iPR: the Future of Print and Marketing

By Sabine Lenz

Hundreds of faces are flickering across the screen. Forensic specialist Abby Sciuto is impatiently tapping her fingers. In breathtaking speed, the computer is trying to match a face to the suspect’s photo. Bingo. The system found a match, and the killer’s name is …
Okay, so I like NCIS. I love the way the quirky agents always seem to have the latest technology – technology that works lightning fast, technology that delivers results in mere seconds.
And now it seems, real life isn’t far behind.
I had the chance to catch a glimpse into the very near future of print when I attended a Print Production Professionals webinar about intelligent print recognition (iPR), an emerging marketing technology that provides groundbreaking opportunities for print.

Anything printed can be made interactive
“Print is not dead, it is struggling to make itself heard,” said Peter Lancaster, COO and co-founder of documobi, a company on the forefront of iPR.
The documobi software allows license holders to make any printed material, from any time, on any substrate, interactive without using a marker (like the QR code squares). Yes, even in hindsight, even if it was printed years ago.
Think of it like QR codes on speed.

iPR at work
Let me explain. With the proprietary software from documobi, you can take a photo of (let’s say an ad for that Juicy Burger two-for-one special) that you created. Then you attach a certain action to the ad such as going to a specific website or starting a certain video – pretty much like your average QR code.
Once you make the image active in the documobi system, any viewer can scan the ad and be taken to the predetermined destination.
This is possible because the scanning software, like a face recognition application, matches the image to one that is stored in the system, which sends you to the appropriate destination.

Users will expect print to be interactive and personal
We already know that print doesn’t live in a vacuum. Currently, more than 44 percent of Americans have smartphones, which allows them to get familiar and comfortable with QR codes. From this first step, it will get more personal.
While seeing your name written in the sand can be eye catching on a piece of direct mail, we’re all increasingly interested only in things that are relevant to us right here, right now.
A special offer for people in New York doesn’t catch my attention when I’m wandering the winding streets of San Francisco.
documobi’s iPR operates on the holy grail of marketing: reaching the customer in the right place, at the right time, and with the right message. How?
The software’s geolocation-based scanning allows the customer to make the ad even more relevant. Take the Juicy Burger ad example. That person can scan in the ad and receive the discount coupon associated with the lunch special being offered and also get a map to the eatery’s nearest location.

Test it yourself
During the webinar, Lancaster enticed attendees by having several live interactive samples.
One of them you can easily do right now:

1. Download the free documobi app onto your smartphone (from your friendly app store)
2. Use the app to scan the surface of a $1 bill (If it’s not a new crisp note, you might have to flatten it a bit.)
3. The app takes you to … I won’t spoil the surprise in case you’re game to take iPR for a spin.

The cost
Oh yes, there is that. Where your average QR code is free to create and use, documobi is a licensed software. For the advertiser, this means an annual license fee of $1,999, as well as a basic monthly fee of $50, plus 20 cents whenever anyone scans.
Maybe not an option for all of us right now, but definitely worth keeping an eye on. You never know what special plans the company will come up with in the future or whether your cutting-edge client is looking for the latest marketing advantage.

The future is interactive
There is no doubt that the future of print is interactive. I can see this technology working splendidly for:

• Magazines – you see a dress you like, scan the image and voila, you are at the retailer’s website.
• Supermarkets – you scan the image of the frozen edamame and land at a collection of delicious recipes that use the vegetable.
• Product Instructions – instead of having hundreds of furniture assembly instruction sheets, Ikea could lead you to a step-by-step video.

For now, those very special NCIS agents might still be a few technological steps ahead of us – easily tapping into the server of the Pentagon and all. But …
The future of print is intelligent. The future of print is interactive. The question is: are you ready?
Note: If you’re interested in viewing the full webinar, a replay is available at the Print Media Centr. (If you look to the right of the video, you’ll also notice a discount for $300 off a documobi license.)
documobi also has a new LinkedIn group you can join to get in on the conversation and stay updated.
——————–
Seeing designers worldwide struggle to stay current with new papers and paper trends inspired Sabine Lenz to create PaperSpecs, an independent and comprehensive Web-based paper selection tool and weekly e-newsletter. Growing up in Germany, she started her design career in Frankfurt, before moving on to Australia and the United States. Lenz worked on design projects ranging from corporate identities to major road shows and product launches. From start-ups to Fortune 500 companies, her list of clients included Oracle, Sun Microsystems, Deutsche Bank, IBM and KPMG. Lenz is a noted speaker and author on paper issues and educational topics related to the paper industry.
Copyright 2012 PaperSpecs.com

Paper Inspiration Thursday

The 12 Days of Printmas

On the first day of Printmas my Printer gave to meSome cool Marketing Technology

On the second day of Printmas my Printer gave to me2 CSR’s
And some cool Marketing Technology

On the third day of Printmas my Printer gave to me3 estimates
2 CSR’s
And some cool Marketing Technology

On the fourth day of Printmas my Printer gave to me4 up on a sheet
3 estimates
2 CSR’s
And some cool Marketing Technology

On the fifth day of Printmas my Printer gave to me5 rush jobs on time
4 up on a sheet
3 estimates
2 CSR’s
And some cool Marketing Technology 

On the six day of Printmas my Printer gave to me6 presses printing
5 rush jobs on time
4 up on a sheet
3 estimates
2 CSR’s
And some cool Marketing Technology 

On the seventh day of Printmas my Printer gave to me7 brochures folding
6 presses printing
5 rush jobs on time
4 up on a sheet
3 estimates
2 CSR’s
And some cool Marketing Technology 

On the eighth day of Printmas my Printer gave to me8 colors printing
7 brochures folding
6 presses printing
5 rush jobs on time
4 up on a sheet
3 estimates
2 CSR’s
And some cool Marketing Technology 

On the ninth day of Printmas my Printer gave to me9 proofs outputting
8 colors printing
7 brochures folding
6 presses printing
5 rush jobs on time
4 up on a sheet
3 estimates
2 CSR’s
And some cool Marketing Technology 

On the tenth day of Printmas my Printer gave to me10 options for coating
9 proofs outputting
8 colors printing
7 brochures folding
6 presses printing
5 rush jobs on time
4 up on a sheet
3 estimates
2 CSR’s
And some cool Marketing Technology 

On the eleventh day of Printmas my Printer gave to me11 drops a mailing
10 options for coating
9 proofs outputting
8 colors printing
7 brochures folding
6 presses printing
5 rush jobs on time
4 up on a sheet
3 estimates
2 CSR’s
And some cool Marketing Technology  

On the twelfth day of Printmas my Printer gave to me12 clients happy
11 drops a mailing
10 options for coating
9 proofs outputting
8 colors printing
7 brochures folding
6 presses printing
5 rush jobs on time
4 up on a sheet
3 estimates
2 CSR’s
And some cool Marketing Technology 

©2011 PrintMediaCentr 

Changes for Folded Self Mailers in 2013

The United States Postal Service recently published the final regulations for folded self-mailers (FSM's) and other unenveloped pieces. These final rules take effect on January 5, 2013, so make plans to use up remaining stock and to make design changes for affected mailpieces that will mail after the effective date.

As part of the changes, the USPS renamed pieces designed to carry discs and expanded the standards that apply to tabs to include folded self-mailers (FSM's). These new rules do not apply to cards, envelopes, booklet style letters or mailpieces designed to carry discs.

Please refer to the reference guide provided in the following link:

https://ribbs.usps.gov/fsm/documents/tech_guides/FSMReference.pdf

Paper Inspiration Thursday

12 money-saving questions to ask before printing your promotional material

There are certain questions you should ask yourself and your commercial printer in order to make the most of your print budget. Here are 12 of them, with some excellent additions in the comment thread.

#1 Did more than one person proof-read the job?

An obvious one, this. No matter how many times I proof-read text, I can miss the same glaring error each time it’s passed over. Another set of eyes can sort this quickly. In fact, the more people that proof your job the better. Unlike online content, print is permanent. Mistakes can’t be corrected.
Daniel at Daily Writing Tips recently published The Impotence of Proofreading.

“It’s a fact that a spell checker will not catch all the mistakes on your text. More specifically, it will not catch misspellings that form other valid words.”

#2 If we change the size of the printed product can we print on a smaller press and save money?

There’s no need to have your A5 flyers printed by a large commercial printer. If you’ve been using one printer for all your projects try shopping around. A printer who specialises in small-run jobs can be much more competitive.

#3 Did you make a “dummy” or mock-up to check configuration and presentation?

If you’re producing a folded leaflet, for example, it’s always worth printing the pages yourself to be sure you have them in the correct order. If you’re in any way unsure, ask your printer for help. They’ll check the composition for you.

#4 Are you absolutely sure about the quantity to be printed?

A second print run will cost a lot more than extended first runs (or “run-on” as printers call it). If you’re asking for a quote of 10,000 copies, for example, be sure to also ask for “run on” costs. This will help with budgeting.
Cat at Business of Design Online gives this advice when asking for quotes:

“In the heat of a project it can be easy to lose sight of getting the information you need. Sure, you could request quote after quote. There’s a better way. Relax. Make a printing quote check list and bring your printer in early.”

#5 If there are photos in the document, do they need to be retouched?

One of the most common changes I make in Photoshop is to adjust the levels of an image. This is to make sure that white areas are bright white and black is actually black. It really helps with contrast (in the image menu, select ‘adjustments’, then ‘levels’). Also, colour prints tend to get darker after scanning, and large reductions can make shadow areas heavier.

#6 Is the paper opacity sufficient or will there be any see-through?

If you hold a newspaper up to the light, you can read the text and see the images on the other side of the paper. This might be fine in the newspaper industry, where paper costs are astronomical, but you obviously don’t want a promotional brochure or annual report to have the same effect. Choose a good weight of paper stock (approx. 150gsm+) and you’ll not only prevent this from happening, but your colours will print more brilliantly too.

#7 What about the texture of the paper?

Cheap paper feels cheap. Is this the impression you want to give? When receiving a quote, why not factor in a few different weights of paper? You might be surprised at how little extra you need to pay for a higher quality paper.

#8 Can we substitute our choice of paper for a stock that’s less expensive, while still looking as good?

Your printer can advise you. One factor this depends on is the amount of ink you’re going to use. For instance, if you have large areas of black to be printed, you’ll need a decent paper stock to prevent the paper going out of shape.

#9 Will ink colours change when printed on a particular type of paper?

Printing inks are transparent and will change depending on the brightness or “yellowness” of a white paper. Remember, paper critically affects the colour of your printed product.

#10 Does the printed sheet need a varnish?

If your print job is to be stacked and packaged, you have to be careful that the ink doesn’t transfer from one brochure/poster/business card to another during storage and transit (this is called offsetting). Varnishing can be a useful preventative. You can also consider aqueous coating to guard against finger-marking and scratching. Most printing presses will apply anti-offset powder, which is a fine powder lightly sprayed over the printed surface of coated paper as sheets leave a press. This is normally sufficient to prevent ink offset, but if in doubt, ask.

#11 Can we print four colours on one side of the sheet and black on the reverse to give the illusion of a “four colour process” job?

If you want to use colour, but find that it’s too expensive, you can always print one side of the paper using full-colour with the reverse in black only. Newspaper companies use this technique to give the appearance of full-colour printing. What you’ll find however, is that a lot of the time only one side of a newspaper page shows colour, whereas the reverse of that page is in black only. This saves money, yet gives the appearance of higher quality.

#12 Can we combo-run any of the elements for a cost-savings?

Always ask the printer if there’s any space left on the printing plates for extra work. You could, perhaps, print some extra business cards on the same printing plate as a batch of brochures, saving you money.

To sum-up

I’m sure you get the gist by now. The most important piece of advice is to ask your printer about possible cost-savings. They’re the ones who know best.
Give them as much info as possible about your future print plans, too. If your printer knows what projects are on the horizon they might be able to combo-run your jobs to save time and money.
By scheduling jobs in advance, your printer will be thankful of the notice. There’s very little a printer dislikes more than a client who needs their job yesterday.

By David Airey - www.davidairey.com

Paper Inspiration Thursday

Congratulations to Minneapolis based agency, FAME for winning the PaperSpecs Take Note Award for their unique invitation design!

 

 

Why print buyers should think like cyclists (and work late less often)

Print buyers should think like Olympic cyclists.  Find out how this will help them in this article

I was delighted when Team GB did so well at the Olympics.  It seems that British cycling has really entered a golden period.

But this success hasn’t come by chance.  It has happened because the team have been constantly looking at how they do things.  They have been regularly challenging what they do and how they do it.  This is what has created their success.

Print buyers can improve their results by thinking like Olympic cyclists
Print buyers who challenge process will create better supplier partnerships.  They’ll get rid of all the inefficiencies that make their relationships with printers frustrating.  They’ll be in control of their projects.  And they’ll be able to achieve more during their day (and work late less).

Print buyers who don’t challenge process will carry on with their late nights.  They’ll struggle to achieve what they need to because they’ll be using slow, inefficient methods.  So they won’t have the same control over projects.  Their supplier relationships will be full of arguments and annoyances.

So here are three ways to improve process and get rid of these problems.

Use templates
Templates are a great way to standardise documents and make sure that nothing important is omitted.  This system works really well for price requests, purchase orders, internal communications and contract documents.  You could even have a document template library for everyone at your company to use.

I am famous for forgetting to tell suppliers how many items I want when I issue a price request.  So now I have a quote request matrix that gets rid of all those un-necessary phone calls and e-mails.
But using templates for price requests can mean that you are dealing with too many individual prices.  There’s a way round this.

Use matrices
If you order a lot of similar items a price matrix can be a very useful way of getting instant pricing.  This need not be an expensive solution.  Even a rough and ready spreadsheet can manage this easily.  It can even analyse different price sheets and recommend the correct printer according to the print run.

This method ensures that you can get rid of much of the regular price requests that you may need to deal with.  It also allows you to deal with sudden changes in quantity.

But you can make things even more efficient.

Use a web2print system
A web2print system can bring efficiencies to many areas of print buying.  These include order administration, order analysis, stock management, quoting and stock management.  I’ll be looking at web2print in more detail in a future article.
The investment in web2print need not be high.  There are several systems that are licensed as software as a service.  This means that you pay for exactly what you need.

However, you need to be aware of one thing.

Make sure that you processes work with current company systems
It is essential that everyone in your company is aware of what you are doing and is happy about how it will work.  A price matrix spreadsheet will not have any effect on other peoples’ systems.  But if you start issuing purchase orders through a web2print system you need to be sure that the accounts department is happy with this.

For some print buyers that is the least of the issues involved.  For them, there is a much deeper problem.

Don’t these processes take out the skill from buying?
This is not the case at all.  Good processes mean that a buyer spends less time on order processing and other clerical duties.  This means that they can spend more time on strategic print buying issues.  Isn’t that what print buying is all about?

Here are three action points to help you improve your current systems

1. Set out your current processes
2. Ask print suppliers how they feel you could work more efficiently
3. Ask for feedback from other members of your company’s staff

Soon you’ll be just like the British Olympic cyclists
You’ll be getting gold medal results.

Copyright © 2012 Print & Procurement Ltd, All rights reserved.

Weekly Paper Inspiration

Eagle Brook Church loves Greenhaven Printing!

Thank you Jamie Colbert at Eagle Brook Church for the great testimonial! We appreciate your loyalty!

"We love Greenhaven Printing! From personal customer service to print capabilities and process, from competitive cost to efficiency in meeting our often quick turnaround times... the team at Greenhaven is excellent! They have a 'can do' attitude. And they sure do. I truly don't worry about much when it comes to our print pieces, because they always take great care of us. They always impress us with their ability to exceed our expectations!"

 

www.eaglebrookchurch.com

Greenhaven Printing would like to thank everyone for the partnership and success we have shared working together. Enjoy the Thanksgiving holiday!

Business Cards That Work for You: Tips and Best Practices

november 13, 2012 at 11:39 am leave a comment

These days, business card design is a popular topic and, since business cards are often the cornerstone of a good networking program, a decidedly important one. The web is full of examples and templates in a wide variety of layouts. There’s no shortage of creative designs you can buy ready-made or have modified by a designer, and then have printed by a company like 48 Hour Print. Therefore the biggest problem is how to get a card design that is something special.

Today we’re giving  you a few tips on how to choose the right business card design that will be both impressive and effective for you. In order to not affect the feelings of any designers, Noupe.com asked a designer from CrazyPixels to create several designs. Of course, he was trying his best to draw the attention to the details we’re going to talk about. As a result, we’ve got some incredible, modern and interesting business card designs to share with you here.

Below, we’ll be showing you business card design listed under the following topics:

Pictures on a bright color background
Color scheme usage
Minimalistic designs
Embossing aka letterpress effects
Creative business cards with QR codes
Business cards influenced by typography
See-thru business cards: transparency, a new idea
Black and white business cards
Unusual shapes

If you enjoy this post, these other articles may be of interest.

Pictures on a Bright Color Background

So, now for the first design:

It’s a bright and stylish business card. It strikes the eye at first sight. If you are a creative person like a photographer or designer, this business card could be the best option for you. The picture on the back could show off your skills as a creative professional and the business card would thus become a part of your portfolio. You can create a few variants of such designs with different photos and give your potential customers an ability to choose which they like the most. I do believe they will remember you.

Here is a showcase of stunning business cards designs with great images and bright colors:

 

Usage of Color Schemes

Just take a look at this business card design:

No matter what kind of pattern shows on the business card. Would it be stripes, squares, circles or triangles, the main thing is a color scheme that fits. As in the previous design, this business card draws attention with its colors, but this time it’s not a single color, but a whole color range. Also I want to draw your attention to the QR code, which you can see here. Note that the points on the QR code are in the same color range as the whole business card. This is a small thing, but it gives the design a thought through look and makes it more interesting.

Roundup of business cards with interesting color scheme:

 

Minimalistic Design

A quite minimalistic logo, which was designed with only one color and creative use of white space featured on the front of a card is a brilliant way to make a stylish business card. You can place a logo or any design on the front and all the needed info on the back, including name, tag line and contact information. There are a huge number of variants to create a similar design.

http://www.noupe.com/design/business-cards-that-work-71822.html

 

Embossing aka Letter Press Effects

Embossing is a style of using a stamp in order to create a raised tracery on you business card in different shapes. This effect gives a business card texture and classical style. It allows you to use only one color, it’s the true color of business card paper. It makes the business card modern and elegant.

Letter-pressed business cards:

 

Adding QR Codes

QR code is a modern tool which allows you to take a picture of a code on a business card with a smartphone. The code would redirect you to the website, online portfolio or resume. It’s a perfect way to bridge the gap between a business card and your online work. Make sure that this modern tool is receptive to your target audience before create a business card with QR code.

Creative business cards with QR codes:

 

Typography

Typography is a popular trend and it’s worth to pay attention to. It can be difficult to find a corresponding font, but with a wider range of growing choices you won’t be ending up without the right one…

Business cards influenced by typography:

 

See-thru Business Cards: Transparency, a new idea

Transparency is a trend in advertising. Such kind of business cards are usually made of plastic, which is why they are more durable than a lot of the businesses that decide to use them. They also have a high retention value that the standard paper-business card does not have.

Transparency business cards designs:

 

Black & White

Black and white business cards are a perfect option for businessmen, economists, lawyers and other people in the so-called serious business. If you need simple, elegant and classic design, black & white business cards probably are what you are looking for.

Black and white business cards:

 

Unusual shapes

Such kind of business cards have unusual shapes and are in most cases custom-made. Business cards with unusual shapes need more resources in comparison with the usual ones. They might impress more, but due to their mostly uncommon shapes might make your clients throw them away easier as they don’t fit in their pockets. You should think this choice through from the side of your potential client.

Here are some examples of unusual shapes business cards:

The Bottom Line

Try to do something different, even when it comes to business cards. There is just one chance to give a good first impression to your potential customers. Give it a try and you’ll see what works out for you. Your card should represent your brand and name. Hope this collection inspired you to create a unique and creative business card design of your own.

About the Author

Pavlushka is the author of CrazyPixels web design blog. He writes inspirational articles about web design technologies and useful web design tutorials, where you can find a lot of top tips how to create amazing web design artworks. Feel free to follow him on Twitter. Here’s his Homepage.