Guides
What the pressroom wishes every customer knew before ordering. Looking for a single term? Try the print glossary.
Offset vs digital printing: which one your job needs
How offset and digital printing differ in quality, cost, speed and color, and the quantity where one overtakes the other.
How to set up a print-ready PDF: bleed, crop marks and resolution
The file checklist that keeps a print job from bouncing back: page size, bleed, crop marks, 300 dpi images and fonts.
NCR forms explained: parts, colors, numbering and how to order
Everything to decide before ordering carbonless forms: how many parts, the copy colors, numbering, perforation and pads versus books.
Every Door Direct Mail (EDDM): a plain-English guide for local businesses
How EDDM works, the USPS size rules, Retail vs BMEU, how to pick routes and what a campaign costs to plan.
Banner buying guide: vinyl, mesh, blockout and how big to go
Choose the right banner material, size, finishing and stand for indoor, outdoor and windy locations.
Yard signs: 4mm vs 10mm coroplast, stakes and what to print
How to choose coroplast thickness, single or double sided, stakes and a layout people can read from the street.
Paper weight explained: text vs cover, lb vs pt vs gsm
Why 80 lb cover is heavier than 100 lb text, how points measure thickness, and an approximate lb to gsm conversion table for common printing papers.
Pantone vs CMYK vs RGB: why your logo color shifts in print
What RGB, CMYK and Pantone spot color each mean, why a logo that looks right on screen prints dull or off, and how to keep brand colors consistent.
Uncoated vs gloss vs matte vs silk paper: which to choose
How the four common paper finishes look, feel and print, and which finish suits letterhead, brochures, postcards, business cards and booklets.
Ordering business cards for a whole team without mistakes
How to set up one template, collect names and titles in a spreadsheet, run proofs with each person and keep the layout on file for the next new hire.
Trade show printing checklist and timeline
Everything a booth usually needs printed, from banners and stands to handouts and cards, with a planning timeline that works back from show day.
Label materials and adhesives: paper vs film, permanent vs removable
How to choose a label face stock and adhesive for freezers, outdoors, curved bottles and removable uses, and what to tell a printer about your application.
How to design a direct mail postcard that gets responses
The offer, headline, call to action and address side of a direct mail postcard, plus how to track responses with a unique phone number or web address.
EDDM vs a targeted mailing list: when each one makes sense
The trade-offs between Every Door Direct Mail and mailing to a list of named addresses: reach, targeting, piece size, postage rules and when to use each.
Door hanger campaigns: routes, quantities and the mailbox rule
How to plan a door hanger drop: picking neighborhoods, estimating how many your team can hang, door hanger design, and why mailboxes are off limits under federal law.
Booklet binding: saddle stitch vs perfect bound vs coil vs wire-o
How the four common booklet bindings differ, page counts in multiples of four for saddle stitch, creep, and which binding suits catalogs, manuals and programs.
Presentation folders: pocket sizes, card slits, capacity and what goes inside
How pocket folders are built, the standard 9 x 12 size with 4 inch pockets, business card slits, capacity spines and how to plan the contents of a folder.
How to get an accurate print quote: the 10 specs every printer needs
Size, quantity, paper, ink colors, finishing, bleed, proof type, deadline, delivery and file details: what to put in a print quote request so the price is right the first time.
How to choose a commercial printer: questions to ask before you order
What to ask a printer about proofs, quality systems such as ISO 9001, file checks, overs and unders, reorders and who owns plates and files.
Printing for nonprofits: appeal letters, newsletters, signage and nonprofit postage
Planning appeal mailings, newsletters and event signage for a nonprofit, plus the basics of USPS nonprofit Marketing Mail eligibility and PS Form 3624.