What's Ahead for Printing?

Despite the predicted demise of printing, it's alive and well and evolving alongside other technologies.  Read on to find out why printing isn't going away.  Then, let us know what you think.

Reduce Your Print Project's Envrionmental Impact: It's Easy and It Will Make You Feel Good

When it comes to commercial printing, a few small steps can go a long way toward minimizing the impact your printed piece has on the environment:

1. Whenever possible, choose papers that are certified for sustainability. Your printer can help you identify options that are right for your project, right for your budget and right for the environment.

2. Go with an aqueous coating instead of one of the traditional UV coatings or laminates. Water-based aqueous coatings provide the same resistance against scratches as other coatings, but without the harmful impact on the environment.

3. Ask for a "soft proof" instead of a traditional proof. You'll save yourself time and money while reducing the use of energy and materials used to create a hard proof.

4. Recycle outdated and unused print materials, and encourage your audience and associates to do so, too.

For more about printing and the envionment, visit Priced Right Print.

Reinventing the Wheel (The Color Wheel, That Is)

If you're fascinated by color (like we are) check out Pantone's blog, which features an article from IMPRINT magazine.  Titled “The Wonderful Color Wheel Part 1 and Part 2,” it traces the development of the color wheel and other color organizational systems over the past 200 years.

Sound too weighty?  At least take a peek at the amazing pictures! 

The images are representations of the thinking and the technology of their times, illustrating an intertwining of art and science, of inspiration and mathematics. We're showing you one here; to see the rest go to Pantone's blog.

Green Marketing: How Well Are We Really Doing?

After years of being hailed as the next big trend, green marketing has moved well beyond consideration as some sort of newfangled fad and become a cornerstone in best practices for a growing number of brands.

According to Jerry Cerasale, senior vice president for government affairs for the Direct Marketing Association (DMA), "Marketers are doing a better job in reducing the number of mailings that are duplicates and/or undeliverable as addressed. In addition, an increasing number have begun to reduce the amount of paper used in packaging."

Learn more about the state of green marketing.  And, see what we've done to make our business greener.  Then, (and this is the important part) please tell us...what is your company doing to make its marketing activities more eco-friendly?

Why Are More of Us Saving Our Digital Memories to Print?

Could it be that there's something enduring about print? 

Some said the Internet would mean the death of print, so it always catches our attention when we see the different ways people preserve their digital memories and other important documents by transferring them to print!

Check out this printed poster featuring all of the Facebook user's friends...fans...subscribers or whatever they're being called today.

Where Did John Doe Go?

When the U.S. Census Bureau released its 2010 results, the data validated what many of us already knew: that the notion of an “average American” is just that...a notion.

According to demographic analyst Peter Francese, key population changes are forcing marketers to re-think how they do business.  In a report commissioned by Advertising Age, Francese highlighted these transformational trends:

• There’s no longer an “average American.” Previously, marketers focused on what was widely accepted as an even society; one in which the majority of people had the same needs for the same consumer products and services.   
• We’re now a multi-segmented nation and a multi-generational society. In our 10 largest cities and four states — California, Texas, New Mexico and Hawaii — no race or ethnicity is a majority anymore.
• The multi-cultural shift is driven by immigration, and the fact that the non-minority part of the population — white non-Hispanics — is aging very rapidly. This is in contrast to the past decades during which well over two-thirds of U.S. births were white non-Hispanics.
• More than ever before, marketers will need to treat each generation or age segment as independent entities. It will be essential to address the multi-dimensional nature of our society today, and to use greater precision in identifying customers and developing messages.
• Despite the tremendous growth in digital media, tools that reach people in their homes and in their own languages will continue to produce strong results.  Direct mail, especially when combined with QR (Quick Response) codes, is expected to be among the most effective in this category.

See the Advertising Age white paper for specifics on population trends, and check out our site for more information about direct mail and other targeted marketing tools.  Then, let us know what you're doing (or what you've seen) that responds to the latest population shifts.

Amp Up Your Print Marketing Materials with Color

It's out.  Pantone's award-winning catalog, featuring everything a design enthusiast needs to know about color NOW.  Even if you don't spec colors, check it out anyway.  It's eye-candy at its best and well worth your perusal.  View it from our link at http://tinyurl.com/3b6norl, and let us know what you think!