Swift Blog

Paper is more than just a surface for printing. It has its own character. It can evoke warmth or coolness, brightness or subtlety, and feel earthy or extravagant. Let’s explore some essential elements that give each paper its own personality.

1. Brightness Levels: Brightness indicates how much light reflects off the paper, rated on a scale from 1 to 100. A higher brightness (closer to 100) means your colors will stand out more vividly. Papers with lower brightness, particularly uncoated ones, tend to soften colors.

Sure, the volume of direct mail may be declining, but its importance is not. Direct mail plays a unique role in the marketing world and is something digital channels cannot replicate. Let’s look at five reasons why.

1. Print retains authority. Digital marketing is often perceived as low-cost, which diminishes its impact in the eyes of consumers. In contrast, handing someone a brochure, a physical coupon, or a direct mail piece creates a sense of value and credibility.

As concerns about synthetic materials, excessive packaging, and carbon emissions rise, consumers seek sustainably produced and packaged products. But does this growing awareness lead to changes in purchasing habits? A recent survey reveals that it does.

Here are three key insights from the “U.S. Retail Sustainability Perceptions Benchmark” survey (eMarketer/Insider Intelligence) that can inform your marketing strategies:

Content marketing is one of the most effective methods for driving revenue, engaging customers, and enhancing client retention. However, like any marketing approach, it requires a well-defined strategy. Where do some of the most significant challenges lie? How can you overcome them? Let’s look at three main areas: delivering value, establishing routines, and creating processes.

1. Delivering Value: Many marketers are stuck in a cycle of mundane tasks and repetitive content distribution rather than finding innovative ways to provide unique value to their customers. Don’t be one of them! Whether you’re creating content for direct mail, email, or social media, customize your content for each channel. Each channel has distinct advantages and limitations, so tailor your message for each audience.

One way to make a strong impression with printed material is by incorporating embellishments like specialized coatings, textured finishes, and custom die cuts. While these enhancements are not new, many businesses are unaware that they are both accessible and affordable, whether you are printing offset or digital.

Which of these popular enhancements might capture the attention of your target audience?

Hand on packaging plans

If you manufacture food or beverages, you know how difficult it is to stand out on the retail shelf. But what if you could do something simple: turn heads and win new customers without changing the primary product? You can—it’s limited edition labels and packaging.

Let’s say you produce craft beer, and there is a jazz festival in your local area every year. So, for the festival, you create a “pick your favorite” limited edition line of labels featuring different instruments, such as saxophones, trumpets, and trombones. You can also design labels featuring jazz greats such as Louis Armstrong, Miles Davis, or Dizzy Gillespie. Add the name of the festival and the year, and you will have a powerful marketing tool that every craft beer enthusiast at the festival will want to buy.

When creating successful direct mail campaigns, the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) is the ultimate expert. Here are five of its most helpful tips for creating foolproof direct mail campaigns:

1. Choose Your Format Carefully.

How do you stand out when so many companies compete for the same customers? One way is through dimensional print. These innovative print pieces go beyond the traditional flat surface, offering tactile and interactive experiences that captivate audiences and drive engagement. From pop-up designs to textured finishes, dimensional print can take your marketing efforts to the next level.

Let's look at some examples:

As we turn towards a new year I have a tendency to reminisce on the past and ponder the speed in which technological advances are made. It is mind boggling! I was just reading an article where the US has launched its 26^th SpaceX rocket this year – since when did rocket launches happen so frequently they became non-news?

As I was thinking about that I began to think (as I usually do) about the advances in the print industry. Johannes Gutenberg invented the printing press (arguably one of the most important inventions in history) in 1450. That simple platen press was the method everyone used until the invention of the “offset press” in 1875 a mere 425 years. The offset press, which still produces the “bulk” of printed pages, yet it is steadily losing page counts to “digital” presses which were invented and placed into production as early as 1959 (Xerox’s 1^st machine weighed more than 650 pounds and was apt to catch fire). Widespread adoption of “digital” presses didn’t really occur until the early 1990’s. So, if my math is correct, offset’s reign lasted about 115 years. The new frontier seems to be “inkjet” technology which burst on the commercial printing scene in 2015. The technology has an astounding ability to disperse 165,000 droplets per second (sure beats setting type by hand!) allowing for photographic quality printing – our Holy Grail. Will “digital’s” reign last a mere 25 years?