Tips and Tricks 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

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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?

How We Can Help You Go Green

Direct Mail, Eco-Friendly, FAQ, Tips and Tricks

Looking for ways to go green, while still getting your message out there? We can help! From direct mail campaigns to environmentally friendly paper and inks, we are here to help every step of the way. Check out some tips below on just a few of the ways we can help you go green!

Mail invitations directly from us:

Did you know we can help with direct mailing? All we need is you list (or we can provide for you) and you’re all set! How does this help go green? One less delivery for us, one less thing on your to do list. Let us take the burden off you of having to go to the post office to mail everything out, ‘cause we are already going there. Plus, we may be able to help save you money on bulk postage rates!

Electronic proofs:

Electronic proofs are standard with all our jobs. We are happy to provide a hard copy proof, but delivery and mailing put stress on the environment with every step of the way. You will be able to see and fix any glaring mistakes, all from the comfort of your office or home. While the colors will not match exactly (colors on screen are different than on paper), they are similar enough that you will be able to spot any big mistakes.

Eco-Friendly Inks & Paper

Paper Facts: Paper is biodegradable and unlike water bottles, cell phones, computers and other electronic devices, it decomposes in a landfill.

Paper is made from cellulose fiber – that can come from pulped wood, rags, cotton, grasses, sugar cane, rice and waste paper. An estimated 4 million trees are planted daily and due to reforestation, forests in the U.S. have actually grown over the past century.

Paper is recyclable – 37% of the U.S. pulp is produced from recovered paper. Most recovered paper is used to make new copy and writing paper, as well as corrugated boxes, fruit cartons, egg cartons and wall insulation.

Ink – we use soy based inks that are compatible with the environment. This means less harsh chemicals in the environment and on your printed materials.

Economy Growth:

The forest products industry accounts for about 6% of the total us manufacturing output and employs more than one million people. It ranks among the top 10 manufacturing employers in 42 states. There are almost 175,000 establishments in this segment that employ over 2.9 million people. For comparison, the auto manufacturing industry only employs about 1.2 million

Efficiency:

Did you know that reading something on paper is 20-30% faster than reading something on a screen? Reading from paper results in deeper understanding of text and most end users prefer it. People are more likely to visit your store and buy something from a direct mail campaign then a simple email. If they can see it, touch it and read it, you have a bigger ROI than a simple email, which according to a survey, 80% of receivers automatically delete before ever opening the email.

Looking for more facts and ways to reach more customers? Check out some of our tips and tricks here and here.

References:

Whattheythink.com

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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!