Many thanks to all who recently completed our ‘Customer Satisfaction Survey’.
The results will help us fine tune the business and we always look for ways to enhance the client experience.
If you would like us to taylor a specific requirement to your needs, just ask, we’re very friendly and like to accommodate whenever possible.
Leave a Comment April 24, 2013
Global warming is a completely natural phenomenon. NASA never landed on the Moon. Paper is inherently bad for the environment. Some myths just won’t go away.
Take paper. It’s biodegradable, recyclable and its raw material is renewable. More trees are planted in Europe than are harvested. The paper industry, a major user of renewable, low-carbon energy, is one of the most sustainable industries there is. And the massive rise in paper recycling in the last decade as been one of the biggest environmental success stories in the recovery and re-use of our waste.
It is paper for which the production and distribution has been carbon balanced, or offset, by the World Land Trust, on top of its other environmental and sustainability benefits.
It is paper that will reduce your carbon footprint. And it is one of the most sustainable forms of communication available.
So weigh it up. Stick with a myth or switch to Carbon Balanced Papers?
It’s paper for which the carbon impact of the production and distribution process has been balanced, or offset, by the World Land Trust – an international conservation charity.
When you choose Carbon Balanced Paper you can include a unique logo on your print run: an instant, high-visibility seal that demonstrates your commitment to reducing your carbon impact, and enhances your brand.
There is a choice of Carbon Balanced Paper ranges available, to suit every aspect of communications, from everyday stationery to high-impact corporate brochures. All have been selected because of their powerful combination of sustainability and performance. Made from certified fibre, they provide probably the widest range of papers available in the UK – meaning no compromises, just compelling communications. Together, they can help you demonstrate a total CR commitment.
Carbon balancing is a form of carbon offsetting in which you can have total confidence.
Our partner is the World Land Trust, an international conservation charity dedicated to saving threatened habitats and their biodiversity. Sir David Attenborough OM, CH, FRS is among its Patrons, and its integrity and credibility provide customers using Carbon Balanced Paper with complete peace of mind.
Carbon Balancing by the World Land Trust tackles climate change through projects that both offset carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions and conserve biodiversity.
Through land purchase of ecologically important standing forests under threat of clearance, carbon is locked that would otherwise be released. These protected forests are then able to continue absorbing carbon from the atmosphere. Referred to as REDD (Reduced Emissions from Deforestation and forest Degradation), this is now recognised as one the most cost-effective and swiftest ways to arrest the rise in atmospheric CO2 and global warming effects.
Carbon Balanced Paper has, with the World Land Trust, already saved 40770 tonnes of CO2 protecting 1677 acres of threatened forest and natural habitat. That’s equivalent to 830 football pitches.
If you want to do more, specify paper that’s been carbon balanced.
“Balancing your carbon emissions with the WLT means that we are able to put even more back in to our key objectives – acquiring land for conservation.”
Sir David Attenborough Patron, World Land Trust
Speak to ddp today about Carbon Balancing your Paper.
You can find more about the World Land Trust’s Carbon Balanced programme at: www.carbonbalanced.org
Leave a Comment February 13, 2013
Why would you use a local printer over an Online Giant?
Customer Service
Part of the advantage of using ddp is our experienced staff. ddp can provide paper or technique recommendations, money-saving methods and added-value options.
Better Paper Quality
We all know that using the “house” paper stock gives a saving on the bottom line. We’ve found online printers’ standard stock to be of poor quality and is too light weight – especially for business cards – and the cost of thicker stock nullifies any savings. All of ddp’s house stocks are of a high quality and are FSC Certified.
Printed Proofs
Know exactly what you are going to get by requesting a printed proof from us. Some online printers can supply these at a cost, there is usually an additional cost if you need to send a new file after viewing the proof. ddp are happy to proof your files, on the correct stock so you know what’s going to turn up and there will be no unexpected costs involved. We also welcome you to come in and press pass your job if you want to be reassured.
Individual Printing Equals Better Colour
Online printers gang up jobs for cost savings. What this means is that they run many unrelated jobs on one press sheet. While this saves money, the problem is that colour quality suffers. ddp will run one job at a time and the colour will be adjusted to make that specific piece look its best. If you come in and press pass and the colour needs to be altered we can do on the press with no additional cost.
Knowledge Sharing
Staying abreast of new technology is important if you want to keep providing fresh and innovative ideas. ddp share information with you as we add new technology and provide new services.
Press Checks
A press check is something ddp do to make sure everything is correct with a job. Production pulls one of the first press sheets for pre-press to review for color and production quality. If it’s perfect, the printing proceeds; if there is a problem, we can “stop the presses” and advise you. This way, you don’t end up with 1,000 incorrect brochures. Press checks simply do not exist with online printers, so once a job is on the press, it’s at the point of no return.
The Right Solution
Most online printers tend to be a one-trick pony. They provide ganged digital printing. That’s it. When you bring a job to ddp we will provide the right solution for the individual job.
Relationships Built on Trust
When a project is in its beginning stages, contact us, ddp can answer questions such as, “What is the best way to do this? Can it be done? Can it be done cheaper?”
At the very least, using ddp can help networking, sharing business leads and information is always helpful. Try doing that with an online printer
Leave a Comment July 19, 2012
Digital printing is generally defined as any type of print reproduction method that utilises electronic files to produce a printed piece from spots and dots of ink, toner, or dye.
Digital printing technology has several advantages over conventional printing methods. The following list of items describes several key points that can be helpful when considering a shift from conventional to digital printing:
Ease in Producing Personalised Applications
When using digital presses, the content on an application can be changed for every document that is printed, if necessary. Changing the content for each document can be useful for personalizing a project such as a direct mail piece or for producing an application such as a brochure in which many different versions are required. This method of printing is known as Variable Data Printing or Publishing (VDP).
Increased Colour Gamut
The colour gamut or range of colour that digital equipment is able to reproduce is much larger than that of traditional offset equipment. This feature of digital printing equipment allows for the best possible colour reproduction.
Wide Range of Application Widths
Digital print applications can be produced in almost any size format. Equipment is available that can print extremely wide images (several meters wide). Large images beyond the width capacity of the equipment can be produced in sections (tiled). After printing, the individual pieces can be assembled to create the entire image. Large banners or images covering walls of buildings are often created with this method.
Cost Effectiveness of Digitally Printed Short Runs
Depending on the application, digital printing costs are often lower than conventional printing for the shortest runs because the digital workflow eliminates many of the manual operations of conventional processes. Time savings can be gained in prepress and the make-ready time on digital output equipment is less than conventional equipment. The time savings for short runs makes digital printing a good alternative to conventional printing.
Leave a Comment April 23, 2012
When using conventional printing methods, the primary reason for having a large quantity of printed materials on hand is cost. The cost per printed piece decreases as the volume increases when using conventional printing equipment. Printing a large quantity can be very economical as long as the entire quantity of printed documents are used, but what if the content of the document must be revised while there is still a large quantity of the original print application left in stock? The remaining documents would be of no use and would have to be destroyed, creating waste and making a potentially economical print application much more costly.
Print-on-Demand (POD) digital printing changes the conventional workflow by eliminating the requirement of having large quantities of documents warehoused to ensure a continual flow will occur. Print-on-Demand is a commonly used name for many digitally printed applications.
With a print-on-demand workflow, the printed piece does not have to be produced until a request for the document is initiated. This is due to the ease in which printed items are produced with a fully digital workflow. The expense of producing large inventories and warehousing them is eliminated. The price per printed piece is the same for any quantity when using digital equipment. If the content of a print application must be changed suddenly, there are usually no worries about what to do with vast quantities of obsolete documents that are warehoused and must be destroyed. Print-on-demand reduces waste, reduces inventory, and is very cost effective for short run applications. The digital printing process is such that almost any project printed with digital equipment could be considered an on-demand application.
Print-on-Demand can be used for a
variety of digitally printed applications including:
Leave a Comment April 20, 2012
Personalized postcards are less expensive to produce than complex variable data projects. The front end costs are less as are the paper and printing costs and the mailing costs are minimal compared with larger applications.
Although mass emailing and Internet ads may be one of the easier methods of soliciting business, many individuals are leery of such advertisements due to privacy concerns. People are especially concerned about security with the practice of “phishing” from emails that attempt to direct the user to bogus websites. These online privacy issues make digitally printed, direct mail postcards more appealing to many consumers.
A direct mail postcard is usually formatted in one of three ways:
A direct mail postcard containing too much information may have a negative impact. The majority of individuals receiving the card will dispose of the card if it is crammed with information. In most cases, a simple message and graphic are all that are necessary in order for a key point to be introduced.
Leave a Comment April 19, 2012
The customization that is allowed by variable data printing is often responsible for a markedly noticeable increase in the response rate of various promotional applications. Personalized printing has been proven to yield better results in most direct marketing efforts. Direct mail campaigns that employ personalization and a bold use of colour have experienced as much as a fivefold increase in response rates over static, black and white applications.
Most conventional direct mail programs result in no more than a 1 or 2 percent rate of response, while some personalized variable data marketing programs enjoy a response rate that may be as high as 40 percent. This excellent response rate is directly responsible for increased revenue and a greater market share for a particular product or service.
Success in using variable data printing as a marketing tool depends upon a number of factors including:
One of the most common applications produced with digital printing equipment is direct mail. Variable data, direct mail marketing is replacing generic forms of mass marketing and is one of the most efficient and cost effective methods for an organization to reach individual clients and groups and obtain a greater market share for their products and services.
Printed direct mail applications are still the one of the best methods for attracting business. Digitally printed, personalized postcard formats are among the most popular of the direct mail applications. The compact size of the postcard has many advantages over larger, more elaborate variable data applications. The postcard has the ability to present a personalized message that is short yet it gets noticed. Variable data technology allows direct mail postcards to be targeted to specific clients. Individuals are more apt to take immediate action due to the postcard’s message or they may save the postcards for future reference due to the easy to store size. The small size also makes it easier to pass the card on to others that may have an interest in the message.
Leave a Comment April 19, 2012
I hope you had a relaxing Christmas break, a fun New Year and are now recharged for 2012!
We are now back in the office and available for any quote requests, samples, jobs etc that you may need.
ddp are now offering additional services to compliment the Design & Print side of the business. We have found that by communicating your message in fresh and creative ways your clients are fully engaged and will keep returning.
New services added as follows,
PROMOTIONS – This area of the business will concentrate on promoting clients using multi-media channels. Print is constantly evolving and we have invested in a state of the art Mobile Web & QR Code generating system, this can be used to link your printed items to your online presence. We have also invested in a system to design, create & manage your email marketing. Both systems offer full analytics so you can see what response rates you receive and keep you up to date with changing markets. This is an exciting addition to the business and I will post you further information to read at your leisure.
POST – We have teamed up with local mailing house ‘Postforce’ to offer a full Mailing & Fulfilment service. If you have multiple items to dispatch then we can save you money by using one of our postal discounts or packages. This area of the business will concentrate on Variable Data Print, Direct Mail, Lumpy Mail, Mail Shots & Fulfilment.
By introducing the new areas to the business we have a stronger range of services to help deliver your message to your clients. For further information or assistance feel free to call, click one of the social media links in the side bar or scan the QR Code above to see the Mobile Software in action.
I look forward to working with you in 2012 and supporting your business needs.
Robert McCarthy
Leave a Comment January 4, 2012
In November we had the opportunity to get out and help the National Trust, this was great fun. We helped to regenerate an old Orchard at the Kingston Lacy Estate just outside of Wimborne. We first found out about the project reading the Echo and thought it was a great project to get on board with. In 15 – 20 years time the Orchard will be ready to produce its first crop of cider, can’t wait for a glass from our tree!
Leave a Comment December 16, 2011
Once thought of as a gimmick QR Codes are now proving a powerful tool in marketing and adding value to the print market. Print, once a static commodity that sat on a desk or coffee table unable to offer more than its sole occupation, can now be the window to many diverse and exciting applications.
More and more, QR Codes are changing the way people view print and they are showing how something like a simple business card can open the door to a multimedia experience.
QR Codes can stream line many day to day activities and with a click of a button help with these tasks. Some of the most common links are to,
The possibilities are endless and with a little imagination can be very eye catching. The image below shows a job that we currently have in production, scan the QR Code with your smart phone (you can scan off the screen) and you will be taken to a promotional video. This is a great way to utilise a business card which only has a small print area. The QR code links the client to an overview of what the company can do, no hard sell required, just a link that the customer can refer to at a convenient time. The beauty of this is that your message is now with the client 24/7 and to hand if they require it.
I am now speaking to clients on a daily basis to inform them how they can add a new dimension to their printed material and gain a greater R.O.I from their print. Give me a call to discuss and see what value you can add to your next print project.
Leave a Comment October 11, 2011
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