Friday, December 31, 2010

Using Advertising Items At Tradeshows

Trade shows are the superb objectives for releasing promo items. The display booth is where the complete show comes to life. A stock and brand is made to blossom at one of these acts. People and corporation captains come by directly to check out a certain supply and determine if it's a great supply or not.

Thursday, December 30, 2010

Promo Items for a New Business

If you are starting a new business then it is essential to inform the target consumers about it and attract them to your brand in order to succeed. If the target consumers are not aware of your brand then they may not buy products from it. Therefore, it is essential that you inform them about your brand and win their heart so that they are pleased with the organization and are attracted to it. Making use of promo items are one of the best advertising tools for a new business as it not only creates brand awareness but also is efficient in pleasing the consumers as well.

Wednesday, December 29, 2010

Promo Items Work!!!

There are several reasons behind the giving out of promotional goods and gifts. Many organizations and corporations do so to show gratitude and appreciation to customers and to also utilize a perfect way of direct marketing. Businesses should not be afraid of the costs connected to promotional solutions; these advertisement solutions come with many benefits.

Tuesday, December 28, 2010

U.S. Postal Service to Expand Simplified Addressing for Businesses

Helping Small Businesses Grow, Millions in Postal Revenue Expected

WASHINGTON, Dec. 21, 2010 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- In a move that is expected to help businesses grow — especially small businesses who currently don't use the mail because they can't afford it

Monday, December 27, 2010

How Promo Items Help Around The Workplace

Advertising items don't just help people on the outside of the company. They can be a strong encourager when they're in the workplace too. Many companies use advertising gifts in their own offices to motivate people to work better. Marketing items give a solid background to the company, a name that's dependable, and even people can recognize that the business is acknowledged enough to afford promotional items. It puts a name on their difficult work and gives them something to be honored of during their work day.

Marketing items in the office can vary from pens and pencils, stationary, and personalized mailing labels.There are an unlimited amount of chances there, with the people within the company picking what types of promotional items to stay in the office. Best of all, workers are able to take these items home with them, which brings up the chances of someone outside the office searching the name of the business.

The promotional employee can give further information to people that ask about the promo items. They can explain what the business does, who works there, and what type of environment it is. They can make a great impression on the people that see those items and even pass them along, for free, to the people they come into contact with.

In the office, the items are as useful to get work done as they are to inspire workers to work. A great pen can get the job done when it has the name of the business on it. Stationary can make an influence on the people that receive the letter, making the business look even more essential in the eyes of the receiver of the letter.

There are various ways that the promotional items help out in the office, both literally and in an inspirational sense. It's kind for workers to be bounded by things that remind them that they're working very hard for a company that appreciates them and offers them free supplies. It's amazing how much a batch of free stock can mean to people, but it actually means a lot to people that are working extremely difficult to do the best job they can do for their business.

When it's time to bring in new office supplies, think about bringing in promotional items to get the job done. When you do this, you give your employees a sense of pride, give them a chance to give free items away to friends and family, and give your business a huge chance to grow even further thanks to name visibility.

Author: Jack Scott
Date Published: 16th December 2010

Read more at http://www.articlealley.com/article_1905648_47.html?ktrack=kcplink

Friday, December 24, 2010

Top Pet Gifts of 2010

What’s the cat’s meow for pet gifts this holiday season? How about a balm for puppy paws or a tag that converts barks to Tweets? Furry and feathered friends alike will enjoy the Advertising Specialty Institute’s Top 10 list of unique pet gifts.

The recession-proof pet-gift industry grew from $28.5 billion in 2001 to an estimated $47.7 billion this year, according to the American Pet Products Association. And a recent American Express poll reveals 31% of consumers plan to buy their animal a gift.

The top 10 coolest pet gifts of 2010 are:
  1. Canine Twitterer: Dogs can tweet, too. This tag from Hammacher Schlemmer lets a canine share its thoughts with followers on Twitter via a motion sensor and microphone in the tag that interprets activity and sends one of 500 pre-loaded Tweets.
  2. Pet Bandana: “Doo” rags. Pet bandanas with Velcro fastener from Marathon Mfg./Prestige Line come in 17 color choices to match any fur coat.
  3. Leash: On a tight leash. Keep that dog safe and secure with this durable 5-foot leash from Rhode Island Textile Co.
  4. Bird Feeder: A little bird told me. Keep feathered backyard visitors happy with this tall, clear bird feeder with multiple perches from S & K Manufacturing.
  5. Pad Balm: Give me your paw. Moisturize and protect puppy’s paws with this thick, natural pad balm from Solar Advertising.
  6. Pet Umbrella: It’s raining cats and dogs. There is also an inverted bumbershoot umbrella that forms a waterproof cocoon around a small dog.
  7. Gravy Mix: Ride the gravy train. Humans shouldn’t be the only ones eating fabulous food this holiday season. Furry friends will appreciate this beef or white gravy mix from Ingredients Corp. of America.
  8. Scoop N’ Clip: What’s the scoop? This paw-shaped food scooper from the WOV-IN Group has a 1-cup capacity and doubles as a food-bag sealer.
  9. Waste Bags: Look out behind you! This dog-shaped container from Handy Products Line feeds 20 poly waste bags out its backside.
  10. Canine Shower Stall: Rubber ducky. The groomer comes to the home with this canine shower stall that features 16 water-jet nozzles and a showerhead to wash and rinse a pet in an enclosed space.
“A still-booming pet industry delivers creative gifts that delight pet and owner alike,” said Timothy M. Andrews, president and chief executive officer of ASI. “Whether your dog Tweets or your backyard birds fly the coop, there’s something for everyone on this year’s top 10 list.”

Promotional products, or advertising specialties, are often imprinted with slogans or logos to market a company, organization, product, service, achievement or event. Companies often purchase them as gifts to employees or clients at holidays and for occasions year-round. The items are used in marketing campaigns to dramatically increase response rates.

Wednesday, December 22, 2010

Marketing Your Business With Promotional Products

Several solutions are made by business owners in promoting products and services in order for them to generate some leads. Most of the advertising mediums are expensive thus making small business owners inhibit to spend for their advertising budget. Commonly, they ended up nothing to advertise with, except for the word of mouths if satisfied customers attest their customer experience on the products or services they have used. Radio and TV ads are expensive and these are dominated by mostly giant businesses.

One of the oldest tools in advertising business which existed hundred years ago is through the use of promotional products. These are cost effective and mostly used by marketing people to promote products and services to meet its goal. One great thing about promotional items, it can last long because it can be passed from person to person lasting to generations. I have a pen, not an expensive one given to me by a retail shop. Until now, I still have their company information and it adds up to my collection. I have been keeping this pen for more than years now.

What I am trying to point out is that, promotional items have a purpose just in case when a person is looking for some products and services in particular.

In the trade show events, promotional items capture qualified leads for trade exhibitors. In that way, these leads may turn into customers along with the giveaways that were given to these clients. They may not buy right away, but it keeps the information at first hand and they have something to look unto once they are looking for some particular items.

Marketing people usually suggest promotional items when jotting down ideas during meetings as part of company promotions. That means they see the importance of promotional products in the company that they work with.

I have been in the ad specialty industry and works as promotional consultant and it gave me an idea how important promotional products are, and no wonder why giant companies use corporate giveaways. Its not only to boost their company sales, but rather it builds a brand to the company, and what they are trying to project when it comes to the image of the company. With the logo or imprints that they have on these items, one can say that it would definitely build a good image to the company. Of course the use of promotional products may not only limit to big companies, but to the small player in the market as well. These giveaways are also used for any occasions like parties, weddings, birthdays, anniversaries and any other events. In a party, one may need a napkin that has an imprint on it as message on the said event. I would say that promotional items are very useful and of course its not expensive. You can choose from more than 600,000 products to be customized with logo or imprints.

Articles Source: http://business.ezinemark.com/marketing-your-business-with-promotional-products-31cbb1ba778.html

Author: Julius Arevalo

Tuesday, December 21, 2010

Facebook Ads: The Keys to a Successful Campaign

When it comes to developing Facebook ads, your marketing strategy needs to be more focused and savvy than ever before to catch the attention of users who are definitely not surfing the web to look for the best deals on the sidebar. Read on to learn more.

Monday, December 20, 2010

Overcoming Three Big Sales Myths

I love sales training. I also love listening to sales trainers speak. They radiate enthusiasm and motivation that ignites passion for excellence. The methods they teach are often of the highest quality, however, they are usually no longer in the business of sales. Their marketing methods tend to be old, and old marketing styles are as useful as an airplane with no wings.

That doesn't mean the airplane wouldn't work if it had wings. We can give wings to old methods by integrating new twists and spins on classic marketing. Successful businesses, however, learn to recognize several common myths that some sales training continues to teach.

Some sales training teaches that you just have to "get more people in front of your offer" or "make twice as many calls and you'll double the results" or even "just pump up the numbers."

All of these sayings are catch-phrases for "work harder", and nobody likes to do that. These three phrases are circulated everywhere and it really makes me sad to see so many people working so hard and then even harder but still getting weak results. This is how people burn out and give up on sales and marketing.

There is a better way. Instead of increasing the number of people who see your offer, how about pre-qualifying the people who see your offer? I choose only to work with highly-qualified prospects. Time is too valuable to spend with somebody who has little or no interest in your widget or service. Make people qualify themselves to be worthy of your attention.

You need to become an expert, and ultimately a mentor. If you aren't able to bring real value and additional benefits to your prospects honestly, then you may be better off running a casino where people expect to be cheated. To be successful in sales, you are the most important asset. You need to become the gold mine of benefits to your prospects so they will buy more often and at higher prices.

Prospects aren't going to give you a big wad of cash for a little list of benefits. Price needs to be just and fair, but your prospect needs to understand the full benefits before price is even mentioned. You should compare your benefits to others who charge more for less. At that point your prospect cannot complain about price because your offer is clearly superior to the competition and they will not only buy from you but refer their associates who also want that same stack of benefits.

Sales and marketing is simply a battle of perceptions in the mind of your prospects. Become the best in your field, and the best prospects will come to you without your cold calls, direct mail, newspaper ads, or pay-per-click ads. They will seek you out, and all you have to do is be available and be honest. Your karma will shoot through the roof (on the positive side) and you will have everything you wanted because you helped others get what they wanted.

Source: http://www.articlecircle.com/ - Free Articles Directory

About the Author

Tyler Ellison teaches how to make money online marketing legally using automated systems and guerilla techniques to promote businesses at http://www.youcanworkthenet.com

Friday, December 17, 2010

Christmas Is Coming - Promo Gifts For Staff And Clients

It seems like Christmas is always coming and preparing for the season is always on your mind. It may not be on your mind if it's February, but it certainly should be and could be. It's never too late or too early to start thinking about promotional gifts for your staff and clients for Christmas.

It is always a nice gesture to have promotional gifts to give to your staff and clients during the holiday season and there are many promotional gifts to choose from at yesgifts.co.uk. It will depend on the type of clientele you have and the staff you have, as well as the business that you run as to what promotional gifts you want to purchase. It's also a good idea to have more than one type of promotional gift to give away, because sometimes what will do for one client or staff member just doesn't fit another.

On the low end of the scale of promotional gifts are promotional pens, mugs, key chains and others. These are great little gifts if you are a newer business or one that doesn't have a lot of profit yet. Regardless of how much you can afford to spend on a promotional gift for your staff and clients, even something small is better than nothing at all. It shows that you care for and appreciate your staff and clients.

Of course, there are also more high end promotional gifts that you can purchase, including executive pen sets, conference bags and notebooks. These are wonderful promotional gifts to give away, and in all reality, they aren't quite as expensive as you would think they would be for a nice gift.

Don't mistake your promotional gifts as 'just gifts'. They are also advertising for your business. Promotional gifts are great to give away but they are also useful as advertising for your company, especially when given away to clients and customers.

If you have a large business with many customers, you may want to have some smaller ticket items for your promotional gifts to give to everyone, as well as some larger items to give to extra special clients and your staff. Having a variety of promotional gifts to give away at Christmas is a great idea, and even if you have 'extras' there's always next year and other holidays and anniversaries of staff members to consider.

You can't have too many promotional gifts in your inventory - if you want to specifically have promotional gifts for Christmas, then you may want to count a little closer for how many you want to give away this holiday season. If you are purchasing higher priced promotional gifts for clients and staff, then you can count exactly how many you need, add a few extras 'just in case' and order that amount of promotional gifts for Christmas time. There will inevitably be one or two that you forgot about and you don't want to end up with egg on your face when you don't have enough promotional gifts to give out at Christmas, so always order a few extra promotional gifts.

Source: http://www.articlecircle.com/ - Free Articles Directory

Thursday, December 16, 2010

Recent Trends In Promotional Products Industry

Promotional products are means by which an organization can increase their sales and establish a good relationship with various entities which are an integral part of running the business. Therefore, it is very important to follow the current trends in promotional products industry so as to be able to choose the right products for use in promotional activity.

Though promotional products have long been used for various reasons, the underlying objective is to increase sales. The trends in such situations change every year. In the late 1990's it was common to see fountain pens engraved with the company logo and name and used as a promotional product. Other products which were very popular include calendars, mugs, key chains, etc.

Recent Trends
Recent trends in the industry include GREEN products or ECO Friendly products which are made from biodegradable materials. Through such products, organizations also emphasize on the use and importance of environment-friendly products and send across a message of corporate social responsibility.

Some popular green promotional products include clothing, bags, plants and flowers, organic material, and paper products. Customers today are more environment conscious and also expect the business to be responsible towards the planet.

Another growing trend is the use of colors. A promotional product has to be aesthetically appealing as color forms an important part of the overall product appeal. Most promotional products are available in colors that match the company logo and other related colors and help identify the product with the company in this way.

Another growing trend is of promotional products having some function which add value to the user. Such products give some added benefit to the user apart from just the conventional usage. Any user will appreciate a product which helps makes his life easier with its use.

Promotional products also fall under various categories according to their uses like corporate gifts, sales promotional products, trade show promotional products, and others. Many promotional products are also categorized according to their industry. Promotional products for sports, education, retail, healthcare, engineering and hospitality are some examples where these trends are applicable.

How Do Promotional Trends Help Companies?
Trends in promotional product industry play a vital role in the design of the message that companies try to convey at different points of time. All the promotional products have a limited life span during which they are considered most popular. The earlier example of fountain pens that were used in the 1990s is almost an outdated promotional product now.

A trend is something which provides the product its moment of glory. As long as the product is trendy, it is sold like hot cakes and once the trend shifts to another product, it is sidelined for the new product which takes its place.

Almost all the companies follow trends and order their promotional products accordingly. This has it own advantages as it reinforces the brand value, is used at trade shows to gather more attention, reward employees, and promote the goodwill of the company among others.


Articles Source:http://business.ezinemark.com/recent-trends-in-promotional-products-industry-16a155b01b8.html
          
About the Author:If you are looking for drop ship scams and drop ship review and wholesale distributors or eBay wholesalers, hurry up before you fall into a trap. Read them by clicking on the click about dropshipping and dropshippers.

Wednesday, December 15, 2010

Promotional Products Can Build Your Business

Starting a new business, or even keeping an existing organization afloat, is not always easy. It is important to keep the corporation name in front of people, and out there for new potential customers to find. One way to promote enterprise, that many people overlook, is the giving away of advertising pieces. And even wearing solutions that show who you are associated with when out in the public arena. Doesn't your corporation deserve the best forms of promotion?

Promo products can portray your small business with flare and imagination. When Promoting your firm, this is one time that you want to be noticed. There are many products to choose from along the lines of pens, umbrellas, or business card holders. No matter what you choose to give away, make sure is doesn't look cheap!

It is the nature of people to love receiving gifts.

When you show up at a prospects or customers place of business with nice gifts, they will definitely remember you and your company. All marketing gifts are great, but giving gifts that are utilized every day, or gifts that sit on the desk of a worker are some of the best. Your firm
name is always right in front of them when they need to place or order, or need your services. Out of sight is sometimes out of mind, so keep yourself visible.

You can take industry building to another level for your extremely important customers by giving them a promotional gift item imprinted with their name on it. This sort of personalizes it for the customer, and everyone likes seeing their name in print. Just be sure your company name and phone number is on the goods too.

Promoting your corporation with customers in their office is great, but you can also use marketing products at corporation trade shows and conventions. Beside imprinted table covers and displays, you can give away sticky pads, pens, and other merchandises with your firm logo on them.

Make sure when building your corporation this way that your booth and table can be well seen from every angle of the room, and that your table stands out from the rest. You want to set yourself apart from the rest of the crowd.

Try using promo products and gifts to enhance your organization and you will see that the small expense is well worth it. Your enterprise will start to soar and people will remember your firm name, service, and product.

Article Source: http://entertainment.ezinemark.com/promotional-products-can-build-your-business-1708bf67853.htm
Under Creative Commons License: Attribution No Derivatives

Tuesday, December 14, 2010

What Kind of Logo Can Make Your Business Successful?

by: Sha Amen

We look at the visual appearance when we want to judge the credibility of a particular thing. For example, when we want to judge a book, we look at its cover. When we want to judge the taste of a burger, we see how it looks. The same way, when we want to judge the credibility and professionalism of a company then we take a look at its logo, because a logo visually represents its respective company. If it doesn’t look elegant, stylish and classy, then there is no way in the world your market will perceive you as reliable, trustworthy and professional. Thus, it is crucial to get your logo right.

Designing a logo is not an easy task. It requires a lot of brainstorming, research, mental exercise as well as creativity. Hiring a new and inexperienced designer is the biggest mistake a business can make to create their brand identity. As your logo represents your corporate image, it is necessary to ensure that your designer knows about the corporate world. Hiring an inexperienced designer is equivalent to hiring your neighbor’s kid who only knows how to use software, but has no knowledge of the business world or branding.

A logo that makes your business successful never hurts the feelings of your market. When you create the design, check and see if it has any dual meanings. Sometimes, an image may convey two different messages. One of them will represent your thoughts for representing your business, whereas the other one is automatically and mistakenly created due to the type of image used in logo along with its connectivity with font style or another symbol. Hence, you need to ensure that your logo is good for people of all ages and it doesn’t hurt the political, religious, ethical or traditional beliefs of any individual or group.

Your logo must have a meaning and it must be portrayed correctly. A confusing logo will be devastating for your business growth. In fact, a confusing logo will do its best to ruin your brand image. For example, if you sell LED lights and after looking at your logo if your market perceives that you sell toys, then it will be extremely devastating for your business. If they don’t find your business relevant, then they will never even take a look at your products. So, the meaning must properly be conveyed through your logo design to ensure that it helps you take your business to the next level.

As your logo is the face of your business, it will be used where ever you will promote your products. Whether you promote your business on Online Social Media sites or offline in local stores or at the train station, your logo will be there on your marketing material as well as promotional items. Thus, it is crucial that your logo can be resized easily. If you can’t resize it without losing its details, then it will look unprofessional and people will even hesitate to take a look at your products.

So, take care of these things when you create your logo design and it will take your business towards success.

Monday, December 13, 2010

Free Advertising Ideas - 7 Free Advertising Methods That Get Results

Free advertising is something that everyone wants, but struggles to get. The best part about getting it for free is that you are benefiting from it without making an initial investment. Regardless, free methods still require an initial investment of our time.

Below are the seven best free advertising ideas without investing too much of your time. Each one is valuable on it's own but when you use them all your leverage suddenly becomes irresistible.

Free Advertising Ideas

#1 Free Classified Adds are a great way to get free advertising without investing much of your time. Sites such as Kijii as well as Craig's List are great ways in which you can promote your business
for no cost. The only bad part about it is that your posts will disappear over time. This will require a little bit of extra time each week, but it is well worth it since it is a free method of advertising.

#2 Posting On Forums is a sensible way to advertise for your business. You should put a link to your business in your signature file. This will help you to promote your business without spamming the forums. You must realize that no one wants to see you spamming a forum with tons of posts advertising for your business.

Most forums have rules stating that you can not advertise for your website. The best way to advertise is through your signature file while you make quality posts that contribute to the overall community. By making quality posts, you can establish a name for yourself in your community and get people to visit your website.

#3 Submitting Articles is excellent way of getting long term free advertising. This idea for free advertising can be slightly slower than other methods, but it is highly effective. This method of advertising involves you writing articles on subjects that are relvants to topics on your website. You can then submit these articles to directories such as Ezine articles.


The way that you can advertise your website through these articles is by putting a link to your website in the resource box. This will help you to increase traffic to your website and reach a wider audience.

#4 Using Free Directory Systems - There are tons of free directories out there for people to post their website URL on. The best way to find directories are to search for free directories that are free and specific to your niche on a search engine. Even if you get non-reciprocal links you will still raise your search engine ratings significantly.

#5 Using Many Reciprocal Links - Reciprocal links are the most valuable links out there because they are stronger than non-reciprocal links. They are extremely beneficial for generating traffic and they are usually free. The first part of getting reciprocal links is to find other websites within your niche to link with.

After you find these websites, you should email them and suggest that you post each others links on each others websites. At the same time, it is important that you monitor these links on a consistent basis. If you put a link to a site that is no longer active it will lower your rank on the search engines. Reciprocal links are perhaps one of the best ways that you can raise your ranking on search engines.

#6 Using Opt-In Emails - Opt-in emails are another excellent idea for free advertising and help bring in new customers. Having an email list which people can choose to join when visiting can help you build a great email list. You can ask people if they want to join when they visit your site so that you can give them free information on a subject. Alternatively, you can offer them a chance to join the mailing list upon purchase of a product. The great thing about an opt-in email list is that it allows you to send emails to a group of people that are already interested in our website.

#7 SEO Optimization - Being ranked high on search engines is perhaps the most important part of having a successful business. The best way to raise your rank on search engines is through SEO optimization. It is important to optimize your website by putting keywords on your website that are specific to your niche. Maximizing your search engine ranking is the most important part of running a successful and profitable website.

Want to know to get the best free advertising ideas online? Learn the best free advertising methods to use for your internet home business by grabbing a PortalFeeder membership and supercharge your online success starting today!

Read more at http://www.articlealley.com/article_821920_105.html?ktrack=kcplink

Wednesday, December 08, 2010

Ring Binders and Index Tabs Sets For Apartment Management Group



This what was done for a property management group with a promotional item:

Problem:
A property management group was looking for an item to give each of its new tenants to create a sense of welcome to the new neighborhood and to develop loyalty to the properties.

Impact:
If they could build the tenant's loyalty toward their management group, they would develop long term tenants and referrals.

Solution:
The group put together a neighborhood directory for its new tenants. They sent a letter to the businesses within five miles of the group's apartment complexes offering those businesses advertising space in the directory for a fee. They ordered 3/4" ring binders imprinted with the property management group logo and index tabs to organize the information.

The first section of the binder held information about the apartment complexes and the second held community information, including local utilities, parks and attractions. Subsequent sections contained the local business' advertising.

The number of local businesses that responded to advertise in the guide covered the cost of the ring binder and tabs. The management group provided a guide to each of their new tenants. The advertisers were pleased with the redemption rate of the coupons provided in the directory.

The property management company has been ordering 1000 ring binders per year for the last three years.

To request more information go to this link: http://adxpressimprints.homestead.com/Guestform.html

Tuesday, December 07, 2010

Helping Real Estate Agencies With Daily Planners


We work with agencies and here what was done to help them.

Problem:
A real estate agency wanted to give its customers a gift at the holiday season that would serve as a thank you for the previous year's business. Additionally, they wanted to keep the clients informed on a daily basis of the services the company offered.

Impact:
The real estate agency felt that a useful gift would improve brand recognition and increase customer retention.

Solution:
Through a coop purchasing program, the real estate agency purchased deluxe daily planners with a seasons greetings top sheet. The parent company had their logo imprinted on the top, left side of the calendar. Based on the coop program's height quantity pricing, individual sales agents could have a few calendars imprinted on the left side with his or her name at a reduced charge. The calendars were handed out at the office reception desks to visiting clients and mailed to clients in time for New Year.

The real estate agency felt that the program was a success, as people began requesting the calendars year after year as they repeated the gift. Retention rates have increased for the company over the course of the gift program.

To request more information go to this link: http://adxpressimprints.homestead.com/Guestform.html

Tuesday, November 23, 2010

What is electronic artwork?

Q: What is electronic artwork?
A.
Electronic artwork is that which you produce on a computer program and can store it on a disk or floppy drive. There are many different applications that produce "art" but not all of them produce quality output.

Q: What are the main formats of electronic art?
A:
Most graphics formats appear in in two forms - vector or raster. Typical raster formats are TIFF, BMP, GIF and JPEG. Typical vector formats are WMF Windows (Metafile), CDR (CorelDraw), AI (Adobe illustrator).


Raster Graphic Images are also referred to as bitmaps. Typical raster formats are TIFF, BMP, GIF, and JPEG. The benefit of using raster images is that it works well for photographs. When a raster image is sufficiently enlarged the clear crisp details are lost and it looks more like a mosaic of colors. Raster images in the correct size can work for process printing and website design. Most raster images, because of their complexity, cannot be easily converted to vector images by even the most advanced programs and graphic designers.

Vector Graphic Images are saved by computers as lines or curves. Typical vector formats are WMF (Windows MetaFile), CDR (CorelDraw), and AI (Adobe illustrator) When vector images are enlarged they are scaled accurately. The drawback of vector graphic images is that they do not reproduce photographs well and they are much better for drawings and logos. Vector images works best for both process and spot printing and cannot be used for web design. Vector images can easily converted to raster images by most graphic design programs like Adobe illustrator and Corel Draw.

Since there are many printing methods in the advertising specialty industry, we at AdXPress Imprints can assist you in preparation of your artwork for your particular advertising specialty, or promotional product you wish to have your logo or message on.

Monday, November 22, 2010

What is camera-ready artwork?

Q: What is camera-ready artwork?
A. Camera ready artwork is crisp, clear, color separated art in black and white format to the exact size needed on the media. Huh?

Q: What does crisp mean?
A: For the printing industry, that means the copy you provide should be on clean bright white paper output from a laser printer that prints 600 dots per inch (DPI) or greater. Sending business cards, stationary, napkins, faxes of the artwork would only cost additional expense for you. Do not use ink-jet printers for an original. If you look closely at the an output, you will see that the ink would bleed onto the paper. This will cause the art to look fuzzy.

Q: What does clear mean?
A:
Copies of originals do not work. In a perfect world the art you send into a printer should be about twice the size of how it will be used. Sending business cards, stationary, napkins, faxes of the artwork will only cause an additional expense for you. Do not use ink-jet printers for an original. If you look closely at the output you will see that the ink has bled on to the paper. This may cause the art to look fuzzy.

Q: What does color-separated mean?
A: Every color used on you promotional piece must be sent through the printer just for that color. To do this you have to supply art that can be separated into each of its colors. There are two typical ways of doing this, spot color separation, and Process color separation.

Q: What are spot-color separations?
A:
In commercial printing, a spot color is uses a solid ink color and prints individually, one plate per spot color. Printing processes that use spot colors include screen printing, and pad printing.

Q: What are process colors separations?
A: Process printing uses percentages of only four colors in different blends to produce the colors of the final print. These four colors are cyan, magenta, yellow, and black. The letters in the printing industry for each color are C for cyan, M for magenta, Y for yellow and K for black. (CMYK). In commercial printing, the process of splitting colors in a composite image to produce a number of separate grayscale images, on for each primary color in the original image. In the case of a CMYK image, four separations (one for cyan, magenta, yellow, and black) must be made.

Since there are many printing methods in the advertising specialty industry, we at AdXPress Imprints can assist you in preparation of your artwork for your particular advertising specialty or promotional product on which you wish to have your logo or message.