Why Are Color Copies So Expensive?

How Can You Get Affordable Online Printing ( And Cheap Color Copies ) by Understanding the Variables Involved in Pricing.

The question of how expensive color copies are, frequently comes up in small business entrepreneur and marketing meetings, in board meetings, and in budget planning discussions. And it’s not just about copies! everyone from entrepreneurs to C – Level executives wonders about the high perceived cost of brochures, collateral, catalogs, and how they can get cheaper copies!

There are several ways to look at this question of cost and expenses of color printing and printing in general.

Antagonistic View: We’ll try to understand why there are two antagonistic views of the same reality!

There are always two sides of a coin, and to validate or reject the statement in our title, we have to look at both sides of it.

Print Users – Print Buyers

Print Users! On one side we have the print-users, who need their printed materials for their marketing campaigns, or simply to operate their business.

Print users expect quality in their printed pieces, color ink matching, consistency in full-color runs, the use of the right paper, no see-through in double-sided printing, proper folding, and many other requirements.

This is the group that will grow the business, develop new business models and push forward. Print users care about overall growth and achievements.

Print buyers look at aspects related to cost, operations and efficiency

Print Buyers! On the other side we find the print buyer, who is usually part of a team working both in the digital and print worlds! At every organization there is someone whose job is, formally or informally, to act as a print buyer and has to ensure on-time delivery of color printing needs, overall print quality, deal with customer service departments that can make things happen, and make sure that there is compliance to a set of specifications, follow policies, get approvals and more. It is a tough job!

Print buyers are concerned about multiple factors — Print buyers are looking at different aspects in the operations, which include budget, reliability and profit for the organization

According to surveys done by NAPCO, a media news organization specialized in the printing market, print providers that make it easier for print customers to order jobs, monitor work status, control branding and better manage spending are preferred. Web to print portals and gaining access to private corporate portals can make a difference in the print buyer’s task.

Buyers deal with the printing companies, their production team, decide which printing services are needed, which printing presses are required, control printing costs, make sure that jobs are printed with the right ink color, with the proper technology, and at a proper price. Very often, they think of that price as the lowest price ever. Buyers usually have the perspective of “expenses” when dealing with vendors.

There’s always this conflict in the way in which the need to use printed materials is seen by one or another person depending on which ‘side of the coin’ they are on.

Print buyers and print users have different goals in their minds, which sometimes collide.

An antagonistic view of the need for printed materials — Both groups, print buyers and print users, have a different view about how things should be done, so it is frequent to have some opposed views and some internal conflicts

Want to understand the costs involved in the printing business? These are the drivers of cost in printing jobs:

Here are the basic factors that are involved in color copy pricing:

The main areas of concern for a commercial printing company are:

Building a stable and well-trained team
Work methodology and solid operations
Prepress software and techs to deal with job preparation
Production equipment including presses, cutters, folders, finishing equipment
Hundreds of raw materials, supplies, inks, toners, varnishes, parts
Quality assurance and quality control team
Logistics to make everything happen at the right time.

As in every industry, it is in the details where better products and services are born. Being detail-oriented as we are at ColorCopiesUSA adds cost to the operation.

You might think that a sheet of paper with ink on top can’t be that difficult to produce nor that it would be expensive!

How is it that ColorCopiesUSA.com is the online printing vendor that satisfies the needs of both print buyers and sellers?

ColorCopiesUSA has worked hard to develop our ‘5 Factor Formula for Online Printing Success’:

Quality
Affordability
Open communication
Best in class technology
State-of-the-art website platform – with the “don’t make me think” web platform concept, that allows our clients to place orders, design, repeat orders, and even get a private corporate store filled with the items that your organization needs.

Having mastered in every area required by printing operations, makes us uniquely positioned to be the online printing, copying and sign provider that satisfies the needs and requirements of both print buyers and print users throughout the United States and around the world.

Having built strategic relations with vendors, equipment manufacturers and with strong implementation of technology to support our operations, ColorCopiesUSA.com is the printing company that provides the highest level of service at the lowest cost for the company.

We make our clients’ lives easier. As a print buyer, we take off your shoulders most of the reasons for you to be concerned, and for the print user, the comfort and trust that their needs will be met in a timely manner, which will allow them to grow their business.

In conclusion, the expense of color copies depends on your viewpoint and perspective as a buyer or seller of color copies. There are a number of factors that impact the cost from the cost of paper and raw materials to logistics to technology and employee training. All play a part in determining whether you can get cheap color copies or not!

Looking for affordable color copies for your company?

Start a conversation so that we can understand what your main concerns are, and we’ll be able to explain how our different production skills and technologies, as well as our online presence can help you free resources in your organization.

Hi from lovely South Florida! The beach is here, and our Magical Everglades as well

This posting is about living in Florida. It is different and might feel disconnected from what we normally do in our business and more so from your business. That’s exactly the intention. We want to share a little bit about what we enjoy in our lovely South Florida, where we can all enjoy all of these natural resources.

Most of the time, when we connect with you, we talk about business, printing, trade shows, signs, and upcoming projects, and we miss the rest of our lives.

Your personal preferences might say that our weather is great, or maybe not so much. But we’ll agree on the fact that outdoor activities are a natural part of our lives, and that we enjoy them a lot!

Most of you are very familiar with our beaches. Mostly clean and warm ocean water, nice sand, and a ton of beaches to choose from.

Outdoors in South Florida

You might not be as familiar with our backyard on the other end, where the city meets this amazing ecosystem, the Everglades.

How can you visit the Everglades? You can use boats, and there are trails where you can walk or ride your bicycle.

Coming in contact with nature and peace will make you smile, but,…. while you visit, keep an eye on gators!

Here are some pictures that I’ve shot while visiting the Everglades, rich of life. When you know that you have the right picture, we can even make it into a poster or canvas!

What impresses me more about the Everglades, is that it is right here, just a few minutes away from the areas where we work.

A different world is right there for us to enjoy.

Outdoors in South Florida

I hope that you like the pictures that we’ve shared. We’ve captured every single one of them with our cameras and phones. Maybe you get inspired to visit our amazing area and if you do, please stop by and say Hi!

COVID-19: Emergency Management Team in South Florida Available 24/7

COVID-19 – A Story about One of the Teams that Keeps Testing Facilities in South Florida Running

The story that we want to share with you today has to do with Covid-19, the impact in our community and how so many people shine during this tough time.

It is concerning how deeply our state has been affected by the virus. It is uplifting to see how people, working for organizations in the state are making a difference in what is happening within our community.

Covid-19 testing in South Florida is crucial to bring back the state to a healthy status and to help people make the right decisions.

In the State of Florida, we have “The Florida Emergency Management Team” which is keeping soooo many testing facilities open so provide testing and to report back to the citizens.

Their work keeps the critical testing services operational and we believe that the service is free.

Picture of an Emergency Team Member working non-stop, Printing Testing Flyers — The Florida Emergency Management Team works tirelessly to keep testing locations active and ready to serve the community.

Our company, ColorCopiesUSA.com has been doing print work for the State of Florida’s Emergency Management Team. We have printed flyers and documentation that are used at the testing locations in South Florida.

The documents that we have worked on contain important information for the public, such as instructions as of how to handle a positive Covid test and how to take precautions to prevent further transmission of the virus.

picture of documents used at testing facilities in South Florida — Picture of some of the documents printed at ColorCopiesUSA.com, used by the Emergency Team to inform the public about the testing process

By doing Covid printing for the team, we know that we are helping, at least a little bit, to make a difference in the state of health around us.

The team members are really doing the magic. The testing facilities are operating in an organized way. That is not happening by chance, but because there are loving individuals 100% committed to doing what is needed.

The individuals who we have contact with seem to be available all day to accomplish their task. Their work is humbling. The team members are on top of what they need. You can feel and sense that they are trying to keep the emergency services available and not be overwhelmed.

And they are concerned, worried about the health care that the population needs.

With many challenges, they are still operating at full throttle. These guys are sharp, stay on top of what they need and ready to serve, either during weekdays or weekends, day or night..

It is an honor for us to be supplying printed documents to help the community heal at this time.

Learn more about the great work of the Florida State Emergency Response Team

If your organization needs to reorganize your operations, which might involve redesigning documents, doing covid-printing to make your workplace safer, to communicate with your team or your clients, ColorCopiesUSA.com can help you by providing covid posters, floor decals for social distancing, brochure printing, feather flags and an array of advertising products.

Stay safe and help our health care workers help us. They are the heroes.

For any inquiries, please call us at 1-877-421-0668

The Coronavirus world makes customer relationships tougher. It is time to build strengthen the links

The Coronavirus World Makes Customer Relationships Tougher.

The image shows expressions of approval that you hope your clients think about you. | The Coronavirus World Makes Customer Relationships Tougher. — Will your clients love you? Would they recommend you?

Is there anything that you could do to improve your current situation?

Our world has been upended almost overnight. Some business owners and customer support teams might not even have a clear understanding of what their clients need right now.

If you are a business owner, you might find it difficult to assess the actions that will serve both your company and the business community at large.

Small businesses owners and their core employees are most likely fearful. Your organization has worked hard to bring the company to whichever level of success it has achieved. It could feel as if you were to lose it all.

How can you strengthen or maintain relationships with your clients when personal interaction has almost disappeared? How can you keep your organization relevant?

We have read an article published by the Harvard Business Review about the topic that we found pretty interesting and has inspired us to write about this topic. We will share some of the article’s recommendations for customer relationships success.

How can you support your client base and reassure your long term commitment to the relationship?

Strengthening the bond and collaboration is the key. If we could imagine a strong vendor-client relationship as links connected in a chain, the following cues will be helpful.

picture of a chain with links interconnected representing strong bond with clients | ColorCopiesUSA — Connect to your clients so that the links are strong

Build this First Link: Be vulnerable

Your company is no more than a representation of the individuals working in it. There are actually people paying attention to your client’s needs. Your clients want to know that your organization is compassionate and that you are having empathy towards them. When your loyal customers can feel a sense of humanity and understanding coming from your end, one of the links that holds the relationship becomes stronger.

Build this Second Link: Be open about what is changing and how

Covid makes it difficult both for your organization and for your clients to maintain a “normal” operation. Procedures might change. It might be difficult to tap into the resources that are usually available.

Be open about what you consider to be new opportunities, and about your restrictions that you are experiencing as well. Inform about changes in hours and customer service availability. Understand what your client’s restrictions are. What keeps them awake at night under current circumstances. What is affecting their bottom line and how sharing information could help both parties. An open dialog will build customer loyalty for a long time to come.

Be proactive, open and clear.

Your second link is becoming solid.

Build this Third Link: Your company is there for the long term

Reassure your clients that your company and your team will be there for them. Your company will likely continue to provide the goods or services that link you together.

As soon as your clients feel and believe that they can count on you, that your support is for real, they can free some of their own resources and focus their energy into other priorities.

That is the moment in which you have secured another link.

Build this Fourth Link: Be extra-creative by a large margin.

There is a saying that reminds us that some of the brightest and most innovative ideas came to live in times of upheaval and chaos,

Likewise your organization has the potential to outdo itself and its competition. Unleash the creativity of your team and make it a way-of-life for your organization in times to come. Not only your clients will be delighted, but the inner strength and resilience of your company will place it a few steps ahead.

When your clients see that talent in action, you are then securing another link in the relationship for a long time to come.

Sunny Days During the Stormy Season

Nobody can predict at this time what will happen in the near future and what the long time effect of this crisis is. It is still unknown to all of us. Even the scientific community is uncertain. Whatever the outcome is, with your links more solid than ever, new opportunities will uncover themselves and.become part of your upcoming road.

At our organization, we have been supported by some of our vendors. In turn, we have supported our clients, checked with them and became available. Because we have established personal relationships with so many of our clients they knew that they could count on us and we counted on them.

We have seen how some of our clients have shared their growth plans with us and started to execute those plans. One of our clients saw an opportunity to expand its property management and developed a new entire business. Another client in the restaurant business retooled its operation to adapt his restaurant to better serve the community. Our company has been blessed by clients that have allowed us to be part of their needs during this time.

ColorCopiesUSA.com has been open for service while many of our competitors were not. Buyers would call and ask with concern “Are you still open?”. Our answer was always that we were there to support them.

Some vendors decided to protect themselves against risk, but others have helped us to develop a new line of canvas products that is close to release in a sustained level of cooperation that is remarkable.

Strengthen the links as much as you can and hopefully once this period is over, we’ll be stronger than before.

How to make a tri fold brochure or a pamphlet that works

Brochures VS Pamphlets

Can these two forms of documents be compared to two rivals in a match? Let’s find out!

So before we even get into the making of a brochure, let’s answer the following question:

“What is the difference between brochures and pamphlets?”

Pamphlets VS Brochures. Visuals of both, Brochure — Pamphlets VS Brochures. Visuals of both

What is a Pamphlet?

There are different definitions and some will describe a pamphlet as a small booklet usually unbound, while others present it as a leaflet. Whichever the shape, they contain information about a single topic or subject.

If you are curious about the origin of the the word, it comes from “Pamphilet”, a Latin love poem popular in the 12th century. Only after the invention of the printing press, those loosely bound booklets that were printed, were called pamphlets, very popular in Europe, while the Reform was taking place. In time, some pamphlets became the way to express ideology in political movements.

Nowadays the use of pamphlets is for informational purposes. They could be a single page, of a number of sheets stapled together, or even printed on both sides and folded.

Pamphlets can be as long as a single page, to as many as 48 pages.

What do pamphlets say? Pamphlets introduce you or your company, your products, services and anything that you know that makes you stand out from your competitor.

Tone of the document: The style in them is persuasive, Informal, focused and consistent.

The importance of this document relies on the content, not on the artistic edge of the piece.

What is a Brochure?

Brochures are informative documents. There is usually care in the aesthetics of the document and they look beautiful, well crafted and very nice visual design. Brochures present information about a company or an artist, detail the products or services that hey make available.

What do brochures say? They give voice to your story. Brochures promote your services, your skills and are designed to generate business.

How do brochures build trust? When sharing accurate information that connects to the needs of your audience, almost like magically, trust builds between clients and businesses.

What do brochures look like? Sometimes the document is just a single letter-sheet, delicately printed and tri-folded which provides 6 viewing panels, or folded in half generating 4 panels. On other occasions, a when a double-parallel folding is applied to the document, 8 panels become available that allow for a more organized distribution of the content.

Size of brochures: The typical size is a letter size, but custom sizes, square shapes and tabloid layouts are common as well.

Which paper is suggested for brochures? When you are promoting your business, you want the brochure to represent you in a memorable way. That document that you handed to a prospect might be all that the prospect remembers about you. A memorable document is usually printed on thicker glossy stock, such as 100# gloss text. Using a cover stock is an awesome way to distinguish your document even more.

How to plan the design of a brochure: The first step is to make your notes and determine the scope of information to share. Our culture and habits have made us more visual than readers so plan on balancing the content accordingly. Laying the information onto the document by means of software such as Word, or InDesign, or Illustrator will allow you to present your ideas in the ideal

These two print marketing materials seem very similar after you lay out their definitions. The

most important difference is the subject matter. Pamphlets are used for non-commercial promotion, while brochures are used to advertise products and services. Brochures also typically have more pages and images. Pamphlets can have multiple pages, but are generally contain fewer pages and more words than images to inform the reader. However, these two are used interchangeably or together depending on your marketing needs.

You got them: How do you distribute pamphlets or brochures?

There are several methods to distribute brochures or pamphlets and individuals or companies use.

The traditional way is to hand them to interested individuals. Distribution in streets, stores, events, business meetings and trade shows are just some of the places where a person-to-person interaction drives connection and interest into what you have to offer.

Corporate brochures can be mailed. Pamphlets could be as well, but they are usually not.

Where can I have pamphlets and brochures printed?

ColorCopiesUSA.com offers printing and design services of unmatched quality and at much lower prices than most of the other printing companies. Because ours is a family-owned company, we care sincerely about you, your project and your success.

Connect with us! You are welcome to call us at 1-877-421-0668 or place an order in our this link to go to our product-specific page, where you will receive instant pricing, visual proofs of your files if you upload them and certainty in the production schedule.

Super Bowl Party – Do and Don’ts

Written for ColorCopiesUSA.com by Steve Wright, experienced sports and travel writer.

Super Bowl parties are fun and everyone should make a point of going to one. It is the only game of the NFL season that everyone wants to watch. To that end maybe you want to throw a Super Bowl party but are unsure of how to go about making yours the best on the block. If so, follow this handy guide to party greatness!

1 – Do – Decorate the house

Decorating for other types of party (birthday, Christmas, etc.) comes as standard, so why not go all the way and do the same for your Super Bowl party. Get some banners printed out. Or better yet, get some removable wall coverings with your pictures! Cover the table in the logo of the NFL or the team you want to win the game. Maybe even find some lights or light bulbs in team colors to really set the atmosphere. The limits here are only what your mind allows and a great set up in terms of decoration will really set your party apart from the crowd. #decorate-for-super-bowl-party

example of wall decoration, Super Bowl Party — Removable wall decorations add so much flavor to the football party

2 – Don’t – Try to provide all the food

If you have 30 or 40 people coming over and you are trying to be the sole provider of food then you are crazy. This is one of those occasions where it just doesn’t matter if all the courses on the menu are perfect compliments for one another. Get the word out and get those friends to bring snack food, sides, and (obviously) drinks, so that it takes a little of the burden (and cost) off of hosting.

Alternatively cater in Chipotle. Then everyone wins.

food organized to look like a football field — Decorations for food trays can be so original!

3 – Do – Create some friendly competition

One of the few issues with the Super Bowl is that people are not necessarily invested in the two teams involved. If you are a Kansas City Chiefs fan for example the matchup between the New England Patriots and the Atlanta Falcons means nothing. Maybe change that by printing out some t-shirts for your guests to wear and have a little prize in mind for those wearing the winning team’s colors at the end of the game.

4 – Don’t – Run out of ice

Seriously, this happens at every single Super Bowl party. The theory that I am running with is that because it is always so cold outside people just assume ice will not be needed. If you have a lot of people over then they will make lots of drinks. It is an indisputable fact. If you think you have enough ice then walk away from the computer, get in the car, and go and buy a couple more bags. Now you are good.

5 – Do – Invite the right amount of people

There is literally nothing worse than going to a party like this and one of things happening. Firstly, there are too many people for the space involved and there is nowhere to sit and watch the game. Secondly, the only people there are you and the host. Neither is good. Hit the middle ground and base it on house size and number of TVs available.

6 – Don’t – Talk over the half-time show/commercials

I get it. Lady Gaga is just not your thing. This is understandable (though it must be said that the girl has proven to be money on the biggest stages). You also don’t care about the dumb commercials. You are all about the football.

While this is fine, there are literally going to be people at the party that only care about what Lady Gaga sings and what the cute puppies are doing on the Doritos TV spot. Let those people have their Super Bowl moments, though if you and the other football nuts at the party need to create a drinking game around these parts of the broadcasts then that’s ok too.

7 – Do – Make people change if they come in a rival jersey

We get it, you hate the Patriots. That though does not mean it is ok to show up to a Super Bowl party wearing a Bills/Jets/Colts/Steelers shirt. Nor is it ok to turn up in the jersey of a neutral team, such as the Cleveland Browns (there is no one more neutral than the Browns). As host you can deal with this how you like, but a good way is to have a few newly printed T-shirts on hand with a few words of your choice showing just what a bad decision it was to turn up in other NFL gear. Let your imagination run with this one…

8 – Don’t – Forget to clean your house

This is supposed to be a party. There will be people coming to your crib that have never been there before. The first impression you want to give to those people is not that you are living the life of a college frat boy. Obviously there likelihood is that the house is going to get a little messy as the party proceeded (fix that with table covers), but the initially impression must be great.

Just try not to think about the post-party cleanup as you get ready to host.

9 – Do – Confiscate all cell phones

This serves a couple of important purposes:

1 – It stops people from ruining the flow of conversation by texting people at other parties all night long.

2 – It stops guests posting on social media for the duration of the game. Given how many Americans take the Monday following the Super Bowl off work for “medical reasons” then plausible deniability about their actions from the night before is important. This is less possible if you are checking in on Facebook every 20 minutes in growing states on intoxication.

10 – Don’t – Let anyone with face paint into the house

unless they are under the age of 16. Just send them home and remind them that an adult with a face covered in corn starch and food coloring is not ok.
Ever.

So there we have the keys to throwing a great Super Bowl Party. Yes, making all this happen takes a little bit of planning, but as you see your guests enjoying your fully decorated house and you realize you didn.t have to pay for all the chips and salsa being eaten, then it will all be worth it.

The Party Planning Printing Ideas Checklist

Planning a party? Need some ideas? No matter what type of celebration you are having, custom printing some key items will help make your party a smashing success! By ordering professionally printed products, such as invitations, banners, signs, party gifts and thank you cards, you save the time and effort it would take to make things by hand or print them yourself. Custom printed items nearly always look better too. Save time and add those special touches that will make your party more memorable.
Here’s a simple party printing ideas checklist of printed pieces that will help make it a fun affair, whether it’s a surprise birthday party for a loved one, a reunion for family or friends, a corporate holiday office party, or any type of gathering where you want to impress the guests.

Invitations, Banners, Signs, Party Gifts, Thank You Cards and more…

Invitations– Even in a day of e-vites and online RSVPs, it is still in good form to have physical invitations to announce special events. Create postcards to hand out at the office or at school. Here’s an idea – mail out your invites instead of emailing them. Everyone loves to receive the ‘good’ type of mail. They are cheaper to mail than you might think as well ( if the invites need to be sent out, rather than passed out ). Sending an invite always ads that personalized touch that impresses would-be guests. Use a fun photo of the guest of honor, or create a custom design that reflects the significance of the day.
Banners– Make a few custom vinyl banners and posters to hang up around the party area. Use colors that coordinate with the theme of the celebration, and choose lettering that conveys your special message about the event. This could be words of encouragement or congratulations, depending on the occasion. Think “Welcome Home” for a returning vet, “Happy 50 th ” for the golden anniversary for your parents or “Congratulations Graduate!” for your high schooler who just passed her SAT’s and is about to graduate.
Signs– Make signs to hang outside of the event, to guide people into it. If it is in a harder to find location than usual, create a few extras to offer directions and place them at common intervals on the way to the party. Signs also make surprise parties, bar mitzvahs and birthday parties that much more special. Think of how excited your child will be to see a bigger than life size sign saying ‘Welcome to Emily’s Birthday Party!!’ – she’ll remember it always!
Party Gifts– Give guests a special custom memento to take home with them. This could be as simple as a colorful pen and fun graphic notepad, to as elaborate as a custom calendar with personal pictures. Give everyone a custom t-shirt, hat, or tote bag to wear for the event. Other ideas include journals, coffee cups, barware, or pet accessories such as collars or tags.
Thank You Cards– Follow up any great celebration with thank you notes to everyone who attends. This is especially important if you held the event to raise awareness for a cause or gifts of any kind were received from guests.
You can even print custom wrapping paper for your gifts – just ask our friendly and creative printing specialists about this and other party ideas.

Every product we mention above can be customized to your specifications. Create the perfect ambiance to celebrate a special occasion with loved ones or a fun environment to hold a business event. At ColorCopiesUSA, your friendly printing specialist will help make sure you can check off your custom printing needs all at once, and move on to the other party planning tasks on your list. Call us today at (877) 421-0668 or click here and let us know all about your special event – we’ll make it that much more special!!

“The Profit” Host Finds Signage to be Key in Remodeling

It’s Friday night, the night where I catch-up with TV programs such as The Shark Tank and The Profit.

Shark Tank

The Shark Tank always makes me smile at some point when I recognize one of those aha moments happening. The show immediately connects me to so many of our clients, working with so much passion and creativity on their projects using print signs and digital signage to make their ideas a reality. We (I mean the team at ColorCopiesUSA) often feel that we are part of the business creative world and that makes us feel so proud!

The episode of The Profit that I watched tonight was about remodeling a store located in the Chelsea Market in New York. Marcus Lemonis, the host and investor in that show was trying to unclutter the store and make it easier for the store’s clients to find the product they are looking for.

The work done during the remodeling was significant, but the directional signs, those signs that help the clients find their way in the store, were the ones that seemed to make the biggest difference in the before-after comparison

Directional signs can transform a “bad location” into prime location! Smart and appealing messages drive clients to find their way.

Have a great weekend!

Business Yard Signs: They are all over the place!

– Did you just say “Yard Signs”?

Yes I did! I fact I’ve been looking and talking about yard signs a lot lately. You know, it’s the election cycle that brings lots of those in front of your face…. everywhere….. but they are there all the time!

Why are business yard signs used all year round?
For just one simple reason. Yard signs drive people into taking action. Like it or not, all of us look at them when they are out there.
Don’t get me wrong; when there are 10 of those at a corner promoting 10 different candidates… forget it. That’s too much clutter.
But when used wisely, yard sign can make your business feel it.

When I say “your business will feel the effect of yard signs” I mean that even when you put out a yard sign to promote a garage sale or something like that, what’s behind that, is in reality some sort of business transaction that you expect to happen…..

What is a Yard Sign?

Yard signs are also known as lawn signs, bandit signs, placards or road signs. These are small advertising signs that, are placed on the lawn so that people or vehicles circulating will see the advertising pieces.

picture showing dozens of yard signs and lawn signs — Dozens of yard signs and lawn signs saturating the message. Credit to the Tennessee Beacon Center

This year we’ve seen a tooonnnn of yard signs that express support for one or another of the political candidates running for office, judges running for benches and local representatives such as city councils.

picture of yard signs with creative messages and graphics — Business Yard Signs can be creative and unique.

What are Yard Signs made of?

Yard signs are made out a plastic material called coroplast,which is a plastic sheet that is hollow. Because of the constructive method, it is very strong. The plastic walls that links both faces of the board give to it an incredible mechanical resistance and strength.

The small pipes that are created in the sheet are usually called “flutes”. Since the yard signs are usually kept in place by inserting a metal H stake in the flutes, it is always important to understand if the sign that you need requires vertical or horizontal flutes

H metal stake to hold a coroplast yard sign — The metal stakes fit in the flutes on one end, and are pushed into the ground (usually by pushing with the foot) on the other end

picture showing a coroplast sheet explaining how it is made and why it is so strong — Whether a 4mm or a 10mm board, the structure remains the same and you can see how its built

How do yard signs get printed?

There are three methods that are the most popular or maybe four if you will consider hand writing.

Vinyl letters cut and adhered
Printing on vinyl film in a poster-size-large- format printer and laminating it to the coroplast
Directly printing on the coroplast on what’s called a “flat bed” printer.

Which are the Typical Sizes of Yard Signs?

The most popular sizes are 18″x24″ and 12″x18″

During the political periods, you can see larger signs made out of coroplast. In those examples, the sign company will build a custom wood structure and the coroplast will get stapled or screwed to it.

“Shapes or business yard signs”

These are usually rectangular, although they can be made in any custom shape, thanks to the use of sophisticated router cutters.

We look forward to hearing your comments!
Till next time!

Halloween Spirit with Creative Labels

Tic Tac, Tic Tac…..

The clock is ticking and we are just a few days away of Halloween, which probably means that most of you are putting together the best ideas and best decorations for Halloween.

Halloween celebration and the marketing related to the day are big here!

I don’t know how Halloween is celebrated within your community (In fact I would like to hear from you!), but my experience in this area, South Florida, is that children and their families have a ton of fun when planning for this day. Even those adults with adult children get ready.

Going to the candy store, buying candy containers and putting together a nice decoration of the homes and the yard are a part of a tradition here that cannot be skipped.

Even HOAs will “rule” on how to celebrate and create the safest conditions for the comunities as a whole.

If we were to talk about how businesses celebrate, that’s a whole category in itself. We’ve seen greeting cards, scary flyers, postcards and even surprise gifts as part of the celebration.

But what caught our attention were the labels! It used to be that printed labels would have regular shapes, such as either square or round. The fact that we can now provide them in any shape or size or color creates a wave of creativity that we had not seen!

Examples of creative labels for Halloween.

This is a great example of a creative label. In this case the creation is by Mark Chipkin and the size of the label is 2.25″x4″, which makes it ideal to be stuck on a chocolate bar, on the front of the plastic bag that you might be using to put the pack of candies together.

Here is another great example on how to make the Halloween night even more fan, and take an extra pleasure when getting the stuff together.

2″x2″ Halloween label

This other example Brianna wants to make her community so much more open and friendly, came up with this idea where she created so many Halloween related cliparts which were placed as part of the giveaways.
This is a great example of how to build community and have fun!

friendly halloween label — Make your community friendlier by getting to know each other

Share with us what is special about Halloween for you

Till next post!