PerusalCopyPreviewOnly

Try It Out – Be sure that everything works before you print a piece. Fold the piece to be sure the layout is correct, pretend you're viewing it for the first time, and be sure it communicates effectively. Show the piece to others and get their reactions and opinions.

1 Joseph H. Friend and David B. Guralnik, eds., Webster's New World Dictionary of the American Language, College Edition, (New York:. The World Publishing Company, 1957), 1330.

The Printing Process

Printer vs. Copy Shop – A copy shop will use a high-quality copier to print your piece, whereas a printer will use a press. Copied pieces tend to "flake" and will not have the lasting appeal of a printed piece. For photos, printing is recommended. If you must use photos for copied materials, have a print shop produce a halftone. Halftones disperse a solid tone photograph into tiny dots, which reproduce better in print.

When using a copy shop, use a laser printer for your original and avoid using screens (shades of gray), pictures, thin lines, large areas of solid black, and small text. Also, avoid placing elements too close to the edge of the page since most copiers lose about 3/8" of an inch around the edge.

Budget – To make copies at the copy shop, you must have an original. Printers need negatives and burn plates. The cost for a printed piece is double or more for the same quantity copied at a copy shop.

Know the Printer – All printers are not equal. Different printers have specialties and different equipment. Some printers do not have presses to run jobs that are more than twenty-one inches long, have only one-color presses, or presses that will not handle coated stock or other types of material. You should talk with the printer in detail before dropping off the piece. Also, consider getting bids for a job.

Choose the Paper – Paper comes in many colors, weights, and textures, and the paper you choose will affect the end product and the budget. Papers vary in price and printability. You should decide whether the paper would be coated or uncoated stock, gloss (paper with a sheen), or matte (paper with a flat look). Coated paper has been chemically treated to produce a sheen or gloss. Paper comes in four grades, with grade one having the highest quality. The quality is not usually visible to the average person; however, higher quality paper will print better and will result in a better final product. Darker papers are always more expensive than lighter ones. Papers come in a number of weights.

Choose the Ink Color(s) – Choosing the correct ink color is an important part of a project. If you're using photos, you should probably use black ink. Other colors tend to distort photos — blues make photos cold, while reds make them hot. Most printers use the Pantone Matching System (PMS) and can provide color swatches. It is advisable to choose a color that you or your printer have seen on the paper that you've chosen. Colors may look different on the print- ed project than on the swatch. It is similar to painting a room in your house. The color may look more attractive on the paint sample than it does in the entire room!

Choose the Quantity – Having leftovers from your project is less expensive than having to reprint. On the other hand, you don't want extra boxes of brochures after the event is over.

Flats or Negatives – You should present camera-ready materials to the printer. With everything in its proper place, you may present him/her with flats or printouts from your computer printer. When presenting a flat, you will need to block out places for photos so the printer will know where they are to be inserted. The printer will produce halftones of the photos and will place them before printing. If your piece has a screen (an area of color lighter than 100% of solid) you must indicate that area using amberlith, or by printing it on a separate sheet of paper — a color separation. Don't just print out a screen from your ink-jet printer. Talk to your printer about the best process for your particular job.

If your piece contains two or more colors, you may need to provide a separate printout for each color unless your printer tells you otherwise. The printer will make negatives of your piece and burn plates. Plates may be either direct or paper, which are much like photo mechanical transfers (PMT's), or metal plates which are more expensive. Paper plates are usually used for short runs, while metal plates are used for larger runs with potential reprints. You may also take negatives to the printer, which might save you time and money. The best quality art you can provide to your printer is in the form of film or a negative. Film is produced from a computer by a "service bureau" or "pre-press shop. " Your printer can sometimes produce film for you or the printer can refer you to someone else. If you are producing a four-color piece or a document with screens and intricate detail, you will generally have to provide film. Offset printing from film produces the best quality finished product.

Undraising

For some music ministries, fund raising plays an important role in providing operational capital. For others, fund raising is used for projects such as choir tours or camps. Other churches do not allow fundraising, and they consider it their responsibility to provide for the ministries of the church from the annual budget or through special gifts. Before beginning any fundraising project, know your church's policies — written and unwritten!

Fundraising always involves selling something, usually a product or service. Before deciding on a fundraising project, find out what other groups in your community are doing. Check with scouting groups, local school groups, and civic organizations. You do not want to offer a similar product or project that will saturate the market since all groups in the community appeal to some of the same people.

There are four types of fundraising:

Sales – This involves selling products. These may include stationary, magazines, food products, cleaning supplies, or one of many other items. These are the most popular because they are easy to manage, i.e., an outside company supplies the products, and people receive something tangible for their money.

Service – These include workdays, parents' night out, and car washes, to name a few. These fundraisers have higher profit margins because expenses are low.

Pledges – These include walk-a-thons, rock-a-thons, car wash-athons, and almost anything else that parents and/or music ministry members can imagine. They require workers to secure pledges of a certain amount of money per hour before the project. After the project is over, money is collected based on the number of hours worked.

Special Fund Raisers – These include talent shows, dinner theaters, and other creative ventures.

Keys to Effective Fundraising

1) Planning – effective fundraising requires thorough planning.

2) Publicity – people must know about the event in order to support it.

3) Participation – the event will be more effective when everyone participates.1