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  1. An Urgent Printing Service in London

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    Do you have an urgent printing job that simply MUST be turned around super-fast? If so, Southside Print can help. Subject to timing and workload, we offer:

    • A same day printing service in London;
    • Next day delivery for many locations* in the UK;
    • Next day print & dispatch, for arrival anywhere in the UK* in 2-3 days;
    • Plus our usual fast turnarounds for less urgent printing.

    Same Day Printing Service for London

    More often than not, we can turn around printing on the same day for local customers, particularly if we’re given advanced warning and artwork files are supplied according to pre-agreed timetables. If you’re in London, we can courier your printed jobs to you later on the same day, or they will be available to collect from our print shop near London Bridge and BoroughLondon SE1. Depending on the size of your printing job, the latest we’d usually need your artwork files and sign-off to proceed is 1pm, but obviously the earlier the better with timing being so short.

    Printing Needed Within Just Hours?

    If your print job is even more super-urgent, talk to us. Depending upon workloads and existing commitments, it may even be possible to turn around some jobs within just a few hours. While it’s not quite a while-you-wait service, it’s the next best thing.

    Next Day, 24-Hour Printing Service

    24-hour print turn around is also available for those jobs that simply must be with you the next working day, wherever you are in the UK. Our 24-hour print service will suit companies, organisations and individuals anywhere in the UK* as we can dispatch via overnight courier for next-day* delivery. It helps, of course, if we are forewarned so that we can clear the decks, ready for your job and to ensure that we have the right paper/volume ready. It works best when our clients hand over artwork files and/or give us sign-off to proceed no later than the times that we will have pre-agreed. Usually, the latest we’d need them is 1pm, but it does depend upon the size and complexity of the print job.

    Subject to availability. Some areas of the UK, for example more remote islands, may not be eligible for next day delivery via overnight courier, simply due to the limitations of the courier services themselves.

    Next Day Dispatch (2-3 Day Service)

    This is similar to the above, except the printing is dispatched the day after we receive the artwork and order to proceed, so will usually take a day longer to arrive with customers. We usually require artwork files and sign-off to proceed no later than 3pm on the first day.

    We are a Green Printer!

    Did you know that Southside Print is a very green printerWe’re even attaining ISO 14001 accreditation. There are not many eco-friendly printers around who will also be able to turn around printing super-fast, so bear us in mind next time you require urgent printing that’s also produced in a sustainable way, using recycled or eco-friendly materials and green processes.

    We Can Print Virtually Anything

    Whether you require printed brochures, bookletspostersannual reports, manuals, stationerybannersexhibition displaysmailersmenusnewsletters or anything else, we can almost certainly print it.

    Our digital printing is of the highest qualityThe Very Best Quality & Service

    Our quality and service levels are superb and you don’t even need to take our word for it — our full suite of 5 Star Trust Pilot ratings speak for themselves.

    Do You Need Urgent Printing?

    If you have an urgent printing requirement and are looking for a super-fast printer that’s also high quality, reliable, eco-friendly and competitively priced, please get in touch so that we can schedule your print job in.

  2. 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.

  3. 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:

  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. Sustainable Printing for the Environmentally Conscious

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    If you are an environmentally conscious individual or represent a business or organisation that is, Southside Print can help by providing environmentally-friendly printing. More and more people are rightly concerned about the impact that their buying choices have on the environment. With temperatures and sea levels across the world rising, long-frozen ice caps melting and the world’s biodiversity under enormous threat, it’s becoming increasingly important to make good choices about where and how products and services are produced. Indeed, many companies and organisations across the globe now have sustainability policies in place to ensure that they are sourcing services and products only from environmentally-responsible, sustainable sources. That includes, of course, paper-based products and printing services. Well, at Southside Print, we supply sustainably-produced printed products for many environmentally aware clients including individuals, charities, green businesses, certified B Corporations (B Lab/B Corp) and so on. Our ‘green’ printing is perfect for anything from brochuresleafletsannual reports and posters to large format printingbanners and letterheads — and much more.

    Sustainable Printing at Southside Print

    • All paper used at Southside Print is FSC accredited (more about that below).
    • It’s also at least 20%-30% recycled.
    • Customers have a wide choice of sustainable papers, card and board to choose from, including 100% recycled options and even some eco-friendly paper stocks that contain no wood pulp at all.
    • We recycle all paper and card off-cuts, whenever it’s possible, throughout the year.
    • We use only the most energy-efficient printing and finishing machinery and technologies.
    • Our printing is fully digital, meaning we don’t use nasty chemicals in our print processes.
    • Even our website is hosted on green servers, which use energy from renewable sources and the most energy-efficient server technologies, resulting in minimal CO2 emissions.
    • When delivering finished print orders around London, we even use ‘green’ couriers whenever possible.

    FSC Accreditation

    We mentioned that all our paper is FSC accredited. This means that our papers, cards and boards are certified by the Forest Stewardship Council as containing wood or pulp from responsibly managed forests and/or from recycled post-consumer waste. That’s important to us and our many environmentally aware clients.

    Paper — The Eco Facts

    Some studies suggest that there are misconceptions, particularly amongst young adults, around sustainability in the printing and paper industry. The truth, however, is very positive and, indeed, the paper industry is one of the few that is genuinely and inherently sustainable.

    “The paper industry is one of the few that is genuinely and inherently sustainable.”

    • Over 12½ million tonnes of paper are used in the UK every year. About 80% of that is recycled, which is incredible when you think about it.
    • About 57½ million tonnes of paper per year is recycled in Europe [2019 data], with up to 78% of it being recycled there.
    • European forests are actually growing rather than shrinking. In the last 15 years or so, they have grown by more than the equivalent of the land mass of Switzerland — that’s a growth rate of about 1,500 football pitches every day.
    • Paper can only be recycled 5 to 7 times before the fibres become unsuitable in the production of ‘new’ paper, so the role of new wood fibre/pulp from the FSC managed forests is essential.
    • The biggest use of wood from the world’s forests is for fuel (logs etc.) — that accounts for 50%. Meanwhile, 30% of timber is used in the manufacture of more industrial products like furniture or in construction. Only about 13% of the world’s wood is used in the manufacture of paper.
    • Printed paper products are one of the lowest greenhouse gas emitters in today’s world of electronic communications. In fact, they produce just a tiny fraction of what is produced by the ICT industry itself.
    • Over 60% of forests in the EU are FSC certified (or PEFC equivalent), with over 42% of Europe being covered by them. (PEFC is similar to the FSC, with both independently verifying that wood fibre used in paper production has been sourced from sustainably managed forests).
    • 71% of wood and 83% of pulp purchased in Europe for paper production is either FSC or PEFC accredited.

    For more details about the incredible sustainability of paper and printed products, download an excellent 26 page report by the organisation Two Sides.

    “From newspapers to magazines, from photocopies to leaflets, we believe Print and Paper cannot be beaten for attractiveness, impact and sustainability.”

    Your Eco-friendly Printing Supplier

    So if, like us, you believe that sustainable, eco-friendly choices are crucially important, then Southside Print can help with all your printing requirements. We’re a high quality printer in BoroughLondon SE1, near London Bridge, but we can supply anyone, anywhere. We care deeply for the environment and are keen to do everything we can to help others improve their ‘triple bottom line’ (social, environmental and financial) whilst also playing our own crucial part to help Planet Earth. Please do consider us if you would like to produce environmentally-friendly printing materials for your sales, marketing, corporate or private needs. Choose an appropriate button below to make contact and we’ll be happy to help.

  6. 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.

  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. The Benefits of Printed Newsletters

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    Newsletters are simple and inexpensive to print yet can convey an enormous amount of important information to recipients. This makes them ideal for both ‘internal’ marketing (to keep staff and stakeholders up to date) and external marketing of your products or services to clients and prospects. As such, they constitute a very useful and versatile component of any sales and marketing strategy.

    Benefits of Physical Newsletters vs. Electronic

    Another key benefit of physical, printed newsletters is that they are easy to pick up and put down at any time. This allows readers to dip in and dip out of articles whenever they like. Compare that to e-newsletters, which tend to be forgotten the moment they’ve been buried in your in box by more recent emails. The traditional newsletter beats electronic versions hands down in this respect.

    Printed newsletters are also far more versatile from the distribution perspective. While e-newsletters arrive only at your handheld device or desktop computer, physical newsletters can find themselves in front of their target audience in a much wider variety of ways. They can be handed out, mailed through the post, left on coffee tables, offered to visitors via company foyers, reception desks and waiting rooms, handed out with other sales and marketing literature like brochures and price lists, used as inserts in other publications and distributions — and so on. Physical newsletters also require no Wi-Fi or data signal to work, so can be perused pretty much anywhere, any time. Try doing all that with an electronic e-newsletter — it’s simply not possible!

    Add-ons

    Physical, printed newsletters also lend themselves to additional add-ons. These include things like tear-off order forms that people might find useful if they want to order your products or services and those can even come with pressure-sensitive glue and postage pre-applied. All that needs to be done after filling in the form is for the page to be folded so it sticks together in a kind of pre-built envelope, ready to post. Other add-ons include coupons for special offers or voucher codes that the customer can use in-store or via a website. Another great thing to build into a printed newsletter is an element that the recipient might find useful to keep, for example an integral poster, calendar of events or table of key dates for the year ahead. That’ll be a useful reminder of your brand, product or service, all year round.

    newsletterNewsletter Sizes & Formats

    The most cost-effective sizing recommended for newsletter printing is to use one of the ‘A’ sizes. For example, A4 is the most common one used in the UK commercial world. However, A5 and A3 are also feasible while still making the very most out of standard sheet sizes available to printers like us. It goes without saying, though, that there are many other options including square newsletters, triple-page ‘roll fold’ newsletters and so on.

    We can, of course, also fold newsletters in half so they’re easier and cheaper to post out, particularly if they don’t contain too many pages and are on paper that’s thin enough to fold when there are multiple pages. It’s a fine balance, though; as one wouldn’t want to make the pages too thin, otherwise you’d start to see what we call ‘show through’ i.e. the ghost of the reverse side of the printed page slightly showing through to the front face that’s being read. There are a great variety of paper thicknesses, weights and finishes to choose from, though, so just ask us about the options.

    Paper Finish

    At Southside Print we offer a very wide range of different paper stocks for your printed newsletters. We have traditional ‘coated’ papers, which allow graphics and photos to be detailed and punchy. Coated stocks come in finishes like gloss, satin and matt and can be white or tinted in colour. We also have uncoated papers that look perhaps more contemporary and natural, with a lighter look because ink contrast is lower on uncoated paper due to the way the paper absorbs the ink. We also have a huge variety of textured papers and recycled stocks too. What you choose will all depend upon the look and feel you’re going for and the budget you have in mind for production.

    Contact Your Newsletter Printer in SE1

    We are always more than happy to give you professional guidance, pricing options and any samples. Simply call us on 020 7378 6754 or send us an emailed message here. We also have an online form that you can fill in if you’d like a printing and/or design quote, and an artwork upload form here if you have large artwork files that you’d like to send us electronically.

    Southside Print is a commercial printer based in Tabard Street in London SE1, close to Borough and London Bridge stations. We offer a huge range of digital printing for sales and marketing purposes, large format printing for posters, displays and exhibition graphics, a full print management service, a direct mail service, a graphic design service and an online print shop where you can order and pay for printing online. The online print shop currently accepts orders for business cards, leaflets, letterheads, compliments slips, stationery, brochures and posters but we will be adding more and more products all the time.