Direct-mail marketing is ideal for many small businesses. The National Oil and Lube News newsletter (PDF), for one, advocates reminder cards (in its case, for car maintenance), mailings to customers who haven’t visited in more than a year, and discounts for a targeted audience.

When you do a bulk mailing of postcards, brochures or catalogs, the recipients don’t have the option of hitting Delete – instead, they’re face to face with your eye-popping graphic design and your catchy marketing message. Printed marketing materials are tangible reminders to get something done. How many times have you thought you’d refer back to an e-mail newsletter, only to let it sink to the bottom of your inbox?

Going back to the paper cut-via-envelope scenario – with direct-mail services, once you’ve designed your promotional postcard, booklet or brochure, your hard work is done. Simply provide PsPrint with your mailing list, and addressing, postage and sending are taken care of.

Direct-mail services take the drudge work out of marketing, leaving you more time to focus on your business itself.

©2010 PsPrint Blog. All Rights Reserved.

You can always count on PsPrint for free resources. Need ideas, links and inspiration? Here’s a host of graphic design tips for specific spring holidays:

• St. Patrick’s Day – March 17
• April Fools’ Day – April 1
• Easter – April 4
• Earth Day – April 22
• Cinco de Mayo – May 5
• Mother’s Day – May 9
• Father’s Day – June 20

Of course, the best design means nothing without good execution.

For St. Patrick’s Day, print green die-cut flyers in the shape of shamrocks.

Use humor in your flyers, postcards and banners for April Fools’ Day.

Whether your customers are Christian or not, Easter symbolizes renewal, so remember that theme when creating postcards and brochures.

Want to do good and get your business name out there? Adopt a highway for Earth Day!

Throwing a fiesta is a fun idea for Cinco de Mayo. Be sure to include lots of bright colors and Mexican icons in your promotional items.

Take a good look at your mailing list when get around to Mother’s Day. Pay close attention to your demographics and keep your marketing tuned in to those clients.

Memorial Day (May 30) and Flag Day (June 14) call for pride. Flags and the use of red, white and blue are obvious, but be sure to keep the right mood and theme for these holidays. Have fun, but be respectful.

Father’s Day may be for dads, but don’t forget that women do a lot of the shopping. Giveaways are always a big hit, but be aware of your clientele when deciding what product to give away.

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Don’t look at the screen like that! You don’t have to tell your clients that you love them … but words of kindness don’t have to be so mushy. Create a homemade Valentine’s Day card that bears your logo and design with some client friendly words. A simple note card could be mailed or handed out just like a Christmas card. Here are some ideas for text:

• You love your business, and we love doing business with you!

• Your business would be nothing without you as its heart.

• Or perhaps, you could use a great quote. For example: “Remember that great love and great achievements involve great risk.” – Anonymous

In addition to a printed Valentine’s Day card, you can also use a less expensive homemade Valentine’s Day card and embellish them with your own ink stamp or other craft material. Also, even though the color red is the main one of the season, using your branding color palette is completely appropriate for sending out customer appreciations during the holiday. It further reinforces your brand efforts and will probably make your card stand out among the rest!

©2010 PsPrint Blog. All Rights Reserved.

Offset printing
Offset printing or lithography involves using an inked image that is transferred onto a plate, then a rubber blanket, and then a printing surface. The plate is sensitized to be ink-receptive in the image areas and water-receptive in the non-image areas. Based on the premise that oil and water do not mix, the next step is possible. After the plate is placed on the printing press, ink is applied to the surface of the plate and stays in the image areas. A small amount of a water solution is applied to and stays in the non-image areas of the plate defining where the ink is positioned.

This printing process is normally more expensive than digital printing because initial production time takes longer and is normally used for runs for quantities of at least 1,000.

Digital printing
Digital printing is created by scanning a light source directly onto a receptive drum. Essentially, it is printing that is directly from a digital file rather than a plate. This printing process produces faster turnaround times, lower production costs, and the ability to personalize documents. It is frequently used for on-demand or short-run color printing.

Deciding between these two processes depends on your quantity and price range. Check to see the requirements for being able to use the offset printing option. For regular distribution of printed promotional items, digital printing is a great cost-effective way to go when going with qualities of less than 1,000.

©2010 PsPrint Blog. All Rights Reserved.

Make sure that you include a correct, legible return address
The return address should always be in the top left-hand corner of your postcard. It should be in a font that is legible, and the font color should be in enough contrast from the background that it can easily be seen. This goes for the mailing address as well. Using mailing labels could also be an easy way to make sure that this is done without a problem.

Leave room for the postal services’ barcode and markings
No text or graphics greater than 7 percent grayscale should be included within 5/8-inch of the margin at the very bottom of your card. The post office scans every piece of mail that comes through and their machines automatically place important information on the bottom of your card. If this area isn’t clear, those markings can’t be read, and your card will be sent back. See the illustration provided by ModernPostcard.com as to how to set up your card.

Leave room for postage
Your client may use a stamp, or they may have a bulk stamp number or a nonprofit permit. Regardless of how they intend to use their postage, it’s important that there be a designated place for their postage. When the post office processes your postcard, they are going to stamp the postage with their own marking that shows the postdate of the card. All of this information and area needs to be clear for them to properly distribute your postcard.

Be careful about rounded corners
There are a lot of conflicting messages about whether or not you can mail out postcards with rounded corners. But from USPS themselves it is OK to mail out materials that are “Rectangular with four square corners and parallel opposite sides. Letter-size, card-type mailpieces made of cardstock may have finished corners that do not exceed a radius of 0.125 inch (1/8-inch).” Basically, if your rounded corners do not exceed 1/8-inch radius, then you’re perfectly fine.

©2010 PsPrint Blog. All Rights Reserved.

Here are some printing options you can choose for cheap announcement cards:

Order flat cards
It’s a fact that more folds equal more money. If you’re looking to save a dollar or two, opt for a flat card that can showcase your information all at once. If you think about it, a lot of folded personalized cards have blank inside front and outside back panel. That’s about half of the card that is unused anyway! Most announcement information can usually fit on the front of a flat card when spaced correctly.

Print on one side
For a folded or flat card, having one blank side can defiantly cut down on cost. I don’t know of one printer that wouldn’t give you the option to have a card with a blank inside. Besides, even though it might give your hand a cramp, for certain situations a handwritten note to someone is generally considered much more meaningful.

The smaller, the cheaper
Size options are sometimes a tough decision based on how much text and graphic information you want to use. A lot of times, people choose to have a large, standard greeting card size for their announcements when much of that space is wasted by not having enough text to fill it. Look over your text and your pictures and see how much room it will really take up within your card. Check to see if you can be more concise with your text or remove additional pictures to go down to a smaller size card that will ultimately mean a lower overall cost.

Order early
I can’t tell you how many of my clients have paid extra fees because they had a rush placed on their order. Ordering at the last minute is not only nerve-wrecking, it will cost you. The majority of printers out there will offer different prices for production and shipping if applicable. If you place your order well in advance of when you need them in hand, you can choose for the “economy” or slowest production option and ground shipping. These options could save you literally hundreds of dollars depending on the quantity of your order.

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