October 2018 – BlockbusterPrint.com Blog

Brochure Printing: Uncover The Basics

An affordable but effective form of advertising is brochure printing. It can serve as part of your print advertising campaign along with banners, stickers, letterheads, notepads, business cards, and more.

What’s good about printing out trifold brochures, for example, is that it can contain all the information about your business. Unlike business cards which only contain your contact information, a brochure can indicate your mission and vision, how your business started out, which product or services you are offering, and other pertinent information about your brand. An affordable but effective form of advertising is brochure printing. It can serve as part of your print advertising campaign along with banners, stickers, letterheads, notepads, business cards, and more. What’s good about printing out trifold brochures, for example, is that it can contain all the information about your business. Unlike business cards which only contain your contact information, a brochure can indicate your mission and vision, how your business started out, which product or services you are offering, and other pertinent information about your brand.

The ABCs of Brochure Printing

If you would like to make brochures print part of your promotional campaign, here are the basics that you should learn about it:

1. Always think about content. Remember that as compared to flyers, posters, and similar printed material, there is so much more space to be had in professional brochures. You can have it laid out in such a way that the front cover piques the reader’s interest, the middle part contains all the important information about your brand, while the last page includes a call to action.

2. Brochure printing basics should be learned. Half-fold brochures, double parallel, trifold, and other brochure folding options are available at printing companies like BlockbusterPrint.com. Aside from the type of folding, you should also decide on the size, quantity, paper stock, and finish of the paper. Choose a printing company that offers full color HD printing so that you can get the best quality print while maximizing the value of your money.

3. Consider the small details when having brochures printed out. Finally, a printed advertising material goes through more scrutiny simply because people are more visual. Pay attention to even the smallest details of your brochure design and make sure that the overall look of the brochure fits the image that you’d like to project for your brand. Carefully choose between thin or thin paper stock, and semi-gloss or matte paper. If there are a lot of pictures on your brochure, a thick paper stock with semi-gloss finish is ideal.

By learning about the ABCs of brochure printing, you can have the best printed material to promote your brand with.

Brochure Printing: Retain Existing and Attract New Customers!

Whether you’ve been in the business for a long time or if you’re just starting out, the one thing that you should keep on working on is advertising through brochure printing. Here, we will have a deeper look at how you can print brochures to attract new clients and retain your existing customers.

Tips for Using Color Brochures to Engage Your Customers

When you print business cards online, you have very limited space so you can only indicate your business name and contact information, and maybe a short tagline. As compared to business cards online, brochure printing gives you more room to ‘talk’ your customers. So what can you do to engage them when using brochures as part of your advertising or marketing campaign? Here’s how:

How can I attract new customers through brochure printing?

One look at your printed advertising materials is enough to give customers an idea of what you’re all about as a company, so make sure to create a good first impression. When they receive black-and-white brochures with a barely put-together layout and a copy that’s not even visually enticing, do you think they will trust your brand? Not at all! Compare this with reading a tri-fold, 4.25” x 11” brochure in a thick paper with semi-gloss paper and an excellent design. When they see the work that you put into creating the brochure, they will have an impression that you will deliver the same quality when it comes to the product or service that you’re offering.

How can I retain existing customers with brochure printing?

Next, how can you retain existing customers simply by printing brochures? Because of the space allotted in brochures, you can have a lengthier description of any new product or service that you are offering. If a loyal customer is interested in a new service in your salon, for instance, but does not have time to talk to you about it, you can simply hand over a brochure. This will give the customer a chance to read more about the new service, and entice him or her to try it out.

Simply put, brochure printing is a classic but still effective way of attracting new buyers and maintaining the existing customer base that you have – so order a set of glossy brochures for your business right now!

Takeout Menu Printing: What You Need to Know

If you are in the food business, one of the many tasks that you need to undertake is takeout menu printing. There are a lot of hungry patrons who are always on the go and do not have time for a sit-down lunch or dinner – so they would always opt to buy food to go. If this is the case and you don’t have print to-go menus, then you are definitely missing out on the chance to earn more profit.

Quick Facts about To-Go Menus

The good news is that there are many companies like BlockbusterPrint.com which specializes in creating print to go menus and other printed products that you can use to advertise your business. If you have no idea about how you can have to go menus printed, here are a few quick facts about it:

To go menus must look visually appealing.

Imagine a couple walking into your restaurant who are so hungry. They’re in a hurry to have food served on their table, so they select the first thing that they see on the menu. If your menu is not that visually appealing, they can easily walk out and find another dining establishment. Why? Because you did not offer them anything enticing to look at in the first place. Most restaurant patrons rely on pictures when ordering food, so your go to menu must visually appeal to their taste buds.

The highlighted dishes should give customers an idea about the type of food you’re serving.

If you are offering all-day breakfast, the photo of a waffle with butter slathered in gooey syrup should be highlighted on the menu. If you are running a fine dining restaurant, a sophisticated plate with a mouth-watering, colorful dish can be featured. If you’re offering fusion dishes, an array of tempting dishes can take front and center on the menu. The same thing holds true for your takeout menu, which must offer delicious dishes and the convenience of ordering them to go.

There are different sizes and folding types available.

Companies like BlockbusterPrint.com offers menu printing services and for their line of takeout menus, there are four sizes and ten folding options to choose from. To make your to go menu visually arresting, full color HD printing is available.

When it comes to the food business, your menu plays a huge part in presenting your products to your customers, so make sure that it’s printed and presented the best way possible.

Takeout Menu Printing: Which Dishes Should I Highlight?

If you’re planning to scrimp on takeout menu printing, you might want to think twice. In the restaurant business, dine in and to-go menus play a huge part in selling the food that you’re offering to your restaurant or diner patrons. Hungry diners will rely on your menu when deciding which dishes to order, so you should know which items to highlight. That’s what we will learn more about here.

Before that, however, let us take a quick look at the role that menus play when it comes to selling food items in restaurants:

A menu can help boost sales in your restaurant. If you have new dishes to offer to your customers, you can update your menu and highlight what’s new. This way, you can retain the loyalty of your existing customers and attract new ones.
A menu can increase the frequency of orders, especially if it is printed in such a way that is visually appealing.
To go menus will give customers who are in a hurry or who don’t want to dine in a chance to sample your dishes in a convenient manner.

Tips for Choosing which Dishes to Highlight in Takeout Menu Printing

Next, what are the things that you need to remember when it comes to choosing the dishes to highlight in your print to go menus? Here are the top tips:

Choose professional-looking photos of your most popular dishes.

Visual appeal should be your primary consideration when having menus printed out – whether it’s for inside the restaurant or to go ordering. When you print to-go menus, make sure that the dishes pictured are a feast – both for the eyes and the taste buds.

Highlight the dishes which are quick to make.

People order items to go because they don’t have the time for a sit-down dinner. This is precisely why you should only highlight and include dishes which are quick to make in your takeout menu. Just imagine how frustrated a hungry diner would get if it takes you thirty minutes or so to prepare a popular dish!

Edit your to go menu in such a way that only the quick-to-make and profitable dishes are featured.

Lastly, edit your takeout menu by choosing only the dishes which are quick and easy to make, and are profitable. For example, egg rolls which are prepared beforehand takes only a few minutes to deep-fry, so it’s a popular order in Chinese takeout. The ingredients aren’t that expensive, either – so they end up being really lucrative for the restaurant owner.

By following these tips, you can have a takeout menu that will boost the sales in your food establishment.

DIY versus Professional Business Card Print Service: Which One’s Better?

One look and you can easily see the difference between a do-it-yourself job and the product of a professional business card print service provider. If you need a set of business cards for your start-up business or to represent yourself in your company, then you must know how to choose between a DIY and a professional card print service.

The Cons of Going DIY

Perhaps the only advantage of taking the DIY route when it comes to business card printing is the cost. There are many templates that you can download online which will allow you to design and print your own set of business cards. Armed with just a computer, printer, and paper, you can pretty much print your own set of business cards.

The downside is that when you hand over a DIY business card to a prospective client or worse, a company executive, the fact that it is a do-it-yourself card will painfully stand out. You can easily spot the difference between commercial or professional color business cards and one that’s made at home. No matter how well-designed the card is or how thick the paper you used, it’s still easy to differentiate a professionally-made card from a DIY one. The impression this leaves to the one you’re doing business with is that you are an amateur as well, something that will not work in your favor at all.

The Pros of Hiring a Professional Business Card Printing Company

On the other hand, there are numerous benefits to having premium business cards made. There are many business card printing companies like BlockbusterPrint.com where you can have a minimum of 100 business cards made. You might think that it’s a lot more expensive than DIY print jobs but considering the benefits, every cent is well worth it.

At professional business card print service companies like BlockbusterPrint, there is a 24-hour printing option. You can take your pick from rectangular or rounded corner business cards, and choose whether it’s a matte, silky, or glossy finish that you want. The paper ranges from thin to 100% the thickness of a credit card. What’s really impressive is the quality of print using the offset printing method. As compared to digital, offset printing is up to eight times better in quality and really looks professional.

When it comes to business cards, there is no question that professional printing is better than DIY. If you want to leave a lasting impression to your clients and anyone you are doing business with, it is the only way to go.

Business Card Print Service Providers: Know Your Options

When looking for a business card print service provider, it is good to know exactly what your options are. There are many digital business card print service companies out there where you can get the most number of card copies for the cheapest price. If volume is what you’re after, then this is well and good. But what if you are after quality and getting the best value for your money? This is where doing a bit of research comes in handy. When you know what to look for, you will find a company that will create high-quality business cards for you, without charging too high a price for it.

What to Look for in a Premium Business Cards Provider

Out of all the business card printing companies operating today, how can you choose which one to order color business cards from? Here are a few factors to consider:

Offset versus digital printing

The company that will offer you the lowest price for the most number of business cards usually have a digital printing process. Another type of printing is called offset. At BlockbusterPrint.com, Heidelberg printing presses are used to create high-quality prints for all their printed products, including business cards. This has up to eight times better quality than digital printing so if you want to get the best-looking print, the extra cost will be so worth it.

The quality of paper stock used

Depending on the type of finish that you want, there are different premium stock paper available at BlockbusterPrint. There are thin linen textured cards, laminated cards with 70% to 100% the thickness of a credit card, and even gold or silver foil business cards. If you want to leave a lasting impression to your clients, you definitely should consider having premium paper used for your order.

Once you find a good offset printing company, don’t forget to also consider what you are going to put on the card itself. Make sure that the information is accurate and up-to-date. See to it that the every aspect of the design – from the font to the colors used – is something that will reflect the image that you would like to portray as a company. If possible, put your social media information on the card, although you still need to make sure that it’s not crowded with too much information. When you put all the aspects of the design together, your business card should be reflection of what you are all about as a brand.

Color Business Cards: Top Tips to Remember When Ordering

Solo entrepreneurs, employees, start-up business owners, freelancers – these individuals have a need for color business cards. It’s the simplest, most straightforward, and effective way of representing yourself as a professional, no matter what the nature of your business is.

Thankfully, there are many business cards online companies that offer professional printing services. Whether you need 100 linen business cards or 500 thick plastic cards, these online printing companies will give you exactly what you need. You just need to know where to look.

Things to Remember when Looking for a Business Cards Online Company

Let’s say that you need to order just the minimum number of premium business cards because you recently changed your business address. It’s been a while since you had to print business cards, so how can you look for the best company to do a good job of it for you? Here are our top tips:

Know the type of card that you need in the first place.

At online printing companies like BlockbusterPrint.com, you can take your pick from a wide array of business cards including:

Textured linen cards
14-pt. Pearl metallic cards
17-pt. Foil stamped cards
18-pt. Brown kraft cards
19-pt. Suede cards
22-pt. Luster cards
22-pt. Plastic cards
32-pt. Black edge with 3-layers cards
Spot gloss cards
Rounded corner cards

Which among these cards do you think will suit the design and colors of your business card? What type of finish and effect will make your card stand out?

What is the company’s turnaround time?

Next, determine the turnaround time. Can the company deliver 100 cards in 24 hours? At BlockbusterPrint.com, 24-hour printing is available so unless you need a premium card with a special lamination, you can get the minimum order the next day.

What are the rates and the minimum number of cards that you can order?

Except for a few kinds of business cards and those with special effects, you can order a minimum of 100 cards at BlockbusterPrint. Price-wise, the rates are pretty reasonable, especially considering the quality of the cards that you will get.

What about print quality?

There are two kinds of business cards printing available: digital and offset. BlockbusterPrint uses the latter, which has four to six times the quality of digital. They use state-of-the-art Heidelberg offset printing presses to ensure utmost quality in their prints.

By knowing what to look for in a printing company, you can order business cards that will best represent your brand.

Why Color Business Cards should be Part of Your Corporate Giveaways

If you have an upcoming promotional event, you must include color business cards as part of your corporate giveaway. According to HubSpot, event marketing typically consumes up to 20% of a marketing budget so if this is something that you haven’t tried out in your business, you are missing out.

Before learning more about why it’s important to print business cards, let us first take a look at how corporate giveaways can help promote your brand. Where exactly are corporate giveaways, well, given away to prospective customers? These events are trade shows, conferences, seminars, team building, forums, product launches, employee appreciation, and similar occasions. During such events, a large number of like-minded individuals gather together, giving business owners an opportunity to trade their wares.

Here are some quick tips on how you can put together corporate giveaways during such events:

During trade shows, you can increase booth traffic through corporate giveaways. It helps boost the image of your brand while also increasing name recall. For this, it is important to look for items that stand out, so take your time in choosing which items to use as corporate giveaways.
For other events, you can buy inexpensive promo products like pens, caps, mouse pads, tote bags, mobile phone holders, water bottles and similar items. Make sure that these have your company colors and logo to boost brand recognition.
In employee-centered events, you can give away corporate apparel. Casual clothing like t-shirts, jackets, and baseball caps are great items to have. You can also order specialized employee appreciation gifts as kudos for when an individual gets a job done while exceeding expectations.

For all of these, make sure to include one or two premium business cards. Aside from the name recall brought about by the items included in your corporate giveaway, you can also make sure that they will keep your card for future reference. This is especially true when you order high-quality cards from business cards online companies like BlockbusterPrint.com.

To sum it all up, corporate giveaways with business cards included in the package is a great way to boost sales, improve brand recognition, and the overall value of customers when dealing with your business.

Postcard Printing & Print Marketing And The Mistakes To Avoid

In the real estate industry, why is postcard printing more effective than mailers? The people who will receive your advertising letter are most probably busy – so they won’t even open the letter once they see who it is from. Postcards, on the other hand, are open for everyone to read. There is no need to exert that extra effort in opening a letter, making the information readily readable and available.

As compared to business cards or flyers, real estate postcards give you a more creative space to send your message across. Depending on how you will write the copy and lay out the images, postcard printing in real estate will help generate more traffic to your site. It will also give you more sales leads, introduce your name to prospective customers, and promote the services that you are offering in the real estate industry.

These are just some of the reasons why it pays to take advantage of the print postcards online services. Offered by companies like BlockbusterPrint.com, they can print postcards which are specifically designed for real estate customers. Quality-wise, they will not disappoint because they use high-quality offset printing and premium paper material.

Avoid these Mistakes in Real Estate Postcard Printing

Next, how can you make sure that you do have an effective copy when you print postcards? It pays to know which mistakes to avoid so that you can maximize the benefits of postcards advertising in the real estate business:

Do not distribute postcards to non-real estate customers.

As a real estate professional, you must already know the value of reaching out to your target market. The same principle applies to postcard marketing. If you will send out postcards to renters who are probably thinking of buying a house, that is an example of targeted marketing. If you will send out the same set of postcards to students who can’t even afford to buy their own clothes yet, then you are sending out the wrong message to the incorrect market. For this, it helps if you will put together a mailing list of the people in your target area, or have a real estate broker do it for you.

Do not make the mistake of sending out postcards just once.

Repetitiveness is key if you want postcards mailing to be effective – so be consistent in sending out creative real estate postcards to your target market.

Do not scrimp on printing costs.

Fortunately, there are many companies like BlockbusterPrint that will give you the best value for your money when you are ordering real estate postcards. Instead of saving money on digital printing which has far less inferior quality than offset printing, spend your capital wisely and invest in better-looking prints.

Do not leave out a call to action.

Finally, one of the biggest mistakes made by those in the real estate profession is not having a call to action on their postcards. This should include a catchy tagline as well as your contact information.

By avoiding these mistakes, you can create a real estate postcard that will drive traffic to your website and boost your leads in the business.

Business Cards Online? Is It Still Worth Ordering It?

If you think that in today’s business environment, there is no need for you to order business cards online anymore, think again. Almost all industries have become highly competitive, making it even more crucial for you to make use of a still-effective form of advertising: business cards printing.

To start right off, here are the reasons why it is still worth it to take advantage of a business card print service provider:

When a client, supplier, customer, or anybody you’re doing business with asks for your contact number, you still need to pull out a classic business card.

Just imagine how awkward it is for you to scribble down your name and telephone number on a piece of paper if a person asks for your contact information. Not only is it difficult, but it also lessens your authority as a business owner in the eyes of the person you’re talking to. Not having a business card makes you look unofficial. If you cannot even put together the effort into having a set of silk business cards made, for example, how can you expect a client to place his or her trust into your brand? Why would customers take advantage of the product or service you’re offering if you do not even have an official business card?

Print is still an effective form of advertising.

Aside from business cards, there are other printed material that you can use as part of your print advertising campaign. You can have a set of plastic business cards printed out along with brochures, flyers, notepads, envelopes, letterheads, and banners. Despite the prevalence of online advertising, print is still an effective form of promoting your brand. It’s inexpensive, too!

Having physical cards will make people remember your business name for a long time.

Finally, just like physical books which may never be replaced by e-books, there is a certain sentiment associated with having physical business cards. People can use it as a bookmark or keep it along with other business cards that they have. Even if they have bookmarked your website on a browser, having a physical card is one way to make people remember your business name and brand for a long time.

These are the reasons why you should take advantage of the business card printing services provided by companies like BlockbusterPrint.com. The premium business cards that they print are sure to leave a lasting impression to your clients and network of contacts, so have a set made for yourself right now.