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  1. Top Tips for Printing on a Budget

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    Sometimes a printed sales or marketing job simply needs to be as economical as possible. The quality still needs to be high but, for whatever reason, the production budget is particularly tight this time. For example, maybe you’re a start-up with limited budget, or two years of the pandemic have knocked your business for six. Or, perhaps you’re exhibiting at a trade show, already spent most of your budget on the space and stand, and forgot to order printed marketing materials to hand out to prospects. Well, worry not — there are always ways to save money when buying print on a budget. Take a look …

    Go Thinner

    Have a think about the thickness of your paper or card. Does it really need to be that thick? Dropping from, say, 170gsm to 150gsm, 135gsm or even less will save you money and that saving could amount to a significant one, especially if you are producing a large print volume.

    Posting Your Print?

    If your printing is going to be posted, its thickness, size and weight are even doubly important. It would be tragic if your printed item was just a fraction over Royal Mail’s size and weight threshold, forcing you into the next price band. For example, if your printed piece is too large for standard First Class mail and sneaks into the ‘Large Letter’ band, sending just 500 out to prospects will cost you around £220 more in postage than it would otherwise have done. That’s not even allowing for additional costs like larger envelopes. So, some careful pre-planning of size, shape and paper weight can save significant money on postage when you get it right.

    Ditch the Fancy Finishes

    Do you really need that lamination? Or the rounded corners? Or the integral pocket for inserts? Eliminating luxuries at a time of need will save you money, for sure. It’ll also speed up production and that might also be critical if this print job has been left to the last minute.

    Paper Finishes

    Textured paper will almost always be more expensive than untextured. So, if you’re on a budget, forget laid paper, watercolour paper textures, onion skin textured paper and the like — it’s likely to add a significant amount to production costs. So, keep it simple when budgets are slim.

    Going a step further, there is even a huge variety of untextured papers. Trendy uncoated (or ‘offset’) papers look organic and fresh, but they’re likely to cost quite a bit more money than more standard coated papers, which are produced in higher volumes at paper mills. In other words, the more ‘run-of-the-mill’ papers will help to save you money.

    Branded vs. Unbranded

    Do you really need to use that paper brand? There really are some lovely branded papers and cards out there, but when budgets are tight, any good commercial printer will be able to steer you towards a non-branded stock that could be a fraction of the price, but look every bit as good as the big brands.

    Size & Format Considerations

    Keep an eye on paper size/format to avoid paper wastage. What do we mean? Well, printing based on ‘A’ sizes (A4 and A5 etc.) will generally be cheaper to produce than bespoke sizes. That’s because there is less wasted paper/card produced when printers use the most commonly available paper sizes. So, perhaps that square brochure is not such a good idea if you are on a tight printing budget.

    Brochure Binding

    If your brochure or catalogue needs to be bound because it’s multi-page, consider the binding mechanism carefully. A folded brochure (e.g. 4 pager, multi-page ‘roll’ fold or even a ‘map’ fold) will generally be cheaper to produce than something that needs a separate binding stage. Even saddle-stitching (essentially stapling) will save money compared to wiro binding, velo binding, perfect binding and so on.

    Ganging up

    ‘Ganging up’ is a great way to save money on print. The term refers to printing several jobs at the same time, on the same sheet. In this way, less printing passes (and, in the old days, less printing plates) are required because jobs are printed simultaneously. Once the large, multi-job, sheet is printed, it can then be cut down into it’s separate elements. An example would be A4 four-page brochures being produced at the same time as, say, A4 and/or A5 leaflets, all printed simultaneously on an SRA2 or SRA1 sheet. Some simple mathematics will be required to work out how many copies are produced of each, but ganging up certainly saves money when the maths and volumes work out nicely.

    Top tip: Ask us for advice!

    Photography & Illustration

    If your brochure, leaflet or mini-catalogue requires photography or illustrations, there are potential ways to save money there too. Decent photographers and illustrators are expensive, to be frank. However, there are many ‘royalty-free’ image libraries that can offer high quality stock photos and illustrations for just a few pounds each. Adobe Stock, for example. They have literally millions of photos and images to choose from and you can even pay-as-you-go rather than having to sign up for anything long term.

    Perhaps you need bespoke product/pack shots, though? These days, with ‘photo light tent’ kits available for less than £100 online and handheld mobile phones offering ample sharpness and resolution, it’s possible to get professional-looking pack shots produced entirely on a D.I.Y. basis. All on a low budget.

    Print Management

    Professional print management should also save you money. If someone like Southside Print manages all your print, for the entire year, then savings can be made. That’s through a combination of things like ganging up, using print-on-demand so nothing goes to waste, and delivering several jobs at the same time to save on delivery costs. Going local also helps with delivery (if you’re in or near to the London SE1 area, our printing services are close by).

    Multi-use & Reusable Print

    Make your print multi-use. For example, perhaps you have a mini catalogue as well as a brochure. Well, combining the two into one printed document could save you money on production.

    Similarly, making your printing reusable will also mean you don’t have to keep reprinting. For example, display graphics, laminated print collateral and banners can all be reused. Storing carefully will also extend their shelf lives.

    Choose Your Printer Carefully

    Choose your printer carefully. With Southside Print you will come to know that we are always competitively priced. What’s more, even when we print on a budget, our printing quality is superb and it’s also fast. Take a look at our 5 star Trust Pilot reviews and 5 star Google reviews and you’ll soon see this for yourself.

    DIY Design & Artwork

    If you know what you are doing, have a good eye for design and have the right (professional) software, you could consider producing your design and artwork entirely in-house. That’ll save you from spending out on professional design externally. However, it’s a tricky one because a poorly executed design can be a false economy. If the look, design and feel of your printed piece looks poorly executed, unattractive and confusing in terms of communicating your sales or marketing proposition, then it doesn’t matter how well it’s printed or how cheap it was to produce. Indeed, it could end up being a waste of time and money if the design and messaging is wrong. So, we suggest that the design of your printed piece is perhaps one area that you should not scrimp on even when budgets are tight. That’s unless, of course, you can ensure it’s going to look professional, clear in terms of message and technically correct using any in-house capabilities. If not, Southside Print offers a professional design and artwork service and we’re here if you need us.

    It’s all a Balance

    It’s all a balance, of course. You don’t want your sales and marketing collateral to do your product or service a disservice, so exactly where and how you save money needs careful consideration.

    Competitively-Priced, High Quality Printers & Designers in London SE1

    Southside Print can help with advice, of course, and our advice is totally free. We are a digital printerlarge format printer and offer a complete range of print-related services near London Bridge. Print and design quotations are also free so, if you would like to request a free quote, have any questions or need advice, please get in contact and we’ll be happy to help.

  2. ISO 14001 Environmental Accreditation

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    Southside Print is proud to announce that we have embarked on our journey to become an ISO 14001-accredited printer by spring 2022. ISO 14001 is an important environmental management certification to a high quality, internationally recognised, standard.  Gaining this independent accreditation will help us to further minimise our environmental impact and, in effect, that of customers using our printing services. That’s great news if you are operating as part of an ISO 14001-accredited business yourself, are a certified B Corporation (‘B Corp’) or want to ensure you are fully supporting your organisation’s CSR, sustainability and/or environmental policies.  By choosing a supplier with ISO 14001 accreditation, you can be sure you are dealing with an environmentally-conscious supplier that delivers only environmentally-friendly, sustainable solutions for your printing and design needs.

    A ‘Green’ Printer

    ISO 14001 accreditation is a continuation of our efforts to be as ‘green’ a printer as possible. It’ll also help our clients by providing them with ecologically sustainable choices like environmentally-friendly paper, card, printing and finishing options for all their print.

    Recycled & FSC Approved Paper & Card

    Southside Print is already ticking all the right boxes. At time of writing, virtually 88% of the paper and card material we use is 100% recycled and FSC approved. It also goes without saying that we recycle as much of our paper and card off-cuts as possible. This goes directly back into the production of more paper pulp so that more of the world’s trees are conserved.

    Biodegradable Lamination

    We even extend our efforts to lamination. When that is essential for customers’ printing, we only use bio-degradable laminate. However, that said, we discourage the use of any plastics whenever feasible.

    Reducing Our Carbon Footprint

    It doesn’t end with materials. There are many changes we have made to our working practices and the materials we use. For example, we are now fully electric, having taken out our old gas supplies. So, no more fossil fuels for Southside Print. We have also replaced all of our lighting bulbs with LED equivalents, so have vastly reduced our energy consumption for lighting. Even our website is hosted on ‘green’ servers.

    Low & Zero Carbon Delivery Options

    We even use ‘green’ couriers and delivery solutions. For example, we try to use only cycle couriers, electric bikes and electric vans vans for delivery wherever possible.

    Eco-friendly Digital Printing

    Printing production is also now fully digital. That means we use no nasty chemicals, nor do we produce any hazardous waste. With our green approach, environmental accreditation just around the corner and sustainability front and centre of everything we do, we are one of the UK’s most environmentally friendly printing companies.

    ISO 14001 Environmental Accreditation:

    • Shows we mean business when it comes to offering the most eco-friendly printing solutions;
    • Helps facilitate the greenest printing and finishing options for clients, particularly those who wish to minimise their own carbon footprint and impact on the planet;
    • Ensures efficient use of resources and a reduction in waste and energy use;
    • Helps us to be ‘green to the core’ through a holistic approach to the environmental management of everything we do;
    • Fosters a culture of continual improvement in our environmental systems and approach;
    • Proactively boosts environmental performance, for us and our clients;
    • Demonstrates our compliance with statutory and regulatory requirements, both now and in the future;
    • Even encourages our suppliers to meet a certain level of environmental performance.

    We hope to be fully accredited by the Spring of 2022. We will keep you updated, so please visit this blog area for more information in the first quarter of 2022.

    Green Printers in South London

    Are you looking for high quality, eco-friendly, green printers in South London or London Bridge? Our print shop is located nearby in Borough, just a few minutes from London Bridge station and Borough tube. We offer digital printinglarge format printinggraphic design and a great print management service. Get in touch for more information or a free quotation — we’re here to help:

  3. Using Print to Support E-Commerce

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    Does your company or organisation have an online shop? If so, are you making the most of it from a marketing perspective? Does the online shop feature cross-sells, up-sells, recently viewed products, wish lists, live chat and a simple e-news sign-up to build a re-marketing list? Does it have voucher code functionality, a customer review facility, a decent user experience and an easy-to-accomplish check-out and payment facility? These are all the kind of things any decent e-commerce store should have if you are to get the most from your online shop.

    How About Offline?

    If you’re not using printing to support your e-commerce store, you are missing a trick. Printing, combined with your e-commerce operation, can make a huge difference to your success. We’ll explain how and why …

    Example:

    You receive an online order for a product. You dispatch it the same day with a packing slip and an automatically-generated email confirmation. It arrives the next day.

    Perfect surely?

    Well, not really. The speed and efficiency of your fulfilment offering is impressive, for sure. However, you have missed many golden opportunities if that’s all you do when dispatching online orders to customers. Take a look …

    How to Make the Most out of Online Orders Using Print

    1. Printed Branding

    Firstly, think about brand recognition. A good, well-recognised brand is worth its weight in gold if you get it right. Thinks of Virgin, Ted Baker, Apple and even an organisation like The National Trust. Each has a brand that’s instantly recognisable. You could put their logo on almost anything and it would instantly make that product more desirable. So, the lesson here is to ensure that your brand looks great in the first place (our talented graphic designers can help with that), but also that it’s presented to best effect on everything the customer sees when they receive their order. The packaging should be well-designed and showcase your brand. So should the packing slip; labels too. That’ll all help with brand recognition. Keep doing that and your brand should become more and more popular and valuable over time.

    2. Cross-Selling, Up-Selling & Repeat-Selling Through Print

    As well as the nifty packaging and attractive paperwork, ensure you give your customer every opportunity to remember your e-commerce shop and brand. You can do this through the inclusion of a variety of printed materials:

    • Include 2 or 3 attractive business cards or postcards for your customer to keep for future use. These are something that’s easy and compact for them to keep, ready to remind them to visit your store again in the future. Including more than one also gives them the opportunity to pass one on to a friend or relative (that’s free marketing for you).
    • Take this a step further by including a compact but beautifully designed brochure about your brand or product(s). What’s the history? Is there a U.S.P. — something unique about your product or brand that sets it apart? What is the mission or ethos of the company? If it’s green make sure you tell your audience in the copy. Make your brand relevant, and the message and presentation engaging, and your customers will buy into it.
    • Top Tip: One immensely worthwhile item to include with orders is a catalogue or mini catalogue. These are a great way to showcase additional products that the customer might have overlooked online. Such marketing pieces can include nicely shot product photos and descriptions along with quick/short links for online purchase — or order forms for offline ordering. As well as encouraging sales, printed mini-catalogues are also a great way to sell off discontinued products that are still in stock, or sale items that you’re keen to clear.
    • Include a discount voucher or code, to encourage them to make another purchase. Even better, make it time-sensitive, so they’re spurred on to act (i.e. buy again) without delay.
    • Include a printed ‘refer a friend’ offer of some kind. This could be printed on any of the above but might be easier to notice if it’s a on separate card, simple leaflet or coupon. It’ll stand more chance of success if there’s some sort of incentive for both the customer and the friend they are referring, so have a think about what you could offer each.
    • Printed loyalty cards are also a good thing to send with orders, especially if you also offer a service. They are yet another way to keep customers coming back again and again to buy more!

    Including printed items like these, with every online order, is a great way to remind your customers about your brand and products. It’s also a way to help customers ‘buy into’ the brand, feel part of it, and for the business to become much more tangible and real. After all, there is a real bricks and mortar business, with real people, behind most online shops. Printed collateral like this will help your offering stand out from the crowd and become memorable. At the end of the day, that means repeat business, more profit, and a likely increase to your business’s value as it grows. What’s more, before you know it, you’ll have both an online store and be supporting it with a parallel mail-order business. One shop suddenly became two in effect, with only modest extra cost and effort. Don’t forget to take that a step further, too, by bringing in all the relevant social media channels. Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest, for example, are brilliant for lifestyle type product marketing, without it looking too ‘salesy’.

    Printers in London Bridge, SE1

    If you are looking for high quality, reliable printers in London Bridge, please do get in touch. Our print shop is located in Tabard Street, close to Borough High Street, just a short distance from London Bridge station. We supply digital printinglarge format printing and we’re also a very green printer. Quotes are free, so please do get in touch for more information.

  4. 5 Star Reviews for Southside Print

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    At Southside Print we have virtually a full suite of 5 Star reviews on Google for our printing and design services. A staggering 19 out of the 21 Google reviews that Southside Print has received are 5 star reviews. That’s the highest possible star rating for over 90% of all customer reviews — and we’ll be forever grateful to customers who went out of their way to leave such glowing reviews for us. Thank you to each and every one of them.

    The highest possible rating in over 90% of customer reviews

    Here’s what just some of our past customers have said on Google:

    Thank you again to all of the above and the many others who left such positive feedback on Google for Southside Print.

    Existing Customer? Please Write a Review

    Southside Print SE1 would love your feedback. If you are an existing or previous customer of Southside Print and were happy with our service, please consider posting a review to our Google profile. Here’s how:

    1. Log into your Google account
    2. Go to https://g.page/r/Cctja4YTEM9bEAg/review
    3. Submit your review

    Thank you.

    We’re Printers in Borough/London Bridge, London SE1

    Southside Print are printers in London Bridge, Borough and SE1 in South London, producing outstanding digital printinglarge format printinggraphic design and artwork and online printing.

  5. Looking for an Eco-Friendly Printer in London SE1?

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    At Southside Print, we’re passionate about doing our bit to save the planet. With such extreme weather around the world and record-breaking temperatures becoming the new norm, it’s more important then ever to reduce our carbon footprint and generally be more eco-friendly as a company and as individuals. We’re certainly stepping up to the mark.

    Are you looking for a ‘green’ printer near London Bridge?

    We hope that being ‘green’ is important to you too. If so, you’ll probably want to find an environmentally-friendly printer, i.e. one who uses eco-friendly practices and chooses sustainable materials wherever possible. That’s where we come in because we genuinely care about the environment and our impact on the planet. So, when you choose Southside as your environmentally-friendly printer, you know you are making a green choice and are also playing your part in the much bigger picture.

    How we are environmentally friendly

    At Southside Print, there are a number of ways in which we help to minimise waste and reduce our carbon footprint. Just a few examples include the following:

    • All paper, card and board off-cuts are saved for recycling wherever possible. As printers, that’s a no-brainer and results in a huge amount of paper-based material going back into the production of things like … more recycled paper! Speaking of which …
    • While the final decision about paper and card is down to the individual customer, we try wherever possible to suggest the use of sustainable papers. Depending on the job in hand, these might include paper that is 100% or at least partly recycled, made from pulp from sustainable sources, a mixture of the two, or even paper and board that contains nothing from trees at all — for example, paper made from sustainable cotton — this has a lovely crispness about it too. There is a wide variety of eco-friendly paper, card and board available on the market, so it makes total sense to offer such options to customers. Together, we can then help the planet and reverse some of the damage already done.
    • We also endeavour to choose only energy-efficient machinery. These days, this is easier than ever because most modern machines have energy-efficient modes and other eco-friendly options. These save energy, minimise heat loss and can even reduce the amount of wasted material and consumables used during production.
    • At Southside, we often also go the extra mile by using green cycle couriers to deliver to London customers wherever possible. There are not many printers that go to such lengths!
    • It may come as a surprise to some but our website hosting was also carefully chosen; at Southside, only ‘green’ hosting will do! The servers used to display our website are hosted in an energy-efficient environment and one that takes enormous measures to limit heat loss. Such measures help to reduce carbon dioxide building up in the atmosphere — that’s an incredibly important step towards reducing the greenhouse effect that can so badly add to global warming.

    Contact SE1’s eco-friendly printer

    If you are as passionate as us about the environment and are looking for an eco-friendly printer, please give us a try at Southside Print. Printing need not cost the Earth, so we’ll be able to offer various eco-friendly options with prices to suit and then you can make an informed choice. Together, we can all play our part to help the environment.

    “Printing need not cost the Earth”

    We’re based in Tabard Street in SE1, so are particularly convenient for those in or near the London Bridge and Borough areas of south east London. Call 020 7378 6754 if you’d like to chat things through or, alternatively, request a quote online here and we’ll be happy to help. Our core services are digital printinglarge format printing and graphic design along with a whole host of other printing-related services. Click any of the bold links for further details.

  6. Printers in Borough, London SE1

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    Borough-Market-plaqueWe are printers in Borough, right in the heart of London SE1. Based in Tabard Street, Southside Print offers high quality printing to individuals, businesses, shops, charities and organisations across the Borough & SE1 region. So, whether you’re a resident who needs personal stationery, a cafe that needs printed menus, a pub that needs posters to promote gigs, an SE1 charity that needs fundraising literature, a shop that needs printed booklets or catalogues or one of the many businesses in the Borough that requires sales and marketing collateral, we can help. We’ll print everything for you at the highest quality, for a competitive price. What’s more, our turnaround times are hard to beat and we offer free local delivery and a click and collect service for those close by.

    Further afield?

    Perhaps you’re a little bit outside the Borough region. No problem! We print for companies and organisations everywhere in the UK and abroad and even have a web print shop where anyone in the world can order popular items like stationery, posters, brochures, leaflets and bound documents 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Simply choose your desired options, submit your payment and we’ll take care of the rest. And don’t forget that ‘click and collect’ service for local customers.

    What can we print?

    We can print pretty much anything you can think of! For example, brochurescataloguesletterheadsbusiness cardscompliments slipsNCR (multi-part) order padsmenuspostersdisplay graphics, exhibition panels, signsnewslettersannual reportsleaflets, flyersbooklets, brochureslabels, stickerswedding invites, postcards and a whole host of other printed items. In fact, if it’s produced by printing ink on paper, chances are we can supply it.

    The Borough

    Entrance-to-Borough-Market

    The Borough is an extremely cosmopolitan community, with a really good buzz about it. You have Borough Market right at its heart and there you can pick up anything from gifts to fruit, vegetables, street food from around the world, the finest delicacies and much more. Pubs, restaurants, cafes and other eateries abound and throughout the Borough you have a huge abundance of shops including independent traders and high street brands all competing for the attention of shoppers. All these businesses and traders need to be at the top of their game to attract passers by so it’s important that they get their message across in window displays, inside and on their printed promotional literature. Many of them also hand out flyers in the SE1 streets. We can help with all of that not only by producing the finest print, but also by making it look a million dollars in the first place, courtesy of our in-house graphic designers. That’s where we can make a real difference in your ROI (return on investment) to ensure that you communicate your service or product USPs (unique selling propositions) and key messages clearly to your prospects. That’s how you are most likely to turn them into paying customers. Supplying your own artwork? That’s OK too – we’ll simply check your artwork files and let you know if we spot any issues. We can also supply printed proofs, of course, so you can check how things look before committing to the full print run.

    The-Borough-SE1Are you a business owner in the Borough who needs the best local printer?

    Well, you have just found the best printer in the region, in our opinion and our great Google reviews seem to agree. Call us on 020 7378 6754 or send us a message here and we’ll be delighted to discuss your printing and/or design requirements, without obligation. You can request a print quotation online here or, if you’re ready to proceed, upload your artwork here and let us take care of the rest. We’re 2 minutes from Borough Tube and just a ten minute walk from London Bridge station. Find our location here if you would like to visit for a one-to-one chat – it would be great to meet you.

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    Image credits: All images are licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license.
    Main image: Borough High Street by IIya Kuzhekin.
    Blue plaque by Spudgun67.
    Grand entrance to Borough Market by Garry Knight.
    Shops in The Borough by Øyvind Holmstad.

  7. The Value of Great Graphic Design

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    Never underestimate the power of graphic design. It has the power to either make or break your sales and marketing efforts. Too many people dismiss design as an unnecessary expense but, in reality, it is incredibly important to your bottom line. As such, it deserves an adequate allowance of both time and budget otherwise you risk wasting both those precious commodities entirely. In this post, we’ll explain why skimping on your graphic design budget may represent a fool’s economy. Not convinced? Read on …

    Think about it for a moment: what is the single most important thing that world-dominating companies like Apple have at their core? Answer: excellent design. Without that, their products would simply be buried in an ocean that’s littered with hundreds of mediocre products. Excellent design lifts them high above the competition and also makes their products desirable. And once converted, famously few Apple customers ever go back.

    It’s the same for printed sales and marketing pieces, adverts and packaging. Looking mediocre is a sure fire way for your promotional efforts to be completely overlooked in the ‘din’ of other mediocre efforts that compete in your marketplace. Excellent design, in contrast, will both attract and entice your potential audience so they notice and desire your product or service, not those of your competitor. Yet so many companies miss this simple opportunity by seeing design as an unnecessary expense rather than the incredibly powerful marketing tool that it is!

    Let’s break down the main components of graphic design …

    Good Design = Good Communication

    Graphic design is about much more than how your sales and marketing pieces look. Good graphic design primarily has great communication at its heart. It’s all very well if your leaflet, brochure, poster or packaging looks attractive, but that’s no good to anyone if they don’t understand, in an instant, what it’s all about and what is on offer. So, one of the first considerations of any good graphic designer is to identify what the core message is and then to communicate that message prominently to the prospective audience. A good graphic designer will also pick out any secondary and subsequent message elements, making sure that each is communicated with the appropriate weighting in the sales or marketing piece. Using this hierarchical approach to the prominence of elements and messages will mean that the prospective customer knows where to look first and thereby learn quickly what is being offered and why.

    Good graphic design primarily has great communication at its heart.

    Features & Benefits

    Once the product or service being offered has been made clear, another job of a good graphic designer is to make sure that the features and benefits of the product or service are also clearly communicated to those taking a closer look. Features are no good alone, of course; the prospect needs to know how those features will benefit them — so don’t forget to include your product or service’s benefits in the printed text.

    Looking Good

    Then, of course, the printed communication needs to look eye-catching and attractive. The right graphical and typographical styles, photos and/or illustrations need to be presented in such a way that they catch the eye, communicate all the right messages as outlined above, all in a pleasing way. The ‘tone’ of the design also needs to be right. If your product or service is a luxury one, then the design and printed output needs to ooze quality. If your product or service is an inexpensive bargain, then the designer needs to pitch the design just right so that it looks high quality overall but does not look or feel too expensive. This fine balance is all part of the job of a good graphic designer.

    Feeling Good

    Part of that balance is, of course, the paper, card and print processes used in the final printing. Some printed items look better on textured papers and cards, others work better on uncoated stock and still others might look best on standard paper with, say, a matt lamination. There are many paper options and many finishing options to choose from, so good graphic designers will also be able to advise on what might work best for your particular product or service — and production budget. The optimum result will be a printed item that both looks and feels good, without breaking the bank.

    It’s All a Waste without a CTA

    Once all of the above has been considered, then you’re well on your way to ‘converting’ your prospect’s interest into an actual sale. However, there’s one more thing that needs to be included. Remember to communicate what the prospect needs to do next. So, great graphic designers will also ensure that there is a section on the printed sales or marketing piece that encourages the onlooker to do something, e.g. to contact you, the supplier, or to fill in an order form, or to visit a website or other location where the product or service can be purchased. Without that Call to Action (‘CTA’), the entire process has been a wasted opportunity.

    A Balancing Act

    So, great design for printed promotional literature is a fine balancing act on the part of the graphic designer and any copywriter involved. Indeed, more often than not, a good graphic designer may identify areas where the copy needs to be fine-tuned a little once the design stage has commenced and all the elements have begun to be placed into position.

    Professional Graphic Design Help in London SE1

    If your company or organisation does not have in-house design and artwork capabilities, then we have a high quality, affordable solution for you. Southside Print has in-house graphic designers who produce high quality design and artwork day in, day out for our clients. It’s a core part of what we do here at Southside Print, along with printing of course. We don’t mind whether you have a clear visual and completed text at the ready, or come in with just a rough sketch and a few notes about what you’re looking to achieve. Either way, our designers will work their magic and turn your ideas into a work of art — and a great communication tool to boot. Alternatively, you may produce the design and finished artwork entirely yourself — and that’s fine too. If it’s print-ready, your artwork file can be uploaded to our systems here.

    For professional graphic design help, call us on 020 7378 6754 or contact us here and we’ll be delighted to help. You can also request a design and/or printing quotation here, without pressure or obligation. If you live or work in London Bridge, Borough or the SE1 region of south east London, you are welcome to drop in to discuss your next design and/or printing project with us. We’re at 27 Tabard Street, not far from the junction of the A2 and A2198.

  8. Booklet Printing for Inspirational SE1 Charity

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    Just up the road in Union Street SE1 is the headquarters of United St Saviour’s Charity (‘UStSC’), who recently commissioned Southside Print to produce two A5 landscape booklets. Both were printed in full colour on our digital presses here in Tabard Street. They were printed on 200gsm Lumi Silk paper, a high quality coated stock with a significant thickness to give the booklets substance and a feel of real quality. 100 were produced for one booklet and 500 for the other, suiting our digital printing service perfectly — those modest quantities simply would not have been economically viable using a traditional litho printing service.

    • The first booklet was a twelve page publication called “The Value of Small Grants”. It represented a review of the impact of grants issued in South London by both UStSC and Peter Minet Trust.
    • The second booklet was called “Where to look for grants and funding”. This was a guide to help groups in Southwark find funding for their local activities. The cover of each booklet can be seen above in the main image.
    • Southside Print also produced 1000 A5 leaflets, which promoted a community open day, along with some A4 leaflets (not shown).

    St-Saviours-House-Union-Str-1About United St Saviour’s Charity, SE1

    United St Saviour’s Charity is based in an attractive period building in Union Street SE1, just a short walk from London Bridge and Borough stations. They focus on uniting people and charitable organisations in north Southwark. Part of this includes the provision of two community grant programmes along with high quality sheltered housing for older people in the area.

    Grant Programmes

    Their open grant initiatives include the Community Investment Programme for large grants and the Community Engagement Programme for smaller grants. Both aim to strengthen communities in north Southwark, improve the lives of older residents in the area and level the playing field for those who may be experiencing social and economic disadvantage. North Southwark is very much ‘a tale of two Southwarks’ where one part of the population is benefiting from the recent growth and regeneration of the area while others simply struggle to make ends meet. In the last twelve months, the charity has invested £1 million into local projects and activities that are now helping to redress this imbalance.

    Sheltered Housing

    The sheltered housing element of UStSC’s work takes the form of two schemes; St Saviour’s Court, which provides 53 modern homes in Purley, and Hopton Gardens Almshouses, which provide twenty flats and Grade II period cottages in Hopton Street, SE1. Both schemes include 24 hour support services for the residents. To be eligible, applicants need to have worked in Southwark for at least 3 years before application, they must be 65 or older, have low income and capital and be able to live independently with help from carers if necessary.

    The charity is also planning a brand new modern almshouse in Southwark Park Road in Bermondsey. It is currently in preliminary talks with the developer Delancey and architects Witherford Watson Mann and their shared vision for the new building is one of stunning quality and beauty. As well as providing modern, independent sheltered housing for older residents with limited income, the aim is also to provide benefits to the wider community.

    Investment Properties

    As well as the sheltered housing, the charity owns several historic investment properties and land in the area. Rental income generated from these helps to fund the charity’s work. Properties include houses, shops and even some SE1 pubs; for example the Wheatsheaf and the Market Porter in Stoney Street, near Borough Market, and Simon the Tanner pub in Long Lane.

    You can contact United St Saviour’s Charity at St Saviour’s House, 39-41 Union Street, London, SE1 1SD. For further information, telephone 020 7089 9014 or visit their website at www.ustsc.org.uk

    Your Digital Printer for Booklets, Brochures & More

    If, like UStSC, you’re looking for a reliable and affordable digital printer in South London and the SE1 region, please do consider asking us for a quote here at Southside Print. We pride ourselves on high quality, exceptionally fast turnarounds, unrivalled customer service and competitive pricing. Quotations are free and without pressure or obligation at Southside. You can even request a quote online (here). Our printing services include graphic design and artwork as well as digital and large format printing. We also have in-house digital foiling, lamination and encapsulation too, along with all the finishing options you could ever need (folding, creasing, collating, document binding, perforating etc.). So, whether you need a booklet, brochureprinted newsletterdirect mailer, some stationery or something larger like exhibition panels or pop-up banners, we can help. Call 020 7378 6754, email us here or follow any of the bold links in this article for further information.

  9. Direct Mail – The Golden Opportunity is NOW

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    One of the biggest ramifications of the new GDPR legislation is that marketing departments are going to need to re-think the ways in which they contact prospects and customers. In view of this, we believe that there will be a significant increase in the use of direct mail in the coming months and years. In fact, an incredible marketing opportunity exists right now for those who act fast, ahead of the competition.

    Direct Mail

    In complete contrast to digital and online marketing, Direct Mail is a marketing approach that uses physical, printed promotional materials, which are posted to clients and prospects through the mail. Such marketing pieces can include anything from leaflets, postcards and newsletters to brochures, catalogues and even boxed samples. They can also include personalisation, for example showing the recipient’s name within the actual printed content, creating added impact.

    The key steps needed for a typical direct mail campaign include:

    • Developing a customer database and/or purchasing a mailing list of prospects;
    • Copywriting, designing and artworking the mailing piece itself;
    • Printing the mailing piece;
    • Stuffing envelopes, addressing or labelling and/or otherwise assembling the finished components of the mailer, as applicable;
    • Dispatching the direct mailer to the customers and prospects. This can be door-to-door or posted to individual addressees …

    Then crucially, of course, you need to be ready to handle any responses when they come in. Analysing the results is also extremely worthwhile so that you can learn from the data and improve things in your next direct mail campaign.

    Professional Help

    Southside Print can help with many of the steps above. Once you’ve supplied us with your mailing list or database, we can turn that into printed labels or, indeed, use a kind of ‘mail merge’ process to personalise envelopes or the direct mail pieces themselves, so that they’re ready to pop straight into the postal system.

    With our own in-house graphic designers, we can also make sure that the design and artwork of your marketing piece really looks the business and conveys your promotional message in the best possible way. Clearly and speedily communicating the right message is, after all, just as important as snazzy graphics.

    Southside Print are primarily commercial printers, so we can ensure that your printing looks attractive and professional and uses the most appropriate materials, finishes and weights. The weight of your direct marketing piece is crucially important, in fact. Should too heavy a paper or card weight be used, then you might find that your postage costs suddenly escalate. This factor requires careful consideration in terms of not only the thickness and weight of the paper, but also the size. Being a millimetre or gram over a certain threshold can add extra postage costs. When you are sending thousands of direct mail pieces, even just a few extra pence of postage on each item can cost you a small fortune in extra charges, particularly if your recipient database is significantly large. Care needs to be taken and this is one of our great fortes at Southside Print.

    Response Rates

    So, what kind of response rate can you expect from a direct mail campaign? Well, it all depends upon factors like how closely suited your mailing list is to your product or service and how good your marketing ‘offer’ is in the first place. Also, of course, it depends upon whether you are mailing a ‘house’ list of existing customers (who will be more likely to respond) or an entirely new prospect mailing list, for example one supplied by a professional list provider.

    All in all, though, the traditional wisdom is that the average response rate from a direct mail campaign falls typically into the 1% to 5% range, with “an attractive cost per acquisition” according to the Direct Marketing Association (‘DMA’). According to a recent report by the DMA, direct mail significantly outperforms all digital channels, by a long shot. This may, indeed, become even more true now that the GDPR data rules have come into full play. ‘House’ lists usually glean a 5.3% response rate while ‘prospect’ lists typically result in a 2.9% response rate. In contrast to this, digital response rates are significantly lower in comparison (online display advertising 0.9%; email 0.3% [prospect list] to 0.6% [house list]; social media 0.6% and paid search 0.5%). Quite a difference! Cost per acquisition with Direct Mail was shown to be favourable too. However, direct mail was not an outright winner in this respect, being outperformed for that metric by email and social media marketing campaigns, which makes sense given the economy of using those platforms, at least until now — the fortunes of email marketing in particular may soon change now that the new GDPR legislation is in force. Indeed, recent reports from the Royal Mail and other direct marketing associations show that a combination of direct mail and email usually results in the very best results for sales and marketing promotions. So, it makes more sense than ever to integrate both into your marketing strategy.

    Direct Mail Formats

    Another DMA report showed some very interesting and useful data in respect of formats, with oversize envelopes coming in top position with a 5% response rate. Postcards came in second place with a response rate of 4.25%, ‘dimensional’ (non-flat) pieces achieved 4%, catalogues came in with a 3.9% response rate and standard sized (e.g. C4) envelopes achieved a 3.5% response rate.

    Overall, the report showed a 15-17% ROI which, in terms of marketing channels, is a strong return on investment for a standalone campaign.

    Your Biggest Direct Mail Opportunity is NOW

    The really good news is that your competitors are likely to have neglected direct mail in recent years, in favour of digital marketing. So, if you act before your competitors, break the trend and capitalise on the gap left by the recent GDPR legislation changes before your competitors do, you could see an ROI significantly higher than the report’s stated 15-17% range. It will be extremely interesting to see the results for Direct Mail in a year’s time, in fact.

    The re-birth of direct mail is, in effect, a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that marketing departments should embrace before everyone climbs back on board! With direct mail having already increased in the last two or three years, even before the GDPR legislation came into force, the opportunity for really significant success is right now.

    Contact Southside Print

    Contact Southside Print in London Bridge for more information on how we can help you with design, printing and dispatch of your direct mail pieces. Call 020 7378 6754, request a quotation here or simply send us a message here and we’ll be happy to help you to make the most of this unique opportunity. Learn more about our direct mail services here.