Australian Trade Printing Articles» Letterhead Articles – Australian Trade Printing

4 Reasons to Get Professional Office Letterhead Printing

Robert Stevens — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 08:20:28 +0000

Self-printed office letterhead, or using no letterhead is actually quite common. Many businesses see it as an ongoing expense that they can do without. For those that make the small investment in professional letterhead printing though, the branding and marketing results, and cost savings over self-printing can be enormous. Today we look at the top 4 reasons that professional letterhead printing finishes ahead of self-printed letterhead, and even ahead of logo-less letters.

1. Stock options
In letterhead printing, the term ‘stock’ simply refers to the paper or card that is printed on. If you self-print your letterhead, your (cost-effective) stock options are limited to 80gsm laser bond – the standard home printer paper. You do have other options for your paper, but they usually have quite a high per-sheet cost. Professional letterhead printing companies buy their paper in bulk, and can bring a much wider range of papers to you at comparable prices to laser bond bought by the ream. You could have letterhead that:

Has a light satin sheen, mild enough that inkjet ink will still adhere
In a heavier weight than ordinary laser bond, and has a feeling of quality
Is cut to a non-standard size

2. Professional letterhead printing is cheaper!
It seems counter-intuitive that having your letterhead professionally printed could be cheaper – however, paying retail prices for your laser bond paper (not to mention inkjet cartridges, if you have an inkjet printer!) can be prohibitive.

Also, the greater volume of letterhead you send out each month, the more money can be saved with professional letterhead printing. For many letterhead printers, much of the work is in the setup. This allows them to offer larger quantities at enormously reduced prices. Your per sheet cost can be reduced by a factor of five or more going from a run of 500 to a run of 5000 sheets, with letterhead printing. When you self-print, there are no such economies of scale.

3. Colour options
When you self-print your letterhead, it isn’t possible to have large swathes of colour across the page, especially if you have an inkjet printer. Not only is the cost of ink (or toner, as the case may be) enormous, but the paper tends to distort and lose quality within the large bands of colour.

Professional letterhead printing uses processes that preserve the integrity of your paper, even if you choose to print on simple 80gsm laser bond. You can have a large coloured address bar across the side, top or bottom of your letterhead, or include graphics that would have dragged down the quality rather than increased it when you choose pro letterhead printing.

4. Design options at low prices
One of the most cost-effective ways to have something professionally designed is to utilise the in-house services of your printing company. This professional design can really lift your letterhead out of the doldrums that most logo-based, contact-info-only letterhead resides in, to create a valuable branding tool. You could include pictures from advertisements or brochures, have a watermark of your logo rather than a simple coloured block in the top corner, and even include a photo of the person writing using variable data printing processes for your letterhead printing. The possibilities are exciting!

Sources:
http://www.digital-women.com/how-to/howto5a.htm
http://visualaccentsdesign.com/designtips/50surefire.htm
http://scobleizer.com/2006/07/05/business-card-best-practices/
http://www.businesscardscenter.info/blog/business-cards/business-cards-tips/are-you-making-this-mistake-with-your-business-cards/

4 Reasons to Get Professional Office Letterhead Printing is a post from: Australian Trade Printing Articles

Business Stationary and Letterhead Printing Tips

Robert Stevens — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 09:30:26 +0000

A professionally printed business letterhead or stationary can go a long way towards helping your business to make a statement. What sort of statement do you want your business to make? Most people who are in business would say that they would like for their stationary or letterhead to make a good impression on the people and/or businesses who receive correspondence from them. They realize that their stationary is the only part of their business that many people will ever see, and plan their letterhead printing with this in mind.

Your stationary is a kind of marketing tool. It also acts as your identity when it arrives in the office of an associate halfway across the country, or in the mailbox of a potential customer in the town where you live. How do you want people to see you? The way your business stationary looks can have a lot to do with the way you and your business are perceived by others. Even the logo that you use on your letterhead can have an effect on the way you and your company are thought of by those you do business with, and by those who are your current and potential customers.

A carefully chosen logo can help to express your personality. You may want to do some research before you settle on a certain logo, for there is a chance that someone else may have come up with one just like it, and their interpretation may have a meaning that you do not want associated with your business! You won’t have this problem if you allow one of the trustworthy online letterhead printing services to design a logo for you that will belong to you and your business alone.

Colour can play an important role in any letterhead stationary that is used for business. While you don’t want to use a bright electric blue, pink, or green colour that screams for attention, you don’t necessarily have to use a white, gray, or beige stationary to seem businesslike. The online printer you choose should have all of the colours in their inventory available for you to look over using your monitor, and can be of great help in helping you to select a colour that will be right for your business. Often, the design of the stationary has a great deal to do with the colour.

The type of paper that you select for your letterhead stationary can also have an impact on how your potential customers and business associates see you and your business. There are several grades of paper that you may want to consider for your stationary, such as the economy grade, which usually has no watermark. If your budget will allow, it is best to choose stationary with a watermark, as it just looks more expensive. Paper for stationary also comes in different finishes, such as linen finish, smooth finish, or a laid finish. Use your own best judgement as to which of these will work best for you.

Your business stationary and letterhead printing is a big part of the total picture for your business. Take the time to choose wisely!

Business Stationary and Letterhead Printing Tips is a post from: Australian Trade Printing Articles

Letterhead Printing Services and Your Business Identity

Robert Stevens — Mon, 09 Mar 2009 08:38:38 +0000

You probably never thought of a business letterhead as a useful marketing tool, but that is exactly what it is, among other things. You are marketing yourself, as well as your business. A well-planned letterhead lets your customers as well as your prospective customers know who you are, and what your standing is when it comes to your business. If you are the business owner, the letterhead should indicate that. If you are a partner in the business, the letterhead should indicate that you are. Letterhead printing requires some thought!

Some people think that a letterhead is not needed in this day and time. They neglect to realize that a letterhead gives you and your business an air of authority. It shows beyond a shadow of a doubt that you know how to get things done, and properly, too. Letterheads have always been an indication to some people that you are a “real” business, and when people see yours, they will instantly recognize both you as the letter writer, and your business from the information that is printed in the letterhead. Your identity as a business is assured with a properly designed letterhead.

Your company has a personality all its own, and the letterhead you choose can reveal that personality to your customers as well as your prospective customers. If your business is carpet cleaning, your letterhead should contain a graphic design that has to do with the image you want folks to have of your carpet cleaning business. If your business is selling clothing, then a graphic design that represents fashion would be perfect to create the image you want to project.

Keep in mind that the look of your letterhead is very easy to change. Simply alter the ink color, the font used, the size of the font used, or the placement of the company logo, and you have a different look for your letterhead. Of course, this will be much easier for you to accomplish if you use the services of an online printing company. The best of these will have a graphic designer on hand to help customers in the design of their printed items.

A letterhead should definitely look as if it was created by a professional. You don’t want ink smears, budget paper, or mismatched envelopes to give away the fact that you printed your own letterhead stationery. The use of letterhead printing services are very cost effective when you think of all the time and effort you would have to put into doing a good job at a self-printing project.

Moreover, speaking of envelopes, you want to make sure that the envelopes that you use with your letterhead stationary will match in paper type, color, font and font size. You can ever negotiate with the online printing company you choose to have return address stickers printed that will match both the letterhead stationery and the envelopes.
Remember, your letterhead is going to represent both you and your company. Take the time to plan what will go out into the world as your representative!

Letterhead Printing Services and Your Business Identity is a post from: Australian Trade Printing Articles