Business Printing: 7 Ways Ink Can Boost Your Biz

Booklets play a big, versatile role in your business printing strategy. With creativity and Smartpress’ custom printing services, Zach Bell turned a Saddle Stitch Booklet into an annual report. As the development coordinator for California Family Life Center (CFLC), Bell and Karen Carrola, CFLC’s social media and marketing specialist, designed a multi-purpose marketing tool.

“Our annual report is a vital part of our strategy to strengthen current partnerships and acquire new donors in our community,” said Bell. “We use them day-in and day-out to spread the word about our work. It helps with branding, creates an annual buzz and is something we’re very proud of.”

For Bell, having a printed annual report booklet was necessary. “It’s important to meet people where they are, and having both digital and print materials helps us serve more people more often,” he said. “Much of our everyday lives are a hybrid of online and in-person realities. The physical handshake is not going away, so the necessity of physical print shouldn’t [either].”

Hint: Bell referenced Smartpress’ Paper Sample Book for his annual report. It includes samples of most of our paper stocks and weights with printed imagery to showcase our print quality. It’s FREE, and you can get it here: Paper Sample Book.

As a mixed media creative and owner of Wildbyhabit, Shanoaleigh Marson quite literally makes connection her business by turning everyday details into memorable moments with print. It’s that careful intention that brought one client’s marketing brochures to life.

“My goal was to provide a visual resource for potential clients to access information about my small holistic business,” said Marson’s client, Rebecca Benstead of Collective Wellness. “I also wanted to cultivate a sense of transparency and trust regarding what I do so that folks know what to expect.”

Marson’s design approach and Benstead’s vision were a match made in business printing heaven. “Print is tangible and easier to process, it helps to establish trust and a deeper connection,” said Benstead. “It was exactly what I was looking for, and I will continue to utilize it as I grow my business.”

Hint: Want to showcase products and services in an unexpected, get-noticed way? Create your own custom brochures with our Designer Folds collection. These specialty formats ensure you stand out among the marketing crowd – and that your business can go the distance.

You can have all the branding in the world, but if it’s not seen, it’s not effective. The business printing tactic to fix that? Custom signs, of course. For Michael Lewis, owner of Homestead Coffee Roasters, it was Aluminum Signs that brewed the perfect blend of high visibility and high quality.

“A striking sign can really drive the look of quality we are looking for for our brand,” he said. “The fidelity of these signs really helped with that.” And whether you’re a flagship or franchise location, business signage communicates more than just a name.

“We’re a business driven by brick and mortar, and even if you eventually order our product online, the quality of our brick and mortar establishment and tactile printed goods lingers in your experience,” said Lewis. “It strikes people as more impactful and meaningful than digital content.”

Bonus: What’s a piece of print marketing that’s as essential to restaurants as signs are to Lewis’ brick and mortar? Custom menus, of course. Food, drinks, happy hours and seasonal specials simply can’t go without restaurant menus – and we’ve got six of them.

Building awareness about your business and running that business go hand in hand. Educating clients about your products and services is essential to growth and success regardless of industry. It’s something Leia Wefelmeyer knows all about, as a graphic designer for Chesapeake College (yep, academia operates like a business, too).

One marketing tactic that never fails to send a message? Custom banners. For Wefelmeyer, it was a Retractable Banner, specifically, that stood tall in durable 13 oz. smooth vinyl material and became an informational kiosk at recruitment events.

“While we do rely heavily on online communications, getting our message to potential students and community partners with print is still an important way to reach people where they are,” she said. “It helped create visibility and name recognition at in-person events.”

Bonus: Get attendees to in-person events like Wefelmeyer’s with invitation printing. After all, half the battle is getting people in the door (or to your homepage). Managing a nonprofit? Custom invites are crucial for you, too (think fundraising galas and donor events).

As an engineer-turned-photographer-and-filmmaker, Richard Seehausen takes the whole ‘custom print directly impacting your livelihood’ thing pretty literally. It’s who he is, it’s what he does, and without portfolio books to showcase his work, Seehausen’s passion wouldn’t fizzle out – but his ability to do business would.

After going the digital route and coming to a dead end (there’s only so much an email can do), Seehausen found a solution in booklet printing with a perfect binding. “I actually mailed a portfolio to people with a handwritten note. I thought that would grab people’s attention and make myself stand out,” he said.

The result? A physical piece that’s made a serious impact on Seehausen and the way he works. “Hard drives die, files get lost, but these booklets will always be with me and are much more enjoyable to share than a website link,” he said. “[They’re] a good way to look at my work from a broader perspective and identify what I liked and what I didn’t.”

Hint: Have your own portfolio to compile? Design yours with Perfect Bound Booklets like Seehausen or use our new hardcover Portfolios product. You asked for it, so we delivered.