5 Steps to Designing the Perfect Brochure

When it comes to designing an effective brochure for business marketing, Crystal Print have many years experience from working with local businesses in Essex. Below we have listed 5 of our top tips top help you design the 'perfect' brochure. Hopefully this will help you along the way, but if you still need help, you could always give us a call..... Happy reading!

Choose a software tool

Choosing the right software tool when creating your brochure is key. If you wish to design and create your own brochure you may choose to use: Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, Quark Xpress or Microsoft Publisher. If you know what you are doing this could be an easy job, before you decide what you are going to do, research these software's tools to see which one best suits your needs for your brochure.
If you feel like you don't have the ability to do this, seek help from professionals who can, this way you can still input what you require on your new brochure and get remarkable results!
Know and understand your print size.


It is a common factor when printing that businesses have trouble understanding what a design size means in relation to printing size. Try to familiarise yourself with printing sizes. For example, don't use a 110mm x 75mm design layout on a 105mm x 74mm printing paper. If you submit a print when the sizing is wrong, it is likely that you will lose your printing resolution, this means the printer may have to stretch or shrink the brochure design so that it fits the paper. Try to understand the printing sizes before its too late, as this could easily ruin your design.

Allow for bleed

The term 'bleed' can be misunderstood by many. The process of printing brochures involves printing together in sheets. The blade which cuts out each brochure is extremely accurate, however after cutting thousands of pieces, it is likely it will fluctuate slightly over the course of the printing order. In order for your brochure to be less effected, allow for bleed. To allow for bleed it is advised that you expand your brochures design to be slightly over the established boarders of the page. This means, once the page has been cut, you will have solid ink coverage from edge to edge and corner to corner. Try to design your brochure with an extra 1/8 inch coverage beyond each edge to avoid being effected by bleeding.

Using high resolution images

Poor image resolution means you have a poor quality leaflet. Having high resolution images is vital and can be the difference between someone choosing your brand over someone else. Using high resolution images in your leaflet is critical if you want your brand to step forward not only as having a professional leaflet, but as a brand in general. Nobody will take your brand seriously if you produce a leaflet with low quality images as it gives a poor first impression. By having high quality resolution images it creates a professional and the best approach possible for your brand. Using stock images are cost effective, but will not give your brochure a professional appeal. Use your own high resolution images and you won't go wrong.

Paper

Paper is available in different shapes, sizes, weights and textures. You may be unaware of all the possibilities there are with the different kinds of paper. It is important to familiarise yourself with the different kinds of paper available so that your brochure and your brand get the most out of the paper and the effects didn't paper can potentially have. For example, by using heavy paper it can create a more professional and expensive looking brochure. Not only will this make the brochure and your brand more professional, it could be more cost effective than you think.

Remember

Being original and creative with your brochure is admired massively. Having a brochure is a great chance to explore and promote your business. If you feel like you need in house printing to make the most of your brochures, give Crystal Print a call today.

Whether you need any help and advice or just some general information about our high quality brochure printing, don't hesitate to give us a call today, and one of our dedicated team members will be happy to help.

Going on Holiday?

Are you heading off for a holiday and in need of some clothing?

We have your needs covered if you need clothing printed for:

• Stag Do
• Hen Do
• Girl's Holiday
• Lad's Holiday
• Family Holiday

Whatever the clothing you would like printed for whatever occasion, we can provide you with the service that involves printing custom clothing, tailor designed to suit your needs. Here at Crystal Print, can give you personalised garments to match each particular theme of your holiday.

Part of this service involves printing garments to suit the occasion, so our Hen T-Shirt will not be made the same as a Family Holiday T-Shirt. Hens may want their nicknames on their garments, whereas a holiday group may want the country or place they are travelling to. We suit all clothing to our customers so that they will always be happy with the results and it matches the theme for their holiday.

Hen T-shirt Printing from Crystal Print

We can provide embroidery and printing services perfect for holiday garments starting from age 1 through to 6XL. Whether you need 1 or 100 garments we can do that for you, and depending on the quantity, we sometimes offer deals on prices to help save you money in the process. Something we know you will undoubtedly love!

In the modern age, a lot of people buy T-Shirts for holidays and will buy them to a theme or so that everyone who buys one is coordinated. I you wish to have each T-Shirt individually customised however, we are also here and available to do that for you. Crystal Print are flexible in the way we work and can tailor all T-shirt designs to make sure you stand out from the crowd.

Here at Crystal Print you will only receive the highest quality printing available so there is no worry about poor quality products. We wouldn't supply you with clothing that we wouldn't happily wear ourselves... Unless nicknames are incredibly crude of course!

Should you be interested in a quote for our clothing printing service feel free to visit our website on http://www.crystalprint.co.uk/clothing.php or give Crystal Print a call on 01277 650661.

One of our friendly printing team will happily talk to you about your options for design, and can discuss different t-shirt options too.

We hope to hear from you soon!

Bad Flyer Designs

Flyers can be an excellent way to advertise your business, if they are well designed. However, there are many examples of badly designed flyers out there which are having the opposite effect than the one that was intended because they are actually turning people away. There are four main rules that you should follow to ensure your flyer will be noticed for all the right reasons.

4 Tips to Get Your Flyers Noticed

Ensure There Is No Clutter

If you try to give your customers too much information within one flyer, it will just looked cluttered. If the flyer looks too confusing to try and read, then most people will not bother. Keep to the basic facts that you want your customers to know. A few images can make your flyer more noticeable, but again overdoing it makes it difficult for people to know where they should be looking first.

Make Sure Text Fonts And Sizes Are Consistent

You will probably need to use a couple of different sized fonts, one for the headline, and one for the rest of the information. Any more than this can make the flyer look too over the top, and it will also make it difficult to read. Even though the size of the font may vary, you should try to be as consistent as possible with the actual font that is used, as this will help keep the whole message of the flyer consistent.

Have A Clear Message

Before you start any design work on your flyer, you need to decide what you want the flyer to achieve. This message should then be in the forefront of your mind through every stage of the design process. This will help keep you focused on what you want the flyer to be saying, and can help you avoid any clutter that will detract from the main purpose of the flyer.

Consider Your Brand When Choosing Colours

Flyers are a great way to raise awareness of your brand and with this in mind, you want to make it as easy as possible for people to begin to recognise your business. When you are choosing the colours that you will use for your flyer, colours that are already associated with your brand are a great place to start. This means people will immediately start associating the information that they are reading with your business.

Crystal Print can help with all aspects of flyer design to ensure that anyone that reads your flyer gets the exact message that you want them to. We have many years of experience in the printing industry, and our team of in-house designers are available to offer as much advice as you need.

London Marathon 2015

We have spoken to loads of people recently who are entered to run in the London Marathon, and we couldn’t help but think about how great an opportunity it is for everyone involved to have their names printed on tops so that their supporters can cheer them on along the way.

You might even crop up on TV too, as the BBC will be showing every second of the Virgin London Marathon 2015 race which takes place on the 26th April this year... So, if you’re looking for sponsors, why not sell the idea of having your sponsor's company name printed on your shirt and seen by hundreds of travelling eyes as you make your way across, round, and through the London District?

Your sponsors will love you for this, especially smaller businesses who would enjoy seeing their business name, logo or information form part of your attire for the race itself.

By contacting Crystal Print we can talk to your about options for t-shirt print or possibly embroidery - if you want something a bit more hardwearing and long lasting. Maybe you are thinking of entering a whole host of marathons in the next few years and you want to make record of the races you have ran? Every time you run a race, why not have the name of the race and the date printed on a single t-shirt, which can be washed and used again every time you run a different race… We think this a great idea, and one which many runners from the Essex area have chosen to do.

You might even have a dedicated shirt for every race you run, with different sponsors and information on, as well as your name printed so everyone in the crowd can cheer you home of course! Having your own printed t-shirt or printed vest also gives you the chance to showcase the charity which you are running for and raise awareness to other people watching about who the charity is and what they do… the possibilities are almost endless.

In every circumstance, Crystal Print are able to work with you and get your t-shirt designs just right ready for the 2015 London Marathon on the 26th April.

The 2015 London Marathon Takes Place on 26th April!!

The race itself kicks off at the Royal Observatory in Greenwich, and will see runners make their way down the thames and right across London for an impressive 26 miles, before finishing near St. James Park, just metres away from Buckingham Palace itself.

For more information on the Virgin 2015 London Marathon, make sure you head over to: https://www.virginmoneylondonmarathon.com/en-gb/event-info/runner-info/

If you wish to make and order of printed t-shirts or vests for yourself or a group of runners, please give Crystal Print a call today on: 01277 650 661 or head over to our clothing page to gain a better understanding of how we can help you! Thanks and Good Luck to all who are running the race on the 26th April! We might even see you there,,,,

http://www.crystalprint.co.uk/clothing.php

5 Ways To Get The Best From Your Business Cards

Business cards are one of the most effective ways to introduce people to your business. In order to ensure that they are truly effective, you will want to create business cards that people would rather keep, than throw away. Crystal Print look at the five main ways that you can achieve this, which we have discussed below:


Give The Right Details

Business cards are professional tools and therefore you should only include professional contact details for you on the card. Personal social media addresses should be avoided, although if you have a profile for your business then it is fine to include this. You should also ensure that your correct details are on the card, such as the right phone number.


Choose The Right Graphics

High definition graphics should always be used on business cards to create a good first impression. Include your logo somewhere on the card so people will associate this logo with your business when they see it. If your logo is updated at any point then you will need to get your cards re-printed so you are always giving across a consistent image.


Be Original

Your contacts probably find that they are always being handed business cards so you need to do something that will make your card stand out from the crowd. This can be an unusual image that is relevant to the industry you work in, or some copy that will make you and your business memorable.


Choose The Right Paper

You should choose high quality paper for your business cards that will be noticed as soon as you hand the card over. The cards should be a good thickness and not feel flimsy in your hand. If you have the opportunity you should feel the thickness of the paper your card will be printed on at the beginning of the process so that you know whether it suits your requirements.


Choose Quality Printing

Having your business cards professionally printed is an investment that is worth making because of the impression that they will give. All of the other hard work you do in creating your business cards will be undone if the print is of poor quality. Ideally you want to look for a company that uses technology to create high quality print that is still cost effective.

When it comes to printing, and business cards specifically, Crystal Print have all the tools and ammunition to help you succeed, producing aesthetically pleasing and creatively designed business cards that are sure to turn a few heads along the way. Contact us today on 01277 650661 and we can discuss your business card needs with you. Thanks for reading.

Successful Sign Design

When you are creating a sign that is advertising your business, you will want it to attract the attention of as many people as possible and therefore it is crucial that it is well designed. There are some important factors that should be taken into consideration when designing a sign in order to ensure that it has the intended effect. 

Consider The Location Of The Sign

The location of the sign and the background should be taken into account as this will influence the colours that are used. You will want colours that stand out against the background. A sign for gardening services, for example, should probably not contain any green, as this will make it difficult to see against a backdrop of trees or bushes.

Use Contrasting Colours

On the sign itself, contrasting colours should be used for the background and the text. This will make the sign stand out more and also makes it easier to read. If you use colours that are too similar, then this can make your message hard to distinguish, and people won't read it. 

Simple but Effective Signs from Crystal Print

Simplify The Content

Trying to fit too much content into a small space can make the sign difficult to read. Only include information that is essential. If you include a web address or email then people can contact you for more information if they want it. The purpose of the sign is to attract the attention of potential customers, not to provide them with every detail of the product.

Use Typography Wisely

The text that is chosen for your sign should be easy to read. This means it should be large and with a font that is readable. When choosing the typography, you should opt for simple fonts rather than anything elaborate as this will be easier for people to read and this means that they are more likely to read the message that you are trying to get across.


Make Good Use Of Blank Space

Space that is left blank can be an effective way to get the attention of people that are passing, especially if your sign is grouped with a number of others that have quite a lot of information on them. Blank space can help to draw the eye to a particular image or piece of text.

Effective Ways of using Promotional products

Promotional products that have your logo and business details on them are one of the most effective forms of advertising that you can use. However, many businesses are unsure of where they should be used, or where to give them out. Below, Crystal Print have listed 10 of the best places you can use Promotional Gifts (in no particular order) to ensure your business name and logo are seen in the right places.

1. At a trade show. Whenever someone visits your stand at a trade show, ensure they do not leave empty handed by giving them some of your free products.

2. At a charity event. Sponsoring a charity event is an excellent way to get your business noticed, and your promotional products can be given away to attendees.

3. Set up a referral program. Offer a benefits package to your existing customers that recommend their friends, which can include free promotional products.

4. At local radio events. If your local radio station holds events then get in touch to see if you can attend on the day with give-aways. You may also get some free advertising on the station.

5. At your premises. If your customers visit you at your business premises then this is the ideal location to give away your products. Any FREE product is a good product right? 

Promotional Gifts & Products Available from Crystal Print

6. During mail campaigns. If you are launching a mail campaign to attract new customers, including free products can help to encourage people to use your business.

7. At networking events. At business events, products that are useful such as pens and USB drives may be more effective than just handing out business cards.

8. Products for your employees. Give free products to your employees that they are likely to use with your brand on. Whenever their family or friends see them using the product they will be reminded of your business.

9. Sales team uniforms. If you have sales teams that are often out and about, make sure that they have uniforms that display your logo.

10. Community events. Getting involved in the community can only benefit your business and these events provide an opportunity for you to give out your promotional products.

As an Essex based business with years of experience in dealing with promotional gifts and promotional products, Crystal Print are able to work closely with you to determine with products might be suitable for your business, and where best for you to use them. Get in touch with us today by calling: or head over to our Promotional Gifts page to read more about what we do and how we can help you.