MyLabelNet

Business Card Trends: Color is better

June 29th, 2009

The business card is an old form of media. However there are trends that come and go in popularity. Raised printing (thermography), double-sided printing, color printing, fold over cards and most recently digital printing.

Let’s take a look at traditional cards and color:

Color has always been a higher end option with business cards. Regardless if you were mixing the inks and running them on a printing press or using a digital press. The fact is the production costs for a color card are more than a traditional white card with black ink option. Yet, there is no denying that color pops. If you looked at 2 business cards side by side and one has one color ink and the other has two color inks, the latter will draw more attention than the former. Case in point:

Now let’s take a closer look at digital printing. Even more to the point, let’s take the above two color cards and compare it to the four color digital card below:

The eye is immediately drawn to the color card. It’s human nature to focus on color. Since the beginning of time, mankind has been using dyes and pigments on everything from clothes to our faces. In nature color is a way to woo a mate as well as send a warning. The way we use color in our print media is no different. This can be especially helpful when creating your business card design.

“Business cards are mini billboards for our business.”

A business card not only tells folks what we do, it also conveys a brand message or enhances an image. There are many things to consider when it comes to your business card: Paper stock, design, double sided or single sided, vertical or horizontal, rounded corners or straight corners, gloss or matte. With advances in digital print technology and recent price drops in digital color printing, there has never been a better time than now to give color a try.

Posted in business cards, general, print media 100, printing | No Comments »

What does your business card say about your business?

January 27th, 2009

http://twitter.com/leahjones/statuses/823379629

Leah Jones asks a very pertinent question. Why don’t more business cards say exactly what a company does? When it comes to our business cards we are mostly concerned with image and design. We know exactly what services or products our company offers. It stands to reason our business card says much more about what we do to us than it may to others. So what if our business card is vague? Since we’ll be the ones presenting the cards, if there are any questions, we are there to readily supply the information.

However, what if you card finds its way to a potential client without you? Let’s say you’re at a convention and have had the most amazing conversation with a potential client. They want to do business with your company. They’ve taken your card and have promised to call Monday morning. However this is a convention and their pockets will be full of cards by the time all is said and done. Does your card say enough about your company and what you do for them to easily find it in a stack? They’ll remember your conversation and be looking for the card that’s from “the guy who sells ___________?  Would they be able to find it without you there to tell them which one it is? If your card needs you to be there to fill in the gaps, you are missing out on one of the best ways to get your message out.

We recommend that at the very least, business cards should have a list of the products or services your business offers. Adding who your target market is doesn’t hurt either. Below you’ll see  the front of the MyLabelNet business card. As you look it over, is it clear what type of business we conduct? Would someone who discovered this card have an understanding of our product/service without ever having met us?

Share your business card stories by commenting.

Posted in business cards, general, post, print media 100 | No Comments »

The Importance of a Print Ready Copy of Your Logo

May 11th, 2008

“Hello, may I help you?”

“Yes, I’d like to order some business cards.”

“Great, do you have existing artwork for your cards or would you like to speak with our Graphic Designer to create the artwork for your cards?”

“I do have existing cards, but I would like to add my website and email address. So, can you take what I already have and use that?”

“A sample of your current card is helpful to verify paper stock and layout, but what we really need is digital artwork. Do you have a digital version of your card or at least of your logo? If not, we will have to recreate the entire card from scratch.”

“I have a digital version of my logo on my website. Will that work?”

“While that is a digital image of your logo we can not use it to print your cards. Unless you have a print ready or hi-res file it looks like we’ll have to start over.”

Unfortunately this is a conversation that happens all too often. As a business owner your logo is an important part of your brand identity. Your logo should be on everything from your business cards to your product labels. A logo makes it easy for your customers to recognize anything that comes from your business. Whether that is an invoice or a product. So, why is it that something this important is one of the most overlooked items business owners neglect to keep on hand?

Time and time again we are asked to produce print media for companies using their logos and very rarely is this request followed up with a print quality or high resolution artwork. When asked for a digital file of their logo most business owners refer us their existing business card or website.

While a logo may look fine on a website, it is not a high enough quality image to use for print media. Typically web images are 72dpi (dots per square inch) which is great for keeping file size small for faster loading web sites, but not great for printing. Printing an image using website quality artwork results in printing that is pixelized and blurred. The minimum dpi that is acceptable for a good print is typically 300dpi at size.

Now before your eyes start to glaze over with the terminology, lets just break it down to it’s simplest form. The next time you talk to your graphic designer or printer ask them to send you a high resolution print ready digital copy of your logo. It will keep you in control of your brand identity, help your next project come together faster and best of all your printer will thank you.

This post was inspired by a comment from Becky McCray of Small Biz Survival. Be sure to add your comments and suggestions for future Print Media 100 topics.

Posted in general, post, print media 100, printing | No Comments »

Print Media 100: Ideas, Tips and Suggestions for Business Owners

April 8th, 2008

After working with business owners for 7 years I have discovered there are many things which need to be considered when producing print media. So much so that I was motivated to share my first-hand knowledge as not only a B2B printer but as a business owner.

First of all let’s start with, “What is print media?” According to Dictionary.com print media is a medium that disseminates printed matter and according to WikiAnswers print media basically includes everything like stats,news and everything usually on a paper.

As far as I am concerned print media is anything upon which text or images can be placed. Whether through traditional, digital or any other method. The way we use print media whether as a promotional tool or as part of a product can help to make our business a success.

Businesses in all shapes and sizes use print media in one form or another to conduct their day to day operations. From business cards to sportswear to machinery control panels. There are many things that can affect the outcome of a printed product. Knowing what those are in advance can help avoid future headaches. Making the next experience with your printer a smooth and problem free experience.

Over the course of year, we will share 100 ideas, tips and suggestions for business owners to utilize print media. This series will be called the Print Media 100. Of course this being a blog, I am looking forward to hearing from you. What topics would you like to cover? Post any questions you may have as well as your own ideas, tips and suggestions in the comments section.

Keep up with the series as it unfolds and be part of the action by subscribing

Print Media 100 was inspired by Chris Brogan’s blog project Social Media 100 and Becky McCray’s blog project Small Biz 100. Gutenberg Press image from Julian Trubin

Posted in print media 100 | 1 Comment »

The MyLabelNet.Com Blog

April 6th, 2008

Folks might wonder why a printing company would need a blog. They would be right to ask. Although there is more detailed information in the ABOUT section, here is a short summary on MyLabelNet:

In business since the summer of 2001, MyLabelNet has always been a Business-to-Business (B2B) printer. As entrepreneurs running our own business we understand that the first order of a new business is usually to print up business cards. Naturally letterhead, envelopes and brochures aren’t far behind. What we found was that we love working with business owners. We understand them because we are them.

We meet a lot of folks who ask, “What do you do?”.

Good question. Our business name can leave folks wondering. MyLabelNet. Yes, we do print labels and not the address labels you put on the return portion of an envelope. As a B2B printer we can produce anything from food and beauty product labels to control panels and machine decals. However labels are just a part of all the products and services we provide. Here is a brief summary with links:

• Business Cards - Traditional and 4-Color Digital
• Letterhead/Envelopes/Brochures/Postcards/Bookmarks
• Plastic Cards - Gift Cards/Membership Cards/Magnetic Key Cards
• Sportswear/Caps - Screenprint and Embroidered
• Vinyl Lettering - Indoor and Outdoor
• Machinery Decals - Control Panels, Instructional, Durable, Weather Proof
• Promotional Products - Pens, Cups, Balloons, Badges, Gifts, Sports and Event Items

The second thing folks want to know is, “Who are your clients?”

Well, to say we only work with startups would be far from the truth. Our clientel ranges anywhere from the sole proprietor to the International Manufacturing company and plenty in between. We feel that businesses are a lot like people. They come in all shapes and sizes. Each has a unique view and message. Regardless if you are just getting started or have been in business for a while, we’re here to help turn your idea into a visual production.

We enjoy chatting with fellow business owners. Feel free to give us a call at 210.8.LABELS to discuss the printing and promotional needs for your business.

Posted in business cards, general, post, printing | No Comments »