommendations to help you find a good service, check out the postcard printing section of our main website.

Copyright 2008, Digital Printing Tips

Business Flyer Design Ideas

Business flyers have been the workhorse of the print communications world for a long time. They are fairly simple to create, cheap to produce, and you design a flyer around any marketing objective imaginable. How many ways can you use them? Here are 15 flyer design ideas you may find useful...

• Product flyers are always useful, and they are fairly simple to create. Here, you would have a picture of the product (perhaps with a diagram if needed), along with the key features and benefits. It's one of the most common flyer designs for a reason -- it works!
• Special offer flyers can be used to promote a specific event such as a sale, a limited-time offer, a free trial, etc. These can be easily distributed through a variety of channels. You could send them out to a target list via direct mail, give them out at transaction points like cash registers, or maybe just hand them out to clients during sales meetings. It's another of the popular flyer design ideas used by business owners.
• Testimonial flyers can be used on their own or in conjunction with the other design strategies on this list. Here, you would focus on a particular product or service and then support it with testimonials from folks who have enjoyed that product or service. In addition to being a business flyer idea this can be used for brochures and even website content.
• Direct response flyers are another strategy that can be used in conjunction with other design ideas on the list. These are a hallmark of a direct marketing, which gets its name from the intended goal. These business flyers are designed to get a response from recipients, such as a phone call, a visit to a particular website, etc. There must be a strong offer that promises value to the reader, in order for this flyer design to work well.
  

These are just a few of the ideas you can use to get more out of your business flyers. There's really no limit to the possibilities. That's one of the great things about the business flyer in the first place -- it's incredibly versatile. You can even take the things I've listed above and combine them with your own ideas to come up with a unique but effective design strategy.

If you already have an idea for a flyer (or you've got an actual design ready to go), the next thing you need to do is find a printing company to produce it for you. If you're looking for an online printer to handle the job for you, check out the business flyer printing section of our main website for company recommendations.

Online Calendar Printers - Tips and Recommendations

Calendars are one of the more complicated print jobs, which is why some printers offer it and others don't. Actually, it's not the printing itself that's complicated, but the post-printing work needed to deliver the finished product.

With that being said, there are many first-rate companies that offer this kind of service. Better still, a lot of them allow you to place orders online through a website designed for that purpose. These companies are commonly referred to as online calendar printers or print shops, and that name pretty much says it all.

To find recommended companies who offers this type of service, check out the calendar section of our main website.

Keep in mind, however, that not all calendar printers are created equal. The types of products and services they offer will vary from one printer to the next -- and they will vary greatly. This is even more true when you add the online component.

For example, some companies may call themselves an online calendar printer when they don't really offer any web-based services. "But we have a website online," the logic goes. "So we are an online printing company." In truth, any company that calls itself an online printer should offer some form of Internet-based printing services. This might include the following:

• Giving customers the ability to upload design files through the website.
• Allowing customers to choose calendar templates from an online gallery of templates.
• Offering tools for online customization, personalization, design proofing, etc.

Some calendar printers offer all of these online features and more, while others offer much less. Now you can see what I mean when I said these companies are not created equal. This is something to keep in mind when you are searching for a online printer to handle your calendar printing projects.

In order to choose the best company for your needs, you should start by identifying what exactly those needs are. Do you plan to create your own design artwork for the project, or do you need to use a calendar template offered by the printer? Do you want to personalize them during the printing process? What about size options? What kind of budget do you have, and that quantity will you be printing?

These are just a few of the questions you need to answer before you start contacting online calendar printers and asking for quotes. If you're new to this whole process, I recommend you spend some time on the websites of these companies. This way, you can learn about the process and terminology involved in calendar printing. You'll at least "speak the language" if you do this kind of research.

Editor's Choice for Calendar Printers

We are constantly checking out new print shops and websites, and we often provide recommendations through the category pages on the main website. Check out the calendar printing page to find out who we recommend.

I hope this gives you a better understanding of how these companies operate, and what you need to know before choosing one for your print job. Good luck.

Online Brochure Printing Services

So, your company needs new brochures and you've been put in charge of finding a printer to handle the job. What next? For many people who are not familiar with the world of commercial printing, this might seem like a daunting task. Pricing tables alone can cause a lot of confusion, if you don't know what you're looking at.

But not to worry. In this blog post, I'll tell you what you need to know when choosing an online brochure printing service to handle your job. Specifically, we will talk about the different types of printing, how to understand the pricing process, how to get bids from printers and more.

What is Online Printing Anyway?

First, let me clear up a bit of terminology here. Online printing refers to any printer who allows customers to place orders online. This goes beyond a print shop having a company website -- it means that customers can upload files and place orders through the website. In some cases, the printer may offer online design tools as well, or template galleries you can use to build a design from scratch. So, by extension, an online brochure printing service is one of these companies that offers brochures as part of its product lineup.

Digital vs. Offset

Before you start gathering quotes from printers, you should determine what type of printing you need -- digital or offset. As the logo above implies, this blog primarily focuses on digital printing. But I want to cover offset as well, just so you're familiar with the term.

• Digital -- This is the type of printing that most people are familiar with, because it's typically what we use in our home and office environments. Here, the file to be printed is sent to the printer in electronic format. Digital printing is best for short-run print jobs with a low quantity. It also allows you to employ variable-data technology, which means you can swap out a certain design element (such as a personalized headline) on each printed piece.
• Offset -- This type of printing is typically used with high-volume print jobs, because it's cheaper than digital printing when you get into larger runs. Here, the image to be printed is put onto a printing plate, and then transferred from the plate onto the paper or card stock. Generally speaking, you can expect better print quality and more consistent colors with offset printing as well.

So now the question becomes, "Which option is best for my brochure printing needs?" Well, as you might have gathered from the two descriptions above, this comes down to two things -- quality and quantity considerations. If you have a really large print run, as in thousands of pieces, then you'll probably save money by using offset printing for your brochures. If you have a shorter run, or if you need variable-data technology, then digital printing might be your best option.

Choosing a Brochure Printing Company

Now that you have a better idea what you need, you can start research online printing services and doing some price comparison. This might seem straightforward, but it can actually be a little tricky. Here's why.

When you check out the printing company's website, you will probably see pricing information for brochures and other print products. But the prices shown are usually just a base price -- there are many variables that can drive up the cost. Paper choices alone can make things more complicated, let alone the quantity, color options, etc. This is why I recommend getting a custom quote from each of the online brochure printing services you are considering. It's just too hard to add it all up for yourself.

I also recommend choosing a printer with a long history in the printing industry. It's a highly competitive industry where unsuccessful companies either (A) go bankrupt or (B) get bought out by more successful companies. So if a particular printer has been around for many years, it's a testament to their skill and service level.

You can learn more about brochure printers on our main website.