Category Archives: Guides

Maybe you’ve heard of EDDM, but didn’t know what it was. You’ve probably heard that it can help your business grow and that it is pretty good at spreading the word, but still don’t understand exactly what it is. EDDM stands for Every Door Direct Mail and it lets you pick the USPS route that will best apply to your business marketing. That’s right, you can send out postcards or mailers without the need for a specific address list! No need to pay for an expensive list? Mind blown. The mail carrier delivers your advertisement to EVERY house on their route, thereby getting your message out to as many potential customers as possible! “What’s the catch?” you may ask yourself. Well, the truth is that there are very specific rules for card sizes and layout guidelines that you must follow when setting up your mailer. The good news is that our experienced designers can help you make that eye-catching mailer that conforms to the post office requirements. Also, EDDM is casting a wide net; you may only catch a small percentage of fish, but the ones you catch could become customers for life. We know the rules and best practices so you don’t have to! Call us today! Here’s some more information on EDDM from the USPS.

Do you have a manuscript or report that is just a stack of loose pages? Let us pull those sheets together with one of the many binding options at P&B Print. Not all options are right for all types of bound materials, so here are just some of the possibilities we can use for your project:

Coil Binding / Spiral Binding

Probably the most common binding choice you’ll find at your local printer is coil binding, also known as spiral binding. It consists of a coiled strip of plastic that loops through holes punched into your paper. It is available in a variety of colors and sizes and is a sturdy and secure option for both thick and thin books.

Comb Binding

Comb binding (or GBC) is composed of a set of plastic “teeth” that are hooked into a set of square notches punched into the paper. You don’t see comb bound books as often, but they can still be found in the wild. The main advantage to this type of binding, is the ease of page removal and you can add new pages to the bound set without destroying the binding. The downside is that it isn’t the most secure of the options available to you. Books bound in this fashion lay flat when opened and it is best for thick books.

Tape Binding

The least secure of these three types of quick binding is the tape bind. It is a thin strip of book-binding tape that is coated in glue. The tape and the stack of pages are put into a machine that heats the glue on the strip and adheres it to the spine of the soon-to-be-book. Once it’s cool and dry, the glue holds the pages in a similar fashion to a book you might find in a store. The downside? You can’t really lay a tape bound book open flat. If you force it, the spine can crack and the glue could release some of the pages. Tape binding is good for manuscripts or something where a plastic spine would normally get in the way.

Saddle-Stitch

You’ve probably seen this type of binding in instruction manuals or small magazines. A large stack of printed paper is folded in half and then stapled at least twice along the spine to hold it together. This binding option is usually the cheapest and fastest, though it typically only holds around 20 sheets of larger paper (which translates to a 40-60 page document). Saddle-stitching is relatively strong and can lay flat when opened completely, though it will take a little smoothing out at first.

There are a few variations of these binding types that we haven’t covered, such as Perfect Binding and Wire Binding. They are basically more durable versions of tape binding and comb binding, respectively. These types are better, but harder to come by and are usually more expensive.

We hope this little primer helps you to choose the best option for your bookbinding project!

It’s that time of year again when a color is chosen to frame what Pantone sees as the next year’s story. 2018 is shaping up to be a year of retro-future aesthetics with their pick of “Ultra Violet” as their Pantone Color of the Year. It conjures images of deep space nebulae and 80’s retro-wave, as they invoke Prince and David Bowie in their description of this bright and bold color.

This particular shade of purple quite a contrast from 2017’s bright green, so start thinking about incorporating it into your collateral or marketing pieces now. Just because it’s a darker color, doesn’t mean it can’t be fun:

Whether you are preparing for an event, a party, or just trying to make sure you don’t forget anything on your vacation, you’ll need a list. Lists are a great way to keep track of items or tasks when you’re under a time crunch. I ALWAYS forget at least one thing when packing for a trip or going to the grocery store. Because of this, I started to make lists as I thought of something I would need to remember or bring. List-making is not only a useful practice when it comes to preparing for dinner, but it has also been an important part of business.

When you are getting everything together for a trade show your company will exhibit at, you will need to make sure you don’t forget the accouterments necessary for a successful show. Start with the big picture needs and get those off of your mind. Here’s an example:

• Secure booth space
• Book hotel room
• Rent a car

Next, start to drill down on the smaller and easier to forget items:

• Print booth banner
• Print business cards/handouts
• Create promo products
• Email signup sheets

Lastly, take it to the most granular level and make sure that you don’t forget the toothpaste, phone chargers, or your driver’s license.  Using this “Top Down” approach will help you get the easy-to-remember things out of the way and clear space for the smaller (yet equally important) needs. Once your list is started, add to it as things just “pop” in throughout the day. By the time you leave for your event, you’ll be as prepared as possible. You may still forget that extra pair of socks, but you’ll be better off than if you hadn’t outlined your needs.

We can help you with part of your list, too. If you need any printed materials or promo products, just let us know. We have a TON of different options at affordable prices and we may even be able to thing of a few things you forgot.

Here’s a great article that stresses the importance of list-making and gives you ideas for a few other important lists you can make.

 

This week marked our 3rd year in business and we couldn’t be more excited! Thank you all for sticking with us and allowing us to bring your ideas and projects to life. We are extremely grateful and humbled to have you as friends and clients. We are looking forward to another three years serving you and our community!