Contrary to popular opinion, print marketing is far from dead. Back in the 2010s when Internet marketing started to explode, print advertising took a hit, but it quickly became apparent that not only was print not dead, but it was more important than ever before.
Today, finding the right choice among print service providers is a critical consideration. A great deal rides on the outcome of this choice, from your ability to reach your audience to the quality of your printed materials and whether your products are brand-aligned or not.
Print Is Dead: Understanding the Origins of the Myth
When digital marketing first became feasible, its impact was immediate and significant. So much so that some authorities declared that print marketing was all but dead and gone. Of course, this couldn’t be farther from the truth. You only need to look around you to realize that not only is print marketing NOT dead, but it’s still thriving. It’s also still an incredibly effective medium.
Consider these statistics:
- Almost 80% of consumers remember print ads, versus only 45% when it comes to digital ads.
- Print/direct mail marketing offers a 9% customer response rate. Digital marketing garners around 1%.
- Print ads generate 20% higher motivation responses than digital ads.
- Print ads offer 77% brand recall, versus 46% for digital ads.
- 82% of consumers trust printed marketing materials over digital ads.
As you can see, not only is print not on its way out, but it’s also more powerful than digital marketing in several key ways. That means it’s more important than ever to choose the right option from the available print service providers.
Considering a Commercial Printing Partner? Use This Checklist!
If you’re interested in working with a commercial printing partner, we’ve created a convenient checklist to make the process a bit simpler. It’s a big decision and we want you to go into it with the information you need.
- Know Your Requirements – Know what you want from a printing company. Do you just need the printing handled? Or do you need help with design aspects? What are the specifics of your project? How big is the print run? What’s your budget? Define your needs and goals ahead of time so that you can get an accurate quote from each company that you’re considering and then compare those quotes directly.
- Affordability – You need to ensure that you’re getting the best quality printing possible without breaking the bank. The right printing company will not be a bottom-dollar provider, though. They also won’t exclusively offer ultra-high-cost solutions. Look for a company that offers a range of services and pricing somewhere in the middle.
- Knowledge – Commercial printers should be experts in what they do and how their products benefit their customers. They should also be knowledgeable about emerging technology and what it might bring to the table. Make sure that the printing company you choose is knowledgeable and capable of providing advice and guidance both now and in the future.
- Service and Support – You deserve a commercial printer who is there when you need them and stands behind their services. What sort of customer service do the companies you’re considering offer? How dedicated to customer satisfaction are they? How easy is it to get in touch with them when you need help? Any company you consider should be 100% dedicated to ensuring your complete satisfaction and should be available by phone, email, and even online chat.
- Paper and Ink – Paper and ink are two tools of the trade in the printing industry, but they’re not all the same. Make sure that the company you’re considering uses high-quality paper stock and ink choices. You should have multiple weight options (stock thicknesses) to match your needs, as well as inks that offer lots of staying power. At FuseBox One, we offer the widest range of paper/printed matter options, as well as inks to suit your needs and budget.
- Specialty Printing Options – There’s no one-size-fits-all solution in the world of commercial printing. Creating a run of 5,000 pamphlets requires different technology than creating tradeshow signage or advertising banners. Make sure the companies you’re comparing have the technology necessary to achieve whatever your goals might be, both now and down the road.
- Lead Time – What sort of lead time does the company have? The longer the lead time, the more in advance you’ll need to get your order in, and that can complicate matters. You also need to consider the company’s policy when it comes to delayed print jobs. Often, a refund does little good when if your entire marketing strategy has been thrown off by an unreliable printing partner.
Who Is FuseBox One?
At FuseBox One, we’re proud to be a leading Iowa print service provider with decades of experience under our belt. We offer a full-service solution for all print your print needs, from promotional products to signage.
We bookend our print services with customized digital offerings to ensure that our clients have access to an end-to-end solution that works for all their growth and marketing-related needs. Your success is our passion. But what makes us the best Iowa print service provider?
Your One-Stop Commercial Printing Shop
At FuseBox One, we offer an all-in-one print shop perfect for your needs. Whether you need signage for an upcoming tradeshow, customized corporate merchandise to use as giveaway items, or something completely different, we can help. Our decades of experience in the commercial print industry mean that we’re well-positioned to understand your needs and goals and then translate those into physical printed materials that move the needle with your audience.
Click and Go
Early on, we realized that digital technology offered our customers many benefits. One of those was the ease of access, and our new online platform maximizes that utility. All you must do to take advantage of our services is create an account. Once it’s set up, you can choose the designs that best suit your brand and your immediate needs. It’s really as simple as that.
G7 Certified
When it comes to printed matter, color accuracy is of paramount importance. Your blacks must be black, not gray. Your grays should be the right shade. Your blues, yellows, reds, and all the rest should be vibrant and stand out from the material on which it’s printed.
That’s what G7 offset printing is all about. We offer G7-certified offset printing to deliver the highest quality color, grayscale, and black & white printing possible.
Our systems are certified by the Rochester Institute of Technology to meet or exceed established industry tolerances. Our team is also capable of calibrating our equipment to meet the G7 grayscale definition.
Put another way, we offer the technology and experience necessary to create dramatic, vibrant, true-to-life colors for any printed matter you might need within your business.
Additional Services
We go beyond industry-best color, grayscale, and black & white printing, though. We also offer additional critical services to help you maximize the impact of your marketing collateral and ensure that the quality meets or exceeds your expectations. Here are just some of the services we offer and why they matter to you:
- Lamination – Lamination is a critical solution for durability and aesthetics. We use the right thickness (mil) for every job and every need. Our laminating service is ideal for an incredibly wide range of printed matter, from restaurant menus to banners. With durable plastic lamination, your printed matter will last much longer, be impervious to moisture and staining, and stand the test of time. We’re even able to laminate wide-format projects like banners and marquee signs.
- Die-Cutting – Die-cutting offers the chance to make your printed material stand out from the crowd. We offer advanced die-cutting technology and customization options to suit any need, whether you’re creating mailers, direct marketing postcards, or something completely different. It’s not just mailed material, either. We can die-cut folders, brochures, booklets and so much more. Any type of printed matter may benefit from die-cutting. Just get in touch to learn more about our abilities.
- Binding – Professional binding is an important step to give your products a polished, professional appearance. However, it’s also important to choose the right binding technology. Stapling, stitching, glue-based binding, and other options exist, but which is the right option for you? In addition to providing you with advanced binding technology, our team can guide and advise on the right type of binding for any type of printed matter.
- Wide Format Printing – Conventional printing is fine for things like postcards and brochures, but what about larger projects? For instance, if you’re planning to attend a tradeshow, you’ll need signage, and your banners and other signs must be large enough to showcase your identity from across the convention hall. Wide-format printing is the best option for this. We offer the professional help and guidance you need on wide-format printing projects to ensure that your graphics are crisp, your colors align with your branding, and that you get the quality you deserve.
HIPAA-Compliant Print Service Provider in Iowa
Another reason to choose us is that we’re one of the few HIPAA-compliant print service companies in Iowa. Today more than ever before, it’s critical to protect consumer health information. It’s also required by law that any organization that stores consumer health records or works with a business that does complies with HIPAA requirements.
We don’t just comply with HIPAA, though. We also understand the importance of PCI-DSS, PII, and PHI compliance. We take your data’s security very seriously and protect it from both internal and external threats.
USA Promotional Products
Corporate merchandise can be used as giveaway products to reward your customers and even employees. It plays a central role in your brand-building efforts. However, quality and customization matter a lot here. At FuseBox One, we source USA promotional products so you can rest assured that you’re getting the quality you and your audience deserve. We combine that with the widest range of customization options out there.
We make it simple to add your business name, logo, tagline, and even custom text to almost any corporate merchandise you might want to use. That includes the following:
- T-shirts
- Coffee mugs
- Water bottles
- Travel mugs
- Stress balls
- Ink pens
- Mousepads
The list above is just the tip of the proverbial iceberg. You can customize almost anything, and we can help you choose the right options and then add your business name, logo, and anything else necessary.
Beyond Printing: Managing Your Marketing Collateral
Every company with printed material eventually must answer the same question – where will we store it and how will we handle logistics? For many small and medium businesses, these questions are difficult or even impossible to answer without incurring additional costs. They lack the money for their own warehousing, so must rent storage units, for instance.
At FuseBox One, we understand how challenging this aspect can be and have a solution: we provide warehousing and logistics solutions to save you time, money, and hassle.
That means we’re able to offer commercial printing services, warehousing solutions, and distribution to wherever you need. For our clients, that means the ability to reduce the number of vendors they work with, streamline their billing, and ensure that they have a trusted partner handling these critical tasks.
The Commercial Printing Partner You Need
At FuseBox One, we’re dedicated to delivering the highest quality print job no matter what. Whether you’re ordering a run of menus for your restaurant or need a partner capable of designing and printing flyers for a nationwide marketing campaign, we can deliver. We ensure that all your print jobs are brand aligned and offer the technology, print matter, ink options, and additional services you need for success.
Interested in learning more about our commercial print abilities? Get in touch today to schedule a consultation.
Free Resources:
The Ultimate Guide to Commercial Printing
What is the Best File Format for Printing
What to look for in a Commercial Printer
Source:
https://www.fuseboxone.com/services/#CP
https://www.hopinc.com/blog/how-to-choose-a-printing-company/
https://www.postgrid.com/commercial-printing-companies/