Headlines are used in a number of industries and are essential to get noticed and to secure sales. Newspapers and magazines use them to get people to purchase a paper by attracting readers to certain articles. Business owners will use a headline to grab a person’s attention so they will stop and focus on a sales sheet, which can secure a sale.

In a world where there is so much competition, your headline is going to make or break you. While some people will toss some large font onto a page and hope for the best, if your competition takes the time to create a great looking headline and detailed text, they are more likely to land a customer than you are. With a business relying heavily on the right headline in place, it is important to turn to print broker to ensure that your headline fonts work.

Headlines Must Be Easy to Read
Having the right font on hand ensures that customers can read the headline in seconds. The font needs to be easy to read to read in seconds, while standing out at the same time. Your print broker can show you several different headline fonts that will be easy for people to read in seconds that will stand out on the page.

Fonts Should Match the Tone
Just because a font is pleasant to the eyes, doesn’t mean that it is appropriate. A serious article shouldn’t have a fun and whimsical headline font. While creating a contrast in font styles is great since it can add to the enjoyment of the reader, the headline font still needs to set a tone.

Avoid Decorative Fonts for Headlines
Decorative fonts for headlines tend to be a tough sell. If they are too long, it can be unpleasing to the eyes and most are difficult to read. While you may enjoy an elaborate and decorative font on a page, most readers still prefer to have a block letter design.

You Need to Work With a Print Broker
While working with your print broker, they will sit down with you and help you to determine the right font for your project. Often, these headlines will be 32 points at least and draw the reader in. Most of the time headlines will be listed in all caps to ensure that they stand out and are easier for a person to read in passing. The print broker can then kern your headlines so that distracting gaps are removed and the headline looks professional.

As you can see, having the right headline in place is going to be critical to the financial success of your business. Make sure you keep the above mentioned tips in mind and work closely with your print broker to ensure that your headline font is the appropriate style and size for your project. That way, you will stand a chance in an already tough market.

Before computer to plate printing, the process of reproducing images and text on pages was a time consuming process. But as computer to plate technology became readily available, the printing industry quickly found this helped to better streamline the process allowing for a faster printing speed, better accuracy and incredible results.

If one were to ask a print broker what they felt the biggest benefit was, it would be the improved workflow during the printing process. For computer to plate, you remove a generation of the image reproduction. This is because imaging plates can be done from digital files now instead of having to create a film and then having to take that film and burn the plates from it. This also helps improve the details on the image and the sharpness.

The next benefit is that plates suffer few to no defects, which are often caused by scratches in the emulsion, or the dust collecting on the film. This also eliminates the potential for image defects caused by film exposure and the processing of images.
Computer to plate also helps to significantly cut the costs and management of film, in addition to the processing process. This means when a customer works with a print broker, they can expect to save money and have an option with minimal impact on the environment, thanks to the reduced needs for chemicals.

There is also a reduction in the time spent waiting for an order after placing it with a print broker. Since printing plates can now be imaged faster and with more accuracy across the plate, most printing firms can anywhere from 50 – 200 or more plates produced per hour. This depends on a number of factors such as the size of the plate being created and the overall resolution of the images on the plate. This means fast and accurate production, which can even be left unattended so production can continue over the course of the night.

Additional benefits are available now, thanks in part to the UV inks now available. They include the following:

– UV ink cures immediately. There is no need to wait between pressings, so the printing process can be better streamlined.
– This process allows ink to be built up on a page, rather than being absorbed by it. Giving better finishes during the computer to plate printing process.

This means clear and defined images are possible during the printing process while dramatically reducing the wait time customers experience. Best of all, UV ink has no volatile organic compounds in it, which means there is no negative impact on the environment.

As you can see, one of the fastest and most effective advancements available in the printing process is the computer to plate printing process. If you want to have high quality work done quickly with an increased level of accuracy, make sure your print broker has the ability to produce your print jobs using this technology.

The printing process can be expensive and time consuming if you aren’t sure about what you are doing. While a print broker can help you through the process, there are some basics that you should keep in mind in order to help simplify things and keep more money in your pocket.

Color is an example of an item that might not be necessary when printing and it will incur a higher cost. The problem is that the more color and graphics a project has, the longer it will take to print and the more it will cost. If you do need to have color for a project, consider using standard inks on the project. These basics don’t require additional work for the printing job the print broker sets up. That will result in a fast turnaround and general savings.

Photographs that are printed in color will also significantly increase print time and cost. If a photograph is an absolute must for a document, try to determine the smallest size possible to reduce the print time and cost, without sacrificing the clarity of the photograph.

Your document’s layout and dimensions for printing will also be impacted. When setting up page layouts, try to avoid having images and text bleeding off the page, as this can bump you up to a larger sheet of paper and cause a considerable amount of waste. Instead, figure out ways to setup your document to fit within the dimensions provided by your print broker. While this will take some time for you to plan your printing plates, it will ultimately be worth it.

Determine the importance of embellishments on the page. Determine if the company logo has to be on each page and what elements are more for show, rather than adding value to the appearance of a document. The more you simplify things, the more you save on time and money.

Paper weight will also have an impact on the cost of your print job. There are a considerable number of paper types that you will be able to choose from. This can range from thin Bible paper to heavy card stock. Depending on your budget, this can be a good are to save money on when you don’t need to impress people with the quality of paper.

When you are considering your printing options, sit down with a print broker and go over what you need to accomplish. Based on your needs, he will sit down with you and go over all the options that you have for your project. He can even provide you with some variables that will help you to adjust the costs of the project and can help you to ensure things are done right the first time. That will help you to save you both time and money.

Flyer printing is more than tossing something together in your word processor and hoping it works. This is a delicate process that when done properly will help you to get noticed. When working with a print broker, you will have a chance to create a standout flyer that will stand out among the competition.

A Bold Title
Avoid the wishy-washy run of the mill titles and headlines. Have people take notice by utilize powerful words that command attention. “Easy”, “Discover” and “Proven” are examples. If you aren’t sure about what to include in this headline, take a moment to sit down with a print broker to help guide you through this process.

Be Smart With Graphics
Your graphics are going to draw in your reader. Make sure they aren’t busy or cluttered on the page. Usually, a single clear image that is visible from a distance will deliver great results. All it takes is having a high resolution photograph on hand so that it comes out clear when your flyer printing is being done.

Keep It Organized
The layout of your page should be clear and concise. If you aren’t sure on borders, pictures and text placement ask your print broker before you do your flyer printing. They can help to ensure that you are maximizing the space.

Write Wisely
Make it easy to find items by highlighting and bolding important sections and items. However, avoid writing in all caps as this tends to take away from the flyer.

Remember That Less is More
You don’t need to go over the top with your design or get too wordy. People want clear, concise and well-presented information. Some of the most effective flyers you will find are those that are simple and to the point.

How Will Your Product or Service Benefit Them
A reader always wants to know how something will benefit from them. That means writing the piece to cater to their thought process. Answer the questions the buyer will have in your limited space and use “you” and “your”. This simple conversational tool will help you more than you know.

Take things a step further and fill the body with words like free, guarantee, new and save. Then break sections down into smaller ones to prevent the reader from having text overload.

Give People Proof
If something sounds too good to be true, people will run the other way. When possible, offer the endorsement of someone or give a case study that supports your claims that can be easily verified.

Don’t Forget to Edit
Typo filled flyers tend to be avoided. Use spellcheck and double check the flow of the piece a few times. Follow this by verifying your contact information and ensure you are providing the best product possible.

Offer a Discount When Possible
Place a coupon on the flyer that will spark some interest. This can be a simple way for a person to tear a tag from the flyer and to use that information to place an order. It will also serve as a reminder later on if they forget about the opportunity while running errands.

Let Your Print Broker Help You
If you are on a budget or have restrictions you need to work with, let a professional print broker help you. They have a considerable amount of experience and will be able to deliver the results you need, based on your individual requirements.

What you see on your computer screen isn’t always what ends up on the printer’s press. More often than not, the color on your monitor isn’t what ends up being displayed on the printed page. Even in cases where systems have been calibrated to display true and accurate color, there can still be problems when production begins. Fortunately, a print broker can step in and improve the final results.

A print broker will use the Pantone Matching System. This book offers color swatches they will provide to the printer to better define the colors being printed. This makes certain the colors you want to use on the screen are what you are getting when the printer receives the information. Since matte, coatings and styles of paper can also impact the print job there are Pantone Matching System books that cover these variances also. Your print broker will take the time to go
through the formula guide and make certain you get the best print each time. More importantly, the print broker will also take the time to make sure they upgrade the book as printers, ink manufacturing and paper styles change.

To be certain there are fewer problems in this process, your broker will sit down with you before the print job begins to explore all the colours in the project. This way, they can make certain your design will meet your needs and they will touch on the various elements on the page and inspect photos to make sure you get a precise and clean print on the page. They will also provide you with a proof so you can see a sample and let you see if it will meet your needs.

With the definition in place, the print broker will sit down and go through the file you provide them, open their graphics software and then adjust the swatches to be sure the final project prints
according to your specifications. In most cases, it will look very different on the screen, but the printed piece will resemble what you originally intended on the screen.

Once this is done, the print broker will then run a couple of test prints to show you and make certain you like the final page. Then once you sign off on the proof, you can approve the colours and have your project mass produced by the print broker.

As you can see, there is quite a bit of work in getting the image you want on the screen turned into the images printed on paper. Since this process does take time and some understanding to make the right adjustments, it is always best to work with a qualified print broker. They will make sure you always get the results you need.

Before you send your documents to your print broker to print, you need to make sure you have print-ready files so your final project will print properly. For this, you need to look at the trim marks, trimmed page size, bleed and safety.

The first area of the print-ready files your print broker needs to look at are the trim marks. These are marks on the page that show both the horizontal and vertical cut lines on the page. While setting up your layout, place these beyond the area you want to be visible.

With your pages trimmed, you want to be sure the final page sizes are where you intend them to be. When working with your print broker, it is a good idea to let him know the final print size in advance so he can select the appropriate paper size. This will help to make sure your final job looks just as you intended.

Thirdly, if you are using borders, images or color that extend beyond the edge of the page, you will need to have bleed marks to ensure your print-ready files turn out as professional as possible. The standard bleed is 1/8”. Otherwise, there is a chance you will have a line of white on your pages where the bleed should be. Each print job will have its own unique bleed range and you will want to speak to your printer about the requirements for these bleeds.

Finally, safety is another area you need to focus on. While you want the bleed to extend beyond the live area of a page, you need to be certain essentials fall within the safety area. The standard safety margin is .”. Anything smaller than .” may be cut off. This is the safe distance.

Since these can vary from one print job to the next, you need to speak with your print broker to make sure your print-ready files are truly ready to be sent to him. Understanding these four essential parts of printing allows you make certain your printed product turns out the way you expect it to be.

When working with a print broker, one of the options you can choose from is environmentally friendly inks. These inks are made to have a minimal impact on the environment when compared to the petroleum based options you have available. As you may know, petroleum based products have higher levels of Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC).

Typically, these environmentally-friendly inks are soy and vegetables based. The vegetable bases themselves can come from a number of different sources. The most common of those being plant based oils such as canola, chinawood, castor, linseed, and safflower oil. The lack of solvents increase the drying time, so you need to take that into consideration when considering your options.

Soy based products tend to be more popular than their vegetable counterparts. They have been shown to be better when it comes to wetting and they carry pigments blended into them better. This allows better brightness when printing colors. At times, your print broker may recommend a combination of soy and vegetable base to take advantage of the characteristics of both ink types for exceptional results.

The benefits associated with environmentally-friendly inks begin when they are being manufactured. While there have been efforts made to have commercial inks reduce their VOC levels to under 35%, most soy and vegetable oils are at levels offering a 0% VOC. As people have taken notice of these unique options for printing, environmentalists have applauded the natural use of vegetables to create an environmentally sound alternative high performance ink with a combination of oils. Traditional ink manufacturers have pointed out that drying times is slower than petroleum based inks, though. The truth is the dry time isn’t significantly different and the final results are often better than their petroleum counterparts.

One other option is water-based ink and it does have its place. This is one of the slower types of inks to cure on a page and that slow dry time can be considerable. To offset some of this time, solvents are added to some products, which means they are no longer green printing choices. However, those who are concerned with the feel of their print job, water-based ink tends to be soft touch, which is ideal in some situations.

As you can see, there are a few different options you will have when you are working with your print broker. Make sure you take the time to explore each of the options you have and choose an ink that delivers the quality results you want while having a minimal impact on the environment. To enhance the effectiveness of your environmentally sound approach, you may want to consider utilizing one of the many types of recycled paper products available.

As a professional, you want to make certain your printed items showcase the quality and professionalism you put into everything. Unfortunately, choosing the right paper can be a difficult task if you don’t have a background in printing. After all, choosing the right paper to print goes beyond just what looks good. After all, many customers will equate the quality of your goods and services to the quality of the promotional items they receive. This is why going with the best quality is important.

When you work with a good print broker, these professionals are able to sit down and help you with ideas about what works best for your needs. They understand you are making an investment in the print job and the last thing they want to do is waste your time and money with a bad print job because the wrong paper was used. While using a quality printing press and inks is part of it, the paper will really have an impact on each job.

Take, for example, you have a bunch of brochures to print up. You want something to make them really look sharp. For this, 100-pound gloss text is the best choice you have for these. The same paper, though, wouldn’t work in the case of postcards. For these, you would want to choose an ultra-thick paper stock, such as 16 point, which will allow postcards to hold up.

With the paper itself, you also need to consider special coatings that will impact the appearance of the project as they can require you to switch things up. Often designed to add a better final visual appeal and protection, some paper will not hold up as well with the coating applied. This is why you need to speak with a print broker about what your goals are and come up with a printing solution that will work well for you.

One rule of thumb you can use is that when you have a high quality item, the thicker the paper, the more valuable it is perceived to be. That doesn’t mean to go cardboard thick, but using something like a 24-pound synergy bond will a letterhead appear very prestigious no matter what size the company is.

Depending on what you’re printing and the focus of your company, you can also take advantage of green solutions. Green companies and those looking to showcase their commitment to the environment will find recycled paper is a smart choice. Since many styles of paper are available, this is a great way to help the environment and end up with a sheet of paper of noticeably higher quality.

As you can see, there are a lot of considerations to make when you are looking at paper for your printed documents. Because of this, it is your best interest to work with a print broker so you can sit down and determine what style of paper is best suited for all your printing needs.

In commercial printing, you have the option to go with offset printing or digital printing. While both have some benefits associated with them, many people often wonder what the true differences are between them. There is also a question about which is best for your commercial printing needs.

The first difference comes from the printing process itself, as a print broker will tell you. With an inkjet printer, you will have all the colors sprayed onto a page in a single pass. Offset printing, though, has each color of ink placed in a single layer and a page is pressed multiple times. This result is high quality professional pages that stand out with commercial offset printing where the digital printing through the inkjet can be subpar, depending on the quality of the printer.

With commercial printing, you will also find you need to set up your documents differently to be printed. Most consumer applications for desktop publishing will not be able to generate the results needed for a quality print job. That is because you need to consider the use of CMYK (cyan, magenta, yellow and black) graphics and separations when printing. Unlike digital printing, offset printing can also print in metallic and florescent inks. However, white ink is not typically a viable option in this medium.

Of course, with digital printing, there are some advantages. Since you don’t need to worry about burning plates and filling ink trays, you can cut a considerable amount of time from the job. Additionally, there is almost no time for the ink to dry and that can appeal to some people in a hurry. At the same time, you will also have the ability to run some small items at lower costs where quality is not a concern since digital printing can be done faster and with fewer change outs. You can also personalize a document with information, graphics and other items per page, unlike offset printing, which wouldn’t be a feasible option for small, personalized jobs.

As a print broker will confirm, there are times when offset commercial printing is still the best option. For example, when you have a high-end product you need a large quantity of copies of, these are a better choice. Once set up and ready to go, many have the ability to print anywhere from 15,000 – 18,000 sheets per hour. Another thing to consider is that as the number of copies increases, the cost decreases with offset printing. So 1,000 sheets will cost less per piece than 300 of the same sheet of paper.

You are also not limited in sheet size with this approach. While digital machines will have the largest sheet size being 13” x 19”, offset printers can handle larger sizes such as a 26” x 40” and that makes it a better choice when you need to work on a presentation piece or posters. When printing items such as this and image quality and color consistency are important, you will also find they are not as crisp and clear with a digital printer as they are when you use an offset machine and color can be better controlled by the operator of these higher end machines.

As you can see, there are differences between them. To help you through the process, a print broker can look at your project and help with your requirements for commercial offset printing to make sure your needs are being met. You will find the print broker will be invaluable when setting up any print job.

Efficiency in the Prepress Printing Stage
Prepress is the initial stage that the printing process goes through where the digital files are checked to ensure that fonts, pictures, graphics, colors, registration and any other parts of the files are set up correctly so that the actual printing will run smoothly. After verifying that the specific items are set up properly, the pages are manipulated in such a manner that they are printed, folded and bound correctly.

The expenses involved with the prepress stage would drop tremendously if many different problems could be corrected before going to prepress. Print brokers and other members of the team can work together to make the process run as smoothly as possible.

Graphics
Almost all documents today contain images of some kind. Graphics are more important than ever before, and most print layouts will include some images. However, many files that reach the prepress stage will contain images with a resolution that is too low, which will be reflected in the finished product. As a reference point, three hundred dots per inch is a better target. Choosing the right image can help prevent costly delays.

Graphic designers may embed the images in the files that they send, but it is much more efficient to just include the appropriate links. Embedding images makes it that much more likely that there will be some technical or visual issue with the image, and it will be that much harder for the printing staff to correct the issue themselves.

Fonts
Even small decisions can make all the difference in terms of how a given document is going to be processed. Graphic designers will often want to make certain words stand out on the page, but in this process, they should not italicize or highlight words by typing the word in the same font as the other words, and then altering it with the commands in the program. Creating highlighted or italicized words requires temporarily switching to the appropriate font that is already italic, underlined, or bold. Many graphic designers will have to alter their normal habits in order to do so, because people are much more accustomed to editing documents in that manner by relying on style commands, as opposed to switching fonts.

Software
Many of the prepress errors can be traced to the fact that graphic designers may not be using the appropriate software for commercial printing jobs. Adobe Creative Suite works much better for commercial printing work than Microsoft Office programs. Depending on the requirements of a given document, it may not even be possible to create a document that is truly ready for the prepress stage using Microsoft Office programs.

Communication
Graphic designers should make it easy for print brokers to contact them in the event of any technical issues. Timing can be everything in the printing business, and if the staff can contact graphic designers at the right time, everyone involved can avoid missing deadlines. Good communication between different team members is easier to establish than ever before in an age of mass communication, and it can help prevent minor prepress errors from becoming major ones.