Marketing Tips: Excellent web site source for all things paper, print and design

Ed by NewPage Corporation (paper manufacturer) has put together an amazing site of all things paper, print and design. It includes some great examples of interactive marketing campaigns.

A really great example is tip #14 Getting Personal - especially the story on the advertising campaign to promote the Olympus PEN digital camera. The campaign had interactive site - participants saw themselves onscreen with a 3-D Olympus PEN in their hands and could interact with camera!

Check it out at http://edliveshere.com

For more tips, follow Wilson Printing on Facebook and Twitter!

Marketing Tips: Cross Channel Marketing

What Is Cross Channel Marketing?
Every successful business uses multichannel marketing, utilizing more than one channel in their marketing mix, for example direct mail, email, text messages, and online social networks. Cross channel marketing uses one or more marketing channels to promote a marketing initiative that uses another channel.


Increase Direct Mail Response and ROI Through Online Channels
A perfect example of using a cross channel marketing approach is pre-publicizing a direct mailing though online channels. Use your Facebook, Twitter, email and text messaging to tell people to look in the mail for the soon to be arriving piece. This method can be used to promote the mailing of a product catalog, season brochure, or donation request.

Timing is critical with integrated cross channel marketing; make sure that the online publicity is distributed before the direct mail piece is expected to arrive.


Increase Traffic to Your Online Content With Direct Mail
Conversely, one of the best ways to publicize your online content is using your printed marketing collateral. You may have people in your direct mail database that have not visited your web site, Facebook, LinkedIn or Twitter pages. Let them know about your online presence by giving them a link!

One way to accomplish this is by including a QR Code on your direct mail piece that links to your online content. QR Codes can link to not just your web site, but to any URL including Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter pages.

You can track the number of times people go to the web page via the QR Code by using a service like bit.ly. Bit.ly shortens long URLs and tracks the number times people visit a link via the shortened URL. Using a shortened URL has the additional advantage of having less data so the QR Code image is easier to read by smartphones. Here is an example QR Code using a bit.ly shortened URL to Wilson Printing's Twitter page.

QR Code to Wilson Printing's Twitter page using a bit.ly shortened URL http://bit.ly/ijWaoZ

A great example of using print marketing collateral to increase online traffic is in the Forms+Surfaces Architectural Surfaces catalog we profiled in our last newsletter. They included a QR Code on their Additional Resources page that links to a web page to sign up for their eNews.

Forms+Surfaces catalog with QR Code to web site.

Important! Make sure that the web page you are directing the customer's smartphone to is compatible with smartphones! When creating and testing QR Codes, smartphones have difficulty scanning a CRT monitor, so print the QR Code to test. Also, not everyone has access to a smartphone with a QR Code scanner application, so make sure you include the actual URL address wherever you use a QR Code in a printed piece and link the graphic if it is online.

For more marketing tips follow Wilson Printing on Facebook and Twitter.

Make Sure Your Documents Are Bound Perfectly!

Are you responsible for your company's annual reports? Product brochures? Catalogs? Are you sure that they aren't losing pages?

Since opening 36 years ago, Wilson Printing has printed and bound thousands of annual reports, books, brochures, and catalogs. We recently purchased a new, hot glue, perfect binder - the Bourg BB3002. There is a great reason why we decided to purchase the Bourg BB 3002 - it provides superior binding.

What makes the Bourg BB3002 a superior binding machine and why should you use it?

• 3 cylinder gluing process provides superior binding. Binders with fewer gluing processes can result in loose pages.
• Automated side glue rollers that adjust to every book, providing a cleaner and stronger bind.
• Channel scoring which is far superior to older processes that rely on rotary scoring disks which have a tendency to skew, crack, or delaminate covers and can mis-align spine printing.
• Low bundle follower insures that book block is perfectly gathered resulting in more consistent page lineup.
• Cover nipping station with 4 quality assurance controls to achieve highest quality possible.
• Soft reception conveyor design prevents damage to spine of finished books.

So next time you're looking for the best printing and binding service, give Wilson Printing a call!

For more marketing tips, follow Wilson Printing on Facebook and Twitter.

Upcoming Contest Deadlines

Winning an award for your design is a great way to gain that recognition you deserve. Last year, we won the Premier Print Award for Brochure Printing for the Granada's 2010/2011 Season Brochure!

If you would like to get recognition for your work, or just looking for some design inspiration, here are some links to upcoming contests. Hopefully you will have the opportunity to enter and win. Let us know if you do!

American Business Awards Recognizing Achievement in Every Facet of Work Life (2010 contest closes April 27, 2011)

American Design Awards (2011 Summer Design contest closes August 15, 2011 )

ARC Awards Honoring Excellence in Annual Reports (2011 contest closes May 5, 2011)

Association of Marketing and Communication Professionals MarCom Awards (2011 awards closes September 16, 2011)

HOW Magazine's In-HOWse Awards Giving Recognition to In-House Designers (current contest closes May 2, 2011)

The International Davey Awards Honoring the Creative Excellence of Smaller Agencies and Companies (7th Annual contest closes October 1, 2011)

League of American Communications Professionals Vision Awards Honoring Excellence in Annual Report Design (2010 design contest closes May 13, 2011)

Wilson Printing is proud to be the printer of choice for many award winning designers, business professionals, and organizations. If you've won an award for your work, let us know! We'd love to let other people know about your excellent work!

Answers to Poster Printing FAQs!

After over 36 years of printing, Wilson Printing has seen quite a bit of poster printing. We also have seen poster printing change - especially with recent integration of QR Codes making posters interactive. So we decided to put together some info on posters!

Answers to Poster FAQs:

What size posters can you print? We can print any size up to 41.5" in one direction. Some typical sizes include 16" x 24", 24" x 36", and 40" x 75".

Do you print high quality art prints? I would like to make a poster of a photo and have it framed. Yes, we can print very high quality art prints and also recommend the best papers for you to use. We recommend that if you plan on framing your print, you should buy the frame first and format your image size to fit the frame. If you have someone print first and it is an unusual size, custom framing can get very expensive.

We need small handouts and posters. What's a good size to design for? A good size for smaller sized handbills is 5.5" x 8.5" and 4.25" x 5.5", and flyers at 8.5" x 11". These sizes allow us to setup multiple copies of your piece on a single page, making it less expensive for you.

Can you print a low cost poster for us? Yes, we can print economical, good quality color posters up to 12" x 18" on our Docucolor color laser printer.

Can you mount posters on a hard backing? Yes, we can mount posters on either black or white foam board / foam core / Gator board / PVC board.

We need posters for outdoor use. Do you print UV resistant posters? Yes, we can print on either gloss stock or vinyl canvas (scrim vinyl) with UV resistant inks for durable outdoor signage our large format printers up to 42" on one length (effective print area is 41.5", the other length depending on length of roll.)

We need a large run of high quality color posters. How large of a poster can you print? We can print large runs of posters up to 19" x 27" in full color on our Lithrone press (offset process.)

Can you customize or personalize posters without us having to submit a design for each version? Yes, we can print customized or personalized posters up to 12" x 18" on our Indigo printer. For example, we can print one poster design and digitally modify each poster to have a different address, or image, or any other element that you would like to be personalized.

Can you print us a poster that will automatically call our ticket office? Yes, we can! (Well, not automatically. We can add QR Codes to your poster design that, when scanned, will call your ticket office.)

For all of your printing needs - posters, business cards, books, brochures, stationary... visit our web site or give Wilson Printing a call today at 805-964-8875!

Wilson Printing - Printer of Choice for Santa Barbara International Film Fest

Wilson Printing is proud to be the printer of choice for the 26th Santa Barbara International Film Festival.

In addition to printing the SBIFF brochures, posters and pocketguides - we also printed promotional cards for movies being shown at the SBIFF such as Benavides Born.

While The SBIFF is world re-known for the diversity of films, we recommend you check out some of the excellent Santa Barbara related movies (see list below.)

Benavides Born, directed by Amy Wendel, from Santa Barbara based production company Kapok Pictures:

Luz Garcia, a high school senior in a forgotten Texas town, wants something different than the options awaiting her after graduation. She's earned a ticket out with admission to the University of Texas at Austin, but she can't afford to go. Her one shot is a scholarship for winning the State Powerlifting Championship. It's all or nothing for Luz . . . until nothing stares her in the face.

Tuesday, Feb 1 - 7:20PM Metro 4

Wednesday, Feb 2 - 1:00PM Metro 4

Thursday, Feb 3 - 10:20PM Metro 4

All Alone, directed by Jon Cellini

An intense, character-driven suspense that examines trust, relationships, desperation, sex, and asks the question, 'how alone are we?' And most importantly 'who is getting out of the woods alive?'
Friday, Jan 28 - 10:00PM Lobero Theatre

Bringing King to China, directed by Kevin McKiernan. *World Premier

This film is a father's 'love letter' to his adult daughter, a young Santa Barbara woman struggling to bring Martin Luther King's dream of non-violence to China.

Sunday, Jan 30 - 7:45PM Lobero Theatre

Wednesday, Feb 2 - 4:00PM Santa Barbara Museum of Art

Destination Orcas, directed by Erik Hatch.
*World Premier.

A 16 day skateboard adventure from Santa Barbara, CA to Orcas Island, WA. Four of the most infamous skateboarders in Santa Barbara hop in a rental van and explore the US West Coast.

Saturday, Feb 5 - 9:30PM Santa Barbara Museum of Art

Killing Memories, directed by Pete Pepper.

The story of five men who served together in Vietnam who return to meet their enemies and confront their past.
Tuesday, Feb 1 - 7:00PM Lobero Theatre

Thursday, Feb 3 - 10:00AM Santa Barbara Museum of Art

Last Man in Paradise, directed by Michael James Love, Tina Love.
*World Premier

Filmed in Santa Barbara, a documentary about one man's quest to save a slice of history. An eccentric champion of the history of humble things faces bulldozers as he fights for his unique cabin off Paradise Road.
Monday, Jan 31 - 7:00PM Santa Barbara Museum of Art

Tuesday, Feb 1 - 10:00AM Santa Barbara Museum of Art

That Side of a Shadow, directed by Ricky Fosheim.
*World Premier

Two best friends must rob the gas station they work at in order to pay off a debt.
Sunday, Jan 30 - 7:00PM Santa Barbara Museum of Art
Tuesday, Feb 1 - 10:30PM Metro 4

To Be Friends, directed by Jim Eckhart.

Filmed in Santa Barbara County, this is a story of how unrequited love orchestrates one last chance for two lifelong friends to explore the boundaries and connections of their relationship, finally finding love just as it is lost forever.

Saturday, Jan 29 - 10:00PM Lobero Theatre

Sunday, Feb 6 - 5:00PM Metro 4

6 Generations: A Chumash Family History, directed by Paul Goldsmith.

The story of six generations of Chumash women from the Spanish mission days to the present.
Monday, Jan 31 - 7:00PM Lobero Theatre

Sunday, Feb 6 - 8:05AM Metro 4

Get Your FREE 2011 Desktop Calendar

The famous Wilson Printing desktop calendar is now available! This is our large 17" x 22" format desk calendar with the fish images everyone seems to love. If you don't have a 2011 desk calendar yet, Wilson Printing still has a quantity on hand. Come by and pick up a free one, or call your Wilson Printing rep to bring you one.