In this issue... Front and Center Determining Whether to "Go Medical": A Board Assessment Survey By Thomas A. Glessner Fishers of Men By Jim Pye Remaining Relevant in an Age of Abortion-by-Pill By Aimee Pendell "Nevertheless, Let Us Go" By Patricia L. Miller For Ten Thousand Tomorrows By Stephanie Rogers For Such a Time as This By Lynne M. Thompson Printing Made Simple Marketing 101 By Jerry Thacker Good News, Bad News— Spiritual Warfare By Mark Hiehle Compiled by Right Ideas Staff AH! THE JOYS OF PRINTING! You pay a lot of money. You wait several weeks. And you finally get a printed piece that may, or may not, look like what you wanted. While we're not going to address art, layout, and design in this article, please understand that you can look as good or as bad as the artwork you start with. Print shops have difficulty turning your onion into an orchid with just a printing press! The basics Until the entire world has e-mail, printing will be a necessity for the communication of information, ideas, and prayer requests for your center. At Right Ideas (formerly Marketing Partners), we have been buying printing for over twenty years. From a simple letterhead to over three million catalogs (which consumed 50 tons of paper), we've bought it all. So we offer some recommendations to simplify the printing process and make your life easier. Evaluate each project Determine if it will be most effective on paper, as an e-mail message, or as information posted on a web site. Remember, using e-mail and posting information on an Internet web site can save your center a lot of money. You can send an e-mail message for 1¢ to 4¢ each, depending on the quantity and the complexity. Try doing that with snail mail! If you determine that paper is the best medium for your message, the next thing you must do is specify the quantity of copies and the number of colors for your piece. Determine quantity Choosing a quantity starts with gathering your distribution channels and mailing list. You will want to have enough to reach your entire audience and then have some left over for unanticipated circulation and to keep for records. Determine the number of colors The terms used to indicate the number of colors used for printing your job are "1-color," "2-color," "3-color," and "4-color." These terms refer to the number of colors of ink that will be on your printed piece. (Remember, "1-color" can refer to any one color. It does not mean specifically black on white.) When considering the number of colors for your piece, bear in mind that some donors like to see 4-color, quality pieces (this magazine is printed with four colors—cyan, magenta, yellow and black), but others prefer to see the less splashy 2-color pieces. Sometimes, two colors are used intentionally to show you are a good steward of the gifts you receive. A frugal piece may send a message that your center is using appropriately the money given, but remember that your image is important too. So there may be some times when you will need 4-color printing. Either way, your printed communication must be professional, and it must work. Choose the printing mode After determining the quantity and colors of your printed piece, you can evaluate the most efficient mode of printing. You have several options, including: Your in-house computer printer or photocopier The copy shop around the corner A professional printing house Let's start with your in-house computer printer or photocopier. You need to calculate the cost of toner or ink, paper, and labor and determine a cost per piece for items printed in-house. A black and white copier or a black and white or color computer printer may produce a sheet for less than 5¢. On the other end, large corporations using this method have determined the cost of the use of their in-house 4-color printers at around 85¢ per piece. If it is inefficient to use your in-house printer or photocopier based upon the quantity and color of your piece, research options at copy shops, such as Kinko's, Mail Boxes Etc., or AlphaGraphics. Most office supply superstores (Office Depot, Office Max, Staples, etc.) offer these same services. Most of these stores have copiers that you can use to print your own piece, or they will print it for you. They can handle up to several thousand copies for most jobs. Keep in mind their color copies come at a price and the quality of each printed piece can vary. A shop like Sir Speedy, PIP Printing, or Minuteman can be your friend for quality, quick-print jobs at low quantities (a couple hundred to a few thousand pieces). Their costs are very reasonable for 1- to 4-color pieces. The benefit of using a Sir Speedy versus a professional printing house is their ability to do lower quantities at a good price. These quick print shops will send you a professional estimate for each project. Be sure to gather and keep these estimates so you can ensure the final invoice price matches their estimated cost. Large quantities (several thousand pieces or more) probably will require the use of a professional print house. There likely are several of these listed in the phonebook for your area. Print houses can be very expensive, and they generally make a large profit on printing, but you can negotiate with them. In fact, they expect it. Be sure to shop around for the best price. Have them submit formal estimates to you for each print job. Some print houses also offer convenient, efficient mailing services. (Keep in mind that many print houses are able to donate printing to local charities and non-profits. Just ask!) There you have it, printing made simple. Take the time up front to evaluate all your options. Your preparation and planning will save you time, money, and headaches and improve your odds of getting just what you want. For questions or comments, e-mail Marjori at marjori@rightideas.us or call 610-856-6830.