When I signed up for mine., I entered my basic information (Name, Address, E-mail, etc) and then it asked me to choose 5 magazine’s that I was interested in.  I chose five random ones because I was just curious to see the articles that they would include for me.  I chose Travel and Leisure, Real Simple, In Style, Sports Illustrated and Golf Magazine.  The articles are chosen at random by the editors, and I will recieve 5 issues over the course of ten weeks.

What was interesting was the four completely obsurd questions that they asked me before I submitted my order.  I later found out that helps Lexus with the variable data portion of their ads.  There are 56 editorial combinations in all.  In one instance, an ad for the new Lexus discusses their new “Heads-up Display for keeping your eyes on the road because Route 6 can be tricky on your way to Cape Cod.”  That was, by far, the best use of variable data in the piece because some research actually went into where I lived.  The other ads featured my name, the town I live in, or utilized the answers to those obscure questions to personalize.

By now you’re probably wondering what those questions were?  Well, check out www.timecmg.com/mine/ to see them for yourself.

The question is, is this the future of printing?  We already know that on-demand is our future, but with the economy the way it is and the cost cutting nature of businesses’ now, are magazine companies going to stop printing complete magazines and offer you just the content you want? It’s an interesting proposition because most people don’t read magazine’s cover to cover – you read what you want, so why not be able to choose it?

Additionally, customers enjoy the chance to go “behind the scenes” whenever possible. Consider putting photos or a video of your office or facility up. Try your hand at ‘blogging’ to let people know what is happening at your company or to discuss recent news. If you aren’t familiar, a Blog is basically an online journal where people share thoughts such as reflections or opinions with new entries appearing in sequence as they are written. If you are reflecting on a written article whether it be in print or online, be sure to cite it appropriately. At Curley Direct, we blog whenever possible, so be sure to follow us by visiting curleydirect.com/blog.

Ever wonder what a printer is talking about when they ask you what substrate you’d like to use? In reality, a substrate is actually a scientific term that describes a surface on which an organism grows or is attached. In the printing world, a substrate is basically paper. It comes in many different weights and textures but in one word, it’s paper. Crazy, huh?

VDP is variable data printing, which may as well be an acronym because it means nothing to most people. Simply put, it is having the ability to change out text or images on the fly utilizing a digital press such as our HP Indigo. You can print multiple postcards on one sheet that each have different text or images on them by simply putting a code in the database.

Another acronym that is becoming more common is PURL. It stands for a personal URL. The URL is the address that you type into your browser to access a page. By personalizing it, you produce a different URL for each person receiving the letter or postcard. A sample is, “johndoe.companyoffer.com.” When John Doe logs onto his PURL, he will be greeted by name and any information pertaining to him will appear. This can become very complex and a great way to market your business, but too much to blog about – contact us to learn more!

Now that you’ve learned about these acronyms, if you’d like to do a VDP job on a specialty substrate incorporating a PURL campaign, head to our website to receive more information.

Being camera ready is a very important step in the print process.   “Camera Ready” is a term that means the files you have created are ready to go to press. One great example of a piece of camera ready artwork which is universally used by printers is a “PDF.” If you can create a PDF of your design, it will be ready to go to press. Just make sure to set the quality at the highest setting.

A lot of times people ask about good and bad design programs. For the most part, the industry suggests that it is probably a good idea to stear clear of Microsoft products when it comes to design. They are great for word processing or database management, but lack in many areas when it comes to page layout and design. Most printers and designers use Adobe Photoshop, Adobe InDesign, Adobe Illustrator and occasionally Quark Express. These programs are designed to work seamlessly with both digital and offset presses. While printers won’t have every design program, the good news is that most of the programs used can be converted into print ready documents such as PDF’s.

The resolution of your artwork files is the first, and most important factor, when it comes to print quality. To achieve the quality that you are looking for, be sure that your artwork or photos are at least 300 DPI. The way you save your files also has an effect on the quality of your print job. If you are using your digital camera, the photos right out of the camera without editing are a safe bet and usually maintain print ready quality.

A professional designer will be able to help you to create not only one design for a specific project, but will be able to help you create a look and feel that can be used with all of your collateral material.

Creating a consistant look throughout all of your pieces will help your existing clients recognize your work, as well as help you be identified by potential clients. It will also save you time and money in the long run because one design template can be used for all of your pieces.

If you have any questions regarding design for print or web, please contact Curley Direct online at www.curleydirect.com and we would be happy to answer your questions.

We flew down on Thursday, February 19th and hit the ground running.  Our first session started just hours after we landed and we didn’t stop until Saturday afternoon.  DSCOOP4 had record attendance – 1,300 people from all over the world!  There were 70 sessions so we all had to split up to go to as many as possible – it was a busy few days!  We came home energized about the future of the digital print industry, technology and what it all means for you – our clients!

One of the highlight’s of the conference was the keynote speaker Joe Theismann.  He was a great speaker and really conveyed his message of Managing to Win.  One of our favorite things that Joe had to say was to get out of your comfort zone.  We really want to pass along that to our clients.  As you read this, think about your business and your marketing strategies.  Have you met with us to see how you can further develop your business?  Just because the economy isn’t doing as well as we would like, this is the time to invest in your business.  If you’re interested in a business development session, let us know!

Check out a few photo’s from DSCOOP at www.curleydirect.com/photos.