Winter 2020
CONLIN'S PRESS Why Your Business Needs Custom Printed Wallpaper Wallpaper – also known as wall wraps – is a great way to transform a plain wall into a work of art. Whether you’re an interior decorator looking for a unique design solution or a retail store looking to advertise on your store walls, wall wraps have benefits that put them a notch above paint or standard store-bought wallpaper. Here are three reasons why you should to give this product a try:
1. Unlimited Design Options Standard wallpaper usually comes in a repeating pattern – anything else wouldn’t necessarily fit your space. Custom printed paper is made to fit the unique size and shape of your walls, which opens up a world of unlimited design possibilities. From a giant cityscape for the office, to a gorgeous wall mural in a home, you can literally create any design that you want, perfectly suited to your space.
2. More Durable Than Paint We typically use Dreamscape Caviar Wall Wrap for our wallpaper. This material is durable and lasts a long time. If removed properly, it won’t damage the walls when you’re ready to try something new. It’s also a great way to disguise existing blemishes or imperfections in your walls, and it withstands wear better than paint does.
Contents Page 1.........................Custom Wallpaper
3. Great for Advertising or Brand Messaging
Page 2.......................Leave-Behind Piece
For a retail, restaurant, or office space, custom wallpaper is a great tool for brand reinforcement. Turn your walls into an advertising space, display tantalizing food photography, or remind your employees of your company values.
Centerfold................Acrylic Family Tree
Page 3.................................Kimberly Barr
Page 6................Clean Your Mailing List Page 7........................Featured Employee Page 7...................................Editor Letter
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4 Keys to Creating an Effective Leave-Behind Piece A "leave-behind" piece is a printed material that, as the name implies, you "leave behind" with a potential customer. The main purpose of this piece is to raise brand-awareness so that your company is the one that comes to mind when that person needs your product or service. Here are four keys for creating an effective leave-behind for your business.
1. Make it Useful
3. Showcase What You Do Well
Brochures and business cards are effective tools, but they also frequently get tossed (especially if your recipient isn’t currently in need of the services you offer). A strong leavebehind piece has some sort of utility. Magnets, pencil cups, and calendars are all items that your customer can put to use.
If you’re a photographer, create a piece that shows off your stunning photos. If you’re a graphic designer, perhaps you could design a mini magazine or portfolio that talks about who you are and shows off your design skills. If you’re a retailer, a lookbook is an obvious but solid choice.
2. Include Your Logo and Contact Info
4. Use High-Quality Materials
Now that we’ve established that your piece is something your potential customer will keep, don’t forget to put your logo and contact info on there! It doesn’t have to be huge, but it needs to be clear and easy-to-locate. The next time that person requires services that you offer, they’ve got contact info for someone who offers those services readily available.
The quality of your materials and print job has a huge impact on the “wow factor” of your piece. Sloppy work is never impressive! The power of print comes chiefly from the tactile user experience that digital materials can’t offer. Capitalize on this by being choosy about paper stock, binding type, or any other finishing services you may need.
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Interior Designer Kimberly Barr Gives Her Rooms An Artist’s Touch Kimberly Barr has been a professional interior designer since 2001, but she’s been passionate about design since childhood. After graduating from the Art Institute of Philadelphia, Kimberly has enjoyed an award-winning career and plenty of satisfied clients. LAUREN: Besides design expertise, what qualities make you more effective at designing for clients? KIMBERLY: I’m a very social people person, and I listen very well to my clients. I think that’s one of the things I hear the most from them. They’ve worked with designers who just decide to create their own vision without listening to the client really wants. A designer needs to listen, not just create what they have in their head. L: What are some of your favorite places to draw design inspiration from? K: I like trade shows and visiting showrooms. I feel that’s where I’m going to get the most up-to-date trends and what’s new and hot out there. I like Pinterest of course, but I feel more inspired by pieces I’ve never seen before in Design Trade showrooms. L: Do you have any habits or rituals that help you to keep your creativity flowing? K: I’m very big into making sure I’m hiking and taking a “brain break” of being outside and being in the world. Between this and the creative inspiration, there’s a balance. Taking a full break from everything and then being fully immersed is how I keep a good creative balance.
Read the rest of this interview on our blog at ConlinsPress.com!
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Family Tree Signage Project
These acrylic pieces tell the history of Conlin's! Materials Tree: Duravinyl Standoffs: 1/4 Clear Acrylic
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6 Tips for a Clean Direct Mail List Direct Mail campaigns are an important tool for connecting to your target audience. Your brand will seriously benefit from investing in a nicely designed and well-targeted mail campaign. Here are a few of our top tips for saving money on your next mail campaign!
1. Send Standard Instead of First Class Save on postage when you opt for Standard Mail! Keep in mind that Standard takes about 7-10 days to reach it’s destination while First Class takes 1-2 days locally and up to 4 days nationally. If your mailer is time-sensitive, this costcutting option may not be for you. However, if time isn’t an issue, then this is a great way to save a little extra on your campaign!
2. Have Your List Presorted If your mailing is large enough, you can receive postal discounts when we presort your mailing. The minimum for presorting is 200 pieces for Standard mail and 500 pieces for First Class. With presorting, our software will organize your list into groups. This step saves the Post Office time, and those savings are passed on to you in the form of lower postage rates.
3. Clean Your List If you are sending to an in-house list, save money by doing regular upkeep on your list (thus minimizing the amount of mail that gets returned). Conlin's can help by performing an address change update, which is when our software compares your list to the National Change of Address (NCOA) registry and changes addresses that have filed a move update with the Post Office.
6. Try EDDM
4. Use a Targeted Mailing List
If you are a local business with a general audience, EDDM may be a great option for you. Instead of using a mailing list, your postcards are delivered to every door on a mail carrier’s route. This method allows for total saturation of a 1-2 mile geographic radius. In addition to saving money on a mailing list, the postage rates per piece are lower than regular postage.
Target your list to the right demographic for a higher response rate and less waste. You can filter your list down by industry, job title, etc. to reach the right people with the right message.
5. Stay Within the Size Categories
Again, it works for businesses that are local and nonspecialized (such as pizza parlors, dry cleaners, landscapers, etc.), but it’s not the best option for companies reaching a niche audience. Check out our post at ConlinsPress.com to see if EDDM is right for you.
Oversized pieces cost more to mail. The Post Office has size limits for three categories: Postcard, Letter, and Flat. To keep the postage down, design a mailer that fits within these standard categories.
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Featured Employee
Sabrina Brittain
Sabrina is our Design and Prepress Specialist, with experience in graphic design and illustration. She is writing a web comic called “The Corde� on LINE Webtoon.
Just A Note... Dear Reader, Our front page story in this edition of the newsletter is about custom wallpaper, a product which many of our customers don't know we have! It's a great way to decorate your workspace or storefront, but it's also a great tool for interior designers who are looking for a new level of customization in their projects. Conlin's can print AND install your wallpaper projects, so call us at 610-337-4460 today to request a quote! Speaking of interior design, we hope you enjoy our interview with local designer Kimberly Barr! Her talent is evident when you see her work, but she's also great at listening to her clients and creating designs that reflect their personalities. Kimberly's interview was published in our book Best of Local, which features interviews with eight local business owners from the greater Philadelphia area, along with gorgeous photography. If you didn't receive a copy of Best of Local in the mail, never fear! We have extra copies, and you can request one by emailing kingofprussia@conlinsprint.com. Best,
The Staff at Conlin's Print 7
1011 West Eighth Ave. King Of Prussia, PA 19406 610-337-4460 kingofprussia@conlinsprint.com
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