Bonus: In the Shoes of a Graphic Designer

Connect the Dots

CMYK is a subtractive method of printing that relies on layered dots of color to mask the white background of the paper. More ink on the paper means less light that reflects (hence the subtraction).

Inks used in CMYK printing come in 4 colors: Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, and Key (a printer’s name for black, since black is often used to outline an image as a guide).

CMYK inks are applied in set patterns of tiny dots that appear to create a solid color … similar to the pixels on a digital image. Layers of these dots in different amounts of ink create any shade or color. Here’s an example of how the colors work together:

Image via

CMYK colors sometimes translate in terms of percentages. For instance, the blue that we use for our Printing Solutions brand is C100 M30 Y0 K0, or 100%, 30%, 0%, 0%.  

Color By Number

CMYK typically produces a higher quality of print job than your standard home office printer, which prints in RGB. RGB uses combinations of Red, Green, and Blue inks to create varying colors and shades.

“RGB is a 3-color process with fewer colors mixing together to achieve a specific color,” says Kristyn Dingman, Printing Solutions’ Director of Marketing. “Because there are fewer colors to choose from, a CMYK print is preferred to achieve a true color.”

That’s not to say that CMYK produces perfect color every time, the way a Pantone ink would. Pantone inks come in pre-mixed colors according to an exact formula that can be replicated with the same results every time. CMYK, on the other, hand, may have some fluctuations in tone, especially when converting from Pantone to CMYK.

“You are taking something that is already made and trying to dissect it and then reinvent it,” Kristyn says. “The same thing happens when you take a CMYK color and convert it to a Pantone. There is the possibility that the colors may look different from one process to another.”

However, Pantone’s level of perfection comes with a heft price tag that simply isn’t practical for most companies. CMYK is a more affordable solution that still produces a very high quality print product. Here at Printing Solutions, we print about 85% of our projects in CMYK and about 15% in Pantone.

Bonus: The Worst Advice I’ve Ever Heard About Print

Want to know how CMYK printing can help take your business to the next level? Our team at Printing Solutions would love to show you how! Give us a call at 480-596-6300 today.

The post Everything You Need to Know About CMYK appeared first on Printing Solutions.

1. The human eye can see 65,536 different colors of blue.

Need to choose a specific one? The best way is to consult a palette book, which printers and graphic designers rely on for accuracy.

2. Each one has 52 shades.

Different shades are created by mixing different amounts of Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, and Black (CYMK) inks. The color above is C100 M30 Y0 K0.

3. Blue is the most popular favorite color in the world.

In a recent survey, 49% of men and 29% of women said their favorite color was blue.  

4. In color psychology, blue symbolizes trustworthiness and inspires confidence.

This is why so many medical professionals wear scrubs in this color.

5. Studies show that the color blue serves as an appetite suppressant.

Red does the opposite — just think of every fast food chain ever!

6. Printing Solutions’ brand colors weren’t always blue.

They were originally yellow, but were changed to blue because it has a more soft and playful feel.

7. Chemists recently discovered a new color of blue … by accident.

Oregon State University discovered the pigment “YInMn blue” by heating a mixture of manganese oxide and other chemicals to over 2,000° F.

8. Only 8% of the world’s population has blue eyes.

Light-colored eyes are produced by recessive genes that cause an absence of pigments in the iris.

9. In ancient times, blue pigments were so rare that they reserved for royalty.

This is where the term “royal blue” came from.

10. Blue is a popular color for branding and marketing.

Thanks to the significance it carries, this is the most popular color for direct mail marketing and branding.

Looking for the perfect colors to use in your branding and marketing? Printing Solutions would love to help you find your new color identity. Give us a call at 480-595-6300 to get started.

The post 10 Things You Never Knew About the Color BLUE appeared first on Printing Solutions.

A banding package can be a major undertaking and last for a few weeks, but in the end, our clients invariably decide it was all worth it. Here’s the life cycle of a branding package.

Each project is unique, and its timeline depends on the client and what you are looking for. We offer a good, better, best model for design when it comes to projects like this:

• Starter Package offers the basics to a strong brand identity
• Essentials Package comes with a more detailed timeline and expanded print options
• Pro Package includes digital services like email signatures and social media page creations

Strategy Session

All of our branding projects begin with a strategy session, where we sit down with you to learn the ins and outs of what you like about your current brand and what you want to improve on. During these meetings we make sure we get as much input as we can from the team. Our Creative Director, Justin Ketchum, is involved in every branding project that comes through our doors. We also have Chris Danner, our graphic designer as a second hand in these projects. And lastly, a project manager facilitates pricing and is the main contact for you.

Foundation, Development & Refinement

“One team member will take the lead and serve as the liaison between the team and the client, but a typical brand can have as many as five to seven people working on their project at any given time,” Justin says.

After the strategy session, we jump into the three main steps to a branding package: Foundation, Development, and Refinement. Most of the work is done during the foundation phase, which allows for a fun and easy transition through the development and refinement stages.

The revisions depend entirely on the client. As long as you are OK with the time being spent, revisions can happen as often as you would like — our job is to provide the best possible solutions for our clients, so we want you to be involved in this process as much as possible.

“Typically, a company will have their new logo in use within the month,” Justin says.

Once a project is completed, we still have follow-up calls and meetings with you. We learn something new with every project, and we use these learning experiences as tools to better improve our system, as well as the experience for the next project.

If your brand is in need of a reboot, we would love to help. Give us a call at 480-596-6300 to get started.

The post Before and After the Creative Process: See the Life Cycle of a Branding Project appeared first on Printing Solutions.

1. Cotton Cards

One way to give your business cards some extra oomph is as simple as changing the paper they’re printed on. One of our current favorites is a cotton card. Cotton cards have a very natural and sturdy feel to them. They make a big impression — they’re a very thick 45pt paper with actual cotton fiber pressed in — and they have such a soft and elegant feel.

“This is something really unique and can give your business a high-end presentation just based on the stock,” says Kristyn Dingman, Printing Solutions’ Director of Marketing.

2. Foil Elements

If your business card could use a little pizzazz, then foil might be your answer. Adding a stamp of foil to your cards can not only make a lasting impression, but it can make certain aspects of your card really stand out for that high-end look.

Most people think of the traditional gold and silver when they think of foil, but it is actually very versatile in its array of color, size and overall visual appeal.

“It’s a nice, inexpensive solution for someone who is looking to take that next step in design,” Kristyn says.

3. Embossing or Debossing

Embossing (or debossing) is a newer trend in print that is a great way to add both visual and tactile interest to your business cards. This technique indents certain areas of the paper so that as you go over the surface of the card with your fingertips, you can feel the imprint of your company’s logo (or other area that is embossed).

Many companies have a Spot UV or specific feel to their cards, but want a new, modern upgrade that will really make their business something to remember. Having a certain part of the card physically pop out or sink in can make a big impact.

“Many clients use this on their logo or another aspect of the card that is important,” Kristyn says. “It’s a great upgrade for someone looking to rise above their competition.”

4. Colored Edges

For a simple and affordable way to make your cards stand out, you might want to consider adding color the edges. Not only does this technique make your entire card look more cohesive and pulled together, it also gives some love to an often-forgotten area of the card.

“We love seeing clients take their main logo colors and add that sleek edge to their cards,” Kristyn says. “This works best with thicker cards.”

5. Unusual Sizes & Shapes

Not only do you want your business cards stand out, but it’s important to do it in a smart way. A new trend is changing the size from your standard 3×2.5 business card and making it into a circle or square card.

“It looks unique and is a great solution for someone looking to change a small part of their card without changing the entire feel or brand,” Kristyn says.

We can also make custom die-cut business cards for your business. If you want your business card to be a unique shape — like the gift box shape above — then we can do that too.

If you’re considering an upgrade to your business cards, there are a few things to consider first.

1. Do you have the right budget?

While the options above are each great for different businesses, they may not all be the best solution for your budget. Some business card upgrades are only a few dollars, while others may be double or triple that price. Many of the upgrades range anywhere from $30.00 – $200.00, but your final cost depends on which upgrade you want to go with. There are so many different combinations you can do that will fluctuate the price.

2. What’s your deadline?

We love creating new and improved cards for an event or conference a client plans to attend, but things get difficult when they need the upgraded cards in only a couple of days. Many of the business card upgrades above require extensive time for cutting, gluing, drying, and quality assurance checkpoints. For your new cards to look flawless, most of our upgrades simply can’t be rushed.

Here at Printing Solutions, many people want to know how we can improve their cards. We can suggest certain business card upgrades based on a client’s budget and deadline, but to really provide the best solution for your business, it’s best to meet with the Printing Solutions team. Come by our offices, or give us a call at 480-596-6300 to set up a meeting.

The post 5 Fun Upgrades to Your Business Cards appeared first on Printing Solutions.

We have clients all the time who receive the incorrect idea about print by other companies. Here’s some of the worst advice someone could give you about print. And what really goes into a creating a flawless project.

Bad Advice #1: Color matching should be a piece of cake.

Color matching is one of the hardest things for a printing company to conquer. Here at Printing Solutions we print CMYK. Cyan, magenta, yellow, and “key” (or black). This applies to most of the projects that we handle. You’re probably familiar with these colors from your standard desktop printer.

Each of these 4 colors needs to mix together perfectly to produce the exact color from the original batch. If the formula is even slightly wrong, then each run of prints may have a slightly different color. Color matching is a very tedious process that leaves no room for error.

“If you are a business that requires your colors to not fluctuate even by the slightest bit, you need to go with a Pantone print ink,” says Kristyn Dingman, Printing Solutions’ Director of Marketing. Pantone inks are pre-mixed and do not fluctuate in color tones. Unfortunately, this also makes Pantone colors a more expensive option.

A more cost-effective option would be to pick out a pantone color that we then convert to CMYK. While not as exact a match as printing in a Pantone ink, this is a more precise method than simply mixing CMYK colors and hoping for the best.

Bad Advice #2: Setting up print-ready files should only take a few minutes.

Setting up print-ready files can be a long process. Printing clients often think they have sent print-ready artwork. They do not fully understand what really needs to happen for a design to truly be ready for print.

“There needs to be proper crop and bleed marks attached to the artwork, according to our standards,” Kristyn says. “You also need to make sure if you need to change or update something on a piece of artwork that you embed fonts and outline logos.”

If you’re familiar with Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, or InDesign, then you can probably set this up yourself. But if you’re not sure how or where to find these tools in the programs, than you’re better off having our designers set this up for you.

But be aware that having our design team do this for you takes time. We not only make the necessary changes to your existing files, but we also download and save each layer and file to your account.

“It’s definitely not as simple as you may think, but our designers do the best they can in a short amount of time,” Kristyn says.

Prepare to pay for a bit of design time if you do not have 100% print-ready files. We charge around $10 to set the files up for print.

Bad Advice #3: You don’t need bleed and crop marks on your artwork.

Bleed and crop marks are two of the most commonly overlooked features when getting a file ready for print.

Everything we print here at Printing Solutions starts out slightly larger than the finished product. Once we go to print, all pieces of artwork need to be cut down to size. Crop marks are an essential element because they lead the way for a printer when it comes to sizing and cutting properly.

“Not having crop marks on a piece of artwork tells the printer that you do not want the piece cut to a size,” Kristyn says. Not having these causes confusion from computer to printer. And it could result in a final product that you’re not happy with.

An area called the “bleed” is what allows the color to go all the way to the edge of your printed piece once it’s cut down to size at the crop marks. The bleed extends slightly past the crop marks on all sides to ensure that your design looks flawless, even if the cut is slightly misaligned.

Not having bleed on your artwork tells the printer that you don’t want the flood of color to go to the edge of the piece. For example, if you wanted a navy blue background on your business card with no bleed, this would make your cards have a white border. A card with bleed allows the navy blue to run off the edge of the paper, giving it a seamless look.

While we do not require you to have bleed on your artwork, it is more common than not, and can be extremely helpful in producing a final product that you love.

Need To Confirm More Advice?

At Printing Solutions, the best thing we can do to correct any misunderstandings about print is to educate our clients. We do this by explaining the issue or by physically showing them examples of what we will correct. It’s important that our clients know we can offer a solution to any issues or concerns that come up. Our job at Printing Solutions is to provide the best service and assist our customers in finding solutions for their print marketing needs.

We are here to make sure we can connect with each person who walks through our doors. Let’s make this foreign thing called “printing” and make it not so scary. Contact us at 480-596-6300 to learn more.

The post The Worst Advice I’ve Heard About Print appeared first on Printing Solutions.

The best place to start branding your office space would be to come up with a budget. “Find out how much you can spend on branding. Once you have that, you can determine what materials to go with,” Kristyn says. It is also a good idea to really look at your space to determine your best branding solution. The Printing Solutions team is always happy to assist a customer with suggestions, or even make a trip out to take a look at the space in person.

On the Windows

They eyes many be the window to the soul, but your office’s windows are the eyes to your business. Window clings are the perfect way to dress them up and show off your brand before anyone even comes in.

“I have seen plenty of clients do outdoor window clings to identity their brand, taglines, or even inspirational quotes,” Kristyn says.

But outside isn’t your only option when it comes to window clings. If the inside of your office space doesn’t offer the seclusion you need, window clings can be a great solution.

“We have a great frosted vinyl graphic we used to give our conference room a sense of privacy,” Kristyn says. “Many people think it is the glass itself, but you can really give that effective with the vinyl.”

And if that’s not reason enough, window clings come without the hassle of strings and cords, like traditional drapes or blinds:

On the Walls

The walls of your office are one of the most ignored spaces when it comes to branding, but these vertical spaces hold a ton of potential.

“We really love the large wall graphic that is in the hallway of our office,” Kristyn says. “It says ‘Long Live Print’ and really rings true to our industry. We love it not only for the visual representation, but because it is what we live by in this business.”

Copy a page from Printing Solutions’ book and opt for a wall cling of your business’s tagline, or if you want something a little less permanent, a custom canvas print is another great solution. Use these to display your company’s core values, a photo of your team, or each step of your business’s customer journey. Your company’s walls hold more combined space than anywhere else in your office, so don’t forget to include them when branding.

On the Surface

Decorating your office walls and windows are a good start, but it’s all in the details when it comes to branding your space thoroughly. Even the items on your employees’ desks play a role in the image your office projects, so it’s a great idea to invest in branded promotional items and office supplies that they can use in meetings and consultations.

“We have the ability to print several promotional product item,” Kristyn says. “We print solutions for our customer so anything you are looking for when it comes to branding, just let us know.”

Our table throws are also popular choices for offices that want items to serve double duty. Table throws are just as perfectly suited for your trade show booth as they are for your front reception desk or in place of a wall graphic, and they’re great way to make a strong, high-quality statement about your brand.

Want to use print to brand your office space? The Printing Solutions team would love to help. Give us a call at 480-596-6300 to request a quote.

The post How to Use Print to Brand Your Office Space appeared first on Printing Solutions.

But unless you’ve worked in the industry, you probably don’t know what it takes to be a designer like Chris or Justin. So today we’re going inside a typical day at Printing Solutions to show you exactly what it’s like to be a designer.

Our typical day starts with a production meeting with the Printing Solutions team. Our designers Chris Danner and Justin Ketchum discuss their tasks for the day and decide how much time needs to be given to each one. They also make sure to space projects far enough out that designers can give each one the time and attention it deserves — too many deadlines too close together means that projects come out less than perfect. Morning production meetings help prevent that from ever happening. Once we wrap up our meeting we get to work! From simple text changes to logo creation and brand development for our clients, our designers get to work on a bit of everything each day. They primarily use tools from the Adobe Create Suite, including Illustrator, InDesign, and Photoshop.

“Many people consider creativity as being a weekend hobby or something you do when remodeling a kitchen. I get to challenge myself creatively every day!” says Justin Ketchum, Printing Solutions’ Creative Director.

Throughout the day there will also be client meetings that a designer may participate in. Often Chris and Justin will sit in on new and current client meetings, but sometimes, the visits are unscheduled.

“The great part about having in-house graphic designers is that our clients know they can call or walk in and chat with them, no problem,” says Kristyn Dingman, Printing Solutions’ Director of Marketing.

But it takes a good deal of creativity from our designers to be able to produce such amazing work for all of our clients. To help Chris and Justin out, we’ve made the Printing Solutions office as creative an environment as possible. The team plays music, basketball, ping-pong, or just lounges on our giant bean bags as needed.

“We have daily tasks that need to be completed in time to be able to hit certain deadlines,” Justin says. “This creates a challenge for us at times because you cannot force creativity. That’s why we make sure our work environment allows for 100% creative freedom.”

“What’s so nice about our creative team is that we all share different types of creativity and skills,” Kristyn says. “We have someone who can come up with a solution to any problem because we have an abundance of creative ideas all in one location.”

And at the end of the project, the entire team’s creativity shows as yet another customer leaves our office thrilled with their new print products.

Need to have your print marketing redesigned? Our team at Printing Solutions would love to help. Give us a call today at 480-596-6300 to get started.

The post In the Shoes of a Graphic Designer appeared first on Printing Solutions.

If you have an event coming up, here are some guidelines to help you promote it in the best way.

BONUS: Train Your Staff to Get the Most From Your Trade Show Booth

1. What’s your budget?

It’s important to allot a large enough budget to promote upcoming event effectively. It’s always good to have a few different branded visual references at your table. Use these basics as a guideline:

• A table throw: about $179
• A retractable banner: about $249
• At least 1 handout (brochures, postcards): $79
• A Business card: $39

Total: $546

When planning your budget, remember that these promotional materials aren’t a one-time investment. Most of Printing Solutions’ customers reprint their signs and banners only once a year at most. So you can invest a few bucks into something big and high-quality that other marketing material just cannot do.

2. What functionality do you need?

Consider your purpose for attending the event when you plan your promotional materials. Do you want to connect with potential clients, or are you there to look for new companies to partner with? Tailor your materials toward your end goal.

Certain materials are essential regardless of your end goal — you’ll always need a large sign or banner to attract the most attention possible. But if your booth doesn’t include a table front and center, you might want to skip the table throw and put your budget toward more interesting freebies to hand out at the event.

Keep in mind that just because you purchase these materials for a specific event doesn’t mean that they’re useless between trade shows. A lot of wide format printing is very versatile in that you can use it for many different occasions. Once your event is over, displaying your signs or banners in your office or conference room just adds additional branding to your workspace.

3. What products do you already have?

It’s always a good idea to go through your existing supplies before an event and take inventory of what you already have. If you’ve attended trade shows or tabled other events before, chances are you can repurpose some of your existing materials, like table throws, business cards, and banners. But if the materials show signs of wear or are of a low quality, you might want to consider reprinting.

“We take print and see how we can design something specifically for it. The two go together,” says Kristyn Dingman, Printing Solutions’ Director of Marketing. “You can have a high-end retractable banner that has an unattractive graphic on it, or you can have a really solid design of your logo that is printed on a cheap material. The two are essential to one another. Printing on a high-quality material with a high-quality visual is the best route to take.”

If you’re planning your first event and need to start from scratch with promotional materials, our On-The-Go Package was created just for your. It includes over 6 different print marketing options for one price and is a customizable and comprehensive solution to that helps to promote upcoming event.

BONUS: Large Format Printing and What You Are Doing Wrong

For us, the best part of planning any event is seeing the customer’s face light up when we have the display set up in our office for them to pick up. Seeing that end result and the reactions we get are priceless.

Need Help To Promote Upcoming Event?

If you need help planning and to promote upcoming event or trade show, let Printing Solutions help. Give us a call at 480-596-6300 to get started.

The post How Should I Promote My Upcoming Event? appeared first on Printing Solutions.

If this sounds familiar, a branding package from Printing Solutions could be a great step in creating your business’s identity. We sat down with our Director of Marketing Kristyn Dingman to learn how it works.

What is a Branding Package Anyway?

Our branding packages are an easy, effective, and detailed solution for businesses looking to start from scratch or to rebrand their current identity. This is a great step for someone who is looking for a brand new start with a whole new identity — and it all starts with your logo.

We have developed a “Good, Better, Best” model for how these packages are offered. Our “Good” option is our Starter Package, which offers the basics to a strong brand identity along with special print marketing offers to show off your new brand.

The “Better” option is our Essentials Package, which says it perfectly. It’s a better version of the “Good” option, but with a more detailed timeline and expanded print options. You’ll also get an in-depth brand identity guide to help you implement your brand anywhere.

Lastly, our “Best” option comes in the form of our Pro Package. The perks with this bundle skyrocket, and include digital services like email signatures and social media page creations for your brand identity.

Each package begins with a strategy session, where we’ll sit down with you to learn the ins and outs of what you like about your current brand and what you want to improve on.

“No one knows their company better than the people who make it tick, so it is important that you are closely involved in your brand’s development,” Creative Director Justin Ketchum says.

How Do I Know if I Need a Branding Package?

A company brand is the foundation in which it grows upon — your business’s true North. If you’ve ever wondered whether your brand is pointing you in the right direction, a consultation may be great for you!

It’s also a great option for new companies looking for a way to distinguish themselves from their competition.

“The number of logo designs in the world to date is staggering,” Justin  says. “To be original and stand out from the crowd is becoming more and more difficult, but that is the precise reason why it is so imperative to build that successful brand.”

BONUS: Why Graphic Design is Vital for Your Business

How Does it Work?

Building or even re-building a brand is a very labor intensive process. Our team at Printing Solutions can typically develop about two brands per month. One team member will take the lead and serve as the liaison between the team and the client, but a typical brand can have as many as five to seven people working on their project at any given time.

There are three main steps to a branding package: Foundation, Development, and Refinement. Most of the work is done during the foundation phase, which allows for a fun and easy transition through the development and refinement stages.

“This process has allowed us to significantly cut down on over 60% of the work, not only creating a better product but saving time and money,” Justin says. “I know this sounds too good to be true but the results will tell you that it works!”

Typically, a company will have their new logo in use within the month. However, there are many factors that go into building a brand, so that will depend entirely on the depth and size of the company.

BONUS: What Goes Into a Brand?

Wondering how Printing Solutions can help your business find some branding clarity? Complete a brand questionnaire today, or give us a call at 480-596-6300 to get started.

The post How Can a Branding Package Help My Business? appeared first on Printing Solutions.

Over the past months we’ve observed a few changes in styles among our own clients and colleagues, and we’ve compiled them for you below. Here’s what’s trending in the print world.

Social Events

Lately there are more and more social events that businesses are looking to attend, whether it’s a trade show, conference, or other tabling event. Making sure you are visually prepared and well represented at those events is key.

Large format print marketing materials like signs and retractable banners are a must for setting up a great booth. But to really stick with visitors, you’ll also want to invest in flyers, brochures, and business cards to hand out. Additional freebies like postcards, notepads, or stickers can also make a strong impact with anyone who stops at your booth.

When preparing for a trade show or other social event, it pays to plan ahead.

A full trade show package from Printing Solutions includes seven different products, all of which take time to design, print, and deliver.

BONUS: The Trade Show Basics – What Essentials you Should Bring

Direct Mail

We’re loving the trend of businesses developing effective direct mail campaigns. With direct mail you’re literally placing your company’s brand directly into customers’ mailboxes and homes. It’s a valuable “in” with your customers that your competitors likely don’t have.

If you’re jumping on the direct mail bandwagon, keep in mind that design is everything. You only get one chance to make a first impression, especially when the medium you’re using is something that most consumers consider “junk mail.” So having something designed so well that it entices customers to open it is important.

At Printing Solutions, we’re here to help through every step of the Direct Mail process, from design and printing to creating a mailing list to sending your mailers out.

BONUS: 5 Common Direct Mail Mistakes Most Businesses Make

Unique Business Cards

Making sure you are visually better than your competition is especially important in the beginning of the year when you can go all out with guns blazing. With a brand-new budget, you can create a lasting impression with your business cards. Many of our clients are using foil stamping and colored-edge business cards as a way to stand out from the crowd.

We have also noticed our clients giving extra attention to the thickness of a business card. Most business cards are printed on a 16pt matte-finish card stock. Lately, however, we have been seeing clients going for a super thick card with a silk laminate finish.

BONUS: Our 3 Favorite business Cards from 2015

These changes in trending print will not only bring a more effective visual representation of your business, but it will give your company the upper hand and attract the right customers for your business.

Looking to give your company’s printing a boost? Give Printing Solutions a call at 480-596-6300 to get started.

The post What’s Trending in the Print World? appeared first on Printing Solutions.