Why is a church bulletin service necessary?
7/28/20094:20:49 PM Link 0 comments | Add comment
Over burdened pastors need to pick the right technology partner to tackle today’s ever-changing communication demands.
It’s difficult to be the nervous system of an organization when you are scrambling to keep existing systems running, meet growing parish demands and reducing overhead—all the while ensuring absolute continuity. But right now, too many of your resources are tied up in maintaining existing applications.
Traditionally, the parish bulletin is and remains the core publication vital for the dissemination of information regarding issues and publicizing programs of a church community. In recent years the ever increasing amount of information is commonly supported with a website, electronic communication and quarterly or bi-monthly newsletter as dictated by the ebb and flow of seasons.
An integrated communication service program will effectively increase communication of church and school activities as outlined in a Pastoral Plan. Bartleby Press can implement a cohesive and coordinated effort to eliminate costly duplication of man-power and money.
Why is your bulletin preparation important?
Simply put, it is the center of disseminating information. Creating a center location for gathering information is essential for any organization. Your bulletin is important because you increase perception as a visitor-friendly community by establishing a new bulletin look with liturgical covers. Create enthusiasm and participation with professional layout with the use of visuals, such as pictures, and consolidate time for bulletin editors to assist on other projects or develop high-value educational content but most importantly they edit pertinent information.
Remember timely communication of information fosters more involvement of people in activities.
Thomas Miner
President, Bartleby Press
Preparing digital Files For Color Printing
7/27/200912:14:24 PM Link 0 comments | Add comment
Tips for perfect Color printing.
The suggestions listed below are the ones I run across most often. Most can be avoided by establishing a relationship with a person of print knowledge. We live in a brand new world and the translation between the digital world to the color press can be smooth with proper support or a nightmare. In the world of web to print not being able to talk out your creation can mean dissapointment when your project arrives.
CHECK WITH YOUR PRINTER— Far to many times a designer will ask for a bid on a project that the client has approved before checking with the printer. As much as a client loves a design the cost will dictate the end result, especially in this economic climate. When you are at the concept stage, call your printer and let them know what you are thinking about creating. They will guide you on how to accomplish your task. They may even make suggestions on how to keep your costs down.PROVIDE A DUMMY— When you submit a job to your printing company, provide a finished example and write notes on it. If it does not have page numbers, pencil them in on your sample. Show it to one of your coworkers to see if they understand how it binds. You will become your printer's best friend.
BLEED— A common over-sight is not to build an over size file to compensate for the bleed. Bleed is where an image runs off the page. Always include at least a 1/16" bleed on simple trim jobs and 1/8" on others. When your piece is printed, it is impossible to make every sheet align perfectly to one another in a pile, due to variance in sheet size and variance in print position on the sheet. When it comes to cutting the pile, adding the correct bleed will make sure the entire job will appear to be lined up perfectly. Your printer should check your files and back you up should you not have rendered the file properly.
PAPER STOCK—Choose the right stock for your job. There are constant turn over of new savvy stocks. Selecting cool letterhead stock today may be discontinued next year. There is a reason for picking a stock that is constant over the years; it assures continuity with future reprints. If you are print a color broshure some stocks may be too thick to have multiple folds and some might take days to dry. Confirm your choice with your printer.Thomas Miner
Why publish Church Bulletins?
7/23/20093:41:52 PM Link 0 comments | Add comment
Twenty-three years ago I had a calling to publish church bulletins. I was a young man working for a church bulletin printer here in Texas and Louisiana. I had befriended a pastor. He became a good friend and he saw that I had a passion for serving the church through communications. I understood, like he did, that the bulletin is a great resource for the parish and, unlike most pastors at the time, he believed that presentation was important; that the bulletin was not a chore or a futile exercise because “no one reads it," the bulletin was representation of that community—their identity.
I also felt, as Monsignor did, that it was important that we are more than printers. That we become an extension of the staff by assisting with scheduling liturgical cover changes, enhancing articles with art, adding pictures when necessary, making all the copy fit on the page as well as printing and delivering the bulletin for distribution. Monsignor understood how valuable a publishing service like ours would become to a growing and vibrant community.
Since then, we have built a family of church communities through our publishing service that appreciates our dedication and service.Thomas Miner
Color Digital Printing or Offset Printing?
7/22/200911:48:20 AM Link 0 comments | Add comment
I have been getting a lot of questions regarding digital printing. Is it good quality? Is it as good as offset printing?
As a traditional printer, the digital presses (Xerox 700, Konica Minolta 650 and others) will never match up to quality…to a trained eye and the precision in repeated impressions is tolerable but not as accurate as the offset press. Digital printing is reminiscent of what desktop publishing was to linotype in the 80s. It will never replace long run offset printing but it will capture a large share of the short run color printing market.
With that said, digital printing is here to stay. Improvements in the last 10 years have taken the color copier to new levels. When our clients need something fast we can now turnaround a short run flyer or brochure within hours. It is fast, clean and vibrant. Most important it is acceptable to the common eye.
Here is something to think about…variable data processing or personal communication. That cannot be done on an offset press
Thomas Miner
Why do printers low-ball on the first several jobs?
7/21/200911:19:32 AM Link 0 comments | Add comment
This is a practice that I don't believe is healthy in a business relationship. Pricing up front is a standard practice in any business. It is easy to estimate and can be adjusted by time spent on a project. In some cases I have donated or not charged as much time that we spent but we do charge for work performed.
With that said, most printers don’t make a profit on the first job or even the first several jobs because they are learning all the customer needs. They can make it up later. What does that really mean? They will charge back over time on repeat customer orders? I don't know abut you but if I pay for something one time and it costs more the second time something is wrong.
Generally, businesses do a good job describing print specifications needed for a job, the type of paper, quantity, size, but few do a great job at describing the goals of the project, their internal workflow, and expectations for quality. Often printers have to learn those critical factors. So it takes time for a printer to really learn how to accommodate and satisfy each customer.
Bartleby Press has been in business for over 23 years becasue our pricing is good for the customer and good for our profit margin- A win-win situation.7/20/20094:01:46 PM Link 0 comments | Add comment
Church bulletin publishing has been a specialty of ours since we opened our doors. It is a great arrangement and has been a working system for over 50 years–get the Good News to the people.
The cost of the printing service is deferred by the advertising that is located on the back page of a folded 11 x 17 sheet; finish size 8.5 x 11. We also provide the layout saving the church staff countless hours of sizing and arranging the copy to fit the page.
Our service is not usually a priority with pastors and administrators but in the age of communication there is a lot of competition when it comes to gaining the attention of your parishioners. Having a published piece that attracts readers can improve activity and collections.
If you would like to know more about our services visit our Church Publication section on our website.
Thomas Miner
Marketing is all about frequency.
7/17/200912:42:58 PM Link 0 comments | Add comment
I am going to continue to add these pearls of wisdom hoping that some one will actually read them.
Deliver the one-two punch: email and direct mail. With competition at an all time high and the economy at an alarming, all time low, there has never been a better time to pump up your business to increase success. A marketing campaign that combines email with a full color postcard in the mail is a proven approach to reach customers.
Add in a personal communication to your existing customer base with variable data and you can build a customer relationship that will keep them coming back. New customers are impressed.Thomas
Manage your way through today's economy
7/14/20094:53:40 PM Link 0 comments | Add comment
Full color printing still attracts attention
While others wait for the economy to turn you can build your own success. As a business owner you are focused on delivering ROI for every dollar that you spend. This includes all forms of business communications: marketing, product and support materials and transaction documents.
In today’s market place we have to be more than a printer. We are your turn-key operation for direct marketing; offering printing services, mailing lists, ink jetting and mailing. Bartleby Press can produce an incredible variety of color documents, finish them faster and keep your customers coming back.
If you are looking to get your business up and running…
$199 Stimulas Package— 250 Full Color business cards and 250 Full color one-side flyerIf you want to give your business a kick start…
BOOST YOUR SALES with a hand delivered color message to any Austin Metro area zip code for as little as .07¢ each
