Is your printed matter a cost or an investment?
I regularly put this question to clients and relations in the making. It seems like a simple question, but often people find it difficult to give a very clear answer.
My intention with this question is to make people think again about what they want to do with the printed matter.
If you see printed matter as a cost item, then it seems to me to be very easy to achieve savings. Then just scratch it. Saves printing costs, design costs, photography costs, costs for texts, postage costs. And it can be achieved with one stroke of the pen.
Nevertheless, there are many clients who do not make this choice. In fact! After years in which the internet was canonized by many a marketer, we see the last year that more and more clients are giving printed matter a more prominent role in their marketing mix.
Take the recent example of KLM, our national pride. Three years ago, the online version of the personnel magazine was chosen with full conviction. KLM is already returning to a paper edition of this magazine. The top man says the following about this: "In the digital environment that we now have, everything goes fast, everything is up to date and there is little room for rest. BLUE (new title of the magazine) is such a resting place amidst the hustle and bustle of the digital".
There is an important aspect to this statement. Of course, these days you have several ways to spread your message. But if you want your message to really stick, to appeal to the feeling of the recipient and, where possible, to stimulate it, then paper remains an excellent means of achieving this.
With printed matter on special tactile paper and with a beautiful binding method, there are endless possibilities to present your message in a suitable way. It usually starts with a beautiful design, which is made by a good, passionate designer. It may be clear that design is a profession, you don't leave that to the first best. At least not if you want to be distinctive. Then you get good lyrics written. Because describing your USPs concisely and captivatingly without being too technical or using too much professional jargon is also an art in itself. Then photography! In a world where images are becoming more and more important, an indispensable facet of a fascinating expression. Unfortunately, many people nowadays think that with a modern IPhone you are also a photographer. But making inspiring and above all good quality photos that are also easy to reproduce is not something that everyone is given, for that you have to be with a professional!
Therefore, with knowledge and skill, you can make a difference. Unfortunately, we often hear from designers and photographers that their customers regularly choose to place the printed matter themselves with a printer. But how do people judge the specific qualities of their printer? And why is it that in the design process there is often room for good photography, good design, professional texts, but that the printed matter is seen as a last resort? My personal opinion is that many people do not have the knowledge or experience to distinguish the differences between printing companies.
And what makes printed matter so beautiful or less beautiful? The answer lies in the right choice of paper combined with good lithography. By making a choice of paper that supports and thereby strengthens the design, you ensure that the recipient's senses are stimulated. That you stand out and therefore stand out! Unfortunately, a standard conversion of images is not always sufficient. I often hear that an uncoated paper is not chosen because the pressure on it was disappointing. The disappointing result, however, does not have much to do with bad printing, but with the fact that the preparation of the images (lithography) was not or not sufficiently well done.
NPN has the knowledge and attention for good lithography. Ensures expectations are managed, guides you through paper choices and ensures that your investment delivers the desired results.
If you would like to know how we can optimise your printed matter, please contact us, without any obligation of course. We also have a nice brochure that perfectly illustrates how the difference can be made by applying the right lithography. We will gladly send these to you.
Responses can be made via
[email protected] if you wish to receive distinctive printed matter!
NPN printers, makes a feeling tangible!
