There can be no denying that times have been tough for the whole economy in recent years – the global recession that was triggered by the explosion of the sub-prime mortgage business in the US has been painful for everyone and we are not out of the woods yet.

At Solopress, we are also facing a less publicised issue that poses a real challenge to the printing industry as a whole – the price of paper that we need to print is soaring.

In an economic environment of cost control and low inflation, the rocketing price of paper is a serious concern as prices have risen by as much as 12% in 2010 already, with further increase a real possibility.

The underlying causes of the price increase are quite complex, with a number of factors (from reduced wood and pulp capacity following a harsh winter and earthquakes in Chile to Finnish port and paper mill strikes) combining to create a global restriction on supply that is especially acute in the UK where a weak pound leads to poor market pricing when compared to markets such as North America and Russia, where demand is strong.

We are therefore facing higher prices and the real risk of paper shortages. What does this mean for our valued customers?

Most UK printers are increasing their prices to cover the increased costs but we are pleased to say that we are committed to keeping our prices at our current level as we know how tough it is for businesses in the UK.

If you are looking for business cards, letterheads, flyers or any printed stationery, now is the time to order – not only can you benefit from our quick turn around, but you can enjoy the same prices despite the rapid rise in paper prices.

If you are in the process of choosing a business printing service, in my opinion there are a few factors that you should consider before you can make an educated decision:

Printing Quality:
One of the main concerns when ordering business stationary is the quality of the finished products; after all you want stationary that represents what your company stands for and that you are not ashamed to send out to your clients and business partners. A quality printing company, will not just try and satisfy their customers – a quality commitment should mean that all business contacts with the company, even those to suppliers and sub-contractors should be professional and of a high standard.

Good Customer Service:
Good customer response times certainly constitute part of a quality service. But not just the timeliness of a response is important, the quality of the reply is too.

Good Printing Value:
Money does not always guarantee you high quality and vice versa. You should have a look around and get an understanding for what the best prices are. If you are planning on getting a stationary bundle this might get you a good discount in comparison to buying your business cards, letterheads and other stationary separately.

Printing Speed:
Sometimes in business, speed is of the essence. Having a printer that can deliver a 24 hr turnaround on their printing orders provides you with flexibility and less planning related admin. You do not want to have to worry about your stationary when you have money to make!

Convenience:
Does your printer have a website and online ordering facilities? If not try a printer that does, and see what difference it makes to the ease of ordering your company stationary online.

Suitability for your needs:
Does your printer have the products you are after? Do you like the materials they use? Does the finished product look as you would like it to and do they help you out with any design questions you might have?

Printer Location:
Where are your printers located? It is always good to know where they are as it gives you an idea of who you are dealing with.

Environmental Friendliness:
This is connected to the locality of the service, as if you order your stationary from another continent, obviously this will create a larger carbon footprint than if the finished printing products do not have to travel very far too reach you. Do they offer recycled products and environmentally friendly inks? Not only will this consideration give you a good conscience, it will also make an impression on your business partners, clients or customers.

As Lithographic & Digital printers we are well aware of the confusion that can occur when talking about printing your marketing brochures, business cards, flyers & leaflets. There are so many choices in paper weights, paper finish and paper colours – there are also different printing processes!
How do you know which one is best for you and your business? While there are advantages and disadvantages to both, we have tried to explain the difference between the two most common processes below.

Digital Printing vs. Lithographic Printing

Digital printing is the reproduction of digital images on physical surface, such as paper or photographic paper, cloth, plastic, etc.
Litho printing is a technique where the inked image is transferred from a metal plate to a rubber blanket, Typically, printing plates are attached to a cylinder in the press. Ink is applied to the plate’s image area and transferred directly to the paper.

Digital can be differentiated from litho or offset printing in many ways, such as:

Every impression made onto the paper can be different, as opposed to making several hundred or thousand impressions of the same thing from one set of plates, as in traditional methods.
The ink or toner does not absorb into the paper, as does conventional Ink, but forms a layer on the surface. It generally requires less waste in terms of chemicals used and paper wasted in set up.
Digital is a excellent solution for quick turnaround, or small print runs!!
Offset printing is most commonly used for high volume printing as its image quality is much higher and more consistent than that of the digital press.

Still not making sense? Call us…01702 460047 we would be happy to discuss in more detail!

Solopress.com would like to welcome you to our new website, we have tried to make the site as informative and helpful as possible.  Solopress are very proud of our new website, but it would be fantastic to gauge the opinion of our users, so please submit your views and thoughts as a comment.

The new Solopress website should make is easy for you to place and order, to check our latest delivery times and to find information on our product range, which to name a few include:

• Business Cards
• Leaflet Printing
• Flyers
• Posters

For any questions you have about our products our live help team should be able to provide the answers, and help guide you to the correct product for your needs.

I would like to welcome you to the Solopress Print and Design blog. As experts in printing we are very proud of the knowledge we have of business cards, leaflet printing and flyer printing. Solopress will be updating this blog on a regular basis to share our printing expertise and to discuss our own thoughts, however random and off topic they may be. From time to time, you will also find we show off some of our latest in-house artwork, we may even use this artwork to poke a little fun at ourselves.