The Toolbox is our chance to pass what we know on to our clients. It’s not about what we can do for you, but rather to help you have input on the final product. This area will continue to grow as we get feedback, but here’s a few areas where our customers have had questions.

1. What makes a printed piece more expensive or less expensive?
2. 1-Color, 2-Color, or Full Color?
3. What's a bleed?
4. What kind of paper should I use?
5. How do I go about getting pictures for my project?
6. Why do so many of my PowerPoint graphics look jagged when I print them and what do I need to give my designer if there's something I have that I want to use?
7. What types of folds can I use?
8. What other options do I have to make my piece unique?
9. Can I use digital camera photos in my printed designs?
10. Do I need a web site for my business?
11. How do I contact Green Valley Media for more information?

1. What makes a printed piece more expensive or less expensive?

There are a lot of aspects to figuring cost, but these are a few guidelines. The relationship is not one-to-one. Foil stamping is much more expensive than regular ink, while full color printing is only somewhat more expensive than 2-color in quantity. The most important factors are at the top of the list, while the least are farther down. If you are interested in any combination of ideas for your project, Green Valley Media would be happy to get an estimate for multiple options.

2. 1-Color, 2-Color, or Full Color?

How much color you use depends upon the function of the piece and the budget in which your printing. At Green Valley Media, we lean towards recommending full color (sometimes called 4-color) to our customers for several reasons. First of all, it is only slightly more expensive then 2-color printing. Secondly, it has a much higher impact to its viewers - people are just used to seeing the world in vivid colors. Lastly, it gives you much more design flexibility. Here are the advantages, disadvantages, use, and relative cost of the three.

3. What is a bleed?

Ink is said to "bleed" off of the page if it goes all the way to the edge. At the printer, this means having to make extra cuts and print on larger paper to produce the "print to the edge" effect.

4. What kind of paper should I use?

The type of paper is, of course, dependent on the type of project. The most commonly used paper is a cover gloss paper- it's what you'll see 90% of your postcards printed on. It's affordable, most printers have it in stock, and it makes pictures pop out. A second option is a matte finish, which isn't as reflective, but sometimes overwhelming isn't the goal. Some of the most spectacular papers are fiberous, linens and textured papers, which by their unique feel usually garner a second look from its viewer. Why aren't such papers used more often? Primarily because they are more expensive, and also because fibers and colors can make make mass mailings much more difficult. Green Valley Media has a wide selection of guides and samples for your consideration.

5. How do I get pictures for my project?

This is a tough issue for a lot of clients. The best way is to hire a photographer and get pictures specifically suited to your needs. Remember that you will need to have photo consent forms available for subjects to sign, or there could be liability issues later. For precisely that reason, many businesses don't want to take pictures of their people. Stock photos - royalty-free pictures available through several software companies - are the answer. The upside of working with royalty-free is that you don't need to have concerns about the subjects. The downside is that they are expensive ($300-$500 for 100 pictures or $199 each), you don't have exclusive rights, and they may not fit your exact situation. Green Valley Media has some royalty-free photos available, but we recommend either purchasing photos, hiring a photographer, or shying away from people pictures and going more towards vivid objects and colors. We highly caution against using unauthorized pictures or photos you find on the web - it can get very expensive down the road.

6. Why do so many of my PowerPoint graphics look jagged when I print them and what do I need to give my designer if there's something I have that I want to use?

Most people have had this happen - you print what looks great on the screen, only to have a rotten image come out on the printer. The reason is that computer monitors display pictures at 72 dpi (dots or pixels per inch), while your average printer prints at 300 dpi or more. The hardware simply puts 4 pixels where every 1 should be, and it creates the blocky, jagged image. The only way to correct this is to take a really large 72dpi picture and shrink it down to a small 300 dpi picture (so that the total pixels are the same), or use software that can extrapolate the edges.

What kind of images can we use?

1. Color or black and white photographs that can be scanned
2. 300 or better dpi photos, or those that we can make into such
3. Most clipart is vector - meaning it can be resized and doesn't lose its form.
4. Line art that is at least 300dpi (logos, etc.)

But we'll be glad to look at whatever you have in whatever form you have. We've got some spectacular software that can do some amazing stuff, so chances are we can make what you have work. These are just helpful guidelines.

7. What types of folds can I use?

Anytime you do a brochure or booklet, you'll need to have it folded. Most commonly, this means folding into halves or thirds. But there are many other options that can create unique designs. One thought is to combine them, or do them more than once. Fold a piece in half, and then in half again. Or fold it into two pieces, but not right down the middle, so that it is asymmetrical. We've tried lots of different ideas, so run your thoughts by us if there's something you'd like to see.

8. What other options do I have to make my piece unique?

Sometimes printing with normal stock on gloss paper just doesn't have the punch that you may be looking for in a marketing piece. Here are a just few different ideas which we'd be happy to present to you or answer your questions about (but there are thousands of other choices):

9. Can I use photos I took with my digital camera in a print project?

Previously we answered this question yes, dependent on the size of the image to be used. With today's new technology, more and more cameras can create images relatively close to 35mm film. If you are going to use the image for a small (say 1" by 1") picture, just about any camera will do. Also, if your image is going to be in black and white, you can get away with a few more flaws. However, if you are looking to take a picture that will be larger, say 1/2 page, or needs to be a really clean image (for a magazine cover or color postcard), we recommend using a 3- or 4-megapixel camera on its highest quality setting. A 2-megapixel camera could work, if the lighting was good, but as you get into the 2- and 1-megapixel images, the images pick up all sorts of flaws which at a low resolution can be a challenge to clean up. Let us work with whatever you have available, as we have the software and experience to make some of the cloudiest looking photos usable.

10. Do I need a web site for my business?

As a web design business, it would be foolish for us to say no. That being said, if you need to have your information available 24-7, and there will be people that need to access it, then the answer is yes. If you have a product or service to which you have a plan to market your web presence, then yes. If you plan to make your product available for sale and have an existing customer base, yes. If you are a smaller business looking for new walk-in clients, then it may be worth considering other marketing alternatives. It is the hope of many new sites to be able to reach the entire world, but the problem is with the clutter of today's web, you may not be able to be found. But again, if you are willing to put marketing dollars behind your web site, it has a much greater chance of success. We would be glad to discuss any questions you might have about the options available to you.

Any other questions that we can answer? Let us know - chances are someone else wants to know too, and we'll do our best to help.