Presume for a moment you are the owner of a small business and you find yourself in need of printing services. Ok. So, you start doing some research, perhaps even asking some colleagues about who you should call. You get a few names of printers and you call and set up appointments to meet with them. Then the thought hits you either before your meetings or during, "I don't know a thing about printing!" There's really no reason to go into this blindly. Chances are you'll be spending a fair amount of money on printing services for your business. And, it's really not that difficult to be informed about what you're spending your hard-earned cash on. Over the years that I've been in the printing business, as I speak with business owners or their managers, I have compiled a short list of their more Frequently Asked Questions.
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l. When I order printing or look at my invoices I see "codes" as 1/0. What does that mean? I suspect it's a code to determine how much I'm going to be charged!
Answer: Actually, it's one of the most common and essential ways to determine how a print job should be produced. Here are the most common you'll see:
1/0 = Black&White Front/Plain Back
1/1 = Black&White Front & Back
4/0 = Color Front/Plain Back
4/1 = Color Front/Black&White Back
4/4 = Color Front & Back
2. What does UV mean?
Answer: UV is a way of coating a business card, brochure or other printing so it has a hard and shiny surface that will withstand humidity and rough handling. It makes a nicer appearance but is difficult to write on. I often recommend UV on one side but either gloss or matte on the other side so it can be written on. Gloss and matte are two other ways to coat your printing to enhance appearance.3. What does it mean when my sales rep asks if I want a "bleed?" Should this make me nervous?
Answer: Nerves of steel not required! A "bleed" means that the color will go to the edge of the paper with no white border showing around the edges.
4. What is a "reverse?"
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| Screen Printing Examples |
5. Well, then, what is a "screen?"
Answer: A "screen" is a muted version of a reverse. "Screens" can be adjusted to be bold enough to almost appear as a screen ... or, they can be very subtle.
6. I'm seeing more and more printing (brochures, business cards, invoices, etc.) with rather strange looking boxes. Since they're becoming so prevalent, I'm assuming they must be important. What are they?
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| Custom Designed QR Code |
7. My eyes glaze over when my sales rep tries to
describe the various kinds of paper I can use.
Is there any way to help me understand the differences in paper?
Answer: The "bad news" is that the single most complicated aspect of printing is paper selection. Different papers evolved over many years with many types of manufacturing ... each with its own jargon for describing their products. The "good news" is that because of some comprehensive charts and tables that PostNet has, we can show you samples of virtually all papers regardless of what they are called by the manufacturers.
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Keep this list as a reference. It will help you make better informed decisions regarding your printing needs. And, we all know that better informed decisions yield increased efficiency and lower costs. And, just as important, it will be obvious to your printer that you have done your homework and are an informed consumer.
