Part of my role at Silverscape has allowed me to interface as our “print buyer.” This aspect of my job has made me realize something I never thought I’d say, I love paper, and for that matter, I love printing! Not big corporate printers who only operate online, but smaller local shops. The ones you can visit on press and know how your job is going from start to finish. When I first started, there wasn’t a week that went by were I wasn’t calling up Lindenmeyer for paper samples, talking varnishes and bleeds with the designers and crossing my fingers as I sent files out to press. Recent economical troubles have caused people to either move away from print or, gasp, they have been forced to seek bargain-basement print pricing. This past month, I’ve seen a glimmer of hope for our print pipeline. Is it a sign of an improved economy or a realization that a beautifully done print piece can return a lasting impact on prospective or current clients?

Now - please don’t get me wrong - if there is a sale or a deal, I’m the first one in line, but, as the old saying goes, “sometimes you get what you pay for.” After witnessing first-hand an end product from a generic vendor on a generic stock and seeing what a well-designed print piece looks like after it’s been to a custom printer, I’d have to say this is one of those cases. So, I pose this question: how do you want your company to be remembered? Take pride in handing out your business card on that Finch Fine 100# cover, I know I do! People remember a nice print piece.

What I beg of you in these hard times is not to cut out print, but to market smarter. Some of our most successful pieces this past year have been multi-functional print pieces (featured images above). Brochures that can function as a memorable leave-behind or a direct marketing piece are some of my favorites. And yes, let’s face it, because everything does come down to money in the end I’d ask you to think of it this way: you can get a less expensive product from those larger national vendors, or you can support the local custom print shops but with the local shops you’ll get a beautiful end result and if you include Silverscape in that mix you’ll be sure to end up with a strategically-driven beautifully-designed piece; sounds like a win, win to me.