The Printing Maven

Hope you had a great Monday. The weather here in Montana has been perfect for the past week - cool mornings and clear, sunny, warm days. Wish it would stay forever!!

O.K., now on to paper. A couple of days ago I received a workbook I had ordered in the mail. It came with a CD and DVD that had been created by a nationally known motivational and business coach. It was very attractive and the information valuable ,BUT, it was printed in a gloss text paper. Have you ever tried to write on a gloss paper? The workbook has numerous pages for notes but writing notes on its glossy pages ends up smeared and messy. My advise is to always think through all the uses a project will be used for - not just the final look. When printing greeting or holiday cards I always find out if my client plans to write on the inside. If so, then I advise a paper that is uncoated on the inside. If they want the gloss finish on the front then we can use a C1S stock - coated one side. 

If you are not sure what the best paper is for your project call your print vendor for advise. Tell them what you plan to use the piece for and if there is any question just ask them to send you a sample of the paper. They will be happy to.

Would you like to create a great piece but have a limited budget? You can often add impact without adding significantly to the cost. A slightly different shape or fold can give a piece a very different feel. Learn to think outside the box. I have one client that took a UV coated postcard, 6 X 11 that was printed in full color on heavy stock and had us score and fold it in half (to 6 X 51/2) after printing.  It made a great small  brochure to hand out at a trade show. This was very low cost and looked like a much more expensive piece. Ask your print provider for ideas and samples of different pieces they have printed. And take the time to run your ideas past them to see if there will be a significant cost difference before you finalize your design. 

I want this site to answer your questions about printing. If you have any specific questions just fill out the comments on the contact form or comment here.


I will also be adding content on a regular basis so check back. At this time I am working on some basic information but will soon be adding information on variable data printing and direct mail. 


If you have any suggestions please let me know what you want on this site.

I am always looking for ways to save my clients money on their printing. Sometimes just making a small adjustment to the size of a piece can save a lot of cost on the printing. For example, I was pricing a poster for a client last week and found that if she created it one inch smaller (18 X 12 instead of 18 X 13) the price was much less. This is due to how many we could fit on a press sheet. I suggest that you check with your printer when you are in the design stage if you are planning a piece that is not a standard size and ask for pricing and if there is a more cost efficient size you should consider. I alway let my clients know if there is a better way or size they might want to consider but if your current print vender doesn't automatically do this for you be sure to ask.


You might want to check out my Printing 101 for more information on this.

I have just returned from Seattle where I was working with our customers and introducing our services to new businesses. WOW - It was definitely a case of the country girl in the big city. I had a lot of fun and really enjoyed working with the businesses there. BUT, I won't miss the traffic! Here in Montana our greatest road hazard is the wildlife; deer, elk, and moose. 

Welcome to my blog. I will be talking about all things related to printing, print marketing, and direct mail. I welcome your questions and comments and please let me know if you would like more information on a particular subject.