Printing Paper - Weight & Thickness Conversions Guide

The appearance of printing projects depends on the right combination of varied printing paper and customization options. However, knowing and choosing the best options may be challenging because there are so many options to choose from. Most buyers make mistakes because of the confusing multitude of paper types. Here, we will explain the available paper weight choices and how to tell the difference between each of them.

Choosing Your Printing Paper

To most consumers, paper is either flimsy or firm. Although, there are numbers and metrics used to signify the thickness and sturdiness of paper.

A good rule of thumb is: the greater the weight or point, the more sturdy and durable your material will be. Below are various paper weight units of measurement and their definition.

Paper Weight and Measurement Definitions

Since all manufacturers don’t use the same metric, our team at Clash created a quick reference for the most commonly used paper types, weights and measures.

Learn this basic unit of paper weight measurement.

Pound – Distinguishes how many pounds 500 sheets of a specific paper grade weighs. Each respective paper grade has an industry standard size.

Point – Refers to the thickness of an individual sheet when measured with a device that measures micrometers, or thousands of an inch.

Below are the more popular paper weights.

Text – This paper can be referred to as “offset”, and has a wide range of uses.

Bond – Uncoated bond stock, often called “writing” paper, is most often used in office printer and copy machines.

Cover – These stocks are mostly rigid and not easily folded. Cover stock paper is frequently used on publication covers, business cards, folders and postcards

Paper Coating

Paper coating adds a tactile and visual appeal to printed materials. These coatings are flexible in their application. They can be used on the entire surface, or a certain part of the paper to highlight your logo or company mark for example.

UV Coating: (Ultra Violet): The solvent-free UV coating is a lustrous, glossy, very protective coating that provides a chemical and abrasive resistant hard finish. It may be used strategically to make a logo or picture stand out or used on an entire surface.

Aqueous: This water-based coating is thinner than UV coating. It protects surfaces from dirt, fingerprints, and scratches with its medium glossy finish. It is mostly used on brochures and postcards as well as business cards, protecting them through their journey in mails and deep pockets.

Paper Types

The right paper type can make your printing project really stand out. With choices ranging from gloss to dull, satin and matte, you can greatly improve the look of your project by simply selecting the right type. Get familiar which each type below:

Gloss – Just like a photograph, this appears as a glossy surface.

Satin – Coming halfway between gloss and matte, it enhances full-colour graphics even while preserving eligibility of the readable text. And it still looks shiny and attractive

Matte – This kind of finish is perfect for text-heavy documents. It appears smooth yet not as shiny as the other kinds of finish. It also removes fingerprints.

Uncoated – Stock that has not been coated with any sealant. UV or Aqueous coating cannot be applied to this type of paper.

Custom Printing Options That Stand Out

Your materials must be effective in conveying your message, but a unique finishing solution is a simple way to make your project more appealing to your audience. Below are some of the popular customizations you may choose to incorporate in your next project.

Embossing – Love to feel the designs and texts as you run your fingers over the paper? Using high pressure, embossing uses a specially-made die to create these impressions.

Metallic Ink – Using ink with fine reflective metallic particles create a look you won’t see around. To get that shiny and lustrous look, gold and silver are the go for.

Foil Stamping – By using heated die to stamp foil to paper, you can create design that shimmer and add texture to certain texts or graphics.

Die Cut – From straight out of the normal curves to perfect circles to the outline of imagines and company designs, die cutting helps create an infinite range of contours.

There are plenty of printing customization combinations. Knowing paper weight thickness, coating types, and finishing options will help ensure your next printing project is a success.

Clash Graphics Print Shop Atlanta Flyer Printing

2233 Peachtree Rd NE Ste 202 Atlanta, GA 30309

(678) 235-3464

To view the original version on Clash Graphics, visit: http://www.clashgraphics.com/printing-tips/printing-paper-weight-thickness-conversions-guide/

Marketing With Custom Printed Banners

People usually associate marketing of business with only online means like email marketing and blogging. However, there are equally effective ways of marketing businesses with the aid of tangible items such as printed banners. It is a perfect means of advertising if there is a large gathering. In this article, you will learn how to use a banner as a means of advertising in a festival, conference or trade show. Then contact www.clashgraphics.com to print this custom banner.

Define your target audience

Knowing everything about your ideal customer is the first thing you should be aware of before you create a banner. Determine the specific location where your target audience would be. It is also important to know that everyone is distinct in their own way. Therefore, you should cater for every individual difference.

For instance, people with different personalities attend a sporting event. Therefore, you must find the particular thing that would appeal to all of them. The banner should communicate this appealing thing, and it should be concise enough to pass along the message as quick as possible.

Branding with a Custom Banner

People learning about your brand should feel emotionally connected to it. They should feel happy and excited whenever they see your brand. You need to ensure that your banner triggers an emotional reaction.

Ensure that your banner has its uniqueness so that it could catch the attention of the people. Since you have only a few seconds or minutes to catch the attention of the audience, it is important that the banner has a strong image and personality. In order to design an amazing banner, these are some of the questions you need to answer:

• Can your audience relate to your brand’s value by merely looking at your banner? Is the banner simplified enough so they wouldn’t have to look for long before they understand the message?
• What should be their next step or action after seeing your banner?
• Is the uniqueness of your brand properly represented in the banner?

These considerations will ensure the proper messaging and design of your banner. Remember your goal is to capture attention, communicate a message, then create an action.

What’s Next After I Capture the Attention of the Audience?

It is necessary for you to determine the next cause of action you want your target audience to take after gaining their attention through the banner. Do you want them to visit a website, call a number, visit your office location, attend a seminar you are putting in place, etc.? Ensure the banner complete its advertising purpose it is intended for, and it should lead the audience to what they are to do to move one step closer to your business.

An Efficient Event Advertising Product

It is highly important for you to note that you would have only a few seconds to catch the attention of your target audience. Therefore, it should be concise but meaningful enough to pass along your intended message as quick as possible. In other to do this, you need to think the way your target audience would.

Check if the vinyl banner is attractive enough to draw the attention of the people at the gathering. Your banner should be unique and distinctive since there would be other banners at the event that would be competing with yours for attention. This is a big moment to let everyone know about your business; you need to make it count.

Employ the services of the best graphic designer to help you design your banner to pass along the intended message in an effective way. Your banner is a very powerful marketing tool, and you should make use of it to advertise your business to a large and visible audience.

Clash Graphics Print Shop Atlanta Flyer Printing

2233 Peachtree Rd NE Ste 202 Atlanta, GA 30309

(678) 235-3464

To view the original version on Clash Graphics, visit: http://www.clashgraphics.com/printing-tips/marketing-with-custom-printed-banners/

Marketing your Business or Product with Custom Stickers

Stickers have always been a part of advertising campaigns thanks to their durability, affordability, and eye-catching nature. With the help of digital printing technology there are now endless possibilities when it comes to designing stickers. It’s also never been cheaper to order the finished design in bulk packages.

Stickers remain one of the most versatile and affordable marketing solutions on clashgraphics.com. Below we’ll be taking a look at the advantages of stickers, along with where to leave them and how to benefit the most from using them as a part of your marketing and promotional campaigns.

Everyone Loves Stickers

Who doesn’t love sticking stickers? I’m not sure if they love it because of the way the adhesive smells, or if they just get a kick out of decorating things with stickers, what matters most is that everyone loves doing it. How many laptops and car bumpers have you seen plastered in stickers? These stickers have meaning and they have value because they let people express themselves and the brands they use and associate with. With some cleverness, a polished design, and in particular if you have a lifestyle brand, you can be sure that someone will use your stickers to decorate something.

Design the Stickers to Fit the Brand

One of the main benefits to using stickers is that they can be custom designed to generate a great response from a small budget. There are many ways to customize stickers, including all the different shapes, sizes, and colors they can be printed in. You can create a star-shaped sticker, a round sticker, or a sticker that has been meticulously cut into the shape of the logo of your company. Get creative with the design and consider how you want the stickers to be used.

Best Places to Put The Stickers

One of the most important things in marketing is novelty. Your stickers will get more attention if they are left in unexpected places. If the sticker shows up in a surprising place, then the customer is more likely to see it and pay attention to it. The following are some for the best places to put the stickers.

On an Entrance Door - Plenty of companies have found creative ways to use glass entrance doors as part of their sticker marketing campaign. Find ways you can take advantage of the movement and transparency of glass doors to enhance and promote your brand in clever ways.

In restrooms - Public restrooms are a great place to put stickers, whether on the mirrors, the hand dryers, the floors, the sinks, and even in the stalls. There’s generally only one place for your eyes to go when you use the lavatory. Putting the right sticker in the right place creates a compelling message and is an effective way to deliver a sales pitch.

On walls or ceilings - If there’s some big sales event at the retail location, then you should plaster the walls in stickers to draw the attention of customers, create interest, and deliver a call to action. Ceilings are another good place for stickers, especially in places where customers will spend time looking up (such as using a dentist char, in the mall, or climbing stairwells). Custom stickers are a great way to create an effective marketing campaign.

Affordable and Efficient All-Purpose Marketing Material

If you’re looking to reach a large audience and improve product awareness, then this simple but impactful marketing method is a solid choice. There are plenty of different ways to promote a brand, but not many of them are as effective, affordable, and attention-grabbing as a good custom sticker. Durable stickers produce great results in the short-term, with a lifespan that allows them to continue to deliver in the long-term. Investing even a small amount in custom stickers boosts sales and brand awareness, while being so cheap that it pays for itself plenty of times over.

Clash Graphics Print Shop Atlanta Flyer Printing

2233 Peachtree Rd NE Ste 202 Atlanta, GA 30309

(678) 235-3464

To view the original version on Clash Graphics, visit: http://www.clashgraphics.com/printing-tips/marketing-your-business-or-product-with-custom-stickers-/

Vector vs JPEG and Bitmap Graphics

When you create a logo or business card design for a company, you’ll have the choice between using vector and JPEG or Bitmap graphics. You should always, always use vector graphics when you can for anything professional like a logo or printed material. Clarity and great quality at any size are two of the greatest benefits of the vector format. Though there are several other reasons and more to know about Vectors, JPEG, and Bitmap graphics. Our graphics and printing team www.clashgraphics.com can assist you in choosing the best file format for your printed materials, but first learn the benefits of each digital file type below.

The Difference Between Vector and BMP Files

A Bitmap image or graphic is made up of pixels. JPEG images are too. However, vector graphics are made up of, you guessed it, vectors. These graphical renderings are made up of points and paths rather than tiny squares. There is a major difference between the two of them and that is scalability.

If you’ve ever tried to resize a jpeg then you know how dangerous and useless it is to do. Because it is a lossy compression format, once you expand a JPEG too far beyond its original dimensions, the image becomes very distorted and low quality. Thus, scaling JPEGs and BMPs leaves you with a broken image that is no good to anyone. This isn’t the case with vectors. Vectors are unique in that no matter how much you scale them, you won’t see any loss in clarity, appearance, or quality. You only have to design a vector image once and you can alter the size of it as much as you need. If you create a vector logo, you can later make it large for a banner, or small for a business card. It’s as easy as that.

The Pros and Cons of Vectors, JPEGs and Bitmap Graphics

The ability to enlarge without distortion is a huge benefit, though vector graphics are not perfect. There are some advantages with bitmap images. JPEGs and Bitmaps are good formats for photos and anything that requires a realistic rendering. Bitmap graphic and images and also represent gradient color shifts better. Clearly pixels do have their advantages in some cases. Vectors work well in solid colors and the ability to scale, while Bitmaps and JPEGs give you more freedom and realistic appeal. The downfall being Bitmaps and JPEGs require you to raster the vector art, transforming the graphic into pixels. Intense zooming or stretching of these graphics beyond their original dimensions will make the pixels obvious and can make your printed materials appear blurry or of lower quality.

Bitmaps are also easier to open and edit. True vector files are saved in the .EPS or .AI format. Not many picture programs can open those files. Realistically, some of the few options you have to open and manipulate vector files are Adobe Illustrator, Corel Draw, or other professional grade graphic design software. However, Adobe Illustrator is a program that any professional graphic designer will have.

Vector to BMP Graphic Conversions

Sometimes you might need to rasterize or turn a vector image into a Bitmap (BMP) image before you can use it effectively. The good news is that doing so is quite simple. If you are working on something like a logo, it’s recommended that you always create your initial logo design as a vector graphic in .AI or .EPS format. Though sometimes you might need more than a vector can provide. There is also good news there. There are some graphic design programs that allow you to give vector images the photorealism of BMP images while keeping their scalability.

There are differences between vector images and pixel-based images like BMPs and JPEGs. It’s important that you know the difference and use the right kind during your design creation process. Be sure to work with a vector when you can, as it can always be converted. However, know when a BMP might be useful and simply rasterize or convert your vector graphic.

Clash Graphics Print Shop Atlanta Flyer Printing

2233 Peachtree Rd NE Ste 202 Atlanta, GA 30309

(678) 235-3464

To view the original version on Clash Graphics, visit: http://www.clashgraphics.com/printing-tips/difference-between-vector-jpeg-and-bitmap-graphics/

What is Pantone and How to Color Match When Printing

Pantone is, to put it simply, an American company that created an effective method of ensuring color match. Their name has become synonymous with this highly precise numbered color system. It’s so good, in fact, that it used in the majority of the printing companies throughout the industry. If you’re going to work in or with printing, then you need to be aware of Pantone colors and how you can benefit from it to ensure color match of your artwork, document and materials. Read this article to learn about using the Pantone system in printing or click here to contact a printing representative about specific color matching questions.

The Importance of Color Matching

Color matching is very important in the printing industry. If you create something, or someone shows you something they created, you want it to print precisely as you’ve seen the proof don’t you? If you found that perfect shade of red you wanted, but then the printer used a fairly generic red then your whole job may be ruined or at least you may be disappointed. Color matching is important because it ensures that the image that you create is the same one that the printer creates and delivers to you. Sometimes that perfect color isn’t a generic one and you need something more unique. The Pantone system is filled with unique colors and many brands choose an exact number and color tone to represent their company.

How Does Pantone Help In Printing?

The Pantone system is a collection of over 1100 different colors that are all carefully labelled. When you find that unique color that’s just right for your project it has a name and a number assigned to it. Printers read these numbers and are then able to recreate the color exactly. If you tell a printer that you want a red then it’ll give you a red. If you tell the printer that you want a specific shade of red then you won’t get it unless the printer can recognize and identify it. Printers that run on the Pantone system recognize all the different shades and color tones, and are able to recreate them. This gives you perfectly matching colors every time and ensures the image on the printed-paper matches the same image on the computer.

How to Use the System in Design and Printing

The Pantone system isn’t that difficult to use. You start by finding the exact color you want in the Pantone color palette and make a note of the number it is – ‘Red 199’ for example. If you’re the graphic designer commissioned by a client, you would then send a sample to the client so they can approve it. When you have their approval you create your artwork using this pantone color. Then send it off to a printer capable of utilizing the Pantone system.

The printing operator will then look up the mix that they need to make that specific color. Then they print out what it is you’re creating using the color and their sheets, guides, and chips to make sure that it’s perfect. When everything is said and done you have something printed that looks just how you intended in the design.

Using Pantone colors is essential if you want to ensure color-match printing. People in the printing industry will be expecting you to use it as a standard, so it’s vital to get used to it. There are tons of options, so enjoy the benefit of exact match colors, just try not to get lost in the extensive color palette!

Clash Graphics Print Shop Atlanta Flyer Printing

2233 Peachtree Rd NE Ste 202 Atlanta, GA 30309

(678) 235-3464

To view the original version on Clash Graphics, visit: http://www.clashgraphics.com/printing-tips/what-is-pantone-how-to-color-match-when-printing/

What Is Document Bleed And How To Use It In Printing And Design

Document Bleed is a concept in the printing world whereby you deliberately leave an element of your artwork or design (usually a picture) spilling over the edges of the document beyond the trim edge. When a document is prepared with bleed, it’s printed on a larger sheet of printing paper and trimmed down to the exact size. It sounds silly to deliberately do something like that, but there are positive uses and a reason for doing this.

Why Use Document Bleed?

The simple answer to why you should use document bleeds is that it’s a very effective cropping tool. Even if you place something right at the edge of a flyer, the printer is not one hundred percent precise, and leaves room for error and the potential to mess up your print. It’s actually far better to go out over the edge and let the printer off the excess surface area for you, rather than relying on the printer to use an already cropped image. If the printer messes up using your already cropped artwork you’ve lost time and money, whereas with bleed there is no real disadvantage or opportunity of loss. When setting up your printing files, be sure the bleed has been accounted for. To see the various flyer size options, click this link http://www.clashgraphics.com/categories/flyer-printing-in-atlanta.

There are mechanical reasons for using a bleed too. Printers tend to leave a tiny bit of white even with the most carefully arranged and cropped document. When you go over the edge with a document bleed there’s no room for error. The document is printed how it should be and you have a great looking piece of art or marketing material.

Partial Bleed vs Full Bleed

There are two different kinds of bleeds. A partial bleed is when only a few parts of the artwork component or image exceeds beyond the document. A partial bleed is useful when you only have an image in the corner, like on a business card for example. A full bleed is used when the design or background image covers the entire document and runs off of all side as. It’s used with flyers and posters. The type of bleed that you need to use depends on the purpose of your document. Just take a look at the colors, images and pictures you use and ask if you need a full or partial bleed.

How to Use it Properly

Of course using document bleed is still pointless if you don’t do it right. Go too far over the edge and you cut off important things. Don’t go far enough and you don’t get a bleed and still get that white gap at the edge. So how should you print off things with an effective bleed? It’s quite simple really.

The layout design or image manipulation programs you’re likely to use as a graphics designer, such as Photoshop, actually have built in bleed functions that can arrange this for you. If you use Photoshop then just start a new image and set the “full bleed” option to an eighth or quarter of an inch vertically and horizontally, depending on your printer specs, set your resolution to 300 pixels an inch, and your color mode to CMYK and you’re good to go.

You can use that basic principle with most layout and design programs like Illustrator and InDesign. They all have a bleed option functionality in document settings. Your basic bleed is a quarter of an inch on most print jobs, but smaller print materials may be an eighth of an inch. Check with your commercial printer. However, remember that this quarter of an inch section is not going to be printed and is used purely as the zone for cropping your artwork down to its exact size. So make sure there isn’t anything important in this area. That is the other part of using bleed properly; not putting anything you need in the bleed part of the document.

So the next time you create something that needs to print precisely, remember to use document bleed to ensure a high quality print and that your pertinent information or design isn’t cropped out.

Clash Graphics Print Shop Atlanta Flyer Printing

2233 Peachtree Rd NE Ste 202 Atlanta, GA 30309

(678) 235-3464

To view the original version on Clash Graphics, visit: http://www.clashgraphics.com/printing-tips/what-is-document-bleed-and-how-to-use-it-in-printing-design/

Tips to Design the Best Business Cards

Think of all the business cards being exchanged during random encounters. No matter the situation, you aspire that your business card will leave a lasting impression and demarcate credibility and trustworthiness to your clients.

Effective business cards provide information about you and convey the essence of your organization. After dialogue, exchanging business cards encourages the receiver to follow up with you. As part of your identity, a business card personifies you, the giver, and reflects what your organization represents.

Check out the multitude of business card options available http://www.clashgraphics.com/business-cards-printing-in-atlanta. Then learn what we found from interviewing top designers to find out what they believe makes an excellent business card.

What Makes a Great Business Card

In examining well-done business cards, you will find they share these qualities – bold, visually appealing, and unique. When a card can be described using these adjectives, more than likely it will be valued and not just tossed aside.

If we simplify the purpose of your card, it is to represent your organization and provide the receiver the necessary contact information. With this in mind, there’s a balancing act between aesthetics and function. Of course a beautiful design is desirable, but never lose sight that finding and using your contact information is a core purpose of this marketing material.

Things to Consider During the Design Process

A designer’s task is to successfully balance and lay out certain elements — logo, contact information, website, social media addresses, tagline, art — into an uncluttered and attractive design. The graphic designer aims to create a business card that is memorable, evokes a certain feeling, and makes an emotional connection.

One may ask, how is this goal achieved? An experienced visual designer has a knack and skill for making the proper selection and use of colors, imagery, typography, attitude, production material, copywriting, shape, and textures. Similar to a photographer or filmmaker’s ability to create an emotion or mood using film, a good graphic designer leverages the print medium to create memorable designs and marketing materials.

How Custom Printing Options Help Create a Unique Card

As your card will be held and seen, it is important to create a unique experience. In consideration of the tactile nature of print, selecting paper that has a unique feel helps dictate a specific experience. Rounded edges influence how the card feels and makes the card less traditional and conservative in appeal. Engraving, embossing, and letterpress are other techniques to create raised lettering or an indented mark in the card. Any of these customizations can accentuate how the card feels, helping your card stand out and leave an impression.

Now consider the slew of custom options that will impress the visual sense of the receiver. For a logo that has a unique mark or strong shape, die cut is a process to cut a specific or precise shape into a cards surface. The use of colored edges is another great customization and method to implement a brand’s color. Foil print is a custom process of adding a metallic silver or gold to the surface of the card, making it hard to overlook.

Overall, customizations should be implemented as a way to differentiate and communicate what your organization stands for. Customizing your cards is an opportunity to make the receiver think, “If they took that much time on their cards, imagine the level of attention they will invest into their business and services.” Choose wisely and align the values of your company with the selection of your business card’s custom options.

Common Business Card Design Mistakes

Over the years, designers and business owners have cluttered their cards with too much information. Everything from fax numbers, cell and office numbers, email addresses, social media profiles, office locations, and other information can come across as desperate and overwhelm the client.

When someone is compelled to get in contact, they will naturally. Typically, your phone, email and website are enough information and provide sufficient avenues for contact. After designing and printing, there are marketing mistakes you will want to avoid. However, besides overly busy designs, information overload is the most common design mistake.

Seal the Deal by Incorporating These Tips

There are a myriad of ways to design a business card; however, the main goal is to capture attention, pique curiosity, and encourage contact and inquiry by the receiver.

The overall design and printing process of the card should speak to the company’s values and approach to business. If the company specializes in luxury products — the printing process should reflect that.

You want a card and design that represents the caliber of work you perform, but be unobtrusive and memorable. Implement these tips and create the business card that gets you noticed.

Clash Graphics Print Shop Atlanta Flyer Printing

2233 Peachtree Rd NE Ste 202 Atlanta, GA 30309

(678) 235-3464

Originally published on: http://www.clashgraphics.com/printing-tips/tips-to-design-the-best-business-card