Category: Print — Tags: online media, Print, print media — dave @ 10:04 am
When it comes to reading traditional print publications online, The New York Times reigns king.
Experian Hitwise data gathered in September showed nearly four percent of traffic to print media websites went to www.nytimes.com.
The Times is followed by USA Today at a distant second and, on the newspaper side at least, The Washington Post as a solid third.
But when it comes to actual circulation, the number of papers distributed each day, the scoreboard is quite different.
The Wall Street Journal, which doesn’t appear on the Hitwise list (likely because of its subscription cost), is above USA Today and more than double The Times’ weekday subscription.
The San Jose Mercury News and Los Angeles Times are also major players in print that don’t make the list.
One other interesting note, is the appearance of the Daily Mail, which is a British tabloid.
Hitwise measures traffic to more than a million websites by about 10 million Internet users in America each day.
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Category: Marketing, Print — Tags: advertising, Marketing, Print, QR Codes — dave @ 9:39 am
Source: Russell Herder
Whether you know what they are or not, QR codes are everywhere.
But just because someone sees them doesn’t mean they know what they are, or, more importantly, how to use them.
Not surprising, younger people (especially 18- to 34-year-old men) and those with smart phones are more likely to know what they are, according to a study by Russell Herder.
What was surprising was that only 31 percent of those surveyed said the outcome of their QR code was worth the effort – especially if they had to re-scan.
The study also offers some advice for marketers [read it here].
In general, know who your audience is and who you are targeting. Are they ready for or already using QR codes?
Really think about where your codes are going and put yourself in the mindset of an audience member who might be interested in scanning. Is it possible? Are there time limitations? Will they have their phone with them? What will they get in return for scanning? Is it worthwhile?
Also, how is your QR code standing out? Are people overlooking the codes on your printed material?
If you need some help figuring out how to make QR codes work for you, ask the experts here at imPress Printing.
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Category: Design, Print — Tags: Print, printed materials, senses, smell — dave @ 7:04 am
Remember those scratch-and-sniff stickers from when you were a kid? That concept can really work for adults too, especially if used properly and combined with the right message.
Today we call that fragrance printing. It’s done by mixing chemicals into inks and/or paper coatings. And it really works. Whether you’re a perfume manufacturer or make cookies, you can give your customers a taste (figuratively) right out of their mailbox.
Have you considered if you’re reaching multiple senses in your printed material?
Visually, the colors you use will have a huge impact on how your message is perceived.
Here’s another chart, which also points out that different countries and cultures have some different meanings, connotations, etc. for colors.
Not all papers are the same
What kind of paper are you using? Nothing says cheap like a thin business card. At the same time, you don’t want paper for some items so thick it requires extra shipping.
Do you want a glossy finish or perhaps you want a more natural look? If you’re a non-profit raising money, you want to look organized but not like you’re spending thousands of dollars on some flashy mailer.
Have questions or need some help reaching your customers’ senses? Let the experts at imPress printing help!
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Category: Print — Tags: Print, print on demand, printed materials — Sarah @ 12:23 pm
Imagine what it would be like to just close your eyes, visualize the print products you need for your business, scream ABRACADABRA!, and marvel as your printed materials magically appeared instantly!
Now, we’ll have you imagine something just slightly less cool but actually possible.
Imagine what it would be like if you could go to your computer, type a few letters and click a few times, and know your printed materials are on their way.
That’s the power of print on demand.
Print and Promotional Items in TurboDrive Mode
Print on demand technology is a system built for large companies that need to order printed materials and promotional items often. It provides the company with a personalized online dashboard made up of templates of all of their printed pieces. This allows orders to be taken quickly and without the back and forth that is often required when developing printed materials.
If a company that used print on demand were to, for example, hire a new employee, the technology would make it simple to get new business cards and stationary in the works right away. Typically, a company with a new hire would have to call the printer, send over the new employee’s information, wait for a proof, approve the proof, and send it to print. But using a print on demand dashboard saves everyone time by skipping some of these steps. Since the template is readily available to the company itself, someone from the company can just enter the new information, look at the online proof that is generated, and get the printing going in a jiffy.
It may not quite as sweet as the magical telepathic instantaneous abracadabra scenario described back in our first paragraph…but it’s pretty close.
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Category: Print — Tags: electronic communication, Print, printed materials — Sarah @ 11:59 am
The world sure has become very digital, hasn’t it, guys?
From the Wii to the Facebook status, technology is making it possible to move away from the tangible and spend a lot of time in a virtual alternate reality. But are we eventually going to completely abandon the real world of things we can touch and taste and experience?
In a word…No.
And In 73 Words…
Let’s face it…humans are sensory creatures. And we don’t like letting our sense of sight have all the fun. We like to slip our feet into fuzzy socks, feel the warmth of a fire, and smell the aroma of our coffee. And there’s no way that viewing clipart of some dude drinking a cup of joe by the fire in his toe socks is ever going to satisfy us in the same way.
Tangible Lets Your Senses Play
We get some of that sensory appeal from printed items, too. Printed materials are the tangible way to relay messages. Because we can hold postcards and brochures in our hands, we can experience their unique textures. Some printed materials are even enhanced with 3-D features or scents to give our senses more playtime. Heck, you could even pop a postcard in your mouth if you really wanted to.
Although the same messages can be communicated through the digital world, a computer screen just can’t provide textures, smells, or that special paper-y taste.
Printing is Forever
The permanence of printed materials are another reason they won’t be bumped into the world of the obsolete. That beautiful wedding invitation or Christmas card can be cherished as a keepsake for years in a way that an image on an iPhone cannot. And the army of scrapbookers and sentimental grandmothers out there would never stand for a world without print.
A Bright Future for Printing
Virtual significant others, virtual flowers, and virtual food fights on Facebook still have not replaced the real things. And we’re pretty sure e-vites and e-mail aren’t going to totally take over the communication world either. There are plenty of occasions where electronic communication is helpful, useful, and maybe even preferred. But you’ll never be able to run your hand over it the way you can with a high quality printed piece…and that’s why print is definitely here to stay.
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