If you're a print buyer or designer today, one of your biggest challenges is determining which environmental claims are relevant, meaningful and verifiable, and frankly, which ones are not. ]
This should be a great Free Webinar that could answer some of your questions. The truth is out there and  this is one place to start. Topics include:

• Green consumer trends
• The six sins of greenwashing
• Effective ways to reach customers without greenwashing
• How to sell green to everyone
• The value of third-party certification programs

When
Thursday, October 30, 2008 – from 2:00 to 3:00 p.m. Eastern Time
Where
Anywhere – all you need is a telephone line and an Internet connection.
Cost
FREE – Special recognition and thank you to NEENAH PAPER for sponsoring this event.

Click here for more information.

I’ve found that between 3-6% are sourcing their printing outside the US (some of these corporations have parent or satellite offices in foreign countries.) In some cases the parent company wanted it printed locally in their country and/or because it was “more economical.”

The middle of the pack 40% were putting their datasheets, sell sheets, etc. in PDF form online available from their website. Their marketing budget was effectively more Internet heavy now than five years ago. In fact, the more interactive the website (with “My Page” concepts) the less printing is needed.

The final group (54-57%) was using 2-3 printers in their stable, but also bringing in-house some of the short-run color copy work and using outside digital printing like Indigo and Heidelberg DI presses. Short run is king.

Surprisingly little was said about variable data printing, but I suspect that is changing as well. The business to consumer market is moving that way with more PURL use (personalized URL pages) and capturing relevant data for further direct mail and marketing efforts.

In the end printing budgets are shrinking, and being used more effectively, becoming just one channel to compliment the growing Internet and e-marketing trends.

There have been a beta version of  Dreamweaver available, as well as for Soundbooth and Fireworks, which are the chunk of the updates in CS4. I understand Photoshop CS4 should be out in BETA form soon.  Check out Adobe Labs for beta versions.

Get their attention with an In-HOWse award.
It’s hard getting recognition as a designer in a corporate environment. HOW magazine is where you can enter your best corporate work in their second annual In-HOWse Design Awards. If you win, they’ll highlight your work and your name in the February 2009 issue of HOW magazine. There’s more so visit their website now to enter.

All in all your trade show display still will be the first thing they see walking down those aisles. Technology has also made it easier and easier to create your own great graphics. Good doesn’t always mean expensive.

There are five basic elements to every trade show display – for that matter any good advertisement.

Visual
In a sea of people and hundreds of booths nothing works better than a simple, bold and clear image. An image that is striking and vibrant, even unusual, will be one that creates a memorable impression on the minds of those passing your display – and stopping at your booth.  Check out: www.istockphoto.com, www.mediabakery.com, www.stockxpert.com

Headline
Think well here. Choose your words “wisely” as the old saying goes. People used to take 30 seconds to read a poster or billboard, it’s down to 8 seconds, less at a crowded trade show. No more than five words should give a clear, simple message – the fewer words the bigger the headline. Think about it – short, bold messages can be read from several yards away. Too verbose and the message gets lost. Choose a simple easy typeface that can be read.

Description
You may want to write everything you know about the product on that display, but don’t! Attendees may only spend precious minutes at your booth – they shouldn’t be reading literature plenty of time for that later. They should be listening to you or asking questions. So any description you do use should be short and concise. Use bullets and keep the written message brief.

Corporate Logo
Don’t makes it an effort to see your company’s name. You’re at the show to advertise your firm. Put your company name in the header of your poster – most people read top to bottom and left to right. Also place your logo on your materials – everywhere. If you don’t already have one or want to revamp it inexpensively check out these sites: http://www.logoyes.com, http://www.thelogoloft.com, http://thelogocompany.net

Website, website, website
You’ve already spent quite a bit of your budget on your website design. How many people visiting depends on your design, its use and your promoting it. It is the place people will visit after they leave the show – or during it. Show it off.

Following these basic elements will help create a more effective display at your next trade show and help people remember your company when they get back home.

There is a place in Berkeley California (of course) that is called Greener Printer that has a great website. It not only gives you estimates on your print job, but can also show you how your helping to save the planet. Their prices are not very competitive to the normal internet pricing that you’ll see from many websites – but, you can know that your carbon footprint will be smaller on your jobs.

They are associated with many eco-friendly organizations, certified by FSC, use soy inks (most printers use soy now) and is * 100% Wind-Powered via Renewable Energy Credits (REC’s).Check it out.

Sending a direct mail piece to 50,000 businesses and hoping for a 1-2% return? Have a website that is not being fully utilized? Trying to generate sales or leads with generic broad messages? Probably not. Most of our readers know better.

But lets talk about Variable Data Printing anyway. The new mailers going out are customized and hyper-targeted to individual clients – their mailer may have a specific product highlighted, message, or picture related specifically to them. It will also be addressed to individuals with a personalized greeting and it provides a link (URL website) to a special offer that’s waiting online at a website created for the person receiving the mailer. The PURLS, or personalized website, can even be incorporated into electronic messages (email and PDF files).

Once the recipient visits the website (i.e. www.abccompany.com/janesmith) they will be asked a few questions – so future mailings will be better targeted – and then receive their special offer (a Starbucks Giftcard, or other reward.) The data capture is complete and a better database is created. Not only that but, you can track how many people respond to what type of offer – and with the correct questions actually increase opportunities for better sales.

Once you’ve captured better data at your website you can now use it to begin a more effective e-marketing program to your clients and prospects. Continuing to mail to your list with changing offers based on the data you captured on the last mailing will help as well.

Using a printer with Indigo or other on-demand capabilities and with website development features can help give your sales a dramatic bump. One local company I know can create a site with PURLS for 100,000 targets for under $2,000, plus provide the data management you need with the full color printing and mailing all in-house. Go from direct mail alone with a 1-2% open rate to a 16-20% open rate. You can’t beat that.

Check out: MyFonts, Garage Fonts, Fonts, and Font House

My only negative on this is it’s a paid service – from approximately $14 a month to $120 a year. It’s not much in the scheme of things, but calling the mill and having free swatches sent to you is easy. But having all the information in one place in a searchable mode may be worth the cost -  if you’re doing enough printing to justify it. It is a great tool.