Like all of our sister divisions in ARC, we are focusing a great deal on helping our customers create awareness of their services, products and value through the production of outstanding promotions.  If your plans for 2010 include promotion – whether that be a POP display, signage, or other high-impact displays – here are five tips for creating an eye-popping and value-oriented projects.

Tip#1: More dots aren’t always better; it’s the type of dot that counts

Color quality is often assumed to be a factor of resolution – the denser the pixel count, the better. And while that’s a safe bet for computer monitors and television screens, it can be misleading when it comes to printed materials. When you discuss your project with our production staff, make sure to describe what you’re trying to achieve and how the sign or display will be used. Are you looking to impress, capture attention, or simply inform? Will it hang from the ceiling? Adhere to a storefront window? Mount to a frame to be seen from the sidewalk or road?

With a huge variety of output options and substrates (see Tip #2), we can help you determine not only the quality of print you need, but the best output device, as well as the best value for your project. If you can accomplish your goals with a high-end inkjet print and forgo the continuous-tone, photographic-quality print you had in mind, you might be able to reallocate your budget to include some cool mounting alternatives, or a custom cut-out.

Tip #2: What you print it on is just as important as what you print

Toner, like ink, is absorbed into a substrate; how much it’s absorbs often determines how vibrant the color is. Over the years, paper manufacturers have put as much R&D into how papers react to digital printing technologies as they previously did with offset presses, and the differences are huge. Papers with “hard” finishes are typically more expensive, but not always. If you laminate your pieces, any shine you might be looking for from the paper will be overwhelmed by the finishing process, so why pay for it?

Likewise, if you use a “softer” finish paper, too much resolution (see Tip #1) will result in muddy color as the dots bleed and blur as the toner is absorbed in the substrate. A quick talk with our production department can steer you in the right direction.

Tip #3: Cut-outs capture attention

Not every job needs a cut-out of a celebrity in front of it to capture people’s attention, but shaping your display can make a big difference in how it’s perceived. Got a coffee cup that’s prominent in the graphic? Print it separately on a direct-to-substrate printer and have our production department use our high-speed, robotic cutters to slice out everything from the handle to the steam coming out of the cup! Flat displays have their place, but silhouettes and layered graphics add dimensionality that can sometimes draw more attention that the most vibrant color.

Tip #4: Installing your ideas

The graphic that was meant to turn heads can easily be ignored if it’s in the wrong place, lit poorly, or hung upside down (it happens, believe us!). We can’t say it enough: Talk to us about your objectives and the context in which your promotional graphic will be used. We have professionals who can not only fit your print on an arched ceiling, but who can recommend the proper hardware and lighting considerations for all the great work you do.

Tip #5: Choose your supplier carefully (Hint, hint)

Anyone can talk about how good their service is and how talented their people are, but the proof is in the pudding – so make sure to taste the pudding! We’d like to invite you in to see the variety of production options that are open to you. A shop tour can be an eye-opening experience. It can also give you the chance to talk about options, ideas and new techniques or technologies to get you ready for your next big project, before the deadline is bearing down on you. Call us today and schedule an hour in our facilities; we think you’ll walk away impressed and excited about your next promotion.

We’ve got more great information to share with you on how to make your projects work harder. To talk with one of us about your next job, click here.

What would you do?  Alert the mail room?  Put the local delivery company on standby and prepare to pay exorbitantly?  Our client wisely chose to have us send their documents via ishipdocs, a digital shipping system which skirts the security and customs lines and gets your documents where they need to go, when they’re needed.

With ishipdocs we were able to send the needed files to Australia with a keystroke, have them printed there and delivered within hours – 36 hours in all from the moment they were sent from Houston to the time they reached their intended destination in Darwin, Australia.

No flight delays, customs checks, exorbitant shipping charges.  Something to consider next time you’re up against a deadline, wouldn’t you agree?  If you feel ishipdocs might be able to help you solve your next shipping crisis, click the ishipdocs link to learn more.

To learn more, click here and we’ll be in touch shortly.

With its intuitive touch-screen interface, all you need is an Internet connection. No additional software, or extra equipment – it resides right on board the printer itself making plan printing easy, convenient and portable. How would you use EasyPrint and why would it come in handy?

A Chicago-based home furnishings company put four sets of KIP 3100 wide-format printers equipped with EasyPrint to good use recently, placing them on jobsites to handle print services for construction and project management teams as new stores are built.

PlanWell EasyPrint for KIP gives them instant access to their documents and the ability to print them any time those documents are needed.

Want to make PlanWell EasyPrint a part of your company’s document management arsenal? Click HERE.