Cheap Printing - really?!!
Theres an old saying you get what you pay for and when it comes to printing this is usually the case. On the radio lately there are 2 separate global printers, one which is online and the other has a number of outlets throughout the world that can produce business cards for less than £3.00 same day and the other one does it for free.
So with interest I thought I would check out to see what you actually got for your money, The first one I went into was the outlet and I enquired about the business cards. I got a lot of erms and arghs from the assistant who didnt know to much about the offer, so I explained that I had heard on the radio that you were doing same day business cards for less than £3.00 and it said to come on in - so here I am.
I got passed over to somebody else who then informed that I had to go online and look at the catalogue of logos I could use and then type my information where relevant and then send to print which emailed them to print it. So I did, I went home and after an hour fiddling with my new design I emailed it to them.
I then returned to the outlet in anticpation 2 hours later that it would be there waiting for me. The assistant then informed me that their server was a bit slow and they hadnt received the email yet so I was told to give it 5 minutes, 20 minutes later and still nothing. 30 minutes, 40 minutes, he then checked his junk mail and found it in there - great.
He then proceeded to make my card fit several times on a sheet which took an eternity to get right and then printed them on a colour copier which when they came out felt like they had been printed on toilet paper they were that thin, so I put this question to him and said what weight is this on as its a bit flimsy and he barked back 'its a business card board that everyone has - its a 200gsm', I kept my knowledge to myself at this point as I was nearly laughing at him and wanted to scream at him as well and just replied OK.
He then went off to cut them out and when they came back they were about as straight as a banana.
I went to pay for my £3.00 business cards thinking - is this really the future, because if it is I want out, there was No service, No Knowledge, No Quality, and definately NO satisfaction.
So if you really want cheap printing, thats has no quality about it and will represent you or your business then email me and i'll give you their phone number gladly.
f
Monday 26 March 2012
Friday 23 March 2012
Winners
http://bloggerschoiceawards.com/#winners
Just found out we won Best Blog Design 2011 at the Blogger Choice Awards, so would just like to thank everyone who voted for us and to everyone who enjoys reading our posts.
We try and keep it informative and relevant to you all but if you have any suggestions for articles then email us at hello@freshdps.co.uk
Thank you all once again
f
http://bloggerschoiceawards.com/#winners
Just found out we won Best Blog Design 2011 at the Blogger Choice Awards, so would just like to thank everyone who voted for us and to everyone who enjoys reading our posts.
We try and keep it informative and relevant to you all but if you have any suggestions for articles then email us at hello@freshdps.co.uk
Thank you all once again
f
What the F!!!?
We recently had to produce some copying for a client and couldnt help notice that it was a presentation to a very large corporate client, and the title was somewhat explicit but abbreviated to WTF which we were all flabbergasted by.
We then read the pitching document and was even more astonished that it carried on the inside as well. Call us old fashioned but how on earth do they think they are going to impress people with this sort of rhetoric. Yes, we are all for designers being creative and pushing barriers but this just seemed irresponsible to even let it get this far to be in front of their prospective client.
I havent heard if they won their pitch but perhaps they were going for 'The pitch that would be remembered the most vote'. Im sure they got that award but hopefully not the business otherwise we are going to have to rethink our pitching techniques.
f
We recently had to produce some copying for a client and couldnt help notice that it was a presentation to a very large corporate client, and the title was somewhat explicit but abbreviated to WTF which we were all flabbergasted by.
We then read the pitching document and was even more astonished that it carried on the inside as well. Call us old fashioned but how on earth do they think they are going to impress people with this sort of rhetoric. Yes, we are all for designers being creative and pushing barriers but this just seemed irresponsible to even let it get this far to be in front of their prospective client.
I havent heard if they won their pitch but perhaps they were going for 'The pitch that would be remembered the most vote'. Im sure they got that award but hopefully not the business otherwise we are going to have to rethink our pitching techniques.
f
Wednesday 21 March 2012
ULTRA-FRESH - ULTRA SAFE
We are not renowned for being a carton or a box printer, but over the last few months we have been producing the boxes for a company called Ultralife whose products can be found in all the major supermarkets.
We thought we would showcase what we have been doing as its not often that something unusual comes along and we can tell you how we produce it.
For all the boxes you can see in the pictures there is a lot of processes involved to get it to the client.
From the moment the artwork arrives it gets flightchecked to make sure all the fonts and pictures are as they should be, the customer will then receive a digital press proof to ensure they are happy with how the print will look.
Once approved, the plates are made for the press and on the press they all get checked to see that the printed carton matches the press proof the customer has already seen.
Once off the press and we have allowed the ink to dry for 24 hours the cartons are then what we call die-cut with a specific machine. This is where a tool is made to the exact specifications of the carton and how it is to be cut out and is checked that it correctly goes together and the image of the box is still as the customer has seen.
After it is cut out, it then goes to a silver foil blocker who then adds his magic touch to enhance the look of the box where another specific machine sticks and cuts the foil to the box and is checked again to make sure it meets the customers requirements.
After this process the cartons are then put on a glueing line where the tabs are glued and the box ready to be made up into what it is designed for.
The last part of its journey is for one more final quality check before its gets lovingly put into its own box ready to be delivered to the client.
Who would have thought a simple box would have so much attention to detail and work gone into it, so next time your picking up something from the supermarket shelves have a little thought of what went into it to look the way it does.
If you want to find out how Fresh can help your business then email us at hello@freshdps.co.uk or call us on 01296 489998 or 01442 345088
f
We are not renowned for being a carton or a box printer, but over the last few months we have been producing the boxes for a company called Ultralife whose products can be found in all the major supermarkets.We thought we would showcase what we have been doing as its not often that something unusual comes along and we can tell you how we produce it.
For all the boxes you can see in the pictures there is a lot of processes involved to get it to the client.
From the moment the artwork arrives it gets flightchecked to make sure all the fonts and pictures are as they should be, the customer will then receive a digital press proof to ensure they are happy with how the print will look.
Once approved, the plates are made for the press and on the press they all get checked to see that the printed carton matches the press proof the customer has already seen.
Once off the press and we have allowed the ink to dry for 24 hours the cartons are then what we call die-cut with a specific machine. This is where a tool is made to the exact specifications of the carton and how it is to be cut out and is checked that it correctly goes together and the image of the box is still as the customer has seen.
After it is cut out, it then goes to a silver foil blocker who then adds his magic touch to enhance the look of the box where another specific machine sticks and cuts the foil to the box and is checked again to make sure it meets the customers requirements.
After this process the cartons are then put on a glueing line where the tabs are glued and the box ready to be made up into what it is designed for.
The last part of its journey is for one more final quality check before its gets lovingly put into its own box ready to be delivered to the client.
Who would have thought a simple box would have so much attention to detail and work gone into it, so next time your picking up something from the supermarket shelves have a little thought of what went into it to look the way it does.
If you want to find out how Fresh can help your business then email us at hello@freshdps.co.uk or call us on 01296 489998 or 01442 345088
f
Friday 24 February 2012
That Friday Feeling
Theres always a great satisfaction at the end of the week that it has been a good one and you can sit back and try and relax on friday afternoon.
I recently read an article on how much business is done on a friday afternoon and it came out that it came second to a wednesday morning.
Now I for one agree with this because I feel more relaxed on a friday afternoon so I expect my clients do to, therefore they have more time to spend chatting to you and are more welcoming.
I suppose its not rocket science really but its worth noting this small detail when you are next following up on quotes or wanting to talk to a client.
So Happy Friday Afternoon Everyone, lets do some work.
f
Theres always a great satisfaction at the end of the week that it has been a good one and you can sit back and try and relax on friday afternoon.
I recently read an article on how much business is done on a friday afternoon and it came out that it came second to a wednesday morning.
Now I for one agree with this because I feel more relaxed on a friday afternoon so I expect my clients do to, therefore they have more time to spend chatting to you and are more welcoming.
I suppose its not rocket science really but its worth noting this small detail when you are next following up on quotes or wanting to talk to a client.
So Happy Friday Afternoon Everyone, lets do some work.
f
Wednesday 8 February 2012
definition of urgent
usually rushed, great emergency, need today - thats a clients perspective
unorganised, rarely generates enough new trade - thats a suppliers perspective
In our industry there is always that urgent job to do and we do our best to meet your deadlines, but next time you have a project give yourself plenty of time to plan, prepare, budget, and to execute your plans concisely otherwise theres only one way it will end and that is failure. So dont blame us if this is what happens, we know how long things take to deliver and we'll tell you at the outset, it is down to you give us the time to make sure your project looks its best.
Jerry Mcguire once said help me, help you, simple to the point.
f
usually rushed, great emergency, need today - thats a clients perspective
unorganised, rarely generates enough new trade - thats a suppliers perspective
In our industry there is always that urgent job to do and we do our best to meet your deadlines, but next time you have a project give yourself plenty of time to plan, prepare, budget, and to execute your plans concisely otherwise theres only one way it will end and that is failure. So dont blame us if this is what happens, we know how long things take to deliver and we'll tell you at the outset, it is down to you give us the time to make sure your project looks its best.
Jerry Mcguire once said help me, help you, simple to the point.
f
Wednesday 1 February 2012
Who says that there is a recession?
The start of a New Year has begun with us all full of hope and optimism, here at Fresh we have had our best January in our history of the company with sales exceeding expectations and new clients coming on board every day.
At our Hemel branch there is a 38% growth compared to last January as it continues to go from strength to strength and we have just finished a major campaign in Oxford for a blue chip client as well which we will showcase in the near future.
We are now actively looking for more staff as our growth continues and are looking for full and part time customer sales support people to work in our Aylesbury branch, as well as mac operators, printers and print finishers, so if you feel that you fit one of these roles then email your cv to: hello@freshdps.co.uk and we'll be in touch.
f
The start of a New Year has begun with us all full of hope and optimism, here at Fresh we have had our best January in our history of the company with sales exceeding expectations and new clients coming on board every day.
At our Hemel branch there is a 38% growth compared to last January as it continues to go from strength to strength and we have just finished a major campaign in Oxford for a blue chip client as well which we will showcase in the near future.
We are now actively looking for more staff as our growth continues and are looking for full and part time customer sales support people to work in our Aylesbury branch, as well as mac operators, printers and print finishers, so if you feel that you fit one of these roles then email your cv to: hello@freshdps.co.uk and we'll be in touch.
f
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