I am lucky enough to be surrounded by some amazing creative geniuses here at Canyon who’ve opened my eyes to some pretty cool creative things. Fonts, or typefaces as my friend Ryan calls them, are probably one of the most simple but impactful things marketers deal with daily.

Imagine my glee when I came across a tweet from the Harvard Business Journal regarding saving money and being green just by switching fonts!

The University of Wisconsin Green Bay IT department found that switching your outlook font from Arial to Century Gothic saves 30% more ink. Since ink accounts for 60% of a printed page this could offer major savings in the long-run.

Who would have thought such a simple thing could save you money? Better yet—include the message ‘Please Consider the Environment Before Printing This E-mail’ on you e-sig. That will help decrease printing altogether.

In part one of this blog I mentioned ways to work with your printer to save costs. Now, I’m going to address ways you can plan ahead on projects to ensure you’re producing pieces in the most cost-effective way.

Be flexible with paper choices. Most printers carry “house” stocks that they purchase in large volumes and keep in stock. By using house papers instead of specifying stocks you can save considerable money. For example, on letterhead you might usually spec Classic Crest but your printer might have a house uncoated text that looks the same—the savings can be substantial based on quantity.

Use conventional sizes. 8.5×11 or 9×12 are the most cost-effective sizes for brochures and folders. Unique sizes may seem fun and interesting, but sometimes they don’t fit on parent sheets, which increases costs.

Group pieces together. Take advantage of opportunities to “gang run” items of the same stock and color. It’s an excellent way to save paper and money.

Smaller quantities? Go digital. Digital printing has come a long way. There are many paper options now that weren’t available a few years ago and, quality has improved dramatically. Digital isn’t great for larger quantities—anything over 1000 pieces—but for small jobs it’s a cost-effective fit!

Do you have tips or money-saving print ideas you can offer?

You may remember my post about the importance of selecting the correct typeface to help brand your company. I even got a little emotional and drooled over the Periodic Table of Typefaces.

Of course I enjoy designs that are “clean” and “simple” with beautiful type treatment and lots of white space, but as much as I am a believer in type, I’ve been reminded lately that designers can’t live by type alone.

I ran across this site, texturelovers.com and it reminded me how adding texture in design can also deliver a feeling and emotion to the person interacting with your product—even that office chair you’re sitting in right now makes you feel a certain way.

Texture gives your product dimension, it makes someone want to reach out and get closer. If your product or company were a texture, what would it be?

Part One of Two: Working with your Printer

Times are tight, we have to spend smarter. I’d love to say I have great investment advice to give, but it’s best to stick with what I know—printing and paper. 

In my 12+ years of print purchasing, I’ve picked up a few tips that I’d like to share to help you save some money on your printing projects. 

• Get your printer involved from the beginning. Your printer can make some excellent recommendations to help reduce costs, just ask. Sometimes, something as simple as reducing the size of your piece by a half-inch can lead to significant cost savings.
• When your project requires mailing, have your print rep work backwards to advise you on how to layout your piece to meet USPS standards for the best postage rate classification available. In some cases, this could amount to hundreds of dollars in postage savings. 
• Allow at least 48-72 hours for estimating. This will give your printer more time to find the most cost-effective way to print your project.

 Do you have any tips to share about working with a printer?