Month: February 2019

Effective To Go Menus Make Your Food Business Succeed

No matter what type of food you specialize in, it is important to have to go menus that customers can refer to if they want to order takeout. If you’re a purely dine-in establishment, you are not really taking advantage of your business’ full earning potential. A lot of people don’t have the time or patience for a sit-down dinner, so they enjoy the quickness and convenience of ordering takeout.

Combine a To Go Menu with these Things to Set Your Business Up for Success

 The first thing that you need to do is look for a to go menu printing company. Make sure that they specialize in offset printing, and that they offer different folding options, sizes, and a thick paper stock. When you combine the to go menu with the following, you can set your food business up for success:

  • An effective menu

When you print pizza menus, for example, how many options are there? Studies show that seven is the ideal number where customers don’t feel overwhelmed with too many choices, while not thinking that they have limited choices, either.

  • An easy ordering process

How easy is it for a customer to order takeout in your food establishment? If you don’t have a dedicated takeout menu counter, make sure that there’s an assigned space in it inside your diner. It could be one side of the counter, or just a simple sign pointing to where your takeout menu is.

  • Good customer service

How friendly is your wait staff? Do they encourage hesitant customers to actually come into the restaurant and order food? Since their goal is to order takeout, the transaction should be quick and effortless – so make sure that you do offer good customer service.

  • Good food quality

Of course, you will not have any repeat customers if your food does not taste good. Although customers are paying for convenience, food is still your main product so it has to give them their money’s worth.

  • Sturdy packaging

You don’t want customers worrying about how they will carry the takeout boxes from your restaurant to their homes – so make sure that your food packaging is sturdy and attractive.

  • Getting orders right – the first time!

You have one chance to make a good first impression, so get the customer’s order right the first time. Train your staff to listen carefully to what the customer has to say, and to check the content of the box before packing it for takeout.

  • Food safety

This is a given for everyone in the food business: your products must be safe for consumption. Pay attention to quality, hygiene during food preparation, and make sure that the ingredients are from trusted sources.

By taking these things into account, you can have a successful venture into the takeout food business.

How To Go Menus are Modernizing the Way We Order Food

Fastfood restaurants, pizza parlors, diners, and even some fine dining establishments have latched on to the trend of having to go menus. Customers want everything to be fast and convenient these days. So if you do not offer takeout services in your food business, you are not necessarily getting this part of the market that is not fully tapped yet.

 To Go Menu Printing Basics

 Let’s say that you own a diner and you do allow customers to order takeout food – but you do not have a dedicated takeout menu yet. How can you make sure that when you print a to go menu, it will be something that will boost your sales and make hungry customers remember your brand? Here are a few tips:

  • Look for an offset printing company.

If you need to print pizza menus, takeout menus, business cards, or postcards, you can go for digital or offset printers. The problem with desktop digital printers is that they are not as fast or as high-quality as offset printers, so it is better to go with the latter.

  • Decide on the size of the menu.

Next, think about the size of your takeout menu. Some options are 8.5” x 11”, 8.5” x 14”, or 11” x 17”. There are different folding options available or you can have one jumbo menu that can also be a conversation starter in your diner. Depending on the design of the menu, it can be full-color or black-and-white with hand-drawn illustrations.

  • Make sure that the to go menu is concise, yet visually appealing.

No matter which size, paper type, or folding option you choose, it is important to spend time designing the menu. It must be visually appealing so use color wisely. There should also be a good balance between text and pictures, if you have any. The menu should not look too crowded that a customer feels overwhelmed with too many options. At the same time, it should not look too bare – so much so that a customer feels limited with very little choices.

  • Leave copies of your takeout menu in easily seen places in your dining establishment.

Don’t order just one or two copies of your takeout menu – the minimum order is usually 100 pieces from most printing companies. What will you do with such a number of menus? Leave them in strategic, easily seen places inside and just right outside your dining establishment. You can also have the delivery person include a takeout menu when they deliver food. This way, customers will have a copy of your menu and it will be easy for them to call  and have food delivered, or order food from your diner and have it packed to go.

There’s no doubt that to go menus have modernized the way that customers order and consume food  – so it’s best to take advantage of this trend while you can.

Why It Pays to Order Spot UV Business Cards through Offset Printers

You’re thinking about ordering 250 pieces of spot UV business cards but you don’t know where to start. You know that there are a couple of options available: digital and offset. Digital may sound modern and cheap – but can it handle complex printing jobs like cards with spot gloss lamination? Not necessarily. There are laminating effects that can only be handled by offset printers. This is just one of the many reasons why it pays to order spot UV or spot gloss business cards from companies that use offset printing.

Top 3 Advantages of Offset Printing

 When placing an order for any number of spot gloss business cards, you must first ask the printing company if they can achieve such a laminating effect in the first place. Spot gloss or spot UV is a type of additional lamination applied to a specific surface of a matte business card, for example. If you have a black-and-white card, the spot gloss effect can be applied on the logo or an image on the design of your card. The rest of the card’s surface will be matte, while the areas applied with spot UV treatment will look embossed and ultra-glossy.

Not convinced yet? Here are the top three reasons why it pays to go with offset printing when having a batch of spot gloss business cards made:

  1. Offset produces long-lasting prints.

In New York City, a lot of printing methods have come and gone but offset printers have stood the test of time. Why? Primarily because offset printing uses state-of-the-art printing presses which are huge. The mere bulk of the printers mean serious business, and it can deliver longer lasting prints as compared to digital desktop printers. This means that customers get the best value for their money.

  1. Offset printers create more professional-looking prints.

It’s quite easy to spot the difference between digital and offset prints, especially when it comes to business cards. The next time someone hands over their business card to you, look closely at the way that the letters are printed. If you can still see the dots, especially on parts of the card printed in bold letters, it means that it is probably printed using digital desktop printers. If the color is solid, smooth, and sleek, it is most probably made using offset printing presses.

  1. Offset printers can handle bulk printing jobs.

The regular printer that you have in the office may be able to churn out a dozen business cards for you – but an offset printer can produce hundreds – even thousands – of prints in a matter of minutes.

To sum it all up, offset printing has the obvious edge as compared to digital – so look for a company that offers offset printing services if you need to have a batch of business cards printed out.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Why Spot UV Business Cards Look its Best with Offset Printing

If you want a set of business cards that stand out, you might want to consider ordering spot UV business cards. When compared to a stack of thin cardboard or thick black-and-white cards, something that’s shiny and thick will immediately catch someone’s attention. Your goal in printing out business cards in the first place is to make a lasting impression, and spot gloss or spot UV business cards will accomplish just that.

 How Spot UV Business Cards are Made

 When looking for a printing service provider, you have two options: digital and offset. Why is it recommended that you go with offset when ordering a set of spot gloss business cards? To answer this question, it’s good to have a quick look at how spot UV cards are made in the first place.

Offset printing involves the use of digital layouts, film stripping, and color separation. Once the digital steps are done, a huge printing press is used to offset print the material – be it brochures, business cards, postcards, or banners. The process used to come up with this type of business cards is spot gloss lamination. Here, a high-gloss layer is applied to a specific part of the card. Let’s say that you have a standard-sized card and the design includes your business logo in the upper right corner, enclosed in a box. You can use spot gloss on your company logo to highlight that part. It will look shiny and embossed from the surface.

Since the rest of the card has a matte finish, the part where high-gloss is applied will truly stand out. Not only that but when you run your fingers through the card, the glossy part will feel ultra-smooth and luxurious to the touch. This is something that cannot be done using regular desktop printers, so offset printing is the best choice for spot gloss business cards.

One last thing – when ordering a set of offset Business cards, you must create additional files in solid black and solid white. The areas in black will get the glossy treatment while the white areas will be printed in matte white. To achieve the full effect, it is also not recommended that you use thin fonts or shadow effects. Solid letters in block colors or bold logos and images will make the gloss treatment stand out.

 

 

 

 

Postcard Printing: Why Offset is the Best!

Postcard printing is one of the best ways to market your brand. You can include it in your print advertising campaign along with business cards, brochures, flyers, banners, and more. What’s good about postcard printing is that it contains more information than business cards, but less than what you can print on a brochure. This means that it can have just the right amount of information when you’re launching a new product or service, or introducing your brand to a new set of customers.

When printing postcards and other advertising materials, you can take your pick from two types of printing: digital and offset. Digital desktop printers are cheap and easy to find, while offset printing delivers more professional-looking results. Here, we will look at why it pays to choose offset printing when ordering postcards for your business’ advertising campaign.

 Why Use Offset Printing for Postcard Marketing

 Fortunately, there are many color postcard printing service providers that use offset printing. Here are the top three reasons why you should choose this method over digital:

  • Quality

Digital printing companies are cheap and common because there are no complicated equipment needed – a desktop printer will do. The problem with this type of printing is that it cannot necessarily deliver professional-looking results. Compare the appearance of a postcard made with digital and offset printers and you will see the subtle differences. Also, there are more laminating effects that can be done using state-of-the-art printing presses so offset really is the way to go.

  • Speed

Once the digital steps like layouting, film stripping, and color separation is done, offset printers can print hundreds or even thousands of postcards in a matter of minutes. This is something that a digital printer just cannot do.

  • Volume

The same thing holds true when it comes to volume. Offset printers are huge so if you need to print dozens of banners or a thousand business cards, for example, the machines can easily handle the bulk and volume.

As such, it pays to look for offset printing companies if you plan to print postcards online. In terms of quality, speed, and volume, offset is your best bet.

 

 

 

 

 

Must-Remember Postcard Printing & Marketing Ideas

Decades ago, postcards were used to send short personal messages when traveling but now, postcard printing can also be used for advertising purposes. If you’re a business owner, you will definitely benefit from reading through our list of postcard printing and marketing ideas.

Printing Postcards

First, how and why are postcards use for advertising? Let’s say that you just opened a bakery selling specialty cupcakes. Your immediate neighborhood might have seen your physical store, but how about those who haven’t? How can you reach out to them? By sending out postcards, you can let them know that your store actually exists and that you have a line of delicious products that they might want to try. Postcards are cheap to make and mail but are effective in getting the word out about your business.

When printing postcards, look for a color postcard printing service provider that offers offset printing. As compared to desktop digital printers, offset printers deliver professional-looking prints. Choose a thick paper stock and take your pick from high gloss or a matte finish. Size-wise, the most popular is 4” x 6”. However, if you want to stand out, you can go for larger postcards such as 5’ x 7’, 6’ x 9’, or even 8.5” x 5.5” cards. Jumbo postcards may cost a bit more to print and mail, but they are attention-grabbers.

 Marketing Postcards

 Second, after looking for a company that can print postcards online, you need to think about how you can use the postcards for your marketing campaign. Here are a few ideas:

  • Use the postcards as discount cards. Incorporate a discount code or turn the card itself into a physical coupon that customers can bring to your store and use to get discounts. Print advertising is all about offering the best benefits that you can provide to customers, and this is one way to do exactly that.
  • Use the postcard as a way to remind customers of their appointments. If you’re offering salon services, for instance, mail a postcard to remind a client of her hair coloring appointment.
  • Use the postcard as a holiday greeting card. Consistency is key if you want to develop customer loyalty so make sure to send out postcards during the holiday season to your existing and potential customers.
  • You can also use the postcard to let customers know about a sale that you’re having, a referral program that you might be running, or any other event that they can participate in.

As you can see, there are a multitude of ways for you to incorporate postcards into your marketing campaign, so get started right now!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Brochure Printing & Marketing Tips to Live By

One of the biggest misconceptions that entrepreneurs have is that old school ways of advertising such as brochure printing is outdated and ineffective. Although digital marketing is cheap and in keeping with the times, it would definitely help if you can combine it with something “classic” like print advertising. In fact, it would make your brand stand out. Why? Since almost everything is digital these days, having something tangible – a brochure that customers can actually hold in their hands and read – is sort of a novelty. It etches the name of your brand into the minds of customers, and it complements your existing digital marketing campaign.

 Tips for Printing and Marketing Brochures for Your Business

 Now, if you have no idea about how to get started on brochure marketing, here are a few printing and marketing tips to live by:

  • Look for a reputable printing company that specializes in brochure printing.

There are many companies offering brochures print services out there, so choose one that’s right for you. Take your pick from digital desktop or offset printing – the latter produces more professional-looking results, although it can cost a bit more. Also make sure that the printing company has plenty of experience in printing advertising materials, and that they offer quality customer service. They should be able to assist you starting from the layout process to giving a digital proof of the design. This ensures that you will have an attention-grabbing brochure.

  • Talk about your brand, if you must, but focus more on your customers.

When thinking about the content of your brochure, determine what your goal is. If it’s to introduce your company to customers, then there’s nothing wrong in dedicating a page that indicates your company history, mission, vision, etc. But if your brochure is more marketing-oriented, you need to focus on how your product or service will benefit your customers. After all, they are the ones who will read your brochure – so the content should “speak” to them.

  • Organize the contents of your brochure.

Depending on the fold and size, the number of pages of a brochure ranges from 4 to 12. How will you organize the content in such a way that there’s a beginning, the main promotional pages, and an ending with a call to action? Make sure that the heading is enticing enough to prompt the customer to read through the rest of the content. Use words that are enticing but are still easy to understand. Focus on reaching your goal in printing the brochure in the first place.

  • Think of something that will make you stand out.

Lastly, think of an element that will make you stand out. It could be your folding option or the size of the brochure. How about an 11” x 25.5” brochure with double gate folding option, in a semi-gloss paper finish? The thicker the paper stock, the more impressive it will be. Again, you need to invest in high-quality offset brochure print service to come up with the exact type of brochure that you want – one that will help you achieve your marketing goals in no time at all.

How Brochure Printing Design has Evolved Over the Years

Similar to how television has evolved from black and white to colored and now, to smart TVs, brochure printing and other forms of printing advertisement have also evolved. Here, we will take a look at how this type of branding has evolved over the years, and how you need to print your own brochures now in order to promote your business.

 

A Quick Look at How Brochure Design has Evolved

 

As you may already know, a brochure looks like a mini-book or magazine. It contains information and pictures about the products or services you are offering. If you’re a business owner, you can definitely benefit from printing and distributing brochures with well thought-out designs and marketing copy.

 

So how did brochures look a long time ago? Here’s a brief glimpse:

  • In the 1940s, digital photography wasn’t born yet so there was heavy reliance on hand-drawn illustrations. If one or two photographs are included in a brochure, it’s black and white and the resolution is not that great. Also, colored printing was expensive during this decade so most printed materials are black and white.
  • In the 1950s, photography has greatly improved and the costs of colored printing went down, so brochures have become more colourful.
  • In the 1960s, it was pretty common to see colored brochures although old school hand-drawn illustrations and fonts were still used.
  • A decade later, brochures print has gone full-color because of the improvement in photography techniques. It has also become easier to layout printed materials and the costs of printing colored brochures have significantly gone down.

 

From the 1980s onwards, designing and printing brochures have become fully digital. Digital photography has evolved along with it, so it has become very easy to blend all these elements together. You just need to know how to come up with a strategic design that will appeal to your target market. You also need to include a call to action, as well as updated contact information for you to realize your marketing goals in the first place.

 

Today, when looking for a brochure print service provider, you even have the option to go with small desktop digital printing services or companies that use offset printing through huge printing presses. Offset printing presses deliver more professional-looking results, but there’s nothing wrong with going digital, either.

 

With the improvements in photography, printing, and layouting technology, there’s no doubt that brochure design has come a long way. Whether you prefer to use old school hand drawn illustrations or modern photography to make your brochure stand out, what’s important is to pay close attention to even the smallest details. Doing so will make you achieve your marketing objectives in printing the brochures in the first place.

Factors to Consider when Looking for a Business Cards Online Service Provider

There are numerous benefits from ordering business cards online. First, you don’t have to physically go to different printing companies just to order a set of business cards. You can take your pick from the many companies online and process your order through their website. Second, you don’t have to sacrifice quality for convenience. Simply check out the reviews of the printing company you’re considering going with – and do a bit of research. From there, you can easily decide which one to order business cards from.

 

Just to delve a bit deeper into the process of looking for printing companies, here are a few more things to consider:

  • The printing process used

Does the company use desktop digital printers or huge printing presses? If it’s quality you are after, it is better to go with offset printing. This uses state-of-the-art printing presses, the process of which is called offset printing. As compared to digital, offset produces more professional-looking results and there are more lamination effects that can be achieved. If you want something that’s luxurious to the touch, for example, the can print silk business cards that have a special laminate. This makes the surface of the card feel like fabric to the touch.

 

  • The length of experience that the company has

When taking advantage of any type of service or product, it is a must for you to look at the length of experience that the company has in the business. The longer that they’ve been in existence, the more expertise they’ve gained over the years.

 

  • The material used and the printing effect

Of course, you also need to look at the quality of the material and the printing effect applied on the business card. What kind of paper stock is available? How many laminating options and printing effects can you choose from? If you’re looking for soft touch business cards, most printing companies would offer suede and silk variations.

 

  • The quality of customer service offered

Finally, make sure that the printing company provides high quality customer service. Since most transactions are purely online, see to it that they are highly responsive to your messages. Make sure that they will send you a digital proof of the business card design, and even offer color suggestions if the grey that you used is too light or too bright for the effect that you want, for example.

 

Take these things into consideration when looking for a company to print your business cards to get the results that you want.

 

 

 

Business Cards Online: Should I Opt for Suede or Silk when Ordering?

When ordering business cards online, there are several choices that you have to make. For instance, should you go with a standard-sized business card – or something larger or smaller to make your brand stand out? Which paper stock should you use? How about the printing effect? For this, there are over a dozen options to choose from: textured linen, metallic, foil-stamped, brown kraft, suede, ultra-high gloss, black edge with three layers, plastic, spot gloss, and rounded corner.

Here, however, we will focus our attention on two types of soft touch business cards: suede and silk. Why are they called “soft touch” business cards in the first place? Because the printing and laminating effect on the paper stock produces a fabric-like effect that is soft to the touch. If you want to impress the heck out of your customers, you should definitely consider having silk or suede business cards made.

 

Next, what is the difference between suede and silk business cards? Here’s a quick look:

  • Suede

The difference between suede and silk, when it comes to business cards printing, is actually very subtle. It all depends on your color palette. When designing your business card, what color is the background and the font? Are there any images or hand-drawn illustrations that you would like to highlight? Suede is perfect for card designs where a deep black is used. When viewed under bright lights, suede reflects less light as compared to silk. As such, business card designs where high-contrast colors are required may opt for that luxurious suede, fabric-like effect.

 

  • Silk

Just like the fabric, silk business cards feel smooth and silky to the touch. Both suede and silk cards are finished with a matte laminate after printing to create that fabric-like effect.  Silk printing has been around longer than suede, so it has a more classic feel to it. Suede has a richer, velvety texture while silk is a lot sleeker and smoother. Color-wise, silk reflects more light than suede so keep that in mind when using high-contrast hues for the background or font.

 

As compared to plain, uncoated cards, silk or suede business cards give off that ultra-luxurious vibe. When having cards printed out for your business, you should definitely consider going for these fabric-like textures.