The Most Innovative QR Code Ever
A Brilliant QR Code Campaign.
With spectacular results.
I’m seeing QR codes in more and more places all the time. Menus, shirts, flyers, business cards and more.
However, this has got to be the most innovative QR code application that I’ve seen so far. In fact it’s brilliant.
If you want an innovative QR code campaign, call us. We can do it. We can do anything!
How to Choose the Right Image File Format?
We’ve all experienced the “save as” dilemma and wondered which file format is best to save an image. Do we really know the difference between a GIF and a PNG? Do we care as long as it looks good?
In printing and web design, the file formats of your images do make a difference. Jason Kaller here at Greenway Print Solutions came upon a customer who didn’t quite know the subtleness of image format and quality:
“I recently had a client who wanted to print some new marketing materials. They wanted brochures, pens, emery boards and candy jars. The only thing they had for art was a jpeg file. I suggested they let us re-create their logo using a vector based program. I would provide them multiple versions of their logo and fonts which would be useful in any place their logo is used (in print, online, signage, etc.) After being turned back from several print proofs due to poor quality and lack of consistency in their logo’d items, they asked me to redo their logo. From here on out, there will be one logo and one font set that will help them look consistent in everything they print.”
Image File Format Differences
If you’re still wondering which format to save those images in, the following will provide you with a brief, layman’s version to help you muster through the saving process:
1.EPS (vector based) PREFERRED. These are encapsulated Postscript files. If they are “vector” files, made in Adobe Illustrator, they can be reduced or enlarged to any proportion with no loss of quality. This is because they are not bitmapped (dots) but computer coordinates. For many applications, this is the best art to provide us.
There are also bitmapped eps files but they have the problem of distortion when reduced or enlarged.
2. JPEG/JPG (Joint Photographic Experts Group): JPEGs are small files that are compressed at 8-bits per color for a 24-bit total. When compressed, the image does not necessarily lose quality, but degradation can occur when the image is saved and edited repetitively. It also has a “lossy” compression meaning as the file is compressed, some of the data is lost. If you’re using images in a PDF file, the JPEG file format is a great bet.
3. TIFF (Tagged Image File Format): A TIFF format saves an image as an 8-bit or 16-bit per color file for a total of 24 to 48-bits. TIFF images are not largely supported by web browsers so if you’re designing a website, there’s another format (like PNG) that will be more suited for the application. TIFF’s are good as a photograph standard file and can handle specific color spaces like CMYK.
4. GIF (Graphics Interchange Format): GIFs are limited to 256 colors, which is great for shapes or logos that have relatively few colors. GIFs use lossless (doesn’t lose data when compressed) compression, but because of the color limitations, GIF formats are best used when there’s a large, single-colored area in the image.
5. PNG (Portable Network Graphic): The PNG format is the successor of GIF and supports true color (16 million to be exact.) PNGs are lossless and tend to be large files that can be slow to download. Despite their size, PNG files are great for online use.
6. BMP (Windows Bitmap): BMPs are graphic files that work within Microsoft Windows OS. They are large, uncompressed files, and work well within Windows programs.
Keep in mind that the above file formats are Raster formats and not Vector formats. Raster graphics are stored as bitmaps (pixmaps) while Vector graphics contain geometric descriptions. Vector formats allow for images to come out smooth at any size.
If you’re considering having your logo or any graphic image on a variety of offline or online pieces, keep in mind the type of formatting you need to get the highest quality picture.
For more information about Raster and Vector images click here.
Quality, Price, Service: What Do You Really Want From Your Printer?
We’re living in an innovation age, surrounded by existing and emerging technology that allows us to app and cyberspace our way through productivity. So with the ease of web-to-print (aka remote publishing), are we still getting all that we need from our printer?
It’s hard to argue that uploading a picture file to an online printer to make those fabulous business cards won’t get you the quality you’re looking for, especially with the accuracy of modern print equipment. It most likely will. And in a competitive industry, such as printing, the right online shopper can scour the internet for that one guy who will do it on the cheap. He’ll sacrifice margins just to bring in much needed revenue.
That leaves us service. Of course we’d love to be highly appreciated by any business that values any job we bring him, large or small. Yet, even in lieu of great pricing, we’ll oftentimes sacrifice a little adoration for the bottom dollar.
What You Really Want From Your Printer
You’re likely having materials printed for a reason. That business card is the first connecting piece between you and your customer. That brochure is your gateway to that profitable sale. And your flyer is supposed to do more than line a waste basket. What you should really want from your printer is a marketing piece that actually works and provides you with the ROI you need.
Quality, price and service have equal importance and are the vital ingredients to creating an effective piece. Your printer does more than acquire specs and watch sheets of paper run at nano speed through their printing equipment. He should be looking at your end goal, what your pieces are trying to achieve and your branding. And he’s got an arsenal of effective products you you most likely haven’t even thought of using.
So the next time you’re getting ready to upload your art work to that mysterious printer in cyberspace for your $5 business cards, consider what you’re really trying to accomplish for your business. Not all printers are created equal; and neither are your marketing goals.
For more information on how the experts at Greenway Print Solutions use their 30 years of industry and product knowledge to produce printed materials that work, check out our Case Studies section.
How to Use the Right Pictures in Your Advertising
Using the right pictures in your advertising has a lot more relevancy than you might think. Pictures have the ability to tell a story and if you read my post, How to Create Great Marketing Content, you’ll know the power stories can bring to your ads and marketing collateral.
Make Those Pictures a Part of Your Advertising Strategy
In the absence of copy, pictures can tell consumers a lot about your product, but you have to know your target market well and what they are looking for. The most visually placed picture in your brochure or other collateral is the one that communicates the most importance. If you want to appeal to your customer for having great customer service, that that front and center picture should capture your employees. It tells the potential customer that customer service is your most important asset. If it’s about your product, than that should be the highlighted picture. Ask yourself what’s the most important aspect of your company and what you want your potential customers to know.
Create an Advertising Storyboard
You can bring your product to life by creating a visual storyboard showing its ease-of-use and benefits. On a website, video works well to tell a story, but on printed material, pictures can depict a thousand words. A sequence of pictures helps to add depth and evoke emotion through descriptive, dramatic images. They can also be used to educate your potential customers and help shorten the decision-making cycle. To acquire testimonial-type pictures for your collateral, considering holding a contest that asks them to send you a picture of themselves using your product.
Is your printed material giving you the conversion you’re looking for? If not, call Greenway Print Solutions and we’ll help you get on the right track.
