We live in the age of DIY, and it’s amazing how many things can be accomplished without the help of a professional. Printing is one of the best examples. You can get a very good printer/copier/scanner for less than $100 dollars today, and you can do a lot of things with it.
But you can’t do everything – and there are some printing projects that are best left to the professionals. Here are five such projects to keep in mind.
1. Promotional items
There aren’t many people out there who would actually attempt to print something on a golf ball or flash drive, unless they’re doing it by hand. But you’d be surprised how far some people are willing to take their DIY impulses. The bottom line is, if you want to impress potential customers and build your brand awareness, printing your own promotional materials is seldom a good idea. Best leave it to the professionals!
2. Business cards
If you thought business cards were a thing of the past, think again. People still rely on business cards as a convenient way to build their network and establish valuable business contacts; it’s easier to hand someone a business card than to stand around programming each other’s information into your respective smartphones! That said, a professionally printed business card still makes a big impression. Business cards that have been produced on a home printer and cut up with scissors? Not so much.
3. Invitations
Your special event is important to you, and your invitations are the first impression you’ll make on guests. Why leave the quality of your printed invitations up to chance? By working with a professional, you’re sure to come up with a result that looks and feels impeccable, without compromising your unique style and vision.
4. Product labels
We’re not talking about standard mailing labels – those can be printed at home. We’re talking about product labels for your business or project; stickers; static cling labels; bumper stickers; and other advanced labeling products that can take your message and branding to the next level. This is definitely something you’ll want to leave to the pros.
5. Direct mail campaigns
This is another area of printing that many people think has become obsolete – but this couldn’t be further from the truth. Direct mail is alive and well, especially as email inboxes become more cluttered with spam and other unsolicited material. Direct mail is a good way to punch through the noise and make your message heard, but the product should be impeccably printed – and the mailing list needs to be relevant! Only a professional can spearhead this type of direct mail campaign.
Are all professional printers the same?
The answer is an emphatic ‘no’. There are certainly a lot of good printers out there, but there are others who deliver mediocre work, and don’t have the best customer service policies. Sorting out the good from the bad is fairly easy if you pay attention to customer review averages on popular web sites, and a printer’s overall reputation in the community. Good luck with your printing projects!