Ever wondered what the finished style might be for you next print project?

Most estimate requests that come through to me tend to be unclear on the “finished style” required. Maybe you are unsure what this means. So let me help you out here with some of the more common methods used.

For leaflets – we all love the straight forward and simple…. Fold – where your piece of print is either folded in half, into three, concertina folded, roll folded etc. Absolutely ideal for any type of leaflet, folded posters, take away leaflets etc

For Brochures, Books, Reports, etc this is a little more complicated…..various options to choose from but the main ones are…

Saddle stitched –Stitching is a method of binding one or more printed sections together by means of wire staples (stitches) through the spine and centrefold. This method is fast and cost effective.

Perfect bound –  Perfect Binding is a method for binding the printed sheets using a glue to bind the text pages into the cover. This method is great for thicker books, where saddle stitching can’t get the job done. Perfect Binding is most commonly used on paperback books.  It’s elegant and professional. It can be pricey for smaller runs and is not suitable for very thin books (saddle stitched best here – see above).

PUR Binding – this is very similar to perfect binding but uses a more durable and flexible glue. It is nearly impossible to remove pages from a PUR Bound book. Ideal for printed items that need to be long lasting reference tools or need a longer shelf life.

Wiro bound –  A method for binding loose leaves using a series of metal wire loops formed from a single continuous wire run through punched holes on the binding edge. Great for Notebooks, Calendars, etc

If you’re mind is still not made up then give me call and I am more than happy to discuss any of these options in more depth to make sure you choose the right finishing style!

Want a printing estimate fast?

Before I proceed, let me define fast:  normally 24 hours or less.  Everybody wants their estimate quick but others in 30 minutes or under.  Estimators do not like wild goose chases, nor do they like overly dense, ponderous, or exceedingly vague estimate requests.  As an estimator, nothing is more frustrating than lack of detail when requesting a quote.

Rather than ask me to throw darts with you – paper selections often demonstrate this ambiguity – you should have most of your specifications decided before contacting me.  Think when you write, quantity, how many pages, stock, ink, binding, and so on. If you can’t answer all the questions then get the answers before you submit your request. The secret to getting a fast estimate is in knowing what you want. An estimate is the easiest thing in the world for me to provide based on clear, simple and concise specifications.  How many? Size?.  Paper?  etc. Ambiguities slow things down and result in a more longer turn around time. If you do get stuck then pick up the phone and give me a call. With the wealth of print knowledge at Printhouse I am sure we can get the right specifications for your print job.

Just so we are clear:  I’m not saying don’t ask for options as I am sure there are plenty of them.  What I’m saying is:  The more options you want, the longer the estimate will take.  It seems a simple enough concept, but you would be surprised how few people grasp it.

So……fast is 24 hours or less.

Want it fast?  Keep it simple.

More and more recently there has been an influx of presentation folders required. Whether it’s to promote your company, for an exhibition, or to show products, presentation folders seem to be the next best thing in the ultimate sales tool.

In business it is necessary that you make a good impression to your target clients.  Hence, presentation is everything when you market your business. How you can create or generate a great impact would depend on the way you have produced and designed your presentation folders as a holding material for your marketing tools. From just an essential accessory to your other marketing tools, a presentation folder has evolved into a powerful tool that completes your marketing collection.

Presentation folders do more than just hold all your marketing materials together. The designs you provide your presentation folder printing can be as creative as you want them to be. The choices are limitless. As such, any industry would benefit from quality folders. If you want to present a professional look not only to your clients but also to your business associates, a presentation folder is the best way to project that kind of image. Your company’s presentation folders can be created or printed using different styles and formats. They are great materials in which to hold your handouts. In addition, if you want your proposals to reflect not only your message but your corporate image as well, custom presentation folders are the best way to project your business’ corporate image. By customizing them, you are more than likely to produce presentation folders that convey a strong message of your brand and what you can offer.

To produce your presentation folder printing effectively, you need to consider the type of folder you would want – one or two pockets, with or without capacity. The type of folder you choose is based on the specifications of your needs as well as your budget. Determine what type of printing do you need – single  or full colour. Presentation folder printing can also have designs that are laminated, embossed, Spot UV’d, foiled etc. Special types of finishes such as these can increase your chances of attracting more clients, though they may be more costly than the standard printing alone.

Custom folder printing is not a simple print job. It requires a particular skill and expertise that PrintHouse Corporation can offer. Our knowledge is hard to beat, and our team of friendly and professional staff know virtually everything there is to know about in print. More importantly, we love what we do and we want you to love what we do. It’s what makes us stand out amongst the other printers.

So when next thinking about Presentation folders pick up the phone and give me a call on 020 8963 0123 and I will be more than delighted to offer my assistance or check our Folders portfolio out at http://www.printhouse.co.uk/products/folders

Hi there,

 Things are busy on the estimating front right now – perhaps all the New Year resolutions to finally get around to sorting your planned print projects are coming to fruition. As I am the person who responds to the majority of requests, I’m more than happy to give you a call to discuss specific elements in more detail, but as a guide the main information I need to put together an estimate can be broken down as:

 Size

The finished size and number of pages/sections – please note in printing terms, a “page” is classed as a single printed side to view. So for example, an A4 brochure with 16 printed sides plus front/back cover will be classed as A4 16pp + 4pp cover; for a book with 80 x internal leaves will equate to 160pp for printing …

Quantity

If you’re not 100% sure, please let us know the minimum / maximum you’re likely to need as it will be fine to estimate within these parameters. For anything “litho” printed a large element of the overall cost can be the set up, the “run-on” figure for increased volumes is usually a pleasant surprise.

Material

With such a wide range available, we are happy to offer advice based on similar completed projects and specific recommendations on viewing the planned artwork. Our default materials are premium grade triple coated silk/matt/gloss FSC certified with minimum 15% recycled content, or FSC uncoated (option of 100% recycled). Please note you/we can include the relevant FSC environmental logo & supporting text on any project that uses FSC certified stock (in reality, nearly all) – there’s absolutely no cost implication for you …

Printing

If we are to print in 4 colour process (full colour), defined spot/pantone/metallic colours or a combination of the two – we will generally include a machine seal on all silk/matt coated stocks and also a special seal for uncoated stocks with large ink coverage requirements. This will not affect the printing or final appearance, but will prevent rubbing/marking.

Finishing

Some jobs are very straightforward, others involve several finishing elements – we can also show certain finishing options (e.g. lamination, spot UV varnishing) as an additional cost, for you to work out what fits within the overall project budget, where applicable.

Time Frame

We pride ourselves on never missing an agreed deadline (and we’ll be honest – if on the rare occasion it’s impossible to complete a requested time we’ll tell you at the outset, not mid-project). We operate 6.00am-midnight print shifts on presses and so with a bit of advance warning we can make most things happen. But advance warning is the key – even if final artwork is not ready we can reserve a repro & press slot working back from your deadline and also organise the materials if size/quantity is known. As all proofing/printing is completed under the one roof we are in complete control of the project … and therefore the deadline.

If anything is unclear and/or if you have a “non-standard” requirement, please pick up the phone or drop me a separate email – as someone once said, “it’s good to talk”.

Look forward to hearing from you

Whenever I get a quote request, I look carefully at the specifications and think to myself ‘ What do I need to do to win this job?’ Besides getting the estimate across with the best possible price, I need to send some samples of our work and plain paper dummies’.

To me showing samples of our print is just as vital as the estimate. These show off our expert print capabilities, fantastic finishing options as well as and more importantly guiding you in the right direction to PrintHouse. Samples can also give you added benefit of seeing and feeling the quality of materials that we use at PrintHouse.

‘Plain paper dummies’ – what are these? Well these are as the words say plain paper mock ups of what is required to print using the materials specified in the estimate. These can give you or the end user an exact idea of how the end product will feel and gauge if the materials are correct for the job. More often than not I can arrange to have these ‘dummies’ made up at no extra cost.

Not forgetting that it is not just limited to standard coated and uncoated materials. As we are an FSC and PEFC certified printing company we also have the option of using recycled materials.

There is a vast array of printed samples available from annual reports, brochures, postcards, folders, catalogues, leaflets, menus, stationary and many many more.

So next time you need a quotation or need a plain paper dummy to see if  the material will work for that job, get in touch with me and I will get things sorted.

“I’m afraid it’s urgent and we’re gonna need it by Thursday.”   That’s the kind of P.S. in emails I receive all day long from anxious clients who have left their design or print job to the very last minute.

Working in a busy sales office I can’t help but notice that everything seems to be needed very quickly nowadays. In my case it’s those requests for last minute print quotes. In your line of business it will be something else. But the principle remains the same. There can be no doubt that the era of taking days, or even weeks, to get something done have long since passed.

The days of leisurely business are gone. Most printing is now required at breakneck speed.

As it turns out, this trend isn’t due to my clients being particularly disorganised. They’re not. It’s just that 21st Century Britain turns much faster than it used to.

First it was the fax machine and then email. Now the speed of communication is so much faster than it was two decades ago, that business time scales have been, well, compressed.

At PrintHouse we’ve found ways to combat these rising expectations. From smarter ways of working, to Digital Printing where appropriate and Computer to Plate where Litho is still the best way to go. We’ve invested in technology in order to ensure that we can meet your ever tighter deadlines.

For my part I recognise that there will be no going back to a more leisurely pace of doing business. And since that includes turning round your print quotes quickly, it’s back to the print estimating software for me now.

Until next time.

Oh, and if you need a design or print estimate then don’t forget I’m right here.

“Decorative finishes”, just like when sprucing up your house, plating a meal or simply decorating your Xmas tree, are the small elements that can make the difference between something simply “doing the job” or something really standing out from the crowd.  Spend £100k on a home extension…..well won’t look like it if you don’t pay a professional decorator the final £5k to skim your walls, tile your floors or paint your walls and think you can do it yourself (and I sadly speak from experience!).

Same goes with your next Marketing Brochure.  Whilst a printed and nicely bound A4 document will be perfectly functional and will impart all the information you mean to get across, ask yourself the question; what will make my brochure more memorable than that of my competitors?  There are a number of simple but highly effective “print finishes”, usually applied to just the outer covers, that will do just that for you; none of which cost the earth.  And each one will provide a look or a feel that will set your’s apart.

• Lamination: A plastic coating that will not simply help protect the cover of your brochure but also gives it a silky feel
• Spot UV Varnish: Allows certain areas to be picked out in high gloss, usually done in conjunction with a matt lamination for increased contrast.  When cleverly used transforms the look of any item and makes it look “expensive”.
• Foil Block: have your logo, key wording or decorative pattern in a foil.  And not just gold or silver, there are several high impact colours out there.  Stunning.
• Embossing: Much like the foil block, have your logo or the like pushed through the back so it sits proud.
• Die cutting: Have a corner, a hole or a shape cut into the front cover to reveal something on page one.  Simple but effective.

In short all the above, based on 1000 units, will cost between £100 and £250 with run ons pretty low in all cases.  This small additional cost really will though make all the difference and can be the deciding factor in ensuring it is your brochure, and therefore your company, that your clients and prospects remember.

To get a price for your next brochure or discuss any of these processes, call us on 020 8963 0123, or email me at dan.jacobs@printhouse.co.uk

Paper and price comparison 

Paper, it might not seem that important but when it comes to printing 5,000 or 10,000 32pp or 64pp + 4pp cover A4 brochures there are some things really worth considering.

Over the last couple of months I made it a point to check what responses we were receiving on questions such as Stock, Stock Weight and Must be FSC on our online estimate request form and I must admit the results have been interesting. 

Many people are leaving it to the estimators to chose the stock weight for them, which when you are getting estimates for comparison PrintHouse Corporation will go with a good inside text weight of 130gsm for quality and to reduce show through especially when the brochure is image heavy.  Keep in mind on a quantity, of say, 10,000 A4 brochures this will definitely be more expensive than the printer that goes for any end of the line stock with an inside text with a weight of 100gsm just to keep the price down!  So it’s a great idea to select the same weight stock for each estimate you will be receiving to get a like for like comparison. 

The reason I was looking at the answers to questions for the Must be FSC stock is to see if it is still a misconception that people think that these stocks are more expensive, and as the response was more often than not ‘no’ I imagine that this is the reason why.  For the record, using a FSC stock when printing with PrintHouse Corporation does not make any difference to your overall cost! 

This is for the reason that a majority of the papers we use are FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) or PEFC (Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification schemes), and as we are a FSC/PEFC certified printer it is also possible to use either logo at no additional cost.  The positive PR gained from being able to print the FSC/PEFC logo on work produced through us is significant and something definitely worth considering.

Another thing about paper is that there are so many different brands which will and do vary in quality, you don’t get the same price for when comparing car makes and quality which is the same when it comes to paper so keep this in mind when going through your estimate…has the brand name been listed?  Here at PrintHouse we have nothing to hide and always list the name of stock we use so you can check the quality of stock your brochure gets printed on.

Before printing a book or brochure I encourage paper samples or even getting dummies made up in the stocks outlined for quality and weight comparison.  Once the dummy is in your hand you get a really good idea of how your book/brochure will look and feel and therefore what your customer will receive.  Does the no-named lighter weight version look too tacky and hence reflecting poorly on your business?  Or is the dummy version with the paper brand listed, in slightly heavier stock and definitely a higher quality more professional and attractive for what you are after.

Also keep in mind is if the paper brand is not listed and then you come to reprint your item like for like how will you know what the stock was for an exact match?

So although it’s easy to say ‘choose for me’ and you might think its only paper, as you can see there really are quite a lot of factors to consider.  So love your paper find out where it is being sourced from (FSC/PEFC,) find out the name of stock, the weights, what it will look like once it is made up if you are looking at printing a book or brochure and then extremely important is how will it look once printed. 

Keep the paper information uniform within each estimate request for an accurate comparison and if you require more information on any of the points above I will be more than happy to hear from you, my details can be found here: www.printhouse.co.uk/company.

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Amber Bantatua is a Senior Sales Executive at London based printer PrintHouse Corporation. If there is a query in regards to a print estimate or receiving a quote contact us here.

Litho printing is most suitable when quantities of print are larger or highest quality of print are required.

Volume litho print runs

Litho printing presses tend to take longer to set up when compared to digital print presses, however litho comes into its own because there’s no ‘click charge’ for each additional copy produced. This means that other than the cost of the paper itself and a bit of ink for each sheet, run-ons beyond the initial set up copies are relatively cheap with litho printing.

Heidelberg litho printing press ideal for high volume printing

Speed of litho print runs

Litho printing is very fast. Let me qualify that. Once the printing press has been set up, it’s very fast. In fact 10,000′s of sheets of A4 can be printed an hour on a B1 Heidelberg printing press. The actual sheet size is B1, which means up to 9 sheets of A4 printed in a single pass.  No digital solution can match this kind of speed.

Quality of litho print runs

It’s important to appreciate that the way that the image is added to the paper is completely different on a litho printing press. A screen (thousands of tiny dots) is printed onto the page. If you recall how newspapers used to look up close – hundreds of in the old days not so small dots – then you’ll know what I’m talking about.  Nowadays the dots are tiny and the quality of litho printing is unsurpassed by any other form of printing – including digital.

Price of litho printing

Generally speaking. If it’s a longer print run (say more than 1,000 copies) then litho printing is liable to be cheaper than the digital equivalent. This is however rather like discussing the length of a piece of string and so for the best guidance on pricing contact us for a detailed quote.

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Dan Jacobs is the Sales Director of PrintHouse Corporation. You can contact Dan on 020 8963 0123 via dan@printhouse.co.uk or using this form.

When you are an expert in your field it is natural to notice both a) high quality and b) poor quality items whilst you are out and about in your daily grind.  So to me print quality is extremely important and pretty much something I notice straight away in anything from stationery, menus and leaflets to brochures and magazines and it should be important to you as well.

Why?

Because that piece of print, in your potential clients hand, could be the first introduction to your company that they have!

Poor quality print will reflect negatively on your business so the importance of a good printer that produces high quality printing is extremely high.

Don’t get me wrong print is not the only thing that makes an impact on your item as the design, image quality and layout is important as well.  However at this stage I am focusing on the print side of things only and if you are handing out something that looks like it is printed on toilet paper (fine if printed toilet paper is what your company specialises in and you want to reflect that!) when there are so many wonderful paper options out there your item will look cheap when it doesn’t need to.

There are some key points to keep in mind when looking for quality printing, firstly, (as mentioned above) paper.

What paper finish?  If you receive a printed item that you like keep it as a reference to show your printer.  Do you want a brochure that looks rustic and earthy with a recycled feel?  Then an uncoated stock would be perfect, and with a majority of the uncoated stocks tending to have part recycled fibre content your brochure will not only look like it is using recycled stock but it is!

Or maybe a coated matt or silk stock will be more suitable for your brochure if a smooth specialised commerce look is required and you know an uncoated stock will not be quite right for your target audience.  Magazines are often printed on a gloss stock so request this finish if this is the look you are after.

Think about whom you will be sending your print to and what image of your company you wish to portray once it lands on their desk and is in their hands.

Get some paper samples so you can get a feel for yourself; know the name of the stock you like and get a mock up of the final item to get a good idea of how the final product will look, you will be surprised at the impact the paper can make and it is definitely a factor that should be well considered.

Secondly if you have a bit of room in your budget extra finishes of gloss/matt lamination to the outer cover or maybe some foil blocking or Spot UV could be an option/s giving an added dimension and some ‘WOW’ factor to the finished item.  Not sure what I mean take a look at a couple of the pictures here for a guide.

Next, colour consistency, if your company uses a pantone colour keep a reference of it!  It amazes me how many people send a sample of their stationery and ask me to match it to a pantone.  Of course we do our best to accurately match the colour and then keep a record on our system but if it is something you have a record of you are more likely to get consistency every time you go to press.

Also in regards to colour keep in mind that if orange is a prominent colour of your company and consistently through out your brochure it may well be worth printing the orange as a pantone (e.g. CMYK + orange) as orange is one of the hardest colours to get a good quality colour match when printed as CMYK percentages.

Contact and talk with a printer to get a feel of their quality print services; are they happy to show you samples of their work, do they recommend and have advice on different paper stocks, are they willing to make a mock up or dummy of your item, what kind of proofing service do they offer and are they colour calibrated to their presses?  Are they London based or would you have to travel ridiculous miles if a pass on press was required?  If these points are important to you, give PrintHouse Corporation a call as they are important to us as well.

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Amber Bantatua is a Senior Sales Executive at London based printer PrintHouse Corporation. If there is a query in regards to a print estimate or receiving a quote contact us here.