What's that Lassie? Grampa got lost at Kinkos?

Have you ever felt like Grampa? Trapped at the print shop knowing only one thing - that printing this project is going to cost a lot of money? Well, if Lassie could talk, type, and knew something about printing here’s what she might tell you.

Arf, arf, arf, (English, Lassie in English). Well, in my opinion, for small runs and budget conscious business owners, there are three cost effective ways you can produce your printed promotional material - offset printing, high-speed duplicating, and colour photocopying.

Offset printing is a traditional form of printing requiring printing plates, paper or metal, and is used for one to four colour printing. The larger the run the more cost effective but be prepared for plate preparation and set up charges. The more colours you have the more you’ll have to pay. The minimum run for offset printing is between 500 or 1,000 copies.

High-speed duplicating is a technologically advanced cousin of the photocopier. Producing press-like quality and it is terrific for documents and runs under 300 copies. There are other options that let you place graphics, photos and text without traditional scanning methods. They both have features that can enhance your hardcopy printouts, sharpen photo images, insert covers and customized dividers. Some duplicators can even bind your document!

Colour photocopying is the most cost efficient method for producing small runs of full colour promotional materials. High quality. No plates or preparation required. You can print from a hardcopy or directly from your disk. Perfect for adding colour to black and white documents, reproducing photographs and producing magazine-like quality products. Some nifty features include colour matching, image merging and converting smaller documents, like a business card or flyer, to poster or banner size.

Whatever option you choose make sure you call for quotes. Printing is a highly competitive field so ensure you get the most bark for your bite. Woof!