Categories for Printer’s Advice

How to Make Your Company Stand Out in a Drastically Digital World

Posted on April 25, 2018, by Progressive Printing Team

 Social Media AdvertisingWith continuous advances in technology, industries of all kinds are working hard to stay up-to-date with the latest trends in order to remain a top contender. More so than ever before, businesses are using digital marketing techniques to promote their brand–and while the printing industry may seem like an ancient concept, according to recent reports, print is not only coming back with a bang, it’s also trending.

A 2017 article published by PrintingImpressions stated that Idealliance is anticipating that commercial printing industry sales will grow from 1.5% to 3.0% in 2018. Why the sudden increase in sales? For one, successful marketing (in this day and age) is largely equated with how well a company can advertise through personalization and visualization. In fact, the marketing realm relies heavily on visually communicating with the customer. More and more businesses are coming up with creative ways to use digital media to spread their message and raise brand awareness. With the revival of print, you don’t only have to stand out online, there’s an entire offline world ready to be explored. Equipped with some pointers from our fellow Vistaprint Corporate, and thorough research of our own, we’re here to tell you what your company can do to not get lost in the digital crowd.

Read More

Visuals: How do They Influence the Consumer?

Posted on April 18, 2018, by Progressive Printing Team

We live in a world that is inundated with visuals. Everywhere we look, there is a billboard, a sign, an ad, or a commercial. It almost seems like you just can’t escape. With technological advancements and companies constantly competing to unveil the latest, trendiest apps, we have unlimited access to visuals–right from screens of our cell phones. Over the years it has become evident, especially in sales and marketing, that the more visual, the more powerful the message. Companies are increasingly using all kinds of visuals and image-based platforms to set their brands apart.

Social MediaSocial media sites such as Pinterest, Etsy, Tumblr, Instagram, Facebook, and many more are all about visuals. In a way, visual marketing is an entire language on its own–a universe of colors and images that elicit emotion, action, and communication. So, how do visuals actually affect the consumer? Is there a part of our human brains that are wired to be drawn to aesthetics? There are certainly studies to back this theory. From color psychology to emotional design–there are undoubtedly factors that influence how a consumer views a product. Have you ever been in a store and wanted to buy a product that you don’t really need, but feel compelled to because it’s just “so pretty”? Have you ever watched a food channel and drooled over the presentation of certain meals? You can’t actually smell or taste it–but you can visualize how delicious it must be.

Read More

Going Green in a World of White

Posted on April 5, 2018, by Progressive Printing Team

Paper industry impact on Forestry The printing industry has not been known to have a friendly relationship with our environment. For decades, paper has come from the demolition of nature’s very own trees–among other materials. While the damage to our environment may have seemed inevitable, in recent years printing companies have taken measures to ensure they minimize the harm on our surroundings. At PrintIT4Less.com, we are proud to be one of the companies that tries to lessen the effects printing has on our environment.

What exactly is paper and how did it become a mass industry product?

 In our early days of school, we were taught that paper comes from trees. However, from the beginning of time, ancient civilizations used a variety of materials for writing and inscriptions–from cotton and bamboo to silk. The word “paper” is actually derived from the term papyrus, which is the Ancient Greek word for the Cyperus papyrus plant. Papyrus is a thick, paper-like material produced from the Cyperus papyrus plant. This writing material was widely used by the Ancient Egyptians and early Mediterranean societies. Interestingly enough, the first paper-making process was recorded in China during the Eastern Han period. In the 8th century, paper-making had spread from China to the Islamic nations, where pulp mills and paper mills were used to make what most of the world is after today: money. When the 11th century came around, paper making was introduced to medieval Europe, where it received an upgrade by using paper mills with waterwheels. Yet, it was up to the Western World to improve the paper making process in the 19th century when we invented wood-based products, using the fibers from wood pulp.

Read More

5 Budget Friendly Logo Design Solutions

Posted on December 7, 2017, by Progressive Printing Team

Why you need a logo design

Marketing has never been easier with the introduction of social media advertising and with the use of smart phones that advertising is constantly at your fingertips. Logos are the way the new generation relates to your company because business logos are now virtually everywhere in advertisements, online listings, and social media. In order to compete, you’re going to need a logo.

Read More

What is wide format printing?

Posted on September 21, 2017, by Progressive Printing Team

Wide format printing is a term used in reference to printing banners, posters, wall stickers, and other large print projects. Wide format signs and banners are perfect for advertising. Capture your audience’s attention with large print and stunning colors and designs. The room for creative design is almost limitless when working with large format. You pick the size. Then create your artwork.

Read More

Designing a Job Work Order Form in Microsoft Word

Posted on April 27, 2017, by Progressive Printing Team

Job work order forms are a written contract between you and a client for services or materials. The most common elements found on a work order include customer’s billing and shipping address, customer’s name, ordered by, order taken by, description of work, materials, and an authorized signature. The order form may also include employee time spent on the job.

What goes on your work order depends on your industry and how you run your business. The best part of designing your own form is that you have complete control over layout and design. You can leave out the parts you don’t need in favor of expanding the areas that need the most space.

To help you get started, let’s take a look at creating a simple work order form using Microsoft Word. For this business, we will focus the most on creating a large area for materials and job description.

Read More

Do you need your contractor’s license number on your business forms?

Posted on May 26, 2016, by Progressive Printing Team

custom-formsObtaining a business license plays a significant role in the life of an entrepreneur. Those numbers following your business name provides not only security for your business but for those that use your services. Being a licensed business owner should be something to take pride in and there’s no reason to hide your license number on any printed material. Unless of course, you have something to hide!

Read More

Keeping Informed: Business Form Requirements in the State of Texas

Posted on February 25, 2016, by Progressive Printing Team

serviceinvoicetexasLicensed contractors are required by the State of Texas to provide specific information on all printed materials. These specifications can change on a regular basis and it is up to the contractor to stay informed. Back in 2012, we posted a publication to help Electricians and HVAC contractors find information about form requirements for the State of Texas but since then some of the information has become outdated. Today, we will be covering some of the changes we’ve discovered concerning invoice requirements in the State of Texas.

Read More

Printing your forms in full color vs gray-scale

Posted on November 20, 2015, by Progressive Printing Team

639 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.

Read More

What does it mean to add consecutive numbering to forms?

Posted on November 8, 2013, by Progressive Printing Team

Invoice numbering

Numbering forms means that numbers will be printed in consecutive order on your forms. For example, if your starting number is 0001 and you’ve ordered 500 forms, then your forms will be numbered from 0001-0501 in ascending order. This reference number is usually located at the top right and printed in red ink. However, it can be printed on any side of the form as long as there is room for the printer to print the numbers.

Other printed material, like valet tickets, can also have sequential numbering.

Read More