Brightside Print Blog

Is there a standard lead time when colour brochure printing? Well, as you would guess, it naturally depends upon the project. There’s too many variables to have a definitive answer. A good rule of thumb however, is five working days.

One word of advice though, don’t live by this rule. There’s far too many factors that come in to play. To begin with, how many copies are you looking to print? If you’re after ten of thousands, the leadtime may be affected. On the other hand if you need only a handful they could be run out on a digital press, in some cases the very same day. At Brightside Print & Design we aim to keep you abreast of the project with step by step updates.

Something as simple as the type of paper used may play a key role. If you after a particularly adventurous material that is not a stocked product, then it would have to be ordered in. This of course may add a day or so too. This also applies to any additional finishing that may be required. If the document is to have anything embossed on the covers, a blocking die will need to be made and shipped in, thus adding to the turnaround time.

Having said all this, this week provided a great opportunity to demonstrate how quickly a diverse project can be turned around. Late on Monday afternoon we received a telephone call from one of existing clients that had just overtaken a European organisation with two branches on the continent. With this new influx of staff we had to produce a whole host of items before their launch on the Tuesday just after the bank holiday and it wasn’t just colour brochure printing! Items required consisted of fact sheets, leaflets, and brochures.

The list doesn’t stop there though, besides just regular printing they required a handful of promotional items too. Cotton shopper bags printed two colour, an embossed notebook and and mugs. All of the above was produced within 48 hours, 700 hundred copies of everything in next to no time. That’s not all though, having produced everything , we then had to collate everything and ship it out to Poland and the Netherlands. We say shipped but it actually went out by airfreight:

In fact we did it so quickly, it would have probably impressed the folks here! Is there a team event for London’s fastest printer?

In summary, the answer to the above question does not exist. It all depends on what you need and when you need it by. To avoid disappointment, plan ahead. Take inspiration from the Scouts and “Be Prepared”.

If you are planning ahead and need some advice or a competitive quote, please fell free to call our offices and a member of our helpful staff will talk you through you requirements. Not only will they be able to aid you in choice of product but most likely they’ll be able to suggest methods of tackling your project to ensure it remains economical and efficiently produced. You can find all of our contact details here.

Does there seem to be some optimism in the air? We think, so. Over the last few weeks, we’ve noticed a pickup in orders that has certainly produced some cheer within our offices. As flyer printers in the heart of London, we have a complete cross section of London’s businesses as our clientele and there’s definitely a positive vibe going around.

The causes of this? Well, it’s really rather difficult to say. It could be a whole host of things, maybe it’s something as simple as the improvement of the weather. After all it’s commonly known that property sales always pick up when the weather does. Why can’t be this be same with print?

There are more other factors that should be considered though. At the end of this month is the end of the financial year, therefore now is a time traditionally known for when departments need or want to spend their excess budgets. We think it’s more than that though.

Four years ago when it was decided that London was going to be the host city for the Olympics, it was then always known that this year was going to special. Being coupled with the Queen’s diamond jubilee we quite frankly couldn’t be luckier. One only has to look across the channel to Europe to realise actually how lucky we all are. Gavin Hewitt’s interesting article clearly identifies how grim things actually are for them.

As everybody knows, we experienced a financial downturn the likes of which hasn’t been seen for decades and we’ve been given reasons to be happy and reasons to have an improved tourism industry. London is about to have the World’s attention for the next six months and we are considerably luckier than our European partners. As a nation we should really make the most of this fabulous opportunity. Let’s grab the bull by the horns and really embrace it. It’s self perpetuating, in simplistic terms, the recession was caused by all of us, the bubble burst because we lost confidence. We talked ourselves into it. The process to get out of this pickle is exactly the same. When people are confident they invest more, it’s a cyclical scenario and it’s just a matter of time.

With the Budget this Wednesday, who knows how this will affect the mood. Fingers crossed, and hopefully, the budding positive mood will begin to grow. For fly printers like us, it’s essential that the economy continues to pick up. Confidence is slowly beginning to spread, and when companies are confident their expenditure on marketing materials grows too and they order flyers such as these:

If you require printing services, feel free to contact us. We’re conveniently located in South London, equidistant from London Bridge and Waterloo stations. Our closest tube station is Southwark and because of this practicality we have a lot of customers that like to stop by and get some quick turnaround digital prints. These are often flyers and or reports that a plastic or wire comb bound.

There is no definite answer as to whether it’s a necessity to use a local brochure printers, it depends on the circumstances at the time of going to press. Is there going to be a tight lead time? Do you believe that you’ll receive the customer service you deserve and need if they’re on the other side of the country? There’s many factors that come in to play when deciding on where you place your print.

There does however, tend be a trend, where customers like to have a local supplier. Someone they can turn to when a project needs to be turned around at a moment’s notice. Especially in our industry, the majority of work when given to a London printer is required in next to no time. Therefore time can be spared if the delivery address is within a close proximity, not mention the saving in shipping costs.

If you are in the minority of people and have planned ahead and do have a substantial print run, then there is some merit to investigating into sourcing a printers further a field, this may even be abroad. It can work out to be cheaper sometimes. However, this isn’t always the best way forwards. unfortunately with print, it is not an exact science,  are there are so many variables that come in to play, it becomes a potential minefield for errors (needless to say, that’s doubled if you’re having to operate in a second language!). If the stakes are high and the responsibility rests on your shoulders,  you have to decide if you want to take the risk. Sometimes that marginal extra cost can worth the peace of mind that that you gain.

One of the main advantage to using a local brochure printers, is that you can develop a business rapport. If you visit their premises and get to know them or vica versa, a business relationship can potentially bloom which can be beneficial to both companies. This can be expressed in whole host of ways. Especially if you’re placing regular large volumes of work, it goes without saying that it can be reflected in the cost. Therefore in this sense, it proves to be the logical option.

Over the last few years print has has been transformed by the internet, and it has been made more accessible for the general public. This has been truly beneficial for the consumer as the market place has never been so competitive.  Prices has plummeted on general printing materials. If we could offer one bit of advice, it would be the fact that, you get what you pay for. If you find a phenomenally cheap price for business cards, brochures or the equivalent, its cheap for a reason. For some more information on brochures and some of the varieties able to be concocted, visit this link to Wikipedia.

Being located in the heart of London, Southwark to be precise, Brightside Print & Design can be considered a local print company to any organisation based in London. If you need to get some brochures printed then contact us and one of our experienced team will be able to discuss your requirements and hopefully develop a long lasting business relationship.

The office move is now a thing of the past, and we’re now pretty much settled in to our new surroundings. Much to the design team’s relief the leaflet design can continue uninterrupted for the foreseeable future. Having said that, kudos to them, they managed to still  meet their deadlines despite operating around cardboard boxes, electricians and the odd internet blackout.

As life continues for Brightside Print & Design on our new floor, it raises the question of what’s next or even, what’s on the horizon? Ultimately, there’s not an obvious answer. The majority of our work is not penciled into the diary. Yes there’s publications that we prepare for such as prospectuses or annual reports that we produce for our clients every year but that’s based on having pleased them the year before. On the whole the industry is pretty unpredictable and a lot more competitive than it was, let’s say ten years ago.

Needless to say the economic downturn has played has played a huge factor in the unpredictability but it has always been moderately unpredictable. On the topic of economics though, it could quite easily be argued that companies such as ourselves are a litmus test for the economy.

I’ll explain, what the first thing a company does when it enters troubled waters? It looks at were it can make savings, tighten it’s belt and just become a more generally streamlined machine. The first thing to be sacrificed is its output in print and graphic design, and the last is its sales team because if you’re not bringing money in you’re going to cease to function. Therefore, when times are hard companies such as printers and graphic design agencies will be one of the first industries to notice when a country’s economy is beginning to struggle.

Having said that, there is a silver lining to this debate, whilst we’re first in, that also means that we’re first out. We’re in prime position to sense when confidence is beginning to return. The services that we supply become in demand when companies begin to see a light at the end of the tunnel. Hopefully that’s what is being experience at the moment. After all there’s a lot happening in London that people have to be optimistic about.

The London Olympics is going to have an undoubted positive impact and that’s being coupled with the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee. In 2012, London is going to be a jolly place to work in, there’s going to be a huge influx of tourists and London companies will be geared up and prepared. They will have turned to companies such as ourselves for leaflet design or just general printing purposes and while on that topic this is a design we’ve just produced for the Army:

If you require or are planning to require these services then contact us and we’ll help you develop you new marketing campaign.

For those that don’t know, Brightside are moving office. Don’t worry though, we’re not going far. We are in fact moving upstairs to unit 112. So if you’re in need of flyer printing, from the beginning of February our new address will be as follows:

Brightside Print & Design Ltd
112 Linton House
164-180 Union Street
London
SE1 0LH

The new space will be larger and for those that have visited we’ll still be within the Workspace building you won’t have to step out into the corridor between the offices and production! Our telephone numbers will remain the same. The current space has served us well but we’re pushing on and looking forward to have all of the team operating within the space.

Although last year, 2011, was not the best year for the economy we still managed to complete print, design and promotional merchandise projects than the previous year (so graphs are still going upwards!).

As you are most probably aware, BrightsideBits continues to grow, offering value-for-money promotional merchandise. New products are constantly being added, so remember to check www.brightsidebits.com regularly.

Please contact us for the latest catalogue.

2011 also saw an increase in turnover in our digital printing department for both general printing and posters, with litho continuing to hold its own in a difficult marketplace.

Brightside’s website design and hosting team are offering cost-effective solutions, combining professional design with the latest technological advances in digital communication.

Let’s hope 2012 is a good year for us all.

Now for a summary of last week’s work. As expected, the industry has slowly comeback down to reality and shaken of the cobwebs. There was a distinct pick up in the volume of telephone calls and projects coming in. Some of the usuals like posters for a nightclub promoter to wire bound documents for a conference organiser.

One particular project that we were quite pleased with was the design and print of a four page A4 document that was to be used for an event. Originally when we first heard of it, it was to be a 5/6 pager separate leaf and stapled top left. Our suggestion to improve its presentation by condensing it into four pages was willingly taken up and you can see below for the finished results:

When first priced up, the stock to be used was a standard 80gsm. This was raised to a 160gsm used on our digital press. The end product being a much more profession and presentable product. Needless to say, we’ll always produce what you require from us, be it basic printing or a slightly more elaborate project. However, we’ll always endeavour to ensure that you’re advised as to what is your most cost effective option or alternatively suggest an approach that would,  for want of a better word, spruce up your document.

If you do have a something on the horizon, whether it’s this week or next month, get in touch and we can discuss how it can be tackled. And remember if this is a completely alien topic to you one of our Account Managers will hold your hand the entire way. Click on the link to contact us.

A new year, a new beginning.  Well, it’s back to reality now in South and Central London.We’ve had our rest and it’s time to kick on with the new side of the leaf we’ve all been gifted. As expected, the first week of the year hasn’t been a mad rush. It’s more of a period for everybody to acclimatise to the office environment and wade through their emails and open any late arriving Christmas cards! The thought of brochure printing isn’t quite yet in people’s minds.

As you all know a major deadline date for projects to be completed by is Christmas. Now that hurdle has been jumped, we find ourselves in the the time when everybody get’s around the meeting table, coffee at close hand. Very soon they’ll be grabbing their marker pen and highlighters and drawing spider diagrams all over their flip charts strategising as to what brochure printing is going to be required between now and Spring. Here at Brightside Print & Design we’ve experience this in every one of our twenty years in business. They’ll be gradual build up to the end of the financial year and then we’ll go through the same process again on the way through to the Summer holidays. It’s the norm!

If this is currently on your agenda, then read on. I am about to give you to two Top Tips that, when thought about it are blindingly obvious. Here you go…

Printing Top Tip No. 1

The most economical brochure you can print is one that when printed creates as little waste as possible. Whilst this is good for the environment and will please the folks over at the FSC and ISO, it will also stretch your marketing budget that little further. As you are most likely aware, a standard brochure (paper folded in even halves) can only consist of pages in increments of four. If you want to take advantage of the sheet that your document is being printed on then the golden page numbers you want to work towards are eight, sixteen and thirty two. Think about it, if you have a twenty eight pager, then there’ll be a four page space guillotined off and thrown in the recycle bin and then winding up like this…

The wastage however will be accounted for the quote because the printer has to buy it, it costs money. Why throw it away when you can use it?

Printing Top Tip No. 2

Think about your paper weights for printing. Does your publication need to be as heavy as it is? Sometimes a really thick cover, in my humble opinion, can be completely unnecessary. Depending on how many text pages you have, it may not sit perfectly flat on the table. I personally think that’s a really important presentation feature. Of course an added benefit is the inescapable fact that the lighter the paper the cheaper it is. The thickness of the paper does not always guarantee a high quality product. What is also not always necessarily accounted for further down the line is the added extra weight may be the difference in entering a more expensive postage bracket.

I realise that I have only given you two top tips, and I’ll admit it, there are others. I will probably put some of these in future blog articles, but I’ll be honest, I’m saving the best for when you contact us.

Did you know we can print large format posters? From posters for shop windows to building and construction plans, we can print them while you wait. http://tinyurl.com/bn5cpxk

Should it be necessary we can even mount them on foam board or foamex, some clients in the past have even needed them cut to shape.

Utilising our twenty years’ experience, we never fall short of coming up with creative cost effective designs. http://tinyurl.com/3f38v3w

From the simple corporate brochure, to the festive advent calendar our team of designers have seen and done it all. Situated in the heart of London, you can enjoy working directly with one of our designers whilst in the knowledge that the entire project is being managed by your Account Manager at no extra cost. Their role is to ensure that your requirements are met. Allowing the designer and yourself free reign for creative thought!

Brightside Print & Design don’t just on print on paper, we also print on mugs! http://tinyurl.com/66bmbr4

Here’s something interesting, apparently 66% of Britons have a favourite mug and another 55% of them confess to not wanting to share said mug. Even more bizarrely the average minimum number of mugs in a household is 15 and 55% of people only use their one mug.

Why not get some mugs branded and have your logo always present on your client’s favourite mug?

Brightside Print and Design Ltd are proud to launch and host a new website in the serviced apartment industry.  http://tinyurl.com/44gctz8

 Over the last month we have developed Protem Apartments’ online presence and the project is now complete. Please follow the link to explore our creative skills: