Surrounded as we are by printing presses, print artwork and print outputs, it’s easy to keep a finger on the pulse of the industry. Here’s a quick distillation of print trends for the year ahead. Caution: Reading these could seriously impact your marketing – in a good way!
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Less offset, more digital
As digital printing presses get faster and cheaper to run, offset print volumes are falling. Digital print can be produced quickly, because set-up is fast and there’s no platemaking required. Time savings result in price reductions, making digital printing a cost-effective solution, even for biggish jobs. Better still, digital lets you print only what you need, preventing inventory obsolescence.
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More print personalisation
You probably noticed the personalised Coca Cola ad campaign that ran a couple of years ago. It’s still going actually – you can go online and order personalised glass bottles of Coke. This kind of promotional gimmick is easier than ever with data-fed digital label presses – we have a couple of these at Soar.
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Direct mail is becoming really meaningful
To make sure direct mail delivers results, marketers are creating more engaging and personalised campaigns. Printed pieces that change out names, chunks of text and images based on customer data can lift average response rates by 300%[1]. Talk to us about how it’s done.
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Soft signage gets attention
Signs don’t have to be rigid. They can be printed on textile and fabric-based substrates. You can have branded banners, flags, tablecloths and point of purchase draperies. Our flat-bed large format printers can print on darn near anything.
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Combining print with digital
Print and digital marketing don’t have to be enemies. They can collaborate to produce campaigns that work twice as hard. When you print a multi-page magazine, catalogue or brochure with Soar, you can ask us to turn it into a responsive phone app using Realview technology. We can even print QR codes that make app installation easier.
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Extra texture at your fingertips
Studies have shown that haptic (touch) memory has a strong impact on the human brain. When we feel something, it reaches us on a deeper level. So if you choose a textured stock or add textured embellishment to a printed item, you’re helping your communication to work harder. Talk to us about embossing, debossing, raised ink and special stocks – it’s less costly that you think.
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Matte rules over gloss
To be truly upmarket, glossy magazines need to become matte. Matte whispers luxury far louder than shiny. There are a few ways to achieve the perfect matte finish, including matte stock and matte over-gloss.
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