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Thread: Collateral Material

  1. #21

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    With all the desktop design and printing technology available, it's easy to create or customize collateral for a short print run - even 25-50 copies. And the output is quite professional-looking.

    Apologies to any commercial printers here, reading this and cringing! I feel the same way when I see some DIY copy out there.
    Access Communications
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    Winner, MarCom Gold Award 2012

  2. #22
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    Marcomguy, i don't know that you would find to many commercial printer's here cringing. Unless you mean print shops. I do exactly as you mentioned for small runs, maybe a stretch to 100 copies, on a colour laser printer, the quality is quite good. However while it would still cost more for me to go and get a larger run done on colour laser at a print store, it would work out cheaper to get say 500 done with a commercial printer with offset printing.

    The thing is it would cost to much to do small runs by offset printing even though it may give the best quality, with the set-up and such i think it would be cost prohibitive, and while the printer may make slightly more by a high price per page, i think they generally prefer the larger runs.
    Joel Brown
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  3. #23
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    MarcomGuy I'm cringing... I'm a graphic designer and I see so many do-it-yourself marketing materials that look awful. Especially if someone tries to do a tri-fold brochure, or those punch them out yourself business cards. To me, if you are too cheap to have something done professionally I start wondering what other corners you are cutting. I'm not saying that every do-it-yourself marketing piece is bad, just most of them.

    Oh and Orion_joel you need to find a printer that does digital printing - no plates, no film, straight from computer to press. They aren't cost effective for large runs but are for smaller runs so you might find some better pricing than you've seen before if you can find a local printer that has a digital press.
    ~Jenn
    Crazy Dog Creative: Graphic Design and Marketing

  4. #24
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    Except for the cost of the Printer which was about $3,000 it costs me about 35-40cents to print full colour A4 single side. For the same the lowest digital colour printers in the area i have been able to find is about 90cents, with almost no difference in quality. Mine actually comes out slightly better quality because unless you pay more most of the digital printers here use a standard paper, where i use a specific colour laser paper which gives a smoother finish.

    I would no doubt expect that the setup i have is an exception to the vast majority. If i needed more then about 100 copies though then the pricing is almost on par at the digital printers even with the better paper. So even though i have the equipment, it is easier for larger runs to get someone else to do it. Plus business cards or anything that requires alignment i dont attempt. I have tried doing A5 catalogs and trifold brochures, but even though the print quality was up there i could not get the alignment so just save myself many more hours trying to get it right and got it done professionally.
    Joel Brown
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  5. #25

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    Blessed, I agree. For 90% of the customers out there, "good enough" is enough. The other 10% seek out professionals like us.
    Access Communications
    Digital Marketing, Content Creation and Web Development
    Winner, MarCom Gold Award 2012

  6. #26
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    I pay 11 cents each for 2 sided - color brochures - folded. I get them done via Vistaprint - so I didn't have to buy any equipment. The only catch is that I buy 5,000 at a time. But, I go through that many in a few months sometimes.
    Steve B

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    Steve i could probably get similar prices on that quantity, that is the difference though if i went to them wanting 50 of the same thing they probably would be charging me more then 11 cents. On the same key i would probably end up with 4500 out of date brochures in a years time if i got 5000 printed so it is really a question of which is more economical.
    Joel Brown
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    i kind of know i need new pictures on my website.is that collateral? ..especially the first page...but the problem is i dont want to replace a picture with a worse one...so do i keep it better looking for all the new viewers or change for the returners? lots of folks tell me they like to go to the site just to look around....
    getting pictures as good as we have hasnt been easy...we are not skilled at photos...
    this is bugging me and my solution is to update the now in pictures more often...and maybe some inner pictures.....and leave the front page alone and hope for a new good picture....the pictures on the front page are still pretty accurate about the store...
    also i have discovered some new words to try within the site for my main targets...women in big trucks....who need my furniture....
    as far as paper is concerned we do all our own and can customize it when we need to...
    ann
    Last edited by greenoak; 10-12-2008 at 09:27 PM.
    ann at greenoak www.greenoakantiques.com

  9. #29
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    You're right Joel - if you get only 100 at a time, you will pay $1.00 for each brochure instead of 11 cents. Depending on how many you go through - the math will tell you if it's worth it for the $3,000 printer in order to save 65 cents per brochure.
    Steve B

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    To date taking into account Depreciation and such, i believe that i am ahead on costs. That is over about 4 years though. If i used it about twice as often as i have (and there is good potential to do so and still be looking at small runs). It would have probably saved me hundreds of dollars.
    Joel Brown
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