Marketing Archives - Cascade Print Media

Marketing, Promotional Products

Summer Essential Swag for Your OOO Adventures

With summer just around the corner, it’s time to gear up for beach days, backyard barbecues, and those well-deserved Out-Of-Office (OOO) moments! But while you’re packing your sunscreen and sunglasses, why not consider adding some fun and functional branded promo products to your vacation stash?

At Cascade Print Media, we’ve curated a list of summer essentials that’ll make your clients’ time off a breeze—and you don’t even have to leave the office to grab them! Whether you’re looking to stock up for your next company retreat or give your customers a lasting impression while they’re lounging poolside, our summer-ready promo products will keep your brand shining all season long.

Branded Beach Towels

There’s nothing quite like lounging by the ocean with a towel that screams “vacation vibes.” Our branded beach towels are perfect for company swag or giveaways that get your brand noticed even on the sand. These towels are big, bold, and perfect for customizing with your logo, ensuring that every dip in the ocean or pool is a reminder of your company’s sunny side.

Custom Sunglasses

Keep your clients’ eyes protected from the sun in style with custom sunglasses. These affordable yet high-impact promo items are a hit at any summer event or giveaway. Available in a variety of colors and styles, these sunglasses are the perfect way to ensure your brand is seen everywhere—whether on the beach, at a BBQ, or while strolling through a summer festival.

Personalized Coolers and Drinkware

Stay refreshed and hydrated while keeping your brand cool with custom coolers and personalized drinkware. Whether it’s a cooler bag for beach picnics or a water bottle that keeps drinks cold all day long, these essentials will make sure your clients stay hydrated and stylish. Think about branded tumblers, insulated bottles, or even custom beach bags that carry everything in one go.

Picnic and Beach Blankets

Picnics are a classic summer activity, and a branded beach blanket can make it even better. Not only are they functional for outdoor dining, but they also serve as a perfect backdrop for your brand to be showcased all season long. Plus, they fold up neatly, making them easy to pack for any getaway. A cozy, custom blanket is bound to be a favorite summer essential.

Custom Tote Bags

Heading to the beach or a summer event? Custom tote bags are a versatile and eco-friendly option to carry everything you need—whether it’s sunscreen, snacks, or a good book. Personalized with your logo, these bags make it easy for your brand to travel everywhere, from the beach to the boardwalk. Bonus points: They’re reusable, making them great for eco-conscious customers!

Portable Phone Chargers

Let’s face it—no one wants their phone to die in the middle of a beach selfie or while navigating through their summer vacation. Keep your clients’ devices charged and ready for action with custom portable phone chargers. These compact chargers are perfect for travel and can be branded with your logo, ensuring your clients never miss a moment to share their summer fun.

Sunscreen and Lip Balm with Your Logo

Protect your clients from the sun’s harsh rays with branded sunscreen and lip balm. Perfect for vacationers, these small but mighty items fit perfectly into beach bags, and your logo will be on display every time they reapply. Whether they’re protecting themselves from the beach sun or the summer heat, these products will keep your brand in the spotlight.

Beach Chairs and Umbrellas

For those longer days on the sand, branded beach chairs and umbrellas make the perfect summer companion. Your clients will appreciate the shade and comfort while you gain exposure as their go-to brand for relaxation and fun. These items are perfect for giveaways or corporate events, ensuring your brand gets a front-row seat at the next summer beach day.

How to Order Your Summer Essentials:

All of these summer essentials (and many more!) are available for quick and easy ordering on our website. Whether you’re looking for something fun and functional for your employees, clients, or event guests, Cascade Print Media has you covered.

Visit Cascade Print Media’s website or get in touch today to shop for your summer-ready promo products and keep your brand shining bright all season long!

Get Ready for Your OOO Adventures:

The summer sun isn’t just for enjoying—it’s for promoting! Whether you’re lounging at the beach, hiking in the mountains, or attending a summer event, these branded products will help keep your company top of mind. And while you’re out of the office, we’ll handle the details to make sure you have everything you need for a stellar summer.

Maximize Your Visibility: Power of Signage for Outdoor Events

Marketing, Print Marketing, Signs, Tips and Tricks

Maximize Your Visibility: Power of Signage for Outdoor Events

In the world of marketing capturing the attention of potential customers is a paramount goal. Outdoor signage stands out as a potent tool especially for events. Their ability to project your brand message, attract attention effortlessly and ultimately drive foot traffic makes them invaluable for any business looking to make an impact.

Outdoor Strategies

When it comes to outdoor print BIG is the name of the game. This is where Cascade Print Media’s large format printing expertise can come in handy. Our designers can make sure your bold creative vision is properly displayed. Ensuring that your graphics come out crisp and clean for maximum impact.

Here are just a few ways to incorporate outdoor signage into your next event…

A-Boards

While excellent for street advertising they also work great at other venues, helping to attract attention in an easy to set up and portable way. With two inserts a sign you can make sure your message is seen from any angle. Available in a few standard sizes, Cascade can help supply the hardware and sign inserts. With replaceable inserts it’s a breeze to change out your message or have holiday or event specific messages.

Pull-Up Banners

While these excel at indoor events with a little extra preparation they can be used at outdoor events as well. Durable, portable and providing a large area for messaging and company branding there are an excellent large format choice. Designed to be used again and again so no matter what the venue your message will stand strong. When marketing needs change these can be updated. The hardware can be saved and new graphics installed to help reduce overall costs.

Posters and Signs

Whether indoor or outdoor, Cascade Print Media offers a range of media materials for all your signage, POS or retail needs. Available in a range of sizes, including recyclable options, you’re sure to find something that fits your needs. Whether it’s a lightweight one-day use sign, a medium-term use sign on a more durable substrate or something that can withstand harsh outdoor weather year after year Cascade can provide a suitable solution to help get your message across.

Branded Pop-Up Tent

Need to stand out at outdoor or community events? A branded tent will ensure you stand out among the sea of white tents. Whether you’re after simple text branding or a full color tent with custom sidewalls Cascade can help. With a bright and branded tent, you will ensure attention and foot traffic with the added advantage of easy setup and portability.

Partnering with Cascade Print Media can help you harness the potential of outdoor signage and carve out a distinctive space at your next event.

Major Mistakes to Avoid when Proofing a Print Project – Part 2

FAQ, Marketing, Print Marketing

Part 2 —–

To make your print project a success, there are several mistakes to avoid during the proofing process. Part 1 of this series featured a couple of key mistakes to consider in proofing. This next part features several more:

Mistake 3: Color Reproduction

Most companies, brands, and organizations feature unique or distinct color schemes that are consistent across many areas of their operation, from packaging, to print materials, to their website and social media. Unfortunately, color is rendered differently across mediums: computer and phone screens render color using RGB, whereas most printers use the CMYK system to print colors onto a specific medium.

To maintain a specific color that all mediums can match to, many companies rely on the Pantone color system. Print companies can thusly rely on a Pantone color chart or book to depict the intended color that their printed version of the color can match.

Another helpful tool to use to ensure successful color reproduction is to rely on physical print samples that were printed in the correct color. At Cascade Print Media, we keep a few sample copies from most projects that we print. This way, we always have a sample of the last print we have done using a specific color scheme and know what the target color is for the next project. Clients can breathe easily knowing their color will maintain consistency across print projects for years to come.

Mistake 4: Low Resolution Artwork

Resolution in artwork refers to the number of tiny bits of color that come together to create an image. With printing, the industry standard method for measuring resolution is by using dpi, which stands for dots per inch. Many images found on a phone, or the web have a resolution of 72 dpi. This causes an issue because when printed, such low-resolution images will appear blurry, fuzzy, or pixelated. To guarantee clear, crisp images in printed materials, a resolution of 300 dpi is required. This setting can be set in most types of design software.

Additionally, it is never a good idea to stretch images to fill a space in a design or layout. This is because by stretching an image, you lower its dpi and thus reduce its print quality. However, no issues are caused by making images smaller, as long as the proportion of the image is kept consistent. If there are any concerns with image quality, a full-sized sample can be printed which will accurately depict how an image will look on a printed piece.

Cascade Print Media is committed to delivering print products of the highest quality to all of our clients. Please reach out to learn more about how we can produce and deliver an outstanding project for you today!

Marketing, Print Marketing, Tips and Tricks

Major Mistakes to Avoid when Proofing Print Projects (Part 1)

Part 1 of 2

Success in creating and delivering a compelling marketing campaign or outstanding print project starts before any of the ink hits the page. This is because before printing begins, there is a multi-layered process known as proofing that is meant to ensure everything that a client expects from their project is exactly what they will receive.

During this process, a designer takes a client’s design and creates what is known as a proof, or an exact replica or example of the finished product. It is up to the client to carefully inspect this proof to ensure it adheres to their particular specifications. Below are several key tips for avoiding costly mistakes in the print proofing process:

Mistake 1: Proofreading

One of the most important details to look out for and inspect in a proof is also seemingly the most simple: checking a proof for any and all spelling and grammar mistakes. It often goes without saying, but spelling, punctuation, and grammar mistakes in signs, graphics, and printed materials are some of the most common mistakes that can slip under the radar during the proofing process. To ensure that this doesn’t happen, it is recommended to slow down, read every word and phrase, and even show another individual the text and content that is to be printed. Spelling and grammar mistakes have the potential to negatively impact a client’s credibility in the eyes of the consumer or end-user by portraying them as being without care, organization, or precision.

Mistake 2: Layout and Alignment

There are two layout guidelines that should be considered with every print project: bleeds and cut lines.

Cut lines: This is where the printed piece will be cut after printing. It is important to design all important text, content, and graphics far enough away from the cut lines to ensure that they will not get cut off during the print production process. Similarly, if a printed piece folds, it is highly important to consider where the folds will go so that all content can align to the panel it will be folded within. Panels on the front and the back of a folded piece will need to align as well.

Bleeds: The backgrounds, borders, and fields of color of any printed piece should extend beyond the cut lines to ensure that there is no unintended white space around the edges of a printed piece. For instance, if you would like a design element to appear right at the edge of a piece, it will need to be extended beyond the cut line to ensure a seamless look and consistency amongst print pieces within the same project.

Check back next week for more tips on what to avoid when proofing out your print project! Ready to start your next project? Let us know!

Why Choose a Local Print Company vs. an Online Printer

Eco-Friendly, FAQ, Marketing

It is easy to google what you are looking for and to find an online retailer who can accommodate your needs at a low cost and quick turn time, here are a few reasons this might not be your best bet!

Quality & Consistency

Most online print services are offered nationwide, allowing users to place their orders and the company to run hundreds of thousands of business cards, brochures or postcards at the same time. They will most likely only print using CMYK and on a very limited selection of stocks, allowing them to gang these orders together for a longer, more cost-efficient run on their end. They have less setup cost, less in cost in ink, paper and office administration duties like entering orders, speaking to clients and invoicing. Your online order is paid for online and is due at the time of service, and the odds of being able to call and talk to the same person more than once is almost impossible. Due to this high volume of production, there is less quality control, potentially leading to issues with registration, ink consistency, finishing and packaging.

When ordering from a local print company, your order is handled individually, you have better odds of speaking to the same person multiple times throughout your project, having questions answered, concerns are addresses and quality control is more manageable. Using a local print company also opens the possibility of a press check, may allow the option of using PMS inks, more variety in paper selection and better-quality control.

Reorder and Account History

Using a local print company also makes the reorder process easier, your orders are stored under your company’s personal account. This allows us to find previous orders, quote more efficiently and may allow us to bill your account using net terms.

Logistics

Using a local printing company most likely means it is local to your area. This allows you to meet with your sales team if needed, discuss projects, review samples or proofs in person, pick up and drop off if needed and faster delivery of your project.