Finding the right mix of reach and frequency for your marketing messages is a moving target – especially when you are trying to do more with less. Direct mail continues to rank among the best means for communicating with your customers and prospects in a highly targeted and personal way.

Keeping costs in line with your budget is easier than you think. It’s best when your print
communications provider can be involved in the up-front planning, including the graphic
design.

Here are a few simple guidelines that will help you to keep your printing costs in check:

• Stick with standard finished sizes to reduce paper waste and minimize your costs.
• Be careful when using bleeds, that is, color or images that run to the edges of the paper.



• Sometimes they require larger sheets that need to be trimmed, meaning higher costs and longer production time.
• Use color to print a large quantity of “shells.” Then, customize the text as your projects come up throughout the year with one color of ink.
• Similarly, spread the cost of color between several jobs. For example, design a series of brochures that share the same colors, and print them at the same time. It can be cheaper than paying separate set-up charges for each.
• Before placing a special order, ask if there is a paper stock in inventory that might be right for your project.

For more cost-saving tips on printing and copying, see the pros at Allegra Hamilton today.

This entry was posted on Monday, March 22nd, 2010 at 9:38 am and is filed under Articles, Printing and Copying, marketing. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.