Print Marketing Archives - Cascade Print Media

Embossing vs. Debossing

FAQ, Marketing, Print Marketing, Tips and Tricks

What is the different between embossing and debossing? They are basically the same thing, just stamped paper, but the difference is in the location from where it is stamped. Both are created using metal plates to essentially stamp the paper. Debossing means the paper is stamped on the front, making the image, text or graphic indent and make a depression down, or away from the front. Embossing is taking a metal plate and being stamped from the back back of the text, image or graphic. This raises or elevates the graphics.

Both embossing and debossing a great way to create a 3D effect and enhance certain texts or simple graphics that you want to highlight on your project. To further increase effect, many people add colored ink or foil stamping to certain words and images, as well as various depths of the embossing or debossing. This is a great way to make certain things stand out.

You usually see embossing and debossing on business cards, invitations (especially to weddings and other formal events) and sometimes on letterhead and greeting cards, among other marketing material. These help to add a feel and look of luxury and add a special touch to help you stand out, with very little expense.

Almost anything can be embossed or debossed, along with foil stamped. There are only a few restrictions such as paper type, certain graphics, and time allowed for completion.

Contact us today to learn more about embossing, debossing and foil stamping for your next project.

Example of Embossing

photo courtesy of wristbands.com.uk

Example of Debossing

photo courtesy of elito.com

Learn More

Car Magnets to Promote Your Brand

Eco-Friendly, Marketing, New, Print Marketing, Signs, Vehicle Wraps

Did you know that over 16,000 cars see your car on average, per day? Imagine if you had vehicle graphics or car magnets on your car to promote your business. That is over 16,000 pairs of eyes seeing your business, all by just driving to work, or grabbing a cup of coffee. Talk about a great investment! Not everyone is always ready to make the leap to full car graphics. While car graphics help protect your car for the most part, they can be an investment and not meant to be removed for a few years. If you want a way to promote your business or product on the road only at certain times, or change your offer seasonally, car magnets are the way to go!

3 reasons to switch to car magnets today:

They are transferable:

If you are constantly switching cars or have only certain hours or locations you want to advertise, car magnets are perfect. You can remove them as needed depending on the commute or hours that you are driving. This is great for a small family business where different cars are used at different times. You often see these used by real estate agents or individual house keepers who use their car for both personal and professional uses.

They last for a long time:

Car magnets usually last for a few years, if not longer. Similar to full or partial vehicle graphics, car magnets usually last a few years. This means that if you have information that rarely changes, such as email, phone number and other contact information, car magnets are a great solution! You can use them time and time again, without having to worry about wear and tear or replacing them after just a few uses.

They are interchangeable:

Do you have a seasonal special you like to promote or certain items you like to bring awareness to depending on weather or time of year? Car magnets are a great way to do this! They allow for you to change out your offerings with a quick change of the magnet! This is also a great way to attract employees and increase overall brand recognition.

Car magnets are a low cost way to promote your brand, special offers, and overall brand visibility. With the number of drivers on the road today, it is easier than ever before to get the word out about your brand and product offerings. Contact us today, we would love to help!

Reasons Why Your Direct Mail Campaign Did Not Work

Direct Mail, Marketing, New, Print Marketing, Tips and Tricks

Have you heard that direct mail campaigns are the best return on investment than any other form of direct marketing? You tend to get more readers, more people responding to your call to actions, and the biggest bang for your buck. All that said, have you sent out some postcards or catalogs and not gotten the results you had hoped for? Check out our list below of some things that could be holding you back from some of those great results.

Target Market:

Sending to the correct target market is the key to getting great results. You wouldn’t send a new child dentist announcement to a community of retiree’s, right? Make sure when creating or asking for a list, you have really homed in on the type of people and businesses you want to react to your mail piece. Looking for help on the best list? We can help!

Compelling Offer:

Did you look over your list criteria meticulously and you still didn’t get the reaction you wanted? This could all come down to your offering or lack thereof. You need to make sure that your offer for people to act is compelling enough to actually make them act. Maybe you need to provide a steeper discount, offer a product for free, or give a longer or shorter timeline for someone to act.

Poor Printing:

Although there are certainly ways to save on paper and other printing costs, make sure you are not going to cheapest route possible. Remember that you are representing your brand with your postcards, brochures, catalogs, and other direct mail pieces. The paper, patterns, colors and logos should be consistent across your brand and the image you are trying to portray.

Setting Goals:

How can you track goals if you don’t have any set in the first place? Although it may sound obvious, be sure to have some sort of goal in mind before sending out that first direct mail piece. Don’t know where to start? We can help! Your goals should be tracked so you can see where you started, and where you ended up. Don’t have enough time to track? We can help with that too!

Consistent Mailing:

Still waiting to see those results? Don’t worry! If you’ve only sent out one piece, you can’t expect success overnight! You need to make sure you are consistent with your mailing and getting the word out there. Be sure to make sure you stay on a schedule, and track the results accordingly. The more a company or individual sees your brand and offerings, the more likely they are to remember it and look you up when they are ready to buy!

Check out more of our tips and tricks on direct mail marketing and other business printing. Did you know we offer promotional products, apparel and vehicle wraps as well?

Paper Grades and Weights

Marketing, New, Print Marketing, Tips and Tricks

Paper Grades and Weights

Have you ever heard someone refer to the weight of a piece of paper? When getting printing quotes, do you call out what kind of paper you want, or do you leave that up to the printer to determine? There is no right or wrong answer, but see our tips below on typical paper weights, grades and uses.

Paper Grades:

Bond paper – most commonly used for letterhead, business forms and copying. Weights usually range from 20lb for copying or 24lb for stationary.

Text weight paper – most common in printing. This is typically high quality paper with some surface texture. Text paper can be coated or uncoated and weights are typically 60, 70, 80 or 100

Cover weight paper – used with creative business cards, postcards and booklet covers. These again can be uncoated or coated and weights are usually 65, 80 or 100.

Paper Weights:

Paper weights are based on the weight (in pounds) of 500 standard sized sheets of paper. While there are many different terms and names to call out paper, there are some typical names across brands and companies. You can have a text or cover paper grade, with a same weight, that are not the same type of paper. For example, a 60lb text and a 60lb cover are two different types of paper.

Note that just because someone says “65lb” paper, they are not specifying the type of paper. Paper types need to be called out not only by weight, but also type. For example, “60lb text” or “100lb cover” are what you would see. Often times you can get even more fine tuned with saying “80lb cover uncoated”

Check out our articles here and here for more about uncoated vs. coated stock and more fun facts about paper!

How to Save Time During the Print Process

New, Print Marketing, Tips and Tricks

Looking to speed up the print process? We can help!

While each project takes a different amount of time, depending on the project, there are some things that you can do to help speed up the print process. We go through each project as meticulously as possible to make sure that everything is in order before going to print. We also send a PDF proof with every job, no matter what! That said, there are some things that can help save us (and you!) some time and money on needing to fix files before printing.

Convert all images from RGB color to CMYK – don’t know the difference? Check out our article here
Make sure the final image(s) has a high enough resolution (must be 300dpi or higher)
Make sure you have enough bleed (1/8”) if your printing requires it
Make sure all fonts are included
If images or graphics are being printed, make sure to send us links, as necessary
Make sure the file is in a proper format (Ai, High-Res JPG, PDF, TIF). If the file is too big to send, be sure to ask for our drop box or TFP access folders to drop your files.
Does not require any additional modifications before going to press
Got questions – just ask! We are happy to help!