Month: September 2022

Want to Print EDDM Postcards? Know Your Paper Options

In today’s business environment, digital advertising may be the obvious choice for marketing any brand. But because everyone is into digital, there is such a novelty with printed advertising materials, which is exactly what makes them effective. If you want to complete your print advertising campaign, make sure to print EDDM postcards and include them with notepads, brochures, business cards, flyers, envelopes, and similar products. 

EDDM Postcard Paper Options

Naturally, the first thing to do if you want to launch an EDDM postcards marketing campaign is to look for a printing company. Check if they offer digital or offset printing services. Also check on the quality of printing, materials, and customer service that they offer; the turnaround time; and the prices of the printing packages. 

For the paper options, here are a few questions to ask: 

  • What are the available postcard sizes?

The smallest postcard that you can order is 4” x 6”. There are other sizes available, the best performing is 6” x 11” and you can go as big as 6.5” x 12”. 

  • Should I print one-sided or two-sided?

Although there’s an additional rate for two-side printing, it is still a more economical option than printing two one-sided postcards. Make your selection based on the length of the message that you would like to print on the postcard. 

  • Which paper finish should I choose?

For the thickness, 16-pt. or 17-pt. paper stock is used. Next, choose between an ultra-smooth matte finish or an ultra-smooth gloss finish. 

  • Other things to consider 

Also decide on the quantity that you will order. If you will go with offset printing, remember that the price per piece gets lower as the number of pieces that you order gets higher. For instance, ordering 1,000 4” x 9” postcards is pricier than ordering 2,500 or 5,000 pieces. 

By knowing what your paper options are for EDDM postcard printing, you can come up with a piece of marketing material that will impress your customers and boost your overall sales.

Quick Tips to Get the Most Out of Printing EDDM Postcards

When launching any type of marketing campaign, your goal is to get results. This is something that you can easily accomplish through EDDM mailing which stands for Every Door Direct Mail. Here, the USPS and the printing company of your choice will send out your postcard or other marketing materials to every door in a zip code or mailing route that you will specify. With the ease by which you can reach out to your target market, it is a must to include printing EDDM postcards as part of your to-do list when marketing your brand.

Tips to Maximize the Results of Your EDDM Marketing Efforts

With EDDM marketing, how can you maximize the results and increase the response rates? Here are a few tips: 

  • Determine your purpose in sending out the postcard in the first place.

Are you a new restaurant and you’d like people living within a five-mile radius to try out your food? Or maybe you’re a law firm who is looking for new clients to cater to? Based on your marketing goal, you can come up with copy for the postcard that will suit your exact purpose. 

  • Grab the reader’s attention using your design.

Aside from the copy, the design of the postcard is actually the first thing that will grab the attention of your readers. Use the same colors as your company logo for consistent branding. If you want to use images, invest in professional photography. The overall look of the postcard should appeal to the age bracket of your target audience. 

  • Don’t just target new customers, ‘talk’ to your existing ones, too.

Although you can get a response from new customers through EDDM mailing, you can boost the response rate by targeting your existing customers. They already know what you have to offer as a business. So how can you turn them into repeat customers? By offering benefits such as freebies, discounts, buy 1 get 1 offers, and the like. 

  • Narrow down the mailing list to your target market.

What’s good about EDDM is that you can specify which zip code, mailing route, or demographic to send the postcards to. Narrow down your mailing list to your specific target market to maximise the results of your marketing efforts. 

Step-by-Step Guide on How to Print EDDM Postcards

Whichever industry your business is in, it is important to launch a complete print marketing campaign. Digital may be the preferred form of advertising by most modern businesses, but you will still get a high response rate with something like EDDM mailing. This is a service offered by the USPS where your postcard, for example, can be mailed to “every door” – thus the name Every Door Direct Mail. The main benefit of EDDM is that you don’t have to manually put together a mailing list. Simply choose where you’d like to send the postcards to and the printing company, in partnership with the USPS, will do the delivery for you. 

How to Order and Print EDDM Postcards

To learn more about EDDM mailing, here are the steps to follow for ordering and having those postcard mailers sent out:

  • Look for a suitable online printing company offering EDDM mailing services.

The first step is to look for a suitable printing company that offers print EDDM postcards services. There are dedicated digital and offset printing companies, while others offer both. For big printing jobs, offset printing which utilizes huge printing presses is the way to go. Digital uses desktop printers and can only handle small volume orders. In terms of quality, offset printing is capable of full color, HD printing so you might want to choose this over digital. 

  • Design your postcard.

Next, design your postcard. Sizes start from 4.25” x 11” up to 9” x 12”. Based on the size of the postcard, you can come up with a design that’s suited for your marketing needs. Are you creating a greeting card that doubles as a holiday discount coupon? Or are you newly introducing your business to a new set of clients? Design the postcard using the colors on your business logo for consistent branding. Don’t overcrowd the area with text, and include a call-to-action.

  • Upload your postcard design and choose the printing package. 

After choosing which printing company to go with then finishing your design, upload the file on their website. The postcard size should be EDDM eligible. Once the printing company has reviewed your artwork and determined that it follows the USPS mailing specs, you’re on to the next step.

  • Specify your mailing route. 

You can specify a zip code, age bracket, income bracket, or even an individual mailing route. 

  • Wait for the postcards to be delivered to your prospective and existing customers. 

Lastly, pay the printing and postage fees, then wait for the postcards to be delivered to your chosen mailing route. The average wait time is 1 to 3 business days. 

As you can see, it is very easy to order EDDM postcards so why not try it out right now?

Combine Digital with Direct Mail When You Print EDDM Postcards

One of the best ways to reach out to your target market is to print EDDM postcards. EDDM means Every Door Direct Mail and it’s a mailing service provided by the United States Postal Service where your mailers are automatically sent to every door in a specific address, thus the name. 

Let’s say that you are opening a hair salon and you want to send EDDM postcards to every address within a five-mile radius of your location. The printing company that works with the USPS will charge you an amount for EDDM mailing, then your postcards will be sent to every address in your specified zip code. You can also choose a mailing list depending on age bracket, income bracket, or another demographic. EDDM removes the brunt of the work behind manually gathering email addresses. You simply need to know which target market to send the postcards to, and they will do all the behind-the-scenes work for you.

How to Combine Digital with Traditional Print Marketing

Now, if you want to increase the response rate for your EDDM marketing efforts, you need to know how to combine digital with traditional print marketing. Here’s how:

  • Include a QR code in the postcard. 

If you’re offering a general service or a retail product that anybody can pay for, you need to target all age brackets. Combining digital with print marketing is a good idea because you will get a better response rate. For instance, those who are in their 50s may want to read through the information in your postcard – but what about a 20something? They’d want something digital, so include a QR code in the card. This can be a link to your website where they can get more information about the product or service that you are offering.

  • Include a map with a pinned location. 

On the postcard, you can also include a map with a pinned location, especially if your place of business is tricky to find. You can also include a witty line about a famous landmark to grab the attention of your reader.

  • Know which target market to focus on.

Finally, get to know your target market. You might get a good response with new customers especially if you have a well-designed postcard. But you should not leave out your existing customers. These individuals are already taking advantage of your products or services, so focus on giving them additional benefits so that they can become repeat customers. Offering discounts and freebies is a great way to make them respond to your call-to-action. 

Print To Go Menus and Use Them as a Selling and Branding Tool

What is your main goal in menu printing? Similar to how you would use business cards, postcards, envelopes, notepads, brochures, and flyers, menus are part of an overall print marketing campaign. With print to go menus in particular, you want the customers to have easy access to your list of menu items so that they can make repeat orders. As far as branding is concerned, the look and feel of the menu should be similar to that of your business logo. This way, you would have a cohesive theme in your print ad materials. Here, we will look at how you can use to go menus as a branding and selling tool.

How to Sell More with To Go Menus

The first thing to do if you need a set of to go menus created is to look for an online printing services provider. Choose between digital and offset options. There are printing companies that offer both – what they will use depends on the volume and your preference in terms of print quality. Now, if you want to sell more with to go menus, here are a few tips to remember:

  • Do not include too many items in the menu.

Customers want to have options – but not too many. Giving them a complete list of all the items in your menu might be confusing especially if there are a lot. For takeout menus, limit the number of items to ones that taste great, but are still quick to prepare.

  • Highlight the dishes which are easy to make.

It’s fine for customers to wait if they’re dining in. But for takeout or deliveries, they want something quick. As such, it pays to highlight the dishes which are quick and easy to make in your menu.

  • Place your most profitable items prominently on the menu.

Design your menu in such a way that the bestselling and most profitable items are highlighted. Your goal is to increase sales in the first place, so you want the customers to order items that will give you the most profit possible.

  • Effectively distribute your to go menus.

Finally, know how to effectively distribute your takeout menus. Include one in every delivery or takeout package. If you are issuing receipts or invoices to suppliers, include a copy of your to go menu as well. Have a stack of menus next to the cashier or right outside your restaurant so that people who are hesitant to come in would have an idea about the prices and the items available. You can also include them in mailers for promotional purposes.

Small, Medium, or Large? Choosing the Size of Your Print To Go Menus

If you are in the restaurant business, why should you invest in menu printing? Whether you are offering Italian fare, if you own a food truck, if you’re operating a full-sized restaurant, or a bakeshop, it is crucial to invest in well-designed menus – both for dine-in and takeout use. Naturally, diners who walk into your restaurant will be looking for a menu so that they would know what to eat. For the takeout menu, its use is more for marketing. You can print to go menus then include one in every delivery or takeaway package. You can display it in your restaurant for customers to pick up for future reference. You can also include it in receipts, supplier invoices, and similar documents. Or, you can personally hand them out in the streets in areas where a lot of people pass by.

With to go menus, you can enhance your business especially if it is used with other printed marketing materials. You can also enjoy additional benefits like boosting sales, increasing the frequency of repeat orders, and establishing customer loyalty.

Which Size Should I Go For?

For to go menus, there are small, medium and large sizes available. Deciding which one to go for is all a matter of preference – just select one that fits your brand’s image. Here are the differences between the menu printing sizes:

  • Packaging size and standard size

The smallest size available for to go menus is 4.25” x 11”. This is great for inclusion in mailers and takeout packages. The standard size is 8.5” x 11”, which also has a lot of uses.

  • Legal size and folder sheet size

If you want to go a bit bigger, the legal size which measures 8.5” x 14” is a great choice. Or, go with the folder sheet size of 9” x 12”.

  • Tabloid size and map size

Want to go all out? The largest sizes for take out menus are 11” x 17” or the tabloid size, and the map size which measures 11” x 25.5”.

These can be folded several ways. If you have a lot of items on the menu, you can have as much as eight panels with the half then trifold option. There are six panels for the trifold option. Other folding options include the Z-fold, half fold, double parallel, single or double gate, accordion, roll fold, or French fold.

Give Your Restaurant Sales a Boost When You Print To Go Menus

One task that you should take on whether you’re soft opening a restaurant or reintroducing your brand to a new market is to print to go menus. These are the takeout version of a dine in menu and its purpose is more to advertise your business. When you print to go menus, they can be included in every takeaway order. You should also include one in supplier receipts or price quotation requests. To go menus can be displayed in front of your store or by the cashier for customers to take home and use for future orders. If you have food deliveries, make sure to include one as well. Or, you can personally hand them out in areas where there is high foot traffic.

Boosting Your Sales with To Go Menus

Naturally, your goal in to go menu printing is to boost sales. Let’s say that your diner is set for a soft opening. Or, you may want to reintroduce your food to a younger clientele. By printing to go menus, you can let customers know what kind of dishes you offer. Since it is a menu, after all, they will also learn about the prices of your food items. When designed accordingly, you may also want to include a short description of each dish. There are even some restaurants that include the nutritional content or calorie count of the dishes that they serve.

When designing to go menus, it is important to have a theme that will immediately attract the attention of your target audience. Let’s take a pizzeria as an example. Design the takeout menu in such a way that the images pop and look appetizing. Highlight what it is that makes your pizzas stand out from the rest. Do you use handmade dough? Is the pizza charcoal or brick oven baked?  Do you use just the freshest ingredients? Or maybe it’s the cheese that make your pizzas stand out? Include such highlights in the design of your menu.

Don’t forget to double check the accuracy of information. You don’t want customers calling an incorrect number or finding it difficult to locate your store. If the location is tricky, include a famous landmark or pin the location on a maps application. When you include to go menus as part of your print advertising efforts, you can easily boost the sales of your food business.

Designing Ideas for Print To Go Menus

The first thing customers do after taking a seat at a restaurant is peruse the menu. Without one, they wouldn’t know what to order – unless a server enumerates what’s on the menu which they would have to do repeatedly. If you are in the food business, it is crucial to have a menu to let customers know about your dishes. The menu is also a great advertising tool, so you need to have a dine-in menu and print to go menus.   

The good news is that there are many printing companies from where you can order print to go menus. Depending on the volume of your order, you can choose digital printing or offset printing. There are printing companies that have both, while others specialize in just one. What’s important when choosing between the two is to consider the quality of output. Also check on the feedback about the quality of customer service that they offer, the turnaround time, and the prices of the printing packages available.

Designing Your To Go Menu

After choosing which printing company to order the menus from, it’s time to design the menu itself. Here are a few quick tips:

  • Use colors which are similar to your business logo. Branding should be consistent, and having the same colors present in all your printed advertising materials is one way to make people immediately recognize your brand.
  • Invest in professional HD photography. Nobody would be tempted to order a burger if the photo in the menu looks pale and hardly appetizing. The images should pop from the paper, tempting hungry diners to order right away.
  • There should be a nice balance between images and text. Keep food descriptions short but clear and enticing.
  • You have quite a few decisions to make when it comes to the paper used for your to go menu printing. Would you like to print on one side or both sides? What type of folding option would you like? What size would you like for the menu? The smallest is 4.25” x 11” while the biggest is 11” x 25.5”. For the paper finish, should it be medium gloss or extreme gloss?

All in all, menus should be attention grabbing and well designed. Distribute them by handing out the to go menus personally, placing a stack of them storefront, including them in delivery and takeout packages, and mailing them out. Doing so would effectively spread the word about your food business, further boosting sales.

Paper and Folding Type, Price: Things to Consider When You Print To Go Menus

Is it possible to find a service provider that offers what you need for a cheap price, with fast turnaround time, and the highest quality possible? Yes, especially when it comes to tasks like menu printing. There are a lot digital and offset printers that offer reasonably-priced yet high-quality service – you just need to know what to look for.

Things to Consider when Printing To Go Menus

Before counting down the considerations when printing to go menus, why would you want to invest in them in the first place? As the name implies, these are to go menus which list down the food items that a restaurant or diner has for delivery or takeaway. If you have a pizzeria, the to go menu will include all the flavors that you have, how a customer can order, how much each item is, and any other important information. Aside from using the menus inside the store, you can also distribute them personally, include in takeaway orders, or mail them out as part of an overall print advertising campaign.

Now, here are the things to consider when you print to go menus:

  • Paper type

For takeout menu printing, there are two types of paper available: medium gloss and extreme gloss. Both use 100# text book paper, and extreme gloss has double the gloss and thickness of medium gloss. Size-wise, here are your options:

  • 4.25” x 11”
  • 8.5” x 11”
  • 8.5” x 14”
  • 9” x 12”
  • 11” x 17”
  • 11” x 25.5”

The most popular is 4.25” x 11”, which is great for packaging and including in takeaway orders. However, if you want to stand out, you can go with the biggest tabloid or map sizes.

  • Folding type

There are different types of folding types available including trifold, Z-fold, half-fold, single or double gate, double parallel, roll fold, accordion, French fold, and half then trifold.

  • Price

Did you know that for printing jobs, the more pieces you order, the lower the per piece price gets? This is because it’s only the initial costs which are quite pricey. Once everything is set up, you can order as many as you want and the per piece price gets lower. For example, ordering 5,000 pieces of standard-sized, trifold takeout menu is cheaper than ordering just 500 pieces.

Doing your research for tasks like takeout menu printing will take the guesswork out of it. As a result, you can have high-quality takeout menus delivered to your place of business without having to spend an arm and a leg for it.

Why It Pays to Invest in Letterhead Printing

If you’re a business owner, you need to invest in advertising. Digital may be the way to go for most, but it is still worthwhile to go with printed marketing materials like letterhead printing. When matched with other items like envelopes, folders, business cards, brochures, and notepads, print marketing will leave a mark of your brand in the minds of customers.

Benefits of Letterhead Printing

Here are more reasons why it pays to invest in letterhead printing:

  • It gives your brand’s image a boost.

Look for an online printing company that offers letterhead printing services. When you are asked if you already have a design, the first thing that they will advise you is to design the letterhead like your business’ logo. Why? Because in branding, consistency is important. You need to have the same look and feel for the letterhead and all your printed marketing materials. Once a customer sees the colors of your logo, for example, they would immediately associate it with the name of your company. This gives your brand’s image a boost and makes it easy for you to create a cohesive marketing campaign.

  • It is very useful.

You can use letterheads to print marketing letters to prospective customers. They can also be used for employee memos, supplier receipts, product price quotations, etc. With a printed letterhead, there is a part of the paper that will include a printed heading of your business name and other contact information.

  • It makes your transactions look official.

If you will send product price quotations to a customer that is printed on plain paper, they might see nothing wrong with it. But if a competitor will send a price quotation for the same set of products and they have a letterhead, which one do you think will look official in the eyes of your customer? Naturally, it’s the company that sends price quotations using paper with a letterhead. Just like how the younger clientele won’t trust businesses without a website, customers might think you are running a seedy operation without an official letterhead.

As you can see, there are a multitude of benefits from investing in this marketing material, so have a stack of stationery with letterheads printed for your business now!