Friday, March 30, 2012

Looking for a Short Run Post Card Deal?

This week let's take a moment and talk about "Post Cards!"

Direct mail is a very effective way to reach your customer and let them know about your latest products, newest services, up-coming events or your website. There are so many ways to use post cards in today's marketing environment.

With our new digital printing we can even make short-run post cards a very cost effective tool.  You can target a smaller group of potential customers and get out your sale notices even faster.

We can also do your long runs in many popular size Post Cards.  If you have a motel / hotel or tourist attraction we can help you with Post Cards that promote your location and even sell to your customers.
Post cards for sales and For Sale!


If you need help from start to finish MI Printing is here to help meet your Post Card needs.

We are known for our fair prices and quick turn arounds.

Call us for your post card solutions at 623-582-1302 and ask Paula about current our pricing!

Presented By
MI Printing
Phone: 623.582.1302
Email:
sales@printinginaz.com

Thursday, March 29, 2012

Customer of the Month Award – Given Out Daily

Award a "Customer of the Month" award and have daily winners.

Customers like your attention, especially if they're in a special group.  The award doesn’t have to be expensive.  It can be as simple as a percentage off or a free beverage with a meal. 

There are many small, inexpensive (and often free) ways to show your customers how much you appreciate their business. Of course, great food and service is paramount for successful customer appreciation; however, personal attention, especially by the owner or manager can go a long way in making customers feel appreciated. Read on for tips on how to make every customer feel like they are a VIP.

Who gets the award?  You can chose many different methods.  It can be as simple as a customer you recognize as a “regular.”  It can be based on when a customer makes a purchase.  First person making a purchase, every hour. 

If that seems like too many awards, you can make it once a day.  Then why call the award “Customer of the Month”?  Because it makes a better sounding award than “customer of the day or hour.”

The real secret behind this award is making your customer feel appreciated.  You could even simply write their name on a sheet of poster board and display it on a wall.  (It does need to be a good looking poster.)

Remember, that every customer deserves a sincere and heartfelt “Thank You” and an invitation for them to return.  Never allow your thank you to become just something you say.  You must mean your tank yous or the customer will know they are meaningless.

A customer that feels appreciated is a customer that will return to make new purchases.

Give us a call at 623.582.1302 and let us help with your everyday printing needs.

 Presented By
MI Printing
Phone: 623.582.1302
Email:
sales@printinginaz.com

Wednesday, March 28, 2012

Life Lessons - Kindergarten

All I Really Need To Know I Learned in Kindergarten is a book of short essays by American minister and author Robert Fulghum. It was first published in 1988.

The title of the book is taken from the first essay in the volume, in which Fulghum lists lessons normally learned in American kindergarten classrooms and explains how the world would be improved if adults adhered to the same basic rules as children, i.e. sharing, being kind to one another, cleaning up after themselves, and living "a balanced life" of work, play, and learning.

The book contains fifty short essays, ranging in length from approximately 200 to approximately 1,000 words, which are ruminations on topics ranging from surprises, holidays, childhood, death, and the lives of interesting people including Mother Teresa. In his introduction, Fulghum describes these as having been "written over many years and addressed to friends, family, a religious community, and myself, with no thought of publication in book form."

Although widely published, quoted and cited in other essays, Fulghum's essays (especially the title piece) have also been criticized as trite and saccharine. Fulghum addresses this in an essay in his subsequent book, It Was on Fire When I Lay Down on It wherein he mentions "grown-up" subjects such as sexuality.

Fulghum worked with Ernie Zulia (Director) and David Caldwell (composer and music director) to create a musical based on Kindergarten, bearing the same name. It was premiered at Mill Mountain Theatre in Roanoke, VA in June of 1992, and was also presented by the Phoenix Theatre in Indianapolis IN in 1996. The same personnel also created another musical production of the third book in his trilogy, Uh Oh, Here Comes Christmas, which also premiered at Mill Mountain Theater in December 1998.

Over nearly two decades, the title essay, "All I Really Need To Know I Learned in Kindergarten," has spawned countless parodies involving television shows, movies, books, and other phenomena.  The standard format mirrors Fulghum's own work, starting with "All I Really Need To Know I Learned From [name]," followed by a list of quotes and/or in-jokes from the subject being parodied.

Bart Simpson's chalkboard gag in You Only Move Twice is "I did not learn everything I need to know in kindergarten." Fulghum was a member of The Rock Bottom Remainders, a group whose members also included Simpsons co-creator Matt Groening and author Stephen King.

References: All I Really Need To Know I Learned in Kindergarten, Robert Fulghum. New York: Villard Books, 1988. 196 pages ISBN 0-394-57102-9

We can only hope that one of your life's lessons learned is that MI Printing does a great job doing all types of printing for small and medium sized businesses in the Phoenix, AZ metro area.

Presented By
MI Printing
Phone: 623.582.1302
Email:
sales@printinginaz.com 

Tuesday, March 27, 2012

What One Thing Did You Do Today?

What one New or Different thing did you do today? What one single New or Different thing did you do today that made your business a better, more responsive business. What one unique New or Different thing did you do today that made your business better than your competitors businesses?

What one New or Different thing did you do today? Did you do something to improve yourself.  Did you read or hear about an event or activity that would improve your mind or body?  Did you perform an act of kindness or charity today.  Did you share a smile or friendly greeting with someone?  If you will try and improve the world around you with one good simple act or improvement every day you will make a difference and after a time you will see a positive result from your acts.

What one single New or Different thing did you do today that made your business a better, more responsive business.  Did you take time to ask a customer how you are doing in meeting their needs?  Did you do something that made a customers experience in your business better?  How did you respond to the customers questions? When a customers interrupts your work do you enjoy the opportunity to help them with their needs?

What simple suggestions can you make that will lead some customers into spending at least one more dollar today?

What one unique New or Different thing did you do today that made your business better than your competitors businesses?  Do you know how your competitors run their businesses?  What single thing can you do that will make your business stand out (in a positive way) when compared to your competitors? Can you locate their failings or at least the area they need to improve on and make your business do that action better than they do?

Just one little improvement each and every day will add up to big gains in your life and business.  When do you want to start?

Give us a call at 623.582.1302.  We can help with your everyday printing improvements.

Presented By
MI Printing
Phone: 623.582.1302
Email:
sales@printinginaz.com

Monday, March 26, 2012

First Get Their Attention!

I know the most famous quote about business is “Location, Location, Location!  Well, after you have your location the next “First thing you have to do is get your customer’s Attention!  Really, that is the next, first thing. Honest.

If you have the biggest ad budget in the world you do it by advertising.  You find an ad agency and they tell you about the millions you will need to spend to get your customer’s attention. 

What? Oh, you don’t have much spare change, let alone mega bucks to do traditional advertising. Yep, pretty typical for a new small business.

To get the customer’s attention and do it at a very low cost you might try what is called Guerrilla Marketing or thinking outside the box.

What you can do depends on the type of business you have.  But, remember the mantra… “First Get Their Attention.  You can finish up by telling the potential customer a very quick story.  Always remember, humor is a very good, if not a great idea. Here is a great example used by a hairstylist.

Give us a call at 623.582.1302.  We can help with your everyday printing needs..

Presented By
MI Printing
Phone: 623.582.1302
Email:
sales@printinginaz.com

Friday, March 23, 2012

MI Printing: Flyers For All Your Advertising Needs

 Quality flyers are among the most used advertising media that can help draw more prospective customers to your business.  It our job to make sure you are satisfied with those advertising materials.  We are proud to produce printed materials that you are proud to distribute.

We can help bring your companies' image into your companies' printed materials used in communication and advertising.

Call Paula at  623.582.1302  to discuss how we can show you our Customer Satisfaction model for your printing needs.

Presented By
MI Printing
Phone: 623.582.1302
Email:
sales@printinginaz.com

Thursday, March 22, 2012

A Holiday For The Small Business

Do you know about “Small Business Saturday”? Small Business Saturday was created by American Express in 2010. From the American Express side they offer the American Express card users a $25 credit if they use it to spend at least $25 at a participating small business on Small Business Saturday.  This special holiday honors the sacred struggle for survival of America’s small retailers.

In 2012 Small Business Saturday is on Friday November 24th.  Yes, we are talking about it now since it may take some business longer to get set-up for this years event. You can get started by telling your customers about the special day NOW!

You will want to add the promotion information and date to all of your hand-outs and brochures. You can start adding it to your web presence as well.  Create a You-Tube video to promote that you will be part of this years celebration.

You can find out more information at facebook.com/shopsmall or smallbusinesssaturday.com. 

Keep in mind that to promote this in the best way you will want to promote the holiday in print as well as on the web.  Have some signs printed that are in plain view for your customers to see and hand out flyers that let people they can purchase your merchandise and save $25.00 at the same time.

Give us a call at 623.582.1302 to match your needs for all types of business promotions.

Presented By
MI Printing
Phone: 623.582.1302
Email:
sales@printinginaz.com

Wednesday, March 21, 2012

Using Door Hangers For Promotions

Door Hangers are a simple and effective message that can be used in a very localized area.  What do you want to do to make your door hangers stand out and get better results?

Create attention with a compelling headline. The best way to capture your potential customer’s interest and attention is through a bold headline. Create an enticing phrase that will highlight the benefits you provide. This will help you convey to people the good things you offer, thus, encouraging them to continue reading the rest of your sales message. Keep in mind that simple words are the better.

Make the copy interesting. Choose carefully the words that you will use on your copy. You don’t have enough space on your hanger to include a lot of words. Just keep the message simple and to the point so you can keep your copy interesting. It’s recommended that you keep a friendly and conversational tone so you can easily engage your readers.

Keep the design sharp but simple. Attracting attention requires a catchy design. You have to make sure your door hanger design is captivating so people will take interest in it. You can take advantage of modern printing techniques such as embossing, foil stamping, and die cutting to give your hanger a unique look. Just be sure not to overdo it. A simple is still ideal.

Make it fun and welcoming. Because your hanger will most likely be placed on doors, you have to make sure it is as welcoming as possible. If you do this, you can easily engage people and compel them to take action at once.

Team up with a competent printer. Resist the temptation to print your door hanger template on your own in the hope of saving money. A professional looking door hanger will require professional printing. Look for a printer that will give you the best printing service you deserve.  May we suggest MI Printing for your door hangers.  Give us a call at 623.582.1302 to get you started.

Presented By
MI Printing
Phone: 623.582.1302
Email:
sales@printinginaz.com

Tuesday, March 20, 2012

Using Partnerships For Promotions

Convenient Stores: Your customers shop at convenient stores almost every day, ask the store owner if you can leave flyers on their counters. Purchase a plastic stand to stack your flyers in to make sure you don't clutter the counter. The manager will appreciate the personal touch and tidy up your display for you.

Insurance: Start a relationship with an insurance agency? Pass out small flyers at bike nights in your area with a good call to action about how your business and the insurance company can both provide them with good service.

Day Care: Work with a local pizza shop and pass out flyers to their customers tell them about your nearby day care location. Offer to promote the Pizza shop in your day care.

Doctors: Looking for new patients? Strike a deal with a neighboring business like a salon to give you a discount off say a half hour massage. Offer a free salon service for new patients on your flyer and display them at the salon. You pay the salon for the service at a discounted rate and your flyers are prominently displayed in a higher traffic business.
Order a good amount as the salon will want to pass them out to increase their business also.

Presented By
MI Printing
Phone: 623.582.1302
Email:
sales@printinginaz.com

Monday, March 19, 2012

Use Flyers to Stimulate Sales

 Flyers are a great way to increase sales with minimal cost.

A well-done Flyer is very effective as a sales tool. With proper planning, a consistent strategy and good design execution, you too can increase sales and brand awareness at the same time.

Below are some successful ways to use flyers to promote your product, service or business. Some of these ideas are business specific for the sake of providing an example. You can adapt these ideas to your business.

Referral Cards: Provide your customers with a discount for referring other customers to you. One the front of the card include a discount for the new customer. On the back of the flyer include a place for the name and email of the person who referred them. This way you can email them a special thank you and a discount for their referral. People will be happy to tell others about your business when they're getting something back.

Parades: Pass out flyers at parades with a special offer exclusively for people in attendance. Great for increasing holiday sales during St. Patrick's Day, Easter, Memorial Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving, Christmas or any other day that a parade takes place in your area. If you're like so many other business owners that forget about brand awareness, this will give you at least six opportunities throughout the year to get in front of people to build your brand.

Festivals: Promote business at festivals with flyers. There are two target audiences at every festival, those attending and those selling. Create a flyer for each market if your budget allows.

Bulletin Boards: Many eateries, grocery stores and other public places have bulletin boards filled with boring business cards. One-up your competition with a flyer that talks about your business instead of your job title, fax and email address. Include a good special offering and watch your sales soar.

Bag Stuffers: Use flyers as bag stuffers by including a discount off of the customer’s next purchase. Always place a flyer inside each and every bag that leaves your business.

Flyers can be the backbone of your business promotions… just do it!

Presented By
MI Printing
Phone: 623.582.1302
Email:
sales@printinginaz.com

Friday, March 16, 2012

Happy St. Patrick's Day

Its that time of year again when everyone is Irish or a least tries to be and our thoughts all turn toward "things green".

At MI Printing we are always working on the "green" side of printing with new equipment that is environmentally better, using safer new inks and less power consumption that allows us to pass on savings to our customers.

We want to share with you that famous Irish Toast... "May the road rise to meet you, May the wind be always at your back, May the sun shine warm upon your face, The rains fall soft upon your fields, And until we meet again, May God hold you In the palm of his hand."

On Saint Patrick's Day, as always, Our green pride is; we will continue to provide great service, quality and fair pricing to everyone.

Our Saint Patrick's Day Special Offer

Discount on Envelopes

Runs Until April 15th 2012!

$69.00 for 1,000, Number 10 Size, White Envelopes, Black Ink, Delivered, From Customer Supplied Files.

Give us a call, 623-582-1302, and we can talk about your printing needs.

Presented By
MI Printing
Phone: 623.582.1302
Email:
sales@printinginaz.com

Thursday, March 15, 2012

Thank You Notes – Your Secret Weapon

A little used, but always appreciated follow up to a sale, a Thank You Note! Today some of the folks doing this are using email and that is better than nothing.  But, a nice printed note card that arrives by mail is the best of all.

While not all businesses have the opportunity to deal with a customer on a level that allows the capture of the information needed to send out a thank you card those that do are missing a great customer perk if they don’t follow-up in with the note.  If they end up with your competitor and they use a thank you note you may never see that customer again.

In today’s fast paced world, even hearing a heart felt thank is rare enough.  So think of the impact of a hand written note arriving in their mail.

Today many businesses have out a way for a customer to join their email list or newsletter.  If go a step further and ask for their physical address they may be willing to give up that information as well.  In the future when that customer makes a sufficient purchase you can follow-up with their (yes, it is theirs) thank you from you.

You can make your printed note, formal or informal, that part doesn’t matter as much as the actual sending of that note card and the heart felt, Thank You it includes.

Keep in mind that if you feel that this could be too time consuming or expensive to do it as a follow-up note.  A generic thank you can be slipped into the customers purchase.

Don’t think that your customers feel the “Thank You” printed on their sales receipt means anything compared to your hand written one.

Let us help you with ALL of your Printing needs.

Presented By
MI Printing
Phone: 623.582.1302
Email:
sales@printinginaz.com

Wednesday, March 14, 2012

Advertising with Glow-in-the-Dark Bacteria

I ran across a “new idea” the other day, a British company was promoting the London Aquarium by stenciling the Aquarium’s logo on city surfaces using seawater.

Now, they have branched out, and CURB has launched its latest low-impact innovation. GlowFungi, also known as DiscoFungi, is a marketing tool that uses glow-in-the-dark bacteria. The harmless bacteria’s glow is a natural reaction, requiring no chemicals, and can last up to a week. To create a glowing piece of work, CURB adds bio-luminescent bacteria to petri-dishes, a bed of mushrooms, or a write able gel that can be applied directly to any surface, indoors or out.

CURB has sent petri-dish greetings to twenty clients and agencies across the UK. Which brand will be the first to create a glowing nocturnal campaign using DiscoFungi? We will just have to wait and see. 

http://www.curbmedia.com/what-we-do-glowfungi.asp

If you are looking at doing some printed advertising instead of the glow in the dark variety give us a call here at MI Printing 623.582.1302.

Presented By
MI Printing
Phone: 623.582.1302
Email:
sales@printinginaz.com

Tuesday, March 13, 2012

What is the Best Business Practice?

I have read several articles lately about the Best Business Practices.  What I was looking for was an idea, a simple idea that would make a great blog for our small business readers.

I have read all about having a plan that helps management have the best strategy for marketing.  Many times those articles read something like this…

"The creation of a senior level decision making architecture that allows senior managers and boards the freedom to think ahead, in order to make decisions based on foresight and not on historic maxims or intrinsic axioms."

OK, does that really say that the boss needs to formulate a plan without regard to the past?

I remember being taught that those who don’t know or understand history will end up making the same mistakes over again.

I could give you many other examples of corporate thinking and the one thing they seem to have in common is the utter lack of regard for product quality and consumer happiness with the product.  Bottom line comes first.  Unless you are the only place a person can buy your product, you had better keep the customer happy!

Make a good quality product and the customer is always satisfied.  Reading about companies and how they do business lead me to find that the expectation of a Disney Park guest is one of the highest of any consumers of any offering.  What a daunting prospect.  They must be offering a quality product because the flip side is the return rate of those guests is the highest in the Theme Park Industry.

We hope you think of MI Printing as your source for quality printing and a great customer experience.  Start with us and stay with us for all the right reasons. 623.582.1302

Presented By
MI Printing
Phone: 623.582.1302
Email:
sales@printinginaz.com

Monday, March 12, 2012

The Real Cost of the Cheapest Price

Did you know you can buy full Color Business Cards for just $9.95 plus shipping.  Sounds like a great deal.  Well only, if you want to hand out your business card with the other companies logo and info on the backside.

Is that the kind of professionalism you want to ally your business with. 

Is the going for the cheapest cost the best way to think about portraying your business?  What about the best quality as your benchmark.

Does something made at the cheapest price last as long as something that is made to the best standards.  If you buy the cheapest product three times during the life of the best product does it matter that you saved 50%?

When you buy the cheapest product and at the end of its life you have to throw it away, how does that compare to the best product that can still be sold for almost as much or more than it cost you originally?

If the cheapest product is out of service for repairs and refitting, twice as often as a better made product what does that do to the real bottom line?

What if using the cheapest product is dangerous or harmful to the user or consumers?  How often have you read about tainted products.  How cost effective is it to recall millions of products?  What is the affect on future sales and consumer trust.

Well, we believe it is better to do right the first time. Really Right!

Presented By
MI Printing
Phone: 623.582.1302
Email:
sales@printinginaz.com

Friday, March 9, 2012

Use MI Printing to Put Your Best Foot Forward

There's something about receiving a document with a company letterhead inscribed in it. You can feel the importance and significance of any document with the help of letterheads and the quality of the paper. In fact, correct letterhead printing adds greatly to the image and credibility of a company.

Letterheads are standards for businesses and companies. Letterhead printing is crucial because it contributes to the image of professionalism and reliability that a company projects. The image of a company can be picked up from the documents that they produce and use in communications with the public.

The letterhead therefore speaks of a company's formality and credibility. Letterheads in fact, have the power to affect a response from the recipients whether its favorable or not. Depending on the look, appearance and quality, your letterhead can greatly influence the way your recipients think about you and your company's message.

Contact Matt or Paula at MI Printing for help with your professional quality letterhead. 623-582-1302

Presented By
MI Printing
Phone: 623.582.1302
Email:
sales@printinginaz.com

Thursday, March 8, 2012

Spot Color

In offset printing, a spot color is any color generated by an ink (pure or mixed) that is printed using a single run.

The widely spread offset-printing process is composed of four spot colors: Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, and Key (black) commonly referred to as CMYK. More advanced processes involve the use of six spot colors (hexachromatic process), which add Orange and Green to the process (termed CMYKOG). The two additional spot colors are added to compensate for the ineffective reproduction of faint tints using CMYK colors only. However, offset technicians around the world use the term spot color to mean any color generated by a non-standard offset ink; such as metallic, fluorescent, spot varnish, or custom hand-mixed inks.

When making a multi-color print with a spot color process, every spot color needs its own lithographic film. All the areas of the same spot color are printed using the same film, hence, using the same lithographic plate. The dot gain, hence the screen angle and line frequency, of a spot color vary according to its intended purpose. Spot lamination and UV coatings are sometimes referred to as 'spot colors', as they share the characteristics of requiring a separate lithographic film and print run.

 Computer Methods
There are various methods to incorporate rather sophisticated patterns of spot colors in the final prepress artwork. Software applications such as Adobe InDesign, Adobe Illustrator, CorelDRAW, QuarkXPress and Scribus may generate spot colors as additional channels. Adobe Photoshop can also be used to generate soft edges (widely known as feathered edges) of spot colors. The dissolve effect provided by Adobe Photoshop layer patterns can be generated for any spot color.

Optimizing Usage
Generally the cost and potential for problems for a print job increase as one adds more spot colors, due to the increased cost and complexity of added process inks and films, and requiring more runs per finished print. However, spot colors can be a very powerful weapon in security printing, like money, passports, bonds, and other similar prints that should be hard to forge. Money printing for example, uses secret formulae of spot colors, some of which can be seen by the naked eye, and some cannot be seen unless by using special lights, or by applying certain chemicals.

Presented By
MI Printing
Phone: 623.582.1302
Email:
sales@printinginaz.com

Wednesday, March 7, 2012

Another Color Matching System

To be fair, even though PMS or the Pantone Matching System is the most popular they aren’t the only game out there.

So here is another that can be used.  The Munsell color system.

The fundamentals of color are based on Albert H. Munsell’s theory of color.
The way you visually match color today is the result of Albert H. Munsell’s work nearly a century ago.  In fact, modern day color theory and mathematical color system is based on Munsell’s theory of color.

An artist and an educator, Munsell developed his color theory to bring clarity to color communication by establishing an orderly system for accurately identifying every color that exists.  Munsell based his system on what he defined as “perceived equidistance” — the human visual system’s perception of color.

Your Color is Munsell's Business

Munsell helps you communicate and reproduce color consistently with color standards developed using Munsell color theory. Choose a standard color from the Munsell books of color and color sheets or have them develop a custom color management solution for you — giving you freedom to design your own unique color instead of being forced to choose a predetermined color from a fandeck.

How Munsell Color Notation Works
Here’s How Munsell Color Theory Works…

Munsell color order system is based on a three-dimensional model depicted in the Munsell color tree. Each color has three qualities or attributes:
Hue – color such as red, orange, yellow, etc.
Value – the lightness or darkness of a color
Chroma – the saturation or brilliance of a color
Hue, value and chroma are also referred to as (HVC)


Munsell Color Theory is based on a three-dimensional model in which each color is comprised of three attributes of hue (color itself), value (lightness/darkness) and chroma (color saturation or brilliance)
The Munsell Color system is set up as a numerical scale with visually uniform steps for each of the three color attributes — in Munsell color notation, each color has a logical and visual relationship to all other colors.

Value indicates the lightness of a color. The scale of value ranges from 0 for pure black to 10 for pure white. Black, white and the grays (as shown in figure 2) between them are called “neutral colors”. They have no hue. Colors that have a hue are called “chromatic colors.” The value scale applies to chromatic as well as neutral colors. The value scale is illustrated for all neutral colors on the chart labeled Munsell’s Nearly Neutral, included in this book of color.

This is a very basic introduction to the Munsell Color System.

Presented By
MI Printing
Phone: 623.582.1302
Email:
sales@printinginaz.com

Tuesday, March 6, 2012

RGB vs CMYK

RGB
Red, Green, and Blue are "additive colors". If we combine red, green and blue light you will get white light. This is the principal behind the T.V. set in your living room and the monitor you are staring at now.
Additive color, or RGB mode, is optimized for display on computer monitors and peripherals, most notably scanning devices.

CMYK
Cyan, Magenta and Yellow are "subtractive colors". If we print cyan, magenta and yellow inks on white paper, they absorb the light shining on the page. Since our eyes receive no reflected light from the paper, we perceive black... in a perfect world!

The printing world operates in subtractive color, or CMYK mode.

In practice, printing subtractive inks may contain impurities that prevent them from absorbing light perfectly. They do a pretty good job with light colors, but when we add them all together, they produce a murky brown rather than black. In order to get decent dark colors, black ink is added in increasing proportions, as the color gets darker and darker. This is the "K" component in CMYK printing. "K" is used to indicate black instead of a "B" to avoid possible confusion over Blue ink.

One of the most common errors made by inexperienced graphic designers is submitting RGB files. As a result the printer must ask if they would like them to convert to CMYK before we send the files for film output. Most of the time, the color change that will occur is slight. However, every once in a while, the color range after conversion is compressed during the transition to CMYK mode resulting in a complete change in color tones. Be warned that there is absolutely no way to get that deep RGB blue using CMYK, no matter how much we want to.

Presented By
MI Printing
Phone: 623.582.1302
Email:
sales@printinginaz.com

Monday, March 5, 2012

What are PMS colors

When mixing inks, all printers follow a system called PMS-Pantone Matching System. This allows printers all over the world to use one formula to develop a specific color. It also ensures that when a buyer purchases printing he or she is certain of what he or she will receive.

Sometimes PMS books can be faded or numbers can be misread and the wrong color gets printed. Therefore,it is recommend that you bring in a sample of the exact color you want so there is no misunderstanding.

One use is standardizing colors in the CMYK process. The CMYK process is a method of printing color by using four inks — cyan, magenta, yellow, and black. A majority of the world's printed material is produced using the CMYK process, and there is a special subset of Pantone colors that can be reproduced using CMYK .

On September 5, 2007 Pantone introduced the Goe System Goe consists of over 2,000 new colors in a brand new matching and numbering system. In addition to the standard swatch books (now called the GoeGuide), the new system also includes adhesive-backed GoeSticks, interactive software, tools, and an online community where users are able to share color swatches and information.

The Goe system is streamlined to use fewer base colors (10 + Clear coating for reflections) and accommodates many technical challenges in reproducing colors on a press.

Each page of the PMS book has small printed swatches of ink. They are presented in a logical sequence. For example, a section of the book might have all shades of red, starting with deep hues, and proceeding to light hues.

PMS books show how a color looks on coated and uncoated papers. It gives you a choice of hundreds of colors.

Presented By
MI Printing
Phone: 623.582.1302
Email:
sales@printinginaz.com

Friday, March 2, 2012

MI Printing: Special Custom Business Cards

At MI Printing we can take care of all of your business card needs far beyond just simple black on white.  They say you simply aren't in business without your business cards. Need to know more about all the uses for business cards?  Learn about the many options for your cards.  Please give us a call at 623-582-1302.
Please ask about money saving larger quantities.  For best results a PDF file is required for the customer supplied artwork.

Presented By
MI Printing
Phone: 623.582.1302
Email:
sales@printinginaz.com

Thursday, March 1, 2012

Hue, Saturation, and Luminosity

Hue determines the basic color—whether it appears green, red, blue, orange, and so forth.

A color's hue has a strong effect on how it is perceived. A color from the center of the red part of the spectrum will be perceived as more threatening, or perhaps more passionate, than one that is closer to orange; while red with a pinkish hue is a calmer color.

Saturation refers to the amount of grey in a color, and determines how vivid it is. Minimum saturation corresponds to gray, whilst maximum saturation corresponds to the pure color.

As a general rule, women tend to prefer less saturated colors, and men more saturated ones.

Luminosity refers to the whiteness or intensity of a color; luminosity for any one color will range from pure white though to black. Luminosity is like the brightness control on a computer or television screen. Maximum luminosity corresponds to white for any color, whilst minimum luminosity corresponds to black. The middle value  corresponds to the pure color.

Using the same color at varying degrees of luminance in a palette results in a harmonious color scheme. In general, colors with more luminance feel lighter, while those toward the dark end of the scale are more "serious" colors.

Presented By
MI Printing
Phone: 623.582.1302
Email:
sales@printinginaz.com