Direct Mail Production Strategies Seminar

Direct Marketing and Direct Mail: Explore the Changing Rules

• Introduction to direct mail - why it’s still a great way, if not the best way, to get new customers

Get More Out of Your Printer

• What “printing” really is and involves
• One-color printing – why it’s not as simple as it seems
• Two-color printing – common errors and how to avoid them
• Four-color printing – how to achieve quality while controlling costs

Understand the Fundamentals of Desktop Publishing

• What’s it all about
• How to have an intelligent conversation about separations
• Save money and time with proofing
• PDFs – how veterans manage them
• The basics of digital workflows
• Computer to plate: Get what you expect – no surprises

Make the Right Choices in Presses

• When sheet fed offset makes sense
• What your printer wants you to know about Web offset
• What Flexographic presses are capable of
• How marketers are using and benefiting form digital printing

Make the Most of Your Paper Budget

• Make sense of the different types of paper
• Finishes – what’s available
• What difference weight makes to direct marketers
• Opacity – when this is important
• How brightness affects image quality
• Recycled paper – is it cost-effective?

Choose the Right Ink

• The pros and cons of PMS
• Ensuring the quality of process ink reproduction
• Precautions when using soy-based ink, scratch-offs, and fluorescents

Know the Capabilities of In-Line Finishing

• What is combination folding
• How plow folders can save you huge amounts of time and money, and when they don’t
• Continuous forms: Know when to use them and how to configure them

Achieve Trouble-Free Binding

• Why saddle stitching is one of the most widely used techniques
• Perfect binding: When to use it and how it works
• The importance of selective binding in today’s targeted world

Networking Opportunity:
Lunch will be served each day to facilitate networking with your peers.

DAY 2
9:00 A.M. - 4:00 P.M.

Explore the Parts of a Direct Mail Package from a Production Point of View

• Letter: Know the implications of your decisions
• Brochure: Keep costs down and quality high
• Outer envelope: The best options are not always the most expensive
• BRE or RE: Which to choose
• Order form or order card: Evaluate the differences
• Postcards (single and double): Specific issues that deserve your attention
• New formats: Trends to watch for

Address Your Mail Like a Pro

• NCOA explained in layperson’s terms
• Postal discounts and regulations: An update
• Drop shipping discounts: Are you in the dark about whether you could save money?
• Personalization — when and which method to use
• Lists and merge/purge: Rules you should never break
• First class vs. standard mail: Is there really a choice to make?

What Lettershops Wish Every Customer Knew

• What happens to those order forms and letters
• What’s the TAP test and how it can make or break your mailing
• When folding becomes a lettershop process
• Affixing: The various methods of attaching an item on a mail piece
• The many problems that can occur when inserting
• Getting a totally personalized look with laser printing
• How to save money on ink jetting
• Wide Bar Imaging – get the facts
• Mailing services you can expect from a lettershop

Schedule and Plan On-Time Jobs

• Lead times – a reality check
• The steps in scheduling a job
• Monitoring for quality
• Putting it all together

Select the Best Supplier

• Tips for evaluating suppliers
• Buying
• Supplying paper