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Archives for May 2013

Can a Local Paper Printing Shop Meet Your Office’s Needs?

May 25, 2013

If your business depends on having a significant amount of printed material, you may have looked at using an online printing service. However, online printing has its downsides. How do you decide if printing your materials online is really the best choice for your company?

 

Print Shops “in the Cloud” Vs. Long Island Printers

Online printing sites are usually based in a location where taxes are low and do not maintain a brick and mortar storefront. Their services are usually cheap on the surface, making them seem like an attractive option from a pure cost perspective – at least at first.

These print shops often support a full range of printing services, supplying fliers, catalogs, posters, business cards, and brochures in various sizes, paper stocks, and finishes. Some Internet-based printers will provide design assistance, whether it be a session with a graphic designer or pre-made templates you can tweak and customize yourself from a range of options. Quality of the finished design may vary.

In contrast, a Long Island printer like Viking will often have someone on staff or partner with a designer who can create a custom logo for you and help layout your business printed paper products so everything looks professional.

For a cloud based printer, generally, you’ll be asked to upload your files, then choose the products you want and the type of stock you want them printed on. Add-ons are frequently pushed at you, and you can expect to pay an extreme surcharge for quick shipping or wait up to 3-5 weeks for your order to be processed and delivered.

A local printer will walk you through the process, show you and let you actually touch and feel the different types of cardstock and paper, and clue you in as to what you can expect as far as color printing goes.

Since most online shops only let you proof your design online, you can’t be sure what kind of finished product you will get. A local printer can give you a proof to approve before your order is completed, to ensure that your products are exactly how you envisioned them.

Overall, online printing services tend to be pretty generic. Most business cards purchased from such shops will be blatantly cheap and flimsy unless large surcharges are paid for higher quality cardstock, and inks are not always fast and may bleed in humidity, making you look unprofessional and cheap.

In addition, a local print shop can usually provide faster service with the option for you to pick up your order when it is finished, saving money on shipping charges. When you need a flyer quick for a spur of the moment sale or event, a local paper printer can also provide a faster turn-around than an online print shop.

While online printing offers a cheap option for many small business owners, a local printing shop is almost always the better choice for quality and personal customer service!

 

 

Why Your Restaurant Should Switch to Paper Printed Menus

What do most people look at the most in a restaurant? That‘s right – it‘s the printed menu. A typical diner will spend anywhere from 2-10 minutes gazing at wine lists, reading the full list of entrees and appetizers or poring over the dessert menu.

This means that a fair bit of attention to detail should be paid to what your menus look like. Their design, creation and maintenance will all reflect on your establishment, and what your customers will think of you.

There are many different varieties of printed menus. Diners often settle for the simple front and back printed plastic menu that can be kept on the table and even double as a placemat. Of course, any time prices or menu options change, a completely new set must be ordered.

Another option, used by many higher end restaurants, is the leather edged binder with plastic pockets into which professionally printed paper menus can be inserted. These menus can be quickly wiped down and reused many, many times, and changed with much less expense than plastic printing when it’s time for an update.

These types of menus are durable and long lasting, familiar to customers and easy for staff to maintain and keep track of. They also allow a wide range of color and font options to be used, and images of finished dishes can be included as part of the menu to add a level of attractiveness and promote higher cost items with delicious pictures!

Still another option is printed paper menus that are designed to be disposable. These menus can consist of a lightweight paper either standard size or larger, laid flat on the table or folded, and printed on one or more sides. The menu can double as a placemat and drink coaster, and children’s menus can include simple word jumbles, tic-tac-toe diagrams or a picture to be colored in on the reverse side for added value.

Still another form of printed paper menu is a style that allows customers to mark their orders right on the menu. Simple check boxes by each item and a little extra space for notes for special orders can be incorporated into the menus, allowing orders to be placed easily by each member of the dining party.

The menus can be handed out by the host(ess) seating the table, and the wait staff  can collect the menus when they take the drink orders. This cuts down on wait time for the table, and gets orders to the kitchen for fulfillment more quickly.

Consider switching to a form of paper printed menu for your restaurant. Your local Long Island paper printer can provide you with professional menus and help keep your business thriving!

Printed Paper Products for the Entrepreneur

May 17, 2013

Are printed paper products useful to a budding entrepreneur? Your business is only as good as its first impression, and having a selection of printed materials available is an effective means of spreading word about your business and building up its brand.

The top five printed paper products for your latest endeavor or enterprise include:

Business Cards

Custom printed business cards are an absolute must for any entrepreneur. They are your front line opportunity to connect and share your vision with other people. A well designed business card is convenient way for you to provide your contact information to others and can also help build up your brand image. How well laid out and attractive your card is will reflect on your company, and the card itself will remain as a tangible reminder of who you are and what you can offer.

Leaflets

A simple printed paper leaflet can provide a small amount of information about your company by identifying a problem, offering a solution, and presenting a call to action. Leaflets are easy to create and distribute, and can even include incentives like a coupon for new customers. These items are great for lead generation, and should also include all of your information and be branded like your business cards.

Brochures

Brochures can be as simple as a trifold glossy piece of lightweight cardstock printed on both sides or as a multi-page booklet. They contain much more information about your business services or products and act as a stand alone sales pitch. These are great for times when an in person sales pitch isn’t a possibility, giving the prospect the chance to learn more about your company later.

ŸPosters

Posters can be used in your place of business to provide a quick idea of what you provide and who you provide it to in the way of services and products. You can even entice customers to enter your place of business with proper poster placement, and every person that walks past your poster becomes a potential customer who has been alerted to your company’s existence.

Pens

While not a paper product, don’t forget giveaway items like pens. Having a jar of pens handy for customers to snag one or two means you are sending them on their way with a handy reminder of your company and is perfect for long term brand saturation. A brochure or pamphlet can be flipped through then either discarded or acted on, but a penis something useful that they’ll hang onto for a while. Your branding efforts will keep your name fresh in the minds of those who use your pens regularly.

Using a local Long Island print shop to provide you with high quality paper printed products can help boost your company’s image and subsequently improve your bottom line!

Custom Printed Graduation Items – What do You Need?

May 11, 2013

Custom printed graduation items for your star student’s big day will show them you appreciate their hard work and dedication! After the stresses of finals and end of the year exams, it will be great to have the big party and rejoice in their achievements.

Planning the party weeks or months beforehand will give you plenty of time to figure out what printed graduation items you will need.  Your graduate can help you decide whether you want to have a large formal bash or a family cookout. It’s their big day – so they should naturally be involved in all the stages of party planning.

The first thing to remember is that everyone is graduating at the same time, so caterers and party supply rental companies will fill up available slots fast. Consider having your grad’s party in May instead of June, and send out a “Save the date!” email to your nearest and dearest friends.

Printed graduation announcements should be sent out prior to the invitations, which should usually be separate. The announcement is generally not an invite to the party, and may go out to a larger circle of people, including those who live too far away to make it to the actual party. The exception to this rule is if you are having an “open house party” in which case you can place the invitation to the party in the same envelope.

Formal printed graduation invitations should be ordered in advance and plenty of attention given to the text. Be sure to note if you are hosting a formal party indoors at a reserved hall with dancing and dinner, so guests will know what to wear, and indicate if they are allowed to bring a “plus one.” These should be mailed 14 days in advance of the event, and the envelopes should be addressed by hand if possible. Matching custom printed envelopes that match the paper weight of the invitation are a nice touch.

As far as gifts go, you may want to include a line on the invitation such as “Your presence at this much anticipated event is your gift to us!” That way, people won’t feel obliged to show up with a gift, or feel that they can’t come because they don’t want to appear empty handed.

At the party itself, there are plenty of opportunities to customize using printed items. Banners, signs and even programs detailing the evening’s entertainment or recognizing the caterer and band can be created. Paper cups, plates and other items can also be printed with “Congratulations!” and the graduate’s name. This is a once in a lifetime party, so make sure you take full advantage of printed graduation items to make it truly special!

Fire Prevention Education – Be Part of the Community Solution!

May 5, 2013

Your local business can be a large part of the community effort to educate about fire safety and prevent fires! Every year, fires are prevented by kids who have been taught the basics of fire safety in their community. Be part of the answer in your own part of town, and provide fun, educational materials.

While fire safety week traditionally falls in October, knowing about fire prevention is important all year round. Here are a few things you can do to help kids in your neighborhood be more safety conscious.

  • Hold a fire safety event. You can get your local fire department to send a truck and a few firefighters, and let them talk to the kids about how to prevent fires. Hand out printed fire safety items and serve free hot dogs!
  • Have your business logo and name printed on a variety of fire safety promotional items and use them as giveaways along with a safety handout card. Key rings, cup cozies, and even caps or tee-shirts can make great giveaways to help promote your business and fire prevention.
  • Add resources to your offerings. The Fire Equipment Manufacturer’s Association (FEMA) offers preparedness educational materials that can be scaled up or down to meet the age of the audience.
  • Create your own materials. Encourage older kids to sit down and sketch the floor plan of their home, then identify exits and a possible meeting place outside in case of fire. While you are at it, make sure your own fire safety exit plan is updated, enlarged, laminated and hung in a prominent place in your business.
  • Don’t leave parents out! Ask your local fire marshal to come and present a class on how to properly use a fire extinguisher, and explain how to ensure they are always charged and in full working condition. You might even stock up on inexpensive smoke detectors or fire extinguishers to brand and give away, one to a family.
  • Hand out goody bags! Coloring books, packs of crayons, little firefighter hats, badges and more can be custom printed and given away as part of your fire safety community program. You can even have packs of 9 volt batteries printed up as handouts to encourage families to double check their smoke detectors.

October’s National Fire Prevention Month may serve as an annual reminder for businesses and the general public to reevaluate their fire safety plans and equipment, but you can ensure that kids and parents in your community are always up to date and aware of how to keep their homes and families safe form the threat of accidental fire.

Viking Solutions
80 East Montauk Highway
Lindenhurst , NY 11757
Tel (631) 957-8000
Fax (631) 957-7203



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Viking Solutions
Printing & Screenprinting
80 East Montauk Highway
Lindenhurst , NY 11757

Tel 800-269-7232
Fax 631-957-7203

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