Geri Konstantin is a published author on Advertising, the Internet, Digital and Printing technologies. Below are some of her published Articles we thought might be of interest:
TANGLED IN THE WEB.
Miraculous Media or Myriad of Problems?
Moving Goods That Don’t Sell
& How to Get Rid of Them Without Taking a Bath
SUPERFICIAL OR SUPERSTAR?
TV, RADIO AND THE SOHO MARKET
TRASH OR TREASURE?
DIRECT MAIL AND THE SOHO MARKET
NEWSPAPER ADS FOR THE SOHO MARKET —
THE FIRST STEP IN CREATING AWARENESS.
TAKE A GOOD LOOK! YOUR BOTTOM LINE
DEPENDS ON IT.
Your Store’s Environment. What it means to
you and your Customers.
TRADE/BUSINESS MAGAZINE ADS AND
THE SOHO MARKET —
CREATING AWARENESS IN A MULTIFACETED BUSINESS WORLD.
Wide Format Printers. The Proofing Systems of the Future?
Thermal CTP vs. Visible Light CTP A Heated Conversation
Workflow. PDF comes to the Rescue.
CTP. Productivity Is Up & the Ratings Are In...
Digital Halftone Proofing Ð Are Analog Proofs Becoming Dinosaurs?
Accessories & Attachments for Press & Bindery Equipment Ð Dealers who know the Value of Add-on Sales Build More Than Profits
TANGLED IN THE WEB.
Miraculous Media or Myriad of Problems?
by Geri Konstantin
I never thought I'd get mesmerized watching little crawling striped bars across my computer screen, or scrolling through endless lists of titles or words to select items I don't know if I want to see. Patiently and impatiently waiting to receive "Web pages" accessed from all over the world.
Unfortunately, much of the waiting is a waste of time because many of the Web sites I visit never work right, or can't be accessed because of system problems or too many users. On top of it, some Web pages don't say anything much at all!
Like a young child anticipating a surprise, when I finally get that Web page, I click on the pictures and highlighted words, waiting for something magical to happen, which it rarely does. Most of the time I'm disappointed. Most of the time the contents lack substance. Too frequently, the graphics take so much time to load, I get disgusted and stop the file.
Somehow I get the distinct feeling people don't know how to use the Web to their greatest selling advantage. It seems that they make up Web pages and view them in their conference rooms. They obviously don't go on-line and experiment how their pages will be viewed by other systems.
People don't know how to use the media - it isn't easy, as the parameters of the media are still undefined.
The Web is still too new a medium — in fact - many, many people just don't know how to use the Web yet, let alone how to go on-line. That's not saying you shouldn't get in on the ground floor. But you have to be aware of the limitations surrounding this media. There are many (at least this month). The technology grows so fast, the parameters of the media change almost daily.
But what a media the Web will be! Or will it? Will it be so big you'll never be able to find anything? Will there be so much choice on-line you won't be able to get your message across? Solutions to these questions will arise with the development of the Web. But until then, how will you fare??
The Web is basically a marvelous marketing tool to reach millions of prospective customers at a low cost.
An interactive media with sight and sound — where you can make your company look as large, as sophisticated, and accessible as you want. You can project exactly the image you need. But will it be seen by prospective customers? How will they find you?
What's happening on the web today? Let's pretend we're a SOHO customer and see...
Let's pretend we need paper for our SOHO business. We need to find "paper people." First we'll search on the widely known Yahoo™ and Alta Vista™ search engines and see what we can find:
I'll type in "paper" and push "search" Wait...wait...wait... hmmm... 537 matches. Let's look at the first 20 - let's see...
Pulitzer prize papers...
Business & Economy:Companies:Industrial Supplies: Pulp & Paper
Business & Economy:Companies:Industrial Supplies: Pulp & Paper:
Manufacturing: International Paper (I wonder if they mean the company or all over the world???)
Academic Papers... Research Papers...Medicine Papers...
Let's look at the next 20 - OK, there is;
Regional:U.S.States:Nebraska:Counties and Regions:Douglas County:Cities:Omaha:Business:Omaha Paper Company, Inc
Arts:Art History:Artists:Picasso, Pablo (1882-1973)...
On to the next 20 - Arts:Body Art:Piercing...What does this have to do with anything? Let's get out of this mess and search something else.
I'll type in "paper companies" and "search". Wait...wait...wait... hmmm - 510 matches:
Arts & Crafts: Papermaking...Business and Economy:Companies: Business Supplies:Paper (this might be good) but I'll look through the first 60 lisiting - not much catches my eye.
Maybe I'm still in the wrong place. On to another search.
I'll try "paper manufacturers". Results: 24 matches — TST Impreso, Inc.- Manufacturers and distributors of computer, fax, copy and ink jet paper; Lumina Office Products- they create peripherals...Wallboard suppliers..Recyclers...buried on the second page is Champion International Corporation...then there's Indonesian, Spanish paper manufacturers.... We aren't getting very far are we!
Let's try another search "paper & graphics stores" wait...wait...wait...uh oh...271,619 matches! I don't have time for this! Well, at least the first entry was General Stores Paper - Copier/Printer Paper in General Stores. (The rest of the entries are meaningless to my search- mostly about Macintosh hardware!)
Well, how about if we try "computer paper suppliers" wait...wait...wait... uh oh...141,380 matches! Out of the first 20 matches, I found:
Eastern Paper Mill Suppliers Association; an advertisement to place your advertisement with Packaging Link
Forms & Paper Suppliers Information listing
Tree-free paper Suppliers, plus - a lot of listings that don't have anything to do with what we're looking for. So on to another search.
I'll type "computer paper" wait...wait...wait...197 matches. None of these look like a place where I can buy computer paper.
You know, I just don't have time for this! I've been on-line over an hour now and I haven't gotten anywhere and I've become frustrated!!!
Made my point? If you have a Web page, you have to promote it. Because you can't rely on today's search engines to do the job for you.
For your information, "paper distributors" brought up 3 entries. "graphic arts supplies" brought 19 entries to the screen. "paper suppliers" brought up 9 matches -including paper manufacturers in Brazil and Germany. But even more interesting was the following:
1) "kelly paper" actually brought up ONE match - Kelly Paper!
2) "dixon paper" brought up ONE match - Dixon Paper Products
3) "lewis paper place" brought up 234,948 matches! (and they weren't in the top 20- I didn't search all 234,948 of them).
4) "zellerbach" brought up 851 matches (none relating in the first 20)
5) "o-k paper" showed no matches.
6) "western express" found 5 unrelated matches
7) "presstock" brought 2 unrelated matches
8) "arvey paper" brought no matches
9) "paper plus" brought 12 unrelated matches
10) "dillard express" brought up 13,286 matches (none in the first 60 pertained to the store)
11) "paper dillard express" brought no matches
13) "dillard express paper" brought up 460,228 matches.
14) "mini mac" brought up 5 unrelated matches
15) "mini mac paper" brought up 248,480 matches! None of which pertained. (One entry was for a Model High School's Parent Newsletter where they spelled calendar wrong!)
Now I didn't have time to look everyone up - and I was on-line for a few hours, with little results. So what can we conclude from this?
I believe we can safely conclude that search engines are not the best way to have your prospective customers reach your Web site. Because the SOHO customer does not have hours and hours to plod along trying to find you. SOHO customers have to run a business. They need answers. They need products. They need them now. So if you have a Web site, or are building your Web site, keep your end customer in mind . Who are you trying to reach? What do they want? How can you best service them?
In the next and upcoming issues, we'll have a deeper look into Web sites. How to design them, what's happening right now, and how to make them more effective. In the mean time, I'll try to find solutions in this tangled Web.
back to top of page
Moving Goods That Don’t Sell
& How to Get Rid of Them Without Taking a Bath
by Geri Konstantin
Take a look around your store. See anything gathering too much dust? Thought about doing anything about it? Don’t know what to do?
Inventory that doesn’t move ties up money. The longer it sits on the shelf, the more money you lose. And if the product that sits has a specified shelf life, the losses can be even greater. Now we all can’t buy only products that sell well. Customers like variety. But sometimes the variety is trendy, or impractical, and ugly.
I remember going through a paper & Graphics store a while ago, and as I walked the aisles, scanning for new products and specials, I saw a lot of ugly paper. Namely, I specifically recall lime green, deep gold, deep pink and dark purple. Why did they buy this stuff in the first place?, I asked myself. What could anyone possibly do with it? How old is this stuff anyway?! My mind flew at a rapid pace. Bird cage paper? Origami? Make Halloween masks? My sense of humor overtook any rational thoughts “But I got a good deal on it” I can hear some of you say. “It was touted as being the “in” thing” I hear others whine. “So what, we all get stuff that doesn’t sell”, grumble others. Precisely. So what do you do?
Get creative! First analyze your dollar investment. Was the merchandise expensive? Moderate? Was it practically free? After you have determined the actual value of the merchandise, figure out how long it’s been around. If it’s been around for years, you’ve no chance to really recoup your losses. If it’s been there a few months there may be hope. Let’s look at some ways to move these products!
1) If the products have a shelf life, run a special or establish a discount price now. Because the closer you get to the date of expiration, the tougher the products are to sell.
2) Create a special Point-of-Purchase display making the items calling attention to the items and making them look more important and of a greater value than they really are.
3) Put a price sign with a convincing low price that no one can turn down.
4) Donate the items (if feasible) to a school or community organization or religious group and create your own Public Relations event, so you benefit from the donation.
5) Have a regular close-out section in your store to constantly attract bargain hunters.
6) Offer regular customers who might be able to use the products a special - through direct mail, fax, e-mail, or phone, selling the product at a special price or offering it free with the purchase of a certain dollar amount.
7) See if there’s a way to use the products yourself in the promotion of your own goods and services. Or call attention to the items and suggest ways to use the product to customers that walk into your store.
8) See if you can get an “exchange” or “credit” from the manufacturer or your distributor to get merchandise that you feel is easier to sell.
Whichever way you choose, coming up with ways to move products off shelves is a necessary part of managing your inventory and maximizing profits. So take action - and be creative!
back to top of page
SUPERFICIAL OR SUPERSTAR?
TV, RADIO AND THE SOHO MARKET
by Geri Konstantin, October 1996
Television. The first image conjured up in one's mind is that of glamour, fame and glorious commercials with special effects that make millions and millions of dollars for major advertisers around the country each year. Something that all of us would like to be part of. The second image is that of infomercials, confusion, tackily produced local cable programs and spots, biased news programs and violence on TV- channel after channel after channel after channel - all 100 or more of them.
Should you use TV to reach the SOHO market? let's take a look at the pros and cons.
First I will note that my attention has been caught lately by an effective commercial put out by a major paper manufacturer touting it's brand of paper that won't jam your copier. Now I don't watch a lot of TV, but somehow I've seen this commercial 3 times in the last 3 weeks. Too bad it didn't have a dealer tag for a Paper & Graphics store or an 800 # so I'd know where to find this terrific paper that I should buy.....
Now that would have been dynamite. And that probably is the only way to produce a really classy, cost-effective commercial for a Paper & Graphics store today. But let's investigate a little further anyway. Wait — I can hear some of you saying "But the cable company said they can shoot a commercial in my store- and personalize it for me for around $800!" Sure...I acknowledge skeptically. You get what you pay for. There is no way a really good solid commercial can be done for this price. And the image of your business is on the line. If you project the wrong image, you'd be better off projecting no image. Because it is a known fact in advertising that consumers retain what they see and hear simultaneously better that what they only hear, or only see.
"So that means TV is good because my message will stick better in their minds?," you say. "Yes, and no," is my answer. Because with the advent of the remote control and TV sets that automatically reduce the sound of commercials on TV, the chances your message will be seen by your target audience are getting more and more remote.
That is not to say that it is not possible to hit your target audience with proper planning and a clear focused message. But it is much more difficult to do so.
Just think of what types of shows your customers watch. What days so they watch? Do you know? And if you were to ask a SOHO customer what they watch, what would you get as an answer? I'm sure the answers would be as diverse as the number of channels on your cable TV. But as business people, I'd say it would be reasonably safe to say that they watch the news, the weather and other business-related shows like maybe The Wall Street Journal Report, MacNeil Lehrer Report, etc..
So to devote a reasonable TV media schedule to these types of shows first appears to be the best bet. But is it? If you own a group of stores and have a couple of thousand to spend on Cable TV a month it can be done. But you have to take a look at your area's demographics. Sometimes you will find it is cost-effective. Other times, you will find, as it is in Central New Jersey, that there are a dozen or so cable TV companies within a 25 mile range. That means that if you want to run your commercial on CNN around 10 PM that you have to pay 12 or so different cable companies for the same time slot to reach your target audience. Is that cost-effective? Definitely not. "Well how about a regional network buy on one of the big 3 networks?" you ask. Possible, but costly. It's a decision YOU have to decide.
Don't let a Cable TV station talk you into trying a "special package" of spots, especially when they throw in the production of your spot for FREE! You'll waste your money. And the 20 or so "extra" commercials they'll run for you at no charge will be at 3:00AM - just when the SOHO market is watching TV!
To be most effective at targeting the SOHO market through television, you'll have to get all the demographics and psychographics of the Cable TV's viewing area and perform a detailed analysis to determine your real cost of advertising to your prospective customers. Better yet, get an ad agency to recommend an effective media buy if you plan to go this route. If you are going to go on TV, do it right or don't do it. My advice, take it or leave it.
Additionally, with a media like television, results are hard to track. If you ran a flight of spots and then asked every person who walked in your store how they heard about you, if someone said "I saw your commercial on TV" I'd be really surprised. It is not in human nature to readily reveal where you heard about something, especially if you saw it on the "boob tube." You'd probably get an answer like "I was driving by..." or "I saw your ad in the Yellow Pages."
I remember an ad I did once for a Honda Dealer. We advertised a limited time special lease deal of $199 per month for a very specific car model. A customer walked in, and asked for the specific model and the specific $199 lease deal. The salesman asked him where he saw our ad. The man replied, "I didn't see any ad, I was just driving by." Of course there was nothing in the dealership windows or anywhere else visible on the lot referring to the limited time lease deal.... Enough said.
"Well, TV might not be right for me - right now at least" I detect many of you thinking. So on to Radio!
Radio is a different story. In radio, you have to capture someone's attention at the start and make the person visualize what you are saying through sounds and words. And radio stations are less abundant that TV channels. Additionally, if done right, you can depend on a captive audience, ready to carefully listen to what you have to say.
To reach the SOHO market with radio is much more feasible. Because if your store is in an area where people drive to their offices, you can block out "drive-times" and advertise to these people when they are a captive audience in their cars.
Better yet, here's another suggestion: buy weather or news sponsorships. These are sold by most radio stations around the country. For example, "This weather update is brought to you by Paper Heaven, the experts in solving all your paper needs" And at the end of the weather report, it might go something like this" This weather update was brought to you by Paper Heaven, 123 Main Street, Anytown, USA. See Paper Heaven's great selection of Laser Paper, today!"
An approach like this can be very cost-effective and builds awareness. And with the local radio announcer reading this live everyday, and your prospective customers already tuned in to this announcer, your chances for success are increased.
Other radio buys that you should check out would be local business shows, lunchtime programs, and if the station doesn't offer sponsorships, ask if you can run your spots directly before or after the news or weather during drivetime.
Keep in mind, that the radio stations you pick should have wide listenership, and demographics consistent with a business owner. You don't want your spots to run on a teenie-bopper station. Select your stations with care. If you don't know a morning program, listen to it a week and then decide. You also don't want to air spots during shows that are too "radical" or controversial in content. These could have negative affects on the perception of your advertisement.
So what should you keep in mind to make a great radio or TV spot? Here are some suggestions:
1) Start with a grabber of some kind - sound or statement to attract the potential customer's attention.
2) Focus your commercial. Keep the number of points you want to tell your potential customer to remember to a minimum.
3) Make sure you have a strong consumer benefit. A reason to go to your store-today!
4) If you use humor, be cautious. What image do you want to project? There's nothing worse than a commercial with tacky humor.
5) Repeat the name of your store. Tell how to get there. Keep the information simple, and to the point. And if your store is near a known landmark of some kind, reference it.
6) Telephone numbers in radio spots don't work unless you have a catchy, easy to use number. People just won't remember your number otherwise.
7) Plan, plan, plan. How do these media fit in with your overall marketing plan? How viable are these media for your type of store and area. What do you expect to gain from running these ads?
A careful and thorough analysis of Radio & TV for your store is essential in determining its potential effectiveness in your overall image-building and awareness goals.
back to top of page
TRASH OR TREASURE?
DIRECT MAIL AND THE SOHO MARKET
by Geri Konstantin, September 1996
Direct Mail. Or more commonly, but affectionately, called junk mail. Is it Trash? Or Treasure? to those on the receiving end
.
How will the mysterious SOHO market treat a piece of direct mail from a Paper & Graphics Store? Will they treat it like trash? Or will they treat it as treasure?
As I was perusing my rather large stack of mail the other day, I finally reached the realization that 90% of my mail is junk mail. Oh, I beg your pardon, Direct Mail.
I usually get an average of 20 catalogues a week. I also get about 7 letters/flyers/you know, Direct Mail pieces daily. I don't have the time to look at them all. Nor do I have the desire to read even one-quarter of them. But since I am doing an article on Direct Mail which you are reading, I'm going to take you through my mail with me (like it or not!). Now I do have about three weeks of mail in front of me now as I was in the Midwest for a few weeks, and didn't get around to forwarding all my mail. So I think it's a good time to analyze what I've gotten. Let's see...
I'll go through the catalogues first - they're bulky. Let's see... 3 L.L. Bean catalogues (although I haven't ordered anything from them in over 5 years now), a half a dozen or so of those cheap gift catalogues (how do I rate to get on those mailing lists?), 5 Macintosh product catalogues (I'll have a look at those), oh, a Paper Direct catalogue, hmmm here's a nice catalogue on seas and ship stuff (I like those), another dozen women's clothes catalogues (they all go in the garbage), tons of local Service Merchandise, Best Buy, and similar catalogues, along with hordes of Supermarket specials (circular file with those too). Well, the catalogues are done! Now on to the rest.
First I sort the "real" mail from the "fake" mail (oh, I'm sorry, the Direct Mail). There are about five phone bills for my various cellular, regular and business phones, an insurance bill, an insurance notice of some kind, a couple of invitations to something, various credit card bills... let's see, a notice from the township about my property taxes, two renewal notices for magazines that don't expire until March next year (they'll go in the garbage) a letter from a friend of mine, bills from the landscapers, electric and water companies. Boy, this is depressing. A word of advice; NEVER go away for more than 2 days. You get too many bills in the mail! Well, that's about it for the important stuff. Now let's go through the rest of the junk... (I'm sorry, I said it again!) I mean Direct Mail pieces. I'm left with only about fifty or so pieces. (Must be slow out there). I'll subdivide them, so hold on.
There, fast aren't I! Here's the tally:
11 Letters from credit card companies offering cards, trips or something.
1 Gas credit card Travel Club offer.
3 Flyers from Quick Print Shops
8 Vacation/cruise/travel offers
10 Telephone company flyers trying to get me to switch my long distance service.
5 Unmarked envelopes with bulk mail indicias on them
16 Contest - You have won $5 million Dollars! (If you are the winner)- entry forms
3 "Valuable" Coupon packs
Plus a dozen or so assorted attempts to get me to subscribe to magazines I don't want or to donate money.
So now, after we file in the waste basket what we're not interested in, and what we won't even bother opening the envelopes and looking at the pieces, we're left with about 8 pieces. The unmarked envelopes and the flyers from the Quick Print shops.
Let's see what's in the unmarked envelopes...hmmm... more magazine offers, an offer to clean my carpets, nothing worth looking at! Now let's look at the quick print stuff. The first is a special business start-up package, offering me the opportunity to get my business cards, letterhead and envelopes printed for only... I'm not sure what the cost is... Maybe $128 or maybe $307. It's photocopied on the ugliest yellow paper I ever saw. That goes in the garbage. If their print job is as good as their flyer, my business wouldn't want an image like that!
Next is a monthly newsletter from a printer. Mostly self-serving statements about how good they are. Doesn't say a thing about what they can do for me. So that goes in the garbage.
Last one is an 8.5" x 11" piece of card stock folded twice to make a six panel brochure. The outside has their address and my mailing label. They left the other 2 panels blank (what a waste). Inside, is a tasteful 2-color print job stating what they do and how fast and well they can do it for me. Finally, something I may want in the future! So I'll mark their name and phone number (no contact person is mentioned) in my address book and toss the rest in the trash.
There. We made it through my mail. Relatively painless, wasn't it! And what did we see? We saw that I threw almost all of my mail away, much of it unopened! Why? Because I receive so much stuff in the mail, I don't have time to really read it all! So what I do instead is seek out items I NEED or that will benefit me or my business NOW.
I don't have time to listen to pitches for things I don't need or aren't interested in now. I don't have time to study Direct Mail pieces that require a lot of thought and concentration. I look for something that hits my eye. Something that offers ME or my business a tangible benefit.
So keeping this in mind, think about your potential customer. The SOHO customer. What type of person is this? Well, for one, a busy person. A confident person. A person who has to make decisions. Quickly and accurately. And take responsibility for those decisions. The SOHO customer doesn't have time for games and gimmicks. So if you send them a Direct Mail piece, it had better be eye-catching, classy and to the point. And most of all, offer a benefit or list of benefits for that will entice that customer to your store. Or give them a good reason to keep coming back.
Will your Direct Mail piece be Trash? or Treasure? Random mailings and poorly thought-out mailing pieces can destroy your image or create a bad one in the eyes of the SOHO customer. Your mailing can easily become trash!
On the other hand, carefully planning out your message and conveying what you really have to offer can make your Direct Mail piece a "Treasure" to the potential SOHO customer.
back to top of page
NEWSPAPER ADS FOR THE SOHO MARKET —
THE FIRST STEP IN CREATING AWARENESS.
by Geri Konstantin, July 1996
As the old story goes, if you stand in a dark room and wink your eye, nobody will see you, nor will they know you are there. The same goes for advertising. If you don't advertise, how will people know you're there? Or remember you are there?
"Oh advertising is an extravagance" "I don't need to advertise." "Advertising is a waste of money." I can hear some of you say now. But before you turn the page, ask yourself this question? Do I have all the business right now I can handle? If your answer is yes, then turn the page. You don't need any more business.
Aha! I knew you'd read on. Everybody need more business. But not everybody thinks they need to advertise. Advertising should not be a burden. It should pay for itself in increased sales and profits. Advertising is a necessary business expense. And you should treat it as such. Unfortunately, most companies never do. Each month you should budget for advertising and allow a certain amount of dollars, just like you do for your electric bill and your telephone bill. Because if you don't tell people you exist and you are there, they will forget.
In addition, to the SOHO market, Paper & Graphics stores are a "new animal". Most SOHO businesses probably don't even KNOW there are wonderful stores like yours who sell paper and envelopes and other goodies. Therefore, to get your share of the SOHO business, it is only logical that you have to first tell them you exist. And you have to tell them you have a lot to offer them. And you have to convey how easy you are to get to. So how do you broadly address this diverse consumer market cost-effectively? The obvious solution is simple (and no it's NOT the Yellow Pages) It's NEWSPAPER ADS.
"Too expensive!" "A waste of money!" I can still hear a few of you mumble. But seriously, NEWSPAPER ADS can offer you a most cost-effective way to reach the SOHO market — the ever-changing and growing group of small business and home offices. Besides, NEWSPAPER ADS will also reach your existing customer base and big business as well.
Therefore, if you really analyze your media opportunities to reach the SOHO market, think of a media that reaches a great number of diverse types of businesses on a regular basis with a relatively low cost per person. (the Internet or Web you say? That's another issue.) Radio? Magazines?, Direct Mail? TV? The list goes on, but in the final analysis, NEWSPAPERS are a basic, solid, standard media to use to reach the SOHO Market. And NEWSPAPERS can be a very cost-effective way to advertise when done right.
"How do I make sure I do it right?" you say. By consistency of advertising. By image. And by repetition. Let me first say that it is NOT the size of the ad that is most important. It is the content and the placement. Some of the world's most successful ads are less than one inch high! And some of the biggest ads have bombed. So let's explore the elements necessary to make your NEWSPAPER ADS successful.
1) CONSUMER BENEFIT: To interest the reader, you have to offer the consumer a benefit. The bigger the benefit the better. The benefit should be in the headline or in big type. When you offer potential consumers a benefit, they read on and they'll take the effort to seek you out.
2) THE NAME OF YOUR STORE: You'd be surprised how many stores minimize their name in ads.
3) YOUR ADDRESS: Clearly written and understandable in a readable type size and face. If you're near a well-known landmark, use it! The easier you are to find, the more apt you are to get new customers.
4) YOUR PHONE NUMBER: With area code! Most newspapers have widespread circulation. Metropolitan areas commonly have many area codes. Put your area code in. It can't hurt.
5) YOUR STORE HOURS: There's nothing worse than tracking down a new store and arriving five minutes after it closed. Store hours are important.
6) CONSISTENCY All your ads should look alike. Have the same feel. Be set up the same way. Make your ads distinctively yours. An ad that looks like everyone else's is worthless. And as time will go on, customers will know the ads are yours just by glancing at them! So even if they flip the page, your store's name will register in their mind. Sometimes even subconsciously!
Think of all the well-known products and companies that you don't have to see their actual name to have the name pop into your mind because of their association with a geometric shape, or a color, or a design, or an animal. I'm sure you can think of many.
7) QUALITY Portray a quality image. Nice, neat, readable, friendly ads. Straight and to the point. (SOHO customers don't have a lot of time on their hands. Don't waste their time. They'll appreciate it.)
That's it! Sounds too simple, doesn't it. Maybe it is too simple. And maybe that's why there are so many bad ads out there. Ads cluttered with excess design, puffery, and self-serving statements. Ads that are visually disturbing. What do you do when you see a visually disturbing ad? Enough said. Simplicity sells. Period.
Now on to placement and consistency. Placement of your ad is important. Of course, "right hand page outside" is the advertising industry's standard desired space location, but to best reach your SOHO customers, I suggest that you have your ad placed in a section of the paper that would appeal to the SOHO customer. Like the business section. Or near articles on local businesses. Or in the main news section, nearest to the front page that you can get. Or even near the weather page. (A word of advice, avoid near the editorial page-controversial content.)
Talk to your local papers and see what they have available. And once you find a nice spot that works well, try to have the paper place your ad there every time it runs. This brings us to consistency.
I said before that it's not how big the ad is, it's what it says. Of course I'm not recommending you run ads so small that you need magnifiers to read it. But what I am saying is that if you pick a decent ad size that you can afford to run three times a week or more, with consistency, every week, week after week, and you create an ad that's easy to read and conveying a solid consumer benefit, you'll be on your way to capturing your share of the SOHO market with NEWSPAPER ADS. After all, a well-advertised product is half-sold!
back to top of page
TAKE A GOOD LOOK! YOUR BOTTOM LINE DEPENDS ON IT.
Your Store’s Environment. What it means to you and your Customers.
by Geri Konstantin, January 1997
How does your store feel when you walk into it? Is it comfortable & cozy, or cold & clammy? Warm & inviting, or dark and depressing? Does it make customers linger & look — or scan and scoot?. Is your store friendly in appearance or does it look like a warehouse? Well laid out or confusing to those who walk in?
Is it easy to find things, or is it frustrating to search for what you need? Are your salespeople friendly, or overbearing or uninterested? Are they even around? Is it easy to find prices on items?
These are some of the first things you should ask yourself about your store’s environment. “My clients are mostly printers, and they’re used to the way the store looks” I hear some of your say. “What difference does it make — I’ve got the product and low prices, what more do they want?” I hear others of you grumble. But seriously, your store’s environment makes a big impact on your customers — from Printers to the SOHO market. And their impression usually makes one on your bottom line.
I’m not saying, mind you, that your store should look like Neiman-Marcus, or (God forbid) Incredible Universe, but does it reflect your image - the image you want to project for your store? Does it facilitate sales, or is it set up so that customers and your staff constantly waste time looking for things?
Do all your employees know where everything is? Or do they have to fumble around looking at papers to see where you put the parchment papers this week?
“Well it’s worked for me so far, so why change?” I hear you thinking. Because successful retail environments change constantly. They create renewed customer interest and can boost employee morale and performance.
As the saying goes, a fresh coat of paint can change your attitude. Besides, revisions to your store create Public Relations (PR) opportunities! And PR creates interest and interest creates sales. And your new “look” builds your image, and reinforces your market presence and then customers remember you and when they like your store they come back, and bring other customers! Whew! I think you understand what I mean. So let’s take a look into what really constitutes your store’s environment.
Let’s first explore the word environment. The dictionary definition says - “physical surroundings and conditions, esp. affecting people’s lives.” So basically, what they are saying is that when a person is in a certain environment, his emotions, and actions are influenced by everything around him. That being true, we then must look at your store’s environment on a several levels:
1) Overall image: What image does your store project? Is the look of your store appealing to the market segments you are going after?
2) Work level: What does your store’s environment do to your employees’ work performance? What things can you do to make your employees more comfortable and make them want to come to work?
3) Printer/Graphic Arts customer level: Is your store well laid out? Can your steady customers find what they need quickly? Do they feel comfortable coming to your store or do they call and make you find everything for them because they can’t waste time searching for items?
4) The SOHO and walk-in customer level: Is your store friendly? Well laid out? Comfortable to be in? Are your employees friendly & helpful? Are product displays inviting?
Let’s take a more detailed look at these levels:
1) Overall image:
What does your retail facade project? What type of image do you get when you walk through the door? Does your store reflect the image you project in your advertising? Does your store look like a warehouse? Is that the image you want to project? Only you can best analyze if your retail front fits your company’s image.
Another thing you should look at is how clean your store is. I’ve been in some P&G stores where you could eat off the floor, and others that every time you touch a box, you get black gritty dirt all over your hands. Cleanliness is an important point to bring up in discussing environment. Did you ever notice when you go somewhere and it’s nice and clean, you sort of automatically don’t want to track mud in on the floors and when you look at items for sale you are more careful with them? And conversely, when you go in a store with dirt around, you really don’t care about the mud and you aren’t as careful examining merchandise? It’s human nature. Stores that are relatively clean and bright command more respect and are more comfortable to be in than stores that are dreary and dirty.
Your goal should be that your store, and it’s location among other stores, should reflect the image you want for your company.
2) Work level:
Probably the most important level, you need to analyze how your employees and you yourself are affected by your store’s environment.
Take a good look at your staff. Are they happy to come to work or do they make it like they are doing you a favor? If you say the latter, just think of what they must be unconsciously conveying to your customers!
Do your salespeople project a happy, positive attitude, or do they just have an attitude? Work environment has a lot to do with their performance.
I remember at my agency, some employees were getting grumpy. Yes, their work load was getting heavier, but it wasn’t the volume of work. It was, I discovered upon asking a couple of them, the fact that they didn’t have a place to have lunch at our office. So I set up a special area where they could munch and chat. The next week, I saw visible improvements in performance and attitude. The work was getting done faster and with a smile. Something that simple made a difference.
Think about your own store and how it affects your employees. Do employees seem happy to come to work, or just happy to leave at night? Talk to them and ask what could make their workplace more comfortable. It could be a new coffeemaker or a few posters on the wall. Maybe they’d like music! Do your stores have music? As we all know, music can change a person’s mood instantly.
Also look at your lighting. Is there enough light? Do you have glaring fluorescent lights that shine right on the computer screen and make it difficult to see? Maybe it’s an ugly desk or shelf unit that could use some paint! Changing your environment doesn’t have to take big bucks. Simple changes can make all the difference.
If you make your own work environment pleasant, you’ve taken the first step to putting your employees in the mood to enjoy their work. And when employees enjoy their work, they work harder, producing, in most cases, better results.
3) Printer/Graphic Arts customers:
Do your customers like to run over or send someone over to find paper or inks? Or do they avoid your store like the plague? If they feel comfortable in your store, they’ll be more apt to “pop” over and pick up some ink, or envelopes, and while they’re there they’ll check out your closeouts and you can show them some new products you just got in.
How well is your store organized? Is it logical, or haphazard? Look at where you keep things. Are they readily accessible, or hidden in a far corner where your customers won’t find them or have the time to look for them? A good look and a little rearranging can increase your bottom line.
4) The SOHO and walk-in customer level:
When the SOHO customer walks in your door, will they be turned off? Or does your store make them feel at home and guide them to various aisles and displays of goods they may be interested in?
One thing for sure, if your store is customer-friendly and easy for people to come in and become intrigued with products and interesting displays, they’ll be more apt to buy, more apt to talk about your store to friends and more apt to come back again.
In summary, what really constitutes your store’s environment? The answer? Everything. From the sign on your store to the shoes your salesperson wears. From the sign on the front door to the dust under the back shelves. Each and every thing that goes into your store creates its environment.
So ask yourself: Have you taken a good look lately? Even ask yourself, how does my store compare to Office Superstores’ environment? Because in the next issue, we’ll explore what effect these megastores may have on your business.
back to top of page
TRADE/BUSINESS MAGAZINE ADS AND THE SOHO MARKET —
CREATING AWARENESS IN A MULTIFACETED BUSINESS WORLD.
by Geri Konstantin August 1996
What else does the SOHO market regularly read? Where else can you advertise to reach the SOHO market consistently and cost-effectively? Last month we talked about Newspapers, the basic vehicle for reaching the diverse SOHO market. The next logical media to explore is Trade and Business Magazines/Newspapers.
While in Princeton a few weeks ago, I walked into a friend's Auto Repair business and saw the local business "rag" sitting atop his pinball machine. I grabbed it, sat down and flipped through it, anxiously eyeing who was advertising in there, since I hadn't seen the paper in almost a year, all the while noticing how "fat" the weekly business newspaper had become.
I reflected upon how the paper has grown and thrived from it's inception about fourteen years ago. I even recalled the first issue, and how the publisher had come to our advertising agency practically begging us to get clients to run ads in the paper without any proof of circulation, readership or anything else that would have made the paper an easy sell.
I remembered the local skepticism about the nerve of someone creating a business newspaper based on a business corridor premise, rather than catering to the Princeton community itself. Surely time would tell, and it has.
The issue I grabbed was the current one. It was still "FREE" and still does not have a paid circulation. But it was filled with more interesting articles, a diverse group of advertisers, the majority of which catered to the business market and to my surprise some of the major printing houses in Philadelphia were now after the Central Jersey business with sizable ads! Finally, what brought the biggest smile was an ad from the local Paper & Graphics store.
While the layout had a lot to be desired, the message was succinct, eye-catching, full of consumer benefit and targeted to all sizes of businesses, but tailored obviously to go after one: the SOHO Market!
The company listed two store locations, with easy to read and understand directions to each, store hours and phone and fax numbers. The company positioned themselves as "The Paper Experts" in their tag line. (The proper positioning in my opinion) The ad had right at the top: "PAPER AND ENVELOPES DIRECT FROM OUR MILLS FOR LASER, INK JET, OFFSET, COLOR COPIERS" Followed by a list of items sold including trifold brochures, labels, presentation folders and something I had never run across - paper- and envelopes-by-the-pound. What a unique selling proposition!
Paper-by-the-pound surely sounds like a discounted cost for paper without saying it! And buying by-the-pound is a familiar way of consumer buying. Sounds profitable for the store too! A clever approach to selling a basic item. And an interesting approach to reach the SOHO market.
As I read on, the next thing I read, was the first thing that attracted me to the ad initially. In big letters it said "SAVE up to 70%" Beneath this it said: "We beat the "super" and "mega" office stores. Thousands of items to choose from." Now although I'm not really sure what they are referring to... 70% off what? List price?, regular prices?, someone else's prices?, a made-up price?, and it wouldn't have made it out of my agency with so ambiguous a statement, it surely pulled me into the ad, peaked my curiosity and positioned the store as "the place" to go for paper.
Overall for content, I'd give it an A-. It clearly stated what they sold overall, was friendly, informative and dealt with major concerns and the competition in a straight-forward manner. It was filled with consumer benefit. And I bet it worked. It seemed that everywhere I went copies of this Business Publication were there. From hotels to restaurants to supermarkets. But is there an inexpensive Business Magazine/Newspaper around where your store is located? If there is, try it! Use it on a consistent, regular basis with a strong selling message to build awareness.
Now what do you do if there isn't? You'll have to explore the business and trade magazines in your area. And then you'll have to do some digging. Call the publications and ask for a Media Kit. In it you should find sheets detailing ad costs, distribution and circulation figures. Here's what I do that works for me in assessing Media:
1) Take a map of your area/state and block out the area of distribution of the magazine according to the publication. Is it all over the USA? Is it relatively local and/or does it have a concentrated distribution around your area? If you can answer "yes" to the last question, go to step 2.
2) Take the cost of the size ad you're thinking of running and divide it by the total circulation figure (NOT the readership number) to get the cost per person. Is it a reasonable amount? Or would it be cheaper for a salesperson to call?
Only YOU can decide the overall cost-effectiveness of each publication. Each area of the country is different. Each store is different. How much of your business is generated by the SOHO market? Is that number rapidly growing? How much walk-in traffic do you get? Will it be worth your while to address a business segment over 20 miles away? It depends on how big your store is, and how big is your budget. Are you already reaching these people through other Media? Ask yourself these questions and your decisions will be a bit easier.
Business Magazines/Newspapers are solid ways to reach the SOHO market. But are they the most cost-effective and efficient way? Sometimes yes and sometimes no. There are too many variables.
Confused? Like to pinpoint how effective a publication can be? Put a special limited-time offer in your ad for that publication. Or "key" a coupon in the magazine so you can track if it came from the publication you want to track. Remember — there are some terrific publications out there. If your budget can handle it, try them out. Track your results and when you find the ones that work, stick with them and advertise with consistency and repetition.
Trade Magazines and the SOHO Market
Trade Magazines. The bread and butter of every industry. Solid, reliable ways to advertise to your target audiences. Proven ways to build awareness. But what about using Trade Magazines to advertise to the SOHO Market?
The SOHO market is so diverse, how can you possibly advertise in every trade magazine that reaches them? Chances are you can't. It just wouldn't be cost-effective. Because the SOHO market consists of so many, many different kinds of businesses, each with its own trade magazines it would be impractical to be in all of them. BUT don't throw trade magazines out the window. There are ways you can use them to your advantage.
Ask yourself - what types of businesses are within a 5 mile radius of my store? Are there lots of Doctors? Accountants? Lawyers? Consultants? Do they all belong to a local Chamber of Commerce? Does that Chamber have a publication, a "Trade" magazine you might say?? Analyze your surrounding area. Investigate the trade magazines for the businesses around you. Look at the magazine distribution in your area. Analyze the cost vs. potential benefit and decide if it seems viable as a tool to get your name out there to the SOHO market, and get new customers in your store.
TIP: Ask if they have special "Directory" issues and try to get listed in those. Then watch the response and go from there.
Complicated isn't it? The elusive but growing SOHO market is not an easy thing to reach cost-effectively. But it is possible to do. More next month. Meanwhile, I'm still thinking about paper-by-the-pound. Does that mean that some of the more expensive papers that weigh less are sold cheaper?? Or does it just mean they are sold for more dollars a pound? I'll have to investigate this.
back to top of page
Wide Format Printers. The Proofing Systems of the Future?
by Geri Konstantin February 2000
When the first wide format printers came out a few years ago I was amazed at their promises and quality. Then I discovered their limitations Ð humongous file sizes, small ink reserve tanksÉ basically a great concept that wasnÕt quite there yet. Well things change quickly, and now wide format printers have grown and improved so much that they may just take over an area they were not originally specifically designed for- proofing.
As digital devices have taken over, the one area that has been lacking is in proofing large sheets. Most digital proofers have been smaller in size, not allowing you to see the entire sheet before you go on press. But now there are wide format proofing options that are proving to be quite good.
The wide format printer market has grown substantially. I.T. Strategies has predicted that by 2003 that the number of wide format printers worldwide will be more than 259,000 units compares to 65,000 installed in 1998. The market is fragmenting into many vertical applications and is more of a market-pull rather than a vendor-push. The biggest market is expected to come in the corporate inkjet market. Although it is uncertain whether in-house wide format usage will become predominate, it is certain that these printers are becoming viable proofing systems.
Although I.T. Strategies defines "wide format" as greater than 24", manufacturers have classified wide format as small as 19". This indeed is wider than most conventional printers, and is more than adequate for proofing a 4c spread. So letÕs have a look at some of the wide format proofing options out there today
The Epson Stylus Pro 5000
Available with or without a Fiery LX RIP, the Stylus Pro 5000 offers true 1440 x 720 dpi resolution, which is comparable to an imagesetter. The unit has a 6-color inking system for photographic quality, and utilizes DX3 Ð EpsonÕs Dual Density Droplet technology. This technology gives you precise 11 nanogram dot size for small sharp clean dot placement.
The printer prints up to a 13" x 19" size, and claims to print a color pencil drawing on an 8.5" x 11" page in under 3 minutes and a 13" x 19" in under 6 minutes. The printer is based on True Print Engine technology to assure consistency, and has a high capacity inking system with separate ink cartridges with their own ink level monitors.
Offering flexible media support (4" x 6" to 13" x 19") on a wide range of stocks up to 200lb. Bond, high capacity dual paper tray capability, and with flexible connectivity ÐMac, Windows 95/98/NT compatible with a choice of USB, FireWire and 10/100 BaseT Type B card, the Stylus Pro 5000 is a viable solution for color proofing for many different users.
HP DesignJet ColorPro GA
Designed for conceptual color proofing, the ColorPro GA provides the flexibility to print conceptual proofs from postcard size (4" x 6") to B-size full bleeds (13" x 19"). It can print 11" x 17" color images in 9 minutes. The unit has a continuous-refill ink system with four independently replaceable ink cartridges. It also has HPÕs smart printing, smart chip technology to ensure users only replace cartridges and printheads that need to be replaced.
The printer also has 2 input media trays with a 400 sheet total capacity and an output tray of up to 150 sheets. The ColorPro GA comes Ethernet ready, is Pantone certified, includes ICC profiles, Euroscale, SWOP, Japan standard emulations. It is compatible with AppleÕs ColorSync, and prints from all main graphics applications in Macintosh and Windows environments thanks to a unique combination of Adobe Postscript¨ 3, Adobe PressReady software and HP connectivity.
HP has also teamed up with Imation Corp. to offer an upgrade path for this printer. The Imation Matchprint Inkjet system combines the Imation Matchprint Color RIP software, and specially developed Imation Matchprint Inkjet bases to generate high-quality inkjet proofs that simulate the true Imation Matchprint color standard.
Although there are many entries into the wide format market, these have emerged as the affordable leaders in wide format proofing systems, proofing systems that are gaining in respect and functionality in the industry. Will wide format proofing systems become the proofing system of choice in the future? Only time will tell.
back to top of page
Thermal CTP vs. Visible Light CTP A Heated Conversation
by Geri Konstantin November 1999
The heat is being turned up and the light is fading. At least thatÕs what I hear from industry experts about the fate of visible light CTP. It seems with the continual improvements made in thermal plates, that thermal plate technology is cornering the platemaking market. Of course thatÕs probably not what youÕll hear from the makers of visible light CTP products. (Note though that virtually all of these manufacturers are now making thermal CTP products and devices as well - do they know something??)
I remember in the late 70s when all the tobacco companies started to diversify Ð RJ Reynolds starting buying food companies (like Nabisco) and other tobacco companies quickly followed suit. I said to myself Ð if the tobacco companies want to produce more than tobacco products, they must know something... It appears to be the same with visible light CTP.
Although visible light technology is solid and reliable, the need for a darkroom, chemicals and the waste disposal problems that ensue coupled with the increased chance of exposing errors are appearing to take their toll. The use of chemicals to process the plates also raises workersÕ comp issues (whether deserved or not) and with pressroom space at a premium, visible light CTP appears to be on the losing end.
ÒNot true!Ó I hear some of you say. ÒThe quality of visible light CTP plates are just as good!Ó I hear another of you say. Maybe true. But film and darkrooms now have the perception of being Òold-fashionedÓ and Òout of dateÓ. And this perception, whether deserved or not will have an impact on what products customers will lean towards. After all, look at the general camera / film market. And try to go to the corner drug store and buy a roll of good old 35mm slide film. Bet you canÕt. ItÕs hard to buy slide film now compared to 10 years ago.
Now prints are in. With disposable cameras yet. Cameras with lousy quality grainy film and distorting lenses. Yet people love them. They are quick and easy to use. You donÕt have to load the film. You can get your prints in an hour. You donÕt need special equipment to view them. Try to do that with slides... See what I mean? Less steps, less hassle, quicker results. ThatÕs what consumers want these days. And thatÕs why on-demand printing is so big now too. And, you know where IÕm going with this.
Yet I read article after article defending visible light CTP as a solid solution better than thermal CTP. And it may be in the area of medium-large sheetfed and web printers. But thermal CTP is taking a stronger hold and gaining ground. And for good reason. In JulyÕs issue I went into detail about the benefits of thermal plate technology. To recap, these came down to:
1) A sharper dot with clean edges, minimizing dot gain
2) Reductions in makeready time
3) Daylight safe process (no darkroom required)
4) Less equipment floor space
5) Better registration
6) Elimination of variables such as film stretching
7) Cost-effective
8) Enables digital halftone proofing
9) Better color saturation and matching
10) Long runs without compromise of print quality.
With a solid and long list of benefits such as these, it becomes clearer why thermal CTP has the edge. So if thermal CTP is steadily taking over, what do Dealers do when they advise Printers what CTP equipment to buy?
Thermal vs. Visible Light - Which to Recommend?
With the shift to thermal plate CTP, recommendation of products for printers to purchase becomes more of challenge. Do you look at the immediate needs of the Printer? Or do you look at the needs a year or two down the road? The sales challenge is a tricky one. Visible light may be better for some current applications, but may be the wrong choice in a year from now. Do you recommend a sizable investment in equipment that may not answer the needs of a customer a year from now? Or do you recommend thermal even if it is not quite right for todayÕs printing demands?
With all modern technologies, products change more rapidly and itÕs easy to get sucked in with an immediate solution and disregard for the future. Needless to say, the recommendation of CTP equipment can boost or break a good relationship with your customers. And that is a heated conversation for another issue.
back to top of page
Workflow. PDF comes to the Rescue.
by Geri Konstantin October 1999
When I think of workflow, two distinct meanings quickly come to mind: Workflow can signify how jobs are routed through a Print Shop. Workflow can also mean how jobs are routed in total from the start onto computer through press. And in discussing workflow, PDF is increasingly playing an important part in either workflow process.
Since the entrance of the computer into the creative process in the 80s, workflow has drastically changed. Presentations of concepts to clients have gone from rough layouts with copy, to tight computer comps containing copy. Clients have learned to expect all stages of their work to be accomplished easily and seamlessly on computer. And although there has been shortage of technology in key areas to make workflow totally seamless, recent advances in hardware coupled with adoption and advances in software have filled the gaps and created the basic foundation for the seamless digital workflow of the future. In recent issues we have discussed CTP, Thermal Plate Technology, color management advances and digital printing options. These technologies are integral to seamless workflow. But even with digital technologies bridging the CTP process, there always have remained compatibility issues between computer platforms (put simply - Windows v. Mac.)
Finally Adobe¨ has found a solution. Adobe should be given credit for their advances in a wide array of software - namely Photoshop¨, Illustrator¨ and Adobe InDesign (I wish theyÕd ship this product already). And although they have Windows and Mac versions, there remained the problem of viewing outputted files on both platforms with accuracy and speed.
If you analyze much of the challenges of developing a seamless digital workflow, the cross platform issue has been a major stumbling block. Files view differently on different platforms. And although files would be made by Photoshop, for example, viewing the same files on different platforms could be divergent results. Since the same program brought different results, Adobe wisely looked into their archives and discovered their Acrobat and Distiller programs held the keys to the compatibility issues: PDF.
PDF (portable document format) is not new. I remember getting copies of Acrobat Reader with different programs and wondering what I would do with them. Now I look at Acrobat and Distiller and ask myself what else can they do for me now?
From all the articles I read, PDF technology is now positioned to be the answer to all your workflow problems. With that type of a broad claim I am still skeptical. For over a decade now, almost every new software entry or upgrade to the market has been touted to be the ÒpanaceaÓ - Òthe answer to all your problems.Ó Can Acrobat - and the PDF format really live up to itÕs billing? LetÕs have a look.
PDF is now the chosen format of the Associated Press AdSend program that supports digital delivery of BW and color ads to more than 1,600 newspapers. Because of the relatively small file sizes it creates, it can insure quick, compatible digital ad transmission to anywhere in the world (well - anywhere where they have modems and computers.) So what does that have to do with printing? you ask. A lot, if you look at what PDF may replace. The Postscript¨ standard has been the format of record for years now in digital output. Yet Postscript is dependent upon the proper setup of each device the document is viewed on. It is not totally independent like a PDF file. And it wonÕt let you view one page of a specific document at a time like a PDF. PDF actually makes documents read like the hardcopy of the document. And PDF supports job ticketing as well. ItÕs a friendly electronic file version with familiar hard copy features and has a readily available ÒviewerÓ program (Acrobat reader) for free to those who simply take a few minutes to download a copy from AdobeÕs website. PDF is very client friendly, you might say. And that is helping to put AdobeÕs PDF into the fast lane of the digital mainstream.
Of course I do not underestimate the value PDF has on websites to allow clients to print consistent, accurate information on their computers. Almost daily I encounter clients who have printed out their web pages and claim they are wrong because they donÕt fit onto a standard 8.5Ó x 11Ó sheet. ÒBut your pages print out on one page on my computer.Ó I regularly reply. ÒWhat size type is your Browser set to?Ó I ask. ÒWhat percentage of the original is set on your printer?Ó I follow up with. You see what IÕm driving at. And since Windows and Mac platforms view a different number of pixels per inch on the screen, thus changing image sizes, it adds another set of involuntary variables, etc.. And, it works on the Unix platform too.
If I had PDF files of all my clients web pages on their site, IÕd never hear another comment like that again. And it is precisely because PDF gives consistency to files on different devices, setups and platforms, that it is a valuable tool.
What a good way to have clients see layouts, color or BW, and approve changes. And what a good way to eliminate type shifting problems on electronic files too. I guess thatÕs why PDF files are an integral part of AdobeÕs new solution-solving InDesign program too..... hmmm.......
Add the new capability of flexible text editing the PDF files and editing raster and vector image formats, and you have a much more adaptable technology than in the past. Note that PDF and Quark do not yet seem to go together and AdobeÕs takeover marketing ploy becomes much clearer...
As to the downside of PDF (besides the Quark compatibility issue), I have run into glitches when certain fonts werenÕt installed on my computer and PDF documents didnÕt view correctly. But this appears to be merely a function of the PDF creator forgetting to put all the font information in the file. So we must remember that any technology is not infallible if you donÕt know the ropes and all the tricks in building your files. Just like anything else with computers, I guess. And letÕs not forget lack of PDF support for duotones, trapping and image compression issues as well.
But overall, when done properly, a PDF file can become a reliable digital master for use in all digital workflow Ð whether itÕs from the Art Director to the CD to the AE to the client to the AE to the AD to the Pre-production experts to the Printer and to the archives for later use.
PDF is coming to the rescue, as the solution to a more seamless digital workflow on the software file end. Combined with all the other exciting technological advances weÕve covered in previous issues and will address in future ones, PDF is sure to be on the list.
back to top of page
CTP. Productivity Is Up & the Ratings Are In...
by Geri Konstantin September 1999
The results are in. CTP (Computer-To-Plate) is here to stay. ItÕs reliable, gives a high quality product, and reduces costs . What more could anybody ask for! Well... maybe there is room for improvement. But image quality is terrific, color accurate, supply costs are down, makeready and turnaround times are quicker... so whatÕs to improve? LetÕs have a look.
As I began researching this topic, I surfed the Internet for sites about CTP. There were many of note. CTP was touted as the "quality, versatility and anti-obsolescence solution, capable of producing 60 plus 150 line, .008 silver quality polyester plates every day". CTP was for "error-free plate production." CTP "Saves time and money, meets customers just-in-time requirements". On one site, a complete virtual drum setter system was for lease (I think it was a lease - it was vague in this respect...) for only $695 per month including "delivery, installation, system calibration, training, warranty and friendly support." Another offer was for a capstan imagesetter complete system including "delivery, installation, system calibration, training, warranty and friendly support" was offered for sale at just $19,995. (At those prices (under $20,000) IÕm sure a lot of printers will be tempted to try CTP.)
A recent Graphic Arts Technical Foundation (GATF) survey of CTP installations showed strong support for the technology. The factors of most importance were savings in film and chemistry, improved quality and makeready times, use of CTP as a new marketing tool and staff reductions. ThatÕs a pretty good list of benefits!
Interesting to note in GATFÕs survey was that for 85% of the respondents, this was their first CTP experience. And approximately one-third of all respondents stated they would purchase another CTP system, 79% of those from the same vendor! This I believe is an important finding, as it is unusual for a new technology to take off as fast as CTP obviously has and take a firm hold of a market segment.
Company size also had little to do with the CTP decision. 43% of CTP users had under 99 employees. Overall CTP users were evenly spread throughout all sizes of companies. I found this interesting, as one would expect a certain sized company to be more likely to buy a new system than being spread evenly throughout different market segments. I guess this has to do with the fact that CTP is usable to make plates for an array of sizes and types of presses. Company size was not a factor in the CTP decision. Quite amazing in itself.
Also in the survey, when asked if CTP delivered the benefits they expected, respondents ranked CTP as delivering on itÕs promises. Ratings were exceptionionally high for a technology practically in its infancy.
Interesting as well was that the adjustments to accommodate CTP did not seem to bother the printers and average customers were not adverse to the concept of digital proofing. Consensus showed CTP provides a more efficient method for manufacturing plates for press. Printers liked CTP because they canÕt afford downtime. Many felt they got the same results as waterless printing without the dot gain.
Overall, everyone was satisfied with the technology on a day to day basis. Improved image quality, reduced film and chemistry purchases, increased throughput, reduced makeready times, increased profitability and the fact that CTP is an excellent marketing tool with customers, added up to remarkable strong support for this relatively new technology.
It is unusual to see a system on the market that has as broad an appeal as CTP and that offers a way to pay for itself through marketing. If you compare it with other products of the past, I donÕt think you will find any other products that have the mystique of CTP, or that offered as many tangible benefits for a variety of printers AND end consumers. Saving time AND money is the strongest selling statement I can think of! CTP equipment is definitely easier to sell than most products and most printers are already aware of the benefits of CTP.
Another interesting survey was the 1999 TrendWatch VuePoint Survey, which recorded results about CTP from 105 commercial printers, prepress businesses, newspapers, and corporations. Here is an abbreviated summary of the main points that should be of interest:
1) 72% of all respondents have already made an investment or plan to within the next 18 months.
2) 60% are concerned about the future prospects for companies like themselves.
3) 65% think vendors have a hard time understanding the subtleties of their businesses.
4) Only 43% are happy (no one was extremely happy mind you) with the training, service and support offered by vendors. (54% were not happy - more than half!)
5) 42% believe industry consolidation is essential to remain economically competitive.
6) 71% believe color management is more of a function of training and good production standards.
7) 52% look forward to the day when a PDF file from a client will be all that is needed for platemaking.
8) 55% think that remote proofing is an important service that they currently or will soon provide to customers.
Having looked at these statistics two things stand out. Firstly, printers do not feel vendors understand their businesses. Secondly and worse, printers feel the support, training and service for their CTP products is weak.
Clearly Dealers need to do a better job with training, support and service. Addressing these issues is a must for Dealers to succeed and expand sales in the future. And more help from manufacturers of CTP products is necessary to aid busy Dealers who provide the knowledge and assistance needed for Printers to become more profitable and productive with their CTP systems.
Printers like CTP and the advantages of less film and chemistry in their workplace. Tougher environmental laws and WorkersÕ Comp issues make eliminating film and chemistry in print shops altogether an attractive option.
In closing, it is clear that CTP systems will be good sellers in the near future. CTP is here to stay. It has become a major player in the printing industry. A system that offers as many benefits as CTP is sure to gain ground in the months ahead Ð as long as training, support and service can keep up with the technology.
5 Tips to Help Provide Better CTP Training, Support & Service
Since one of the main concerns of printers with CTP systems appears to be training, support & service, what can your company do?
1) Maintain a comprehensive library of technical and repair manuals for the products you sell and service.
2) Put "help" areas on your website for after hours help.
3) Train your staff to be helpful and how to research problems that may arise so they can help assist your customers if the person who normally handles these things is unavailable.
4) Work closely with manufacturers to provide your sales staff with proper training and materials so you can intelligently sell, service and support the CTP systems you sell.
5) You canÕt be expected to have an immediate answer to every question that may arise. Tell your customers that you have to research it and will call them back shortly. Then DO IT!
back to top of page
Digital Halftone Proofing Ð Are Analog Proofs Becoming Dinosaurs?
by Geri Konstantin September 1999
It wasnÕt too long ago that if you needed an accurate halftone proof, a good old Matchprintª was regarded as the best option. It still is - but now itÕs a digital halftone proof as well.
With the rapid move to CTP (computer-to-plate) technology and the increase in on-demand printing, something had to happen on the proofing end. For years, digital technology workflow came to a halt when a reliable color halftone proof was needed. There was no reliable, quality digital halftone proofing. You had to use film to get the results you needed before going to press.
Another alternative, continuous tone digital proofs, were known to be less accurate when it came to color and just werenÕt trusted in the industry by the discerning graphics professionals who had to know what something is going to look like on press, before going to press. With continuous tone proofs you really had to guess about trapping and how type was really going to look over a screened photo. But no more.
Digital Halftone Proofing is now a reliable and viable option and the color is dead on. In fact the quality is so high that you get a more accurate presentation of how an image will look when it is screened than with conventional proofing methods.
The "No-Compromise" proof.
When Presstek partnered with Imation to develop the PEARLhdp, the goal was evident. To develop a way to produce digital halftone proofs that were reliable and repeatable. Proofs that could be used without worry that colors would shift with time or that the end product wouldnÕt come close to the proof. Designers and Printers needed a digital contract proof. And they got it.
If you hold up a traditional analog Matchprint beside a digital Matchprint Laser Proof, I doubt you can tell the difference. They are that good.
The Matchprint Laser Proof material relies on the same brand of pigments or colors as conventional Matchprints like the Matchprint III. And there is no color adjustment process with the PEARLhdp. The color standard is built in, virtually eliminating all variables.
Furthermore, Imation is now offering Laser Proof custom colors to bring even more accuracy, repeatability and flexibility of Matchprint proofing to the digital halftone proofing market. Pretty soon digital halftone proofing system users will be able to take advantage of the 31 custom colors analog Matchprint proofs use today. This will be especially important in packaging and commercial markets where high-quality color is critical. The "no compromise" proof is here.
Seamless Digital Workflow, Faster Results
These advances in digital halftone proofing are making it possible for true digital CTP. Turn-around times are up to 50% faster making a Matchprint with a PEARLhdp according to Presstek. There are no exposures to calculate, no films, no chemical disposal problems, no variables of film processing and no rejected proofs because of excessive dirt, chemical staining or bad exposures.
And you can choose from 2- and 4-page proofing options. Overall, digital halftone proofing appears to be the means to avoiding replating and reprinting, speeding up workflow and consequently increasing productivity.
Things have drastically changed on the digital proofing end in the last several years. I remember a few years ago when I was printing a 4-color job for a client, I knew what the job looked like on computer. I saw what it looked like with a computer-generated proof. But I really had no way of knowing without pulling an analog proof.
I remember the Printer saying to me while I was pouring over the digital proof, "Well you know, itÕs going to look different on the stock you chose..." "How different" I replied with a note of concern in my voice. "You know, these proofs are always off a bit...you never know till youÕre on press..." Well maybe those days are gone. With the advances in digital halftone proofing being so significant with regards to the quality and reliability of the proof, the impact appears to have already taken hold.
Now that you can get accurate screening, high quality and accurate color with a simplified easy-to-use process that even allows you to proof on different paper stocks, what else can you ask for! The affordable, true contract-quality digital halftone proof is a reality. And it is sure to change the perception of digital proofing forever. As for the analog proof becoming a dinosaur? Time will be the best judge of that.
Note: Systems designed to image Imationª Matchprint Laser Proof media are available from Creo Products Inc., Presstek Inc., Heidelberg USA and Sakurai USA.
back to top of page
Accessories & Attachments for Press & Bindery Equipment Ð Dealers who know the Value of Add-on Sales Build More Than Profits
by Geri Konstantin July 1999
The concept of "add-ons" in not new. They have always been a solid way to build up bottom lines. Remember when a car had tons of options to choose from? Dealers made up to 75% profit on each option ordered. And with profit margins like that they sure built up their bottom lines fast!
American car manufacturers were the real originators of the "add-on" Ð options to transform each customerÕs car into the perfect vehicle specifically suited for his needs. This trend in automobile marketing grew rapidly in the 60s and 70s. ItÕs really not hard to see why when a base automobile sold for $3,500 in the early 70s and you added $2,000 in options Ð add-ons Ð and the Dealer netted more on those options alone than if he had sold 3 base vehicles! But in the mid 80s, the Japanese made numerous entries into the market and everything changed. Cars came fully-equipped for lower prices than competitors who were selling add-ons with base vehicles. The Dealer made more money of the initial sale of the car, but not as much as the old way of pushing "add-ons" during the initial sale. So feeling the revenue loss, Dealers developed another way to make money with add-ons: aftermarket sales. And it is here that they now bump up their bottom line Ð with extended warranties, upgraded stereo systems, special alloy wheels, followed by of course, service.
If you analyze how the marketing of these big pieces of iron changed over the past 30 years, there is a big difference. And it is still changing, as the ever-increasing cost of a new piece of iron becomes more and more out of the reach of the average customer, leasing is where the real money is being made - on financing, where the Dealer packs in more profit on lease payments and keeps lowering the mileage you can drive your car each year without paying more money. This way they make more money than on selling the car and get the car back used in 2-3 years in very good condition, where they sell it used and make lots more Ð on the very same vehicle!
Other industries have also thrived on the "add-on" sales technique to boost their bottom lines. Computers (although the iMac is currently bucking that trend) are a prime example of where add-on sales make Dealers a lot of profits. In fact, if you look at it, "add-ons" are everywhere in our lives. From pizza to ice cream sundaes, to even clothing Ð shoes, ties and accessories Ð we are constantly purchasing ordinary things in our lives with the "add-on" sales technique. There must be a reason why...
So why havenÕt more Press and Bindery Equipment Dealers made this sales technique a necessary part of selling each piece of iron of their own? LetÕs take a look at how selling add-ons can help your bottom line and your business.
Now we canÕt totally compare a car sale with a press sale - although both are big pieces of iron and high ticket items. There are main differences between the 2, namely that printing presses and bindery equipment are too specialized to lump into one category, like I did with cars. But the fact remains is that the customer buying a new press or piece of bindery equipment wants to increase his ROI as fast as possible. And thatÕs where "add-ons" become a very valuable tool - not only in increasing your profits, but in increasing your customerÕs productivity and building solid customer relations as well.
The careful research and analysis of your customerÕs needs is essential in determining the right "add-ons" to recommend. How will the press be used? What types of jobs will be run on the press? Paper stocks, inks, job quality, scoring, perfing, folding, stapling, inserts, environmental conditions and so forth all factor in to determine what add-ons your customer really needs. Add-ons to save him/her time. Increase productivity and reduce labor costs.
When you look at all the choices of "add-ons" for presses it is really mind-boggling. There are hundreds to chose from, and each with variations as to specific needs. From timers, counters, dryers & drying systems, control systems, sheet feeders, envelope feeders, alternate sheet feeders, chain-fed systems, T-heads, static eliminators, stackers, joggers, sweepers, conveyors, lifters, maintenance tool kits, web ovens, exhaust hoods, powder sprays, ink control systems, response card and orderform attachers, registration controllers, vacuum pumps, flaw detectors, hickey eliminators, press room and bindery tacking devices, numbering machines, bookletmakers, perfect binders, perforators, scorers, slitters, devices to make snap apart forms, dampening systems, color and ink controllers, rollers, devices to make the press room materials and byproducts more environmentally friendly and whew! I could go on for paragraphs.
A combination of these devices is certain to save your customer time and money in the long run. Input and output devices demonstrate an immediate ROI, which is sure to be appreciated. Now mind you profit margins on this items may not be 75% like in a car showroom, but the profit margin is solid. The time to research what your customers may really need may be considerable though. And you donÕt want to add devices that will limit what the press can do. But to package a sale and offer a price that includes items specifically selected to increase your customerÕs productivity will be appreciated in the long run - even though the purchase price is higher. ItÕs easy to bundle add-ons into a lease price. And when you package the price up front, it will appear cheaper than if you add the items later. ItÕs known in the industry that if the right accessories are chosen from the start, the installation will be successful from the outset. And when that happens, the customer is happier with their investment.
I remember when I purchased a daylight stat camera for our advertising agency from VGC in the early 80s. After an explanation by the salesman of what "add-ons" would do for my agency, and how our productivity would increase, I bought several additions to the machine. The price of the machine doubled (IÕm sure VGC liked that) but in the long-run, our productivity increased, we were able to handle other jobs in-house instead of farming them out and I used the "add-ons" as a selling tool to clients, selling capabilities to make color stats, shoot from negs, and I boosted our bottom line. The machine paid for itself. Now since the machine paid for itself and we were more productive, instead of focusing on the initial cost of the machine, I focused on the end result. And thatÕs the real benefit - that I was not sold a base machine, but something to increase my companyÕs productivity. If stat machines hadnÕt turned into dinosaurs, I probably still would be buying products from VGC.
Now IÕm not saying to market a printing press like it does everything except make coffee. And IÕm not saying to use a sales pitch like "Step right up and get your super, handy, dandy printing press. It feeds, prints, perfs, scores, binds, eliminates hickeys and even calls the client when the job is through! Guaranteed to get rid of all your troubles and leave time enough for a round of golf!" IÕm saying that the thoughtful selection of productivity builder add-ons will not only build your bottom line, but strengthen customer relations as well.
If the right "add-ons" are packaged with a clientÕs press or bindery equipment, productivity can be dramatically increased. And at a nominal cost and faster ROI. So your bottom line will go up and their bottom line will go up. And when a customerÕs bottom line goes up because of your recommendation, you can be sure he/she will come back and ask for your expertise in the future and consult you for additional "add-ons" as their needs change or expand. By recommending reasonable and logical choices of press and bindery equipment additions, you will build more than an profits, you will build trust and confidence. Your role as an expert in the field will be augmented and word-of-mouth will prompt others to buy from you. And your customer base will build and be strengthened, and your bottom line will most certainly go up.
©
1995-2005 Geri Konstantin All rights preserved. No article nor portions
thereof may be reproduced without the prior express written consent
of the Author. If you would like to reprint any of these articles,
please e-mail
your request.
Last revised 3/29/00
back
to top of page
Close