Printing your forms in full color vs gray-scale

Full color business forms refers to one or more ink colors being printed on a single form. The cost for full color is significantly higher than one-color but there are some extra benefits. Company colors can be represented throughout the form, colorful headers divide the form into sections, and important information can stand out.

Before spending money on full color forms, it’s best to determine if the extra cost will be beneficial to your company.

When to use full color:

1. You need to emphasize your brand.

Most customers will recognize the brand logos of well-known companies by shape and color before they actually read

any text. Color and design play a huge roll in memory recall. If you’re wanting to make a mark on your customers and get people to recognize your brand, then paying the extra money for full color may be very beneficial to your company. Consider the type of form you’re getting printed, which part the customer will receive, and if the customer will be looking at it or just tossing it.

Note: Full color logos printed on yellow and pink carbon copies will not look the same as on the top white sheet. For a more in-depth explanation of this, read our blog post on printing full color images on NCR paper.

2. Your form has multiple sections that need to be clearly divided or for color coding.

For example, a company may do this on forms with multiple total fields so that they can use color coding for better accuracy.

3. Important information that customers must see

Sometimes big and bold isn’t enough. Companies will often use red ink to draw attention to warnings, important instructions, terms and conditions that are often over looked, and other important details that will affect the outcome of a job.

4. Because you can

If it is within in your budget and you think they look more professional with your full color logo, then go for it. Use colors throughout the form that compliment your logo. In a sea of black business forms, yours will stand out against all others in your field.

When to stick to gray-scale:

Gray-scale or one-color printing means that the entire form is printed in one ink color, including any images or logos. While this is the cheaper method, it doesn’t mean that it’s any less professional or nicer than full color. It’s a different method that doesn’t cost as much. There are many ways you can design a one-color form that will give you the professional look of a full color without the price tag.

1. Full color is only printed on the top sheet and usually customers receive a yellow or pink copy.

Many companies skip the full color option because of their filing system. If their company is holding onto the full color copy, then it defeats the purpose.

2. Forms get bent and creased while out on the job so what the customer sees isn’t all that pristine to begin with.

There aren’t many plumbing or landscapers that choose full color invoices because they tend to get banged up. Why dish out the cost for expensive forms when the customer is going to get a dirt smudged or creased form? In these cases it’s just more sensible to go with the cheaper method. Save the full color for estimates and other printed materials.

3. It’s just a business form and money is set aside for other full color advertisement.

Gray-scale forms can look just as expensive and pretty as full color forms but at half the cost. Most companies will spend their budget on other full color advertisements such as door hangers and postcards.

4. Not all forms are receipts and sometimes the customers will not keep a copy.

Many forms are just for a point of reference and if there is a chance the customer will just be tossing it away, then the extra cost may not be worth it.

Categorised in: Business Forms 101, Printer's Advice

This post was written by Progressive Printing Team

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