Presentation folders
are the perfect solution to collecting, organizing and presenting printed
marketing and advertising assets to your audience. Beyond their functionality,
a well designed presentation folder can make a great first impression, and even
spark your audiences interest to explore the materials it holds. Combining
functionality with a design that sparks the attention of your audience can
often make the folder just as (if not more) important that what you put inside
it.
Due to their
functionality and ability to wow, presentation folders have become a standard
asset in most company’s marketing strategies. Odds are, if you are using a
presentation folder so is your competition. Not only are they using a
presentation folder, but it probably looks very similar to yours and even
contains similar materials inside.
Understanding this
makes it imperative that you re-think your current design. If it is time to
implement some new and creative ideas which will make your presentation folder
stand out amongst your competitors; below are five creative tips to help ensure
your presentation folders are unique and will continue to wow your audience.
1. Consider making
your presentation folders an unusual size. To accommodate the standard 8.5×11
sheet most folders come in a 9×12 size. Going a little smaller or larger can
automatically set your folder apart from the others; while keeping the ability
to hold the standard 8.5×11 sheet. Resizing, drastically smaller or larger or
going with a very odd size, will increase your folders uniqueness but will
usually require you to recreate all the materials you will place inside the
folder.
2. Create a unique
look for your folder by using a custom die cut. Rather than having a straight
edges consider round corners or even a cutting the folder into a unique shape
or design. Depending on the complexity of the design you want cut, this can be
a very affordable option and one which will definitely make your presentation
folder unique.
3. Provide your
audience with a design which contains more than your logo and slogan. Sell your
company, what you do and what you provide, give customer testimonials, or
provide contact information directly on the folder. Begin selling your company
before the audience has a chance to open up the folder to read the inside
materials.
4. Consider taking
the materials you place inside every folder and turning them into a booklet
then stitch into the folder. This frees up space and allows you to place more
materials in the pockets without them getting over-stuffed. It also ensures
that your vital information stays with the folder and isn’t misplaced or lost.
5. Go for simplicity!
If your competition’s folders scream with loud and vibrant colors on super
shiny gloss stock, consider going with a uncoated stock and ditching full color
printing for a elegant emboss or foil stamp or even a simple 1 or 2 color
print. Simplicity might sound strange, after all the four other tips above are
anything but simplistic, but sometimes simplicity is the best way.
If you have any
suggestions or ideas on ways to make a pocket folder stand out, please leave a
comment. We appreciate it and others will too!
But if your print
vendor employs traditional methods to produce this — using virgin-fiber paper,
petroleum-based inks, toxic solvents, and chlorine-bleached papers — your
printed piece might be doing less to reach out to constituents and more to
damage the environment.
Luckily, there are
eco-friendly ways to make your print projects, the earth — and your
organization — look good.
Damage to the
Environment
It's no secret that
paper production taxes forests, water, and energy supplies. In fact,
eco-advocacy group Environmental Defenseestimates that producing one ton of virgin uncoated paper — which
accounts for 90 percent of the United States' printing and writing paper — requires
three tons of wood, 19,075 gallons of water, and generates 2,278 pounds of
solid waste.
"The printing
industry is the single largest air polluter and the third-largest consumer of
fossil fuels in the world after automobiles and steel manufacturing," said
Renourish Founder and University
of Illinois Design
Professor Eric Benson. "On a typical day, [printers] use
trillions of gallons of water that must be treated for its toxic chemical
content and released back into our waterways."
Meanwhile, adhesives,
bindings, and foils used in printing and packaging can render the final product
unrecyclable, virtually guaranteeing that it will end up in a landfill. There,
petroleum-based inks can cause lasting damage to the environment, leaching
volatile organic compounds (VOCs) — which can cause cancer and birth defects —
into the ground, contaminating soil, groundwater, and, upon evaporation, the
air.
The printing process
itself is equally hazardous: Many of the solvents, shellacs, driers, and other
solutions employed in producing film, printing plates, and cleaning the presses
are toxic pollutants that can cause chronic health problems — including kidney
and liver damage, and even death — among press operators, according to the
National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health.
Not exactly the message
your nonprofit wants to convey.
It's Easy Printing
Green
For some nonprofits,
the solution might be to eschew printing in favor of online marketing. Yet for
nonprofits that rely on printed marketing campaigns for support and publicity,
cutting out paper altogether might not be an option.
By printing green, you
are sending a powerful reminder to your audience that you care about what's to
come. You’re also enhancing your brand image by making the statement that you
care about the environment. Environmental degradation has a wide-reaching
impact, from poverty and disease to war and famine. By pursuing green printing
practices, you are in a sense embracing all good causes — not least of all,
your own.
"Your donors,
board members, and prospects will see that you care and this will resonate
positively to them," said Nilesh Patel, Owner and President of We Print,
an environmentally friendly printer located in Orange, California. "Every point of contact with your constituency should
reinforce the idea that you are not only saying the right things but doing the
right things. Printing is a very visible part of that, particularly for a
membership organization. Doing the right thing environmentally and then
advertising it goes a long way [toward establishing] the integrity and
sincerity of your organization. It's a wonderful way to underscore your
mission."
Happily, eco-friendly
options are on the rise — and there are many resources online that can help you
locate them.
Among We Print’s
recommendations:
1. Choose paper that is
100 percent post-consumer waste (PCW), processed chlorine free (PCF), uncoated,
Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certified, made by renewable energy sources
like wind or solar power (Mohawk Paper is a leader in this area), or even treeless
(hemp and kenaf are two options).
2. Use vegetable-based
inks or soy inks instead of petroleum-based inks. These alternatives are both
low in VOCs and competitively priced. When using Pantone colors — an industry
standard — avoid colors (mostly metallics and warm reds) that contain barium,
copper, and zinc, which can cause health problems in humans.
3. Try waterless
printing, which eliminates the dampening systems used in conventional printing.
Digital printing, which avoids the film and chemicals in traditional printing
processes, is another good alternative.
4. Avoid using
bindings, adhesives, or foil stamps in packaging.
5. Reduce the amount of
inks you use by going with one- or two-color designs; you can also save paper
by asking your designer to use standard press sheet sizes.
6. Familiarize yourself
with industry standards. The Environmental Protection Agency mandates that
federal agencies must use uncoated printing and writing papers containing at
least 30 percent PCW content; coated papers must contain 10 percent, notes We
Print.
Other Printing
Considerations
Those nonprofits that
print a lot of exhibit or signage materials should opt for a printing process
called dye sublimation — rather than solvent-based inks, which use petroleum
and other VOCs, according to a September 2005 article in Print magazine.
Digital printing and appliqué (which works particularly well with banners) are
also cleaner, more sustainable options; look for fabrics like Ecospun, which
are made out of recycled materials.
Good Design Is Up to
You
"Shouldn't this be
the designer's responsibility?" you might ask. Fortunately for you — and
the environment — the answer is no. Ultimately, as the client, the burden falls
on you to make sure your project is as green as possible. And with the growing
number of options out there, it isn't difficult to locate eco-friendly paper
vendors, designers, and printers that can help you do just that.
If you can't locate a
green design firm or printer in your area, don't worry — easy-to-use technologies
like PDF readers and compression utilities (see TechSoup's Free Downloads
section for good options) make file transmission quick (and often free) via
email and FTP, allowing you to work with the vendor of your choice regardless
of your location. Many print vendors will allow you or your designer to upload
files directly to their sites and will then ship the printed materials to you.
Even if a design firm
doesn't promote itself as "green," it may be willing to accommodate
your request. If you have a long-standing relationship with a designer, discuss
ways you can make your project as eco-friendly as possible.
A good designer should
be able to meet your needs by locating the proper vendors and working within
the requested perimeters. If a designer tries to talk you out of using a
two-color design or dissuade you from choosing an alternative printing
technique, get a second opinion.
Often, designers mark
up paper and printing by as much as 30 percent, so be wary of those that insist
you use expensive paper, printing, binding, coating, or foiling to make your
piece look good — they may just be trying to increase their own profits and
reduce the time and overhead involved in researching alternatives. A truly
competent design firm can make your project beautiful regardless of the
specifications.
Dispelling Green Myths
Green (Paper) Is
Beautiful
One common
misperception among nonprofit and for-profit organizations alike is that
eco-friendly means lower quality.
We suggests that
nonprofits talk to an eco-friendly printer to better understand their options.
"The biggest deterrent to [printing green] is lack of information,"
he said, noting that a printer can help you determine what types of papers,
inks, and coatings can give you the quality you want and stay within your
budget.
Offsetting Costs
Another common
deterrent is the misconception that printing green is always more expensive
than using traditional printing methods. However, this isn't always the case.
Vegetable-based inks are often competitively priced with petroleum-based;
carbon-neutral printing is no more expensive than traditional methods; and many
recycled, TCF, and ECF papers are in fact less expensive than virgin.
We would also notes
that because there are many factors that contribute to a printed piece's price
— including the size of the project, the press you use, and even the time of
year — it's important to work with a printer that can find the best solution
for your organization's budget.
Keep in mind, too, that
as more organizations like yours invest in eco-friendly options, the price will
eventually decrease. "It is cost-efficient to make recycled paper as it
requires less energy [than virgin]," said Benson. Yet, "there is
often a slightly higher premium for recycled paper. That is largely based on
supply and demand issues. The more we request recycled, PCW [paper], the more
the paper industry will supply, and costs will even out. Printers pollute and
pollute badly. Why should this be OK? Choosing to not support those practices
is to vote with your dollar."
Even if you discover
that going green means paying more, there are still many ways you can offset
the costs:
1.Consolidate
Instead of holding four
mail campaigns a year, try sending out three eco-friendly ones. The positive
publicity generated by going green may in fact improve response rates, and
you'll be more likely to make the most of what you do send out. Or, offset
costs with creativity: "Design multifunctional projects — for example,
self-mailer/program combos — to economize when using more expensive
paper," suggests Dynamic Graphics' in its Printing Green article.
"Also, combining projects whenever possible is wise; one idea is to print
business cards and postcards from the same recycled paper."
2.Bypass the Middle Man
Sourcing and managing a
print project is not as complicated as it might sound, and will help you avoid
high markups from graphic designers. Ask your designer to send you print-ready
files, and then work with the printer on delivering and proofing them. Explain
that you are a nonprofit and are trying to save money: many printers will be
happy to help you through the process. Alternatively, some designers may even
be willing to forego the markup when they know they're supporting a good cause.
3.Share the Glory
Another way to offset
costs is to ask a vendor to chip in. Some printers will reduce their price if
they can put their logo on the piece, and many will do so unobtrusively.
Likewise, you could ask one of your funders to help cover the costs in exchange
for a small promotion on the piece.
4.Keep It Exclusive
Some printers will
offer discounts if you bring all (or most) of your business to them.
"Choosing a printer to print your literature exclusively can result in a
contract that can reduce costs the more work you send them," he said.
If You've Got It,
Flaunt It
If you print your
project on recycled paper using soy-based inks or wind-powered presses, by all
means, let your constituents know about it. Add a simple line of text
explaining how the piece was printed on the bottom of the postcard, or include
a discreet Forest Stewardship Council, Soy Seal, or Processed Chlorine Free
symbol if it applies.
Alternatively, you can
tally up the piece's impact for your readers: Neenah Paper's eye-opening
Environmental Savings Calculator can help you calculate the environmental
savings — in trees, water, energy, solid waste, water-borne wastes, and
atmospheric emissions — in selecting papers with higher levels of post-consumer
fiber content.
Promoting green
practices not only makes your nonprofit look good — it can motivate others to
do the same. For when other organizations see how good your piece looks, they
might be inspired to go green.
