Author: Limited Papers

Aug04

MAILING:
Mailing & Addressing

Posted by in Blog, Mailing, Tips and Tricks · No Comments

To make sure that your mailing piece goes smoothly through the postal stream and gets delivered on time, make sure your design complies with USPS postal addressing standards. There are just a few issues you need to address (no pun intended!).

Mailing panel

For First-Class or Standard-Mail, the addressing block must always be positioned parallel to the long dimension of the mailpiece. See the diagram below for the exact placement of each element of the mailing panel.

Return Address

Tells the USPS where the sender wants the mail returned if it’s undeliverable. Preferred return address placement is the upper left portion of the mailpiece or the upper left part of the address area—on the side of the piece bearing postage.

Delivery Point Address

Is the location to which the USPS is to deliver a mailpiece. The address of the recipient must be on the side of the piece bearing postage. The address must be printed in all capital letters, no punctuation, at least 8pt. type, one space between ‘City’ and ‘State’, two spaces between ‘State’ and ‘Zip’, using simple fonts, left justified, black ink on light paper, no reverse type.

Since postal scanners read the address from the bottom up, it is important to maintain your fields in the following sequence:

Attention
Company
Street address (if the suite number cannot be on the same line, it MUST go on its own line ABOVE the street address)
City / State / Zip Code

Postage

Depending on the class of mail you will be using, postage can be paid with live stamps, pre-canceled stamps, meter imprint or permit imprint (‘indicia’). If you have a large mailing and require stamps, it is a good idea to let your mailhouse know ahead of time since they will need time to order the rolls from the USPS vault. The postage is positioned in the top right of the mailing panel.

Clear Zone

There is a barcode “clear zone” 4.75″(l) x .625″ (h) anchored on the lower right corner which must be kept clear of any printing or addressing.

Placement & Location

See diagram below.

placement

Jul29

PAPER:
Know your Paper!

Posted by in Blog, Paper, Tips and Tricks · No Comments

When you buy paper made by a responsible paper mill in the United States, you can feel good about your purchase. When mills use sustainable forestry practices, they grow 50% more trees than they cut down.

The mill gradually harvests a forest in stages, over a 70 to 150-year period. Each time, only the poorest-quality trees are selected, giving the healthier trees room to grow and drop seeds for the next generation of forest. This form of forest management also creates scattered openings in the forest, allowing sun and moisture to reach the forest floor — and the seeds deposited there.

* In 1993, the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) was created to change the practice of responsible forestry worldwide. The FSC has established a certification program to guarantee that the product comes from a well-managed forest.

* Also, the Sustainable Forestry Initiative Program (SFI) became an independent entity in 2007, based on the premise that we can protect our forests while producing the wood and paper products our economy needs.

The FSC has established three labeling options for paper:

  • FSC 100% Label = 100% virgin fiber coming from FSC–certified forests
  • FSC Mix Label = fiber comes from FSC–certified forests in addition to recycled fiber and/or fiber from non–FSC–certified controlled sources
  • FSC Recycled Label = 100% of fiber comes from postconsumer waste in accordance with FSC standards
Jul20

PRINTING:
Printing Equipment

Posted by in Printing, Printing Equipment

Many people in the design or service industries may outsourse their printing, but today, an increasing number are bringing at least some of their printing in-house. This allows them to control their costs and schedules for those inevitable rush jobs whose turnarounds are extremely tight.

If you’re trying to decide what printing equipment might be right for you, there is quite an array out there for you to consider — from $20 desktop inkjet printers to $650,000 top-of-the-line digital presses — and everything in between.

We’ve put together a virtual primer on printing equipment here to help you make an informed decision. Once you assess your particular needs you’ll be able to determine what type of printer would be the best fit for you (also, see Printer Options Questionnaire).

Inkjet printers – deposit droplets of ink onto paper. Available as desktop units and floor models. Letter-size up to wide-format. CMYK. Equipment cost is low but cost-per-copy is high. Absorbent, uncoated papers are best.

Laser printers – this is an electrostatic process where a laser charges the drum in the shape of the image. The charged area of the drum then picks up toner which is then melted onto the surface of the paper by the fuser. Available as monochrome or color. Letter-size up to ledger (11×17). Can print a wide array of papers and many models have straight paper path allowing heavier stocks. There are even coated papers and laid and linen finish papers specially formulated for laser printers.

All-in-one – multifunction desktop machine. Scan, email, print, fax.

LED printers – similar to laser printers. LED array images the drum which then picks up the toner. LEDs are more efficient and reliable than conventional laser printers, faster printing, cheaper to produce, CMYK. White toner is available to print on dark papers. Can print a wide array of papers and many models have straight paper path allowing heavier stocks.

Copiers/network printers – heavy duty, many options available, best for greater volumes. Essentially an integrated high-quality scanner and laser printer. Monochrome or CMYK. Can print a wide array of papers and many models have straight paper path allowing heavier stocks.

Multifunction copiers – most common type of floor standing copier. Scan, email, print, fax.

Production printers – high volume with advanced document-finishing capabilities. Can print a wide array of papers.

Digital presses – high volume; high quality. These run the gamut from powerful production printers to large floor models. Can rival conventional printing. Some require specially coated paper but most can run any laserable paper. Limited Papers carries many papers in digital size.

Specialty equipment – there is some desktop equipment which can foil stamp, plotter print and cut.

Here is a list of some of the manufacturers and their websites. You may also wish to check with local office equipment suppliers who distribute and service these machines and may also have used equipment available:

Jun01

DESIGN:
Postcards

Posted by in Blog, Design, Tips and Tricks

POSTCARDS are an extremely effective marketing tool; they are cost-efficient, have the best possible open rate, the best ROI (Return on Investment), and are inexpensive to print. And with no envelope to open, your message is seen instantly.

When designing a postcard, keep postal regulations clearly in mind right from the get-go. Postcards can be mailed at an advantageous First-Class rate of 34¢ for a single piece. Larger quantities [500 for Presorted First-Class, or 200 for Standard (‘bulk’) Mail] can reduce postage down to 29.3¢ or 25.1-27.8¢ respectively.

However, in order to get these postage discounts, your postcard must meet exacting specifications:

SHAPE: must be rectangular

SIZE: minimum 5″ x 3.5; maximum 6″(l) x 4.25″(h)
If your mailing list has any foreign addresses the minimum size is 5.5(l) x 3.5″(h)

THICKNESS: minimum 7pt (.007″); maximum 16pt. (.016″)

ADDRESSING: the addressing block must be printed parallel to the long dimension at the lower right corner of the postcard. The return address goes in the upper left corner of the addressing block and the postage goes in the upper right.

If your postcard is larger than 6″ x 4.25″ you can mail it as a Standard-Mail (‘bulk-rate’) letter and still benefit from the postage discounts. (Yes, we know it’s a postcard – but the post office categorizes it as a ‘letter’)

And finally, it is always advisable to get your mailing piece approved by a Mailpiece Design Analyst (MDA) at the USPS before printing. This is especially true if your design calls for a sticker or some other attachment to the postcard. You can reach the MDA Support Center at 855-593-6093 or mda@usps.gov.

Share your postcard designs with the Limited Papers Design Community.

May29

DESIGN:
French Fold Invitation

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As designers, we’ve all experienced a client calling to say they need an invitation done RIGHT NOW. Not tomorrow, not overnight, but RIGHT NOW!

frenchfoldHere is a solution which will allow you print on one side only, using a text or bond weight paper — and still deliver an elegant result.

A FRENCH FOLD is an 8.5 x 11 sheet that is folded in half vertically, and then folded in half horizontally, allowing a letter size sheet to fold down to 4.25″ x 5.5″ — the perfect enclosure to an A-2 (square flap) or a 5-1/2 Baronial (pointed flap) envelope (4-3/8″ x 5-3/4″).

Print the front and inside of the invitation on a single side of an 8.5″ x 11″ sheet of paper. Run it off on your laser printer, fold and insert into the envelope. No scoring required. You can use any text weight paper for this invitation; Limited Papers carries a plethora of fine papers which will all yield a superb result.

fnchcldenvelopeHistorically, the French Fold dates back to the Middle Ages when invitations were produced by calligraphy. The paper would blot up the ink, and two-sided ‘printing’ wasn’t practical. With the advent of engraving in the 17th century the French Fold maintained its popularity as the process leaves an impression on the other side of the paper. Even as we have progressed to other technologies such as letterpress, offset lithography, and laser printing, the French Fold has retained its advantages.

Share your Invitation designs with the Limited Papers Design Community.

May28

PRINTING:
Printer Options

Posted by in Printing, Printing Equipment · No Comments

If you’re considering a new copier or printer for your business, you’ll want to carefully analyze your needs and consider all your options to determine what equipment is right for you. Here is a list of questions to help you make that determination:

  1. What quantity will you be printing per month?
  2. Monochrome black or color?
  3. What level of print quality do you need (print resolution)
  4. What is the speed of the printer? 
First sheet out and then copies per minute.
  5. Will the printer be connected to an Individual computer or to a network?
  6. Do you prefer a desktop machine or a floor-standing model?
  7. What sizes of paper do you need to handle?
Some printers can print long banners.
  8. What type of material do you normally print? Envelopes?
 Heavy-weight papers
? Dark papers?
  9. What is the cost-per-copy for consumables and maintenance?
  10. Lease or outright purchase?
  11. What level of service contract do you need?
  12. What other functionality do you require? Multiple trays, duplex, full-bleed, scan, fax, collate (sorter), staple, wireless connectivity, interactive touch-screen controls, image editing, hard drives for document storage, enhanced security and Energy Star compliance. Keep in mind that a multi-function printer takes up less space and is often less expensive than having multiple pieces of equipment, but if it goes down, you lose all functionality until it is repaired.
  13. Do you have finishing equipment in-house, or do you prefer the paper be shipped to you ready to print?
May09

UN-Limited Papers!

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At Limited Papers, the options really are unlimited. You’ll find paper for your office printer, copy machine, and invoices. But you’ll also find innovative papers if you’re looking for something unusual: amazing colors, cool textures, odd sizes. And what’s more, we can customize your order; we can deliver your paper cut to any size, scored and ready to fold, perforated, or hole-punched. And most often, orders ship same day.

How to choose from our inventory of 7,000 regularly stocked items? Stay cool, don’t fret — we have the best tool in the industry to help you. Limited Papers is excited to announce it’s most recent achievement: THE PAPER SELECTOR. This wonderful kit will make your paper decisions easy and fun. Arriving at your doorstep in a slim box that fits in a desk drawer or on a shelf, The Paper Selector contains actual swatches of close to 650 different papers, arranged by color in a series of fan-books. Each swatch has printing on it, including information on other weights available in that paper, so you can judge how ink will look on the sheet. And on the back of each swatch is a QR code so that if you like a paper, scanning the code will bring you to the exact page on the Limited Papers web site, where you can purchase it quickly and efficiently.

The Paper Selector is much more than a series of swatch books. There is a Guide included giving you an enormous amount of information such as standard envelope sizes, hard-to-find information on paper thickness, and much more. And one of the fan books is a reference book giving you everything you need to know about Weights and Finishes of paper.

We are excited to bring you design tools that no one else offers. Even more, we want to hear how you use them to create masterpieces that enhance your brand identity or feats of design.

This area can be also widgetised!