Digital print used to be a fairly restrictive process. It was great for short runs, smaller formats and simple folding styles. Quality was good but not as good as offset, paper choice was limited and the glossy look of the toner was unmistakable. Times have changed, however.

The line between digital and conventional print has blurred and digital is better than ever. Not only has the quality become almost indistinguishable from offset print, the color is amazing, the variety of digitally-qualified papers has exploded, small format digital is moving to larger formats, and the technology of print finishing has caught up as well. High-speed automated folding machines can execute challenging folding configurations at the push of a button. Even highly complex direct mail pieces can be executed inline, taking them from a preprinted web to cut, fold, glue and conversion to a finished product in a single pass.

As a matter of fact, I was in Boston recently to check out some of the latest and greatest in automated finishing equipment at the Standard Finishing Systems National Demonstration Center. Click here to watch the video.

The technology of digital is its strength, as is the ability to create individualized print materials. There is tremendous value in using customer data to customize targeted mailings. This technique, one that many of us know as Variable Data Publishing (VDP) uses various software technologies to pull information from a database to customize the message or graphics in a printed piece. Combine VDP with other technologies such as Personalized URLs (PURLs) or QR codes and behold—the power of print!

From a print finishing perspective, the biggest challenges with digital print are static between the sheets, toner buildup on the rollers of the folding machine, and cracking at the fold. Your printer or print finisher will utilize industry-proven techniques to avoid these common issues, however if you have heavy coverage across folds, you should bring up the topic of scoring because the decision at times is subjective.

One important note: Not all printers have the same equipment, so it pays not to make assumptions. Just because machines exist that can automate an entire complex mailpiece inline, that doesn’t mean your printer has access to it. Some printers have limitations of size and folding style, so ask a lot of questions. Below is a list of questions to ask your printer before your next digitally-printed project.

Questions to ask your printer:

What is the maximum printable area of the sheet?

Are you offering any technology services that might enhance my project, such as variable data, PURLs or QR codes?

Can my project (and budget) benefit from any inline finishing processes that you offer?

Are there any limitations from a folding perspective?

Should I consider a varnish or coating to reduce the likelihood of scuffing?

At what quantity would my project be better suited to offset printing?

Are you looking for a new idea for a tradeshow leave-behind? Look no further than the 60 Second Super Cool Fold of the Week for the Long Triangle Fold. This collateral piece was designed by The Whitmore Print Group from Baltimore Maryland and created for Edge Technologies in Fairfax, Virgina.

Enjoy!

Join Trish on her 100th episode as she shows us how to create a super cool direct mail piece from Hyundai. This is another good example of how direct mail can be powerful and innovative and can help your customers impress their target audience.

Yurchak Printing, Inc. was founded in 1998 in the heart of Amish country (Landisville, Pennsylvania). Its goal was to offer high-quality, short-run digital book manufacturing services to the publishing industry, manufacturing and service companies, professional associations, government agencies, and colleges and universities. The company sought to provide a service portfolio that managed the document lifecycle and extended the value of publications.

Yurchak Printing’s service offerings were created to fulfill a need brought about by the digital age. By creating innovative solutions, Founder and CEO John Yurchak, Jr. has built an organization that is a leader in digital short-run book manufacturing. The company specializes in solutions for the production of directories, periodicals, journals, reference books, fine edition books, illustrated books, bibles, children’s books, bound galleys, and university press books. Yurchak Printing deals with run lengths from 1 to 1,500.

It Starts with a Vision

With over 40 years of observing the marketplace, John Yurchak had great intuition about market trends. He notes, “beginning in the mid-1980s, I saw that print runs were getting shorter and shorter. As volumes got smaller, the equipment I used – along with the associated plates, negatives, presses, and high labor and finishing costs – got to be very cumbersome. With the advent of digital printing in the 1990s, I saw a new opportunity to compete with short-run offset work. I saw a new market opening in short-run book publishing.”

Keeping Up with the Changing Market

End-users of hardcopy reference materials include colleges, universities, accounting firms, attorneys, and the medical field. Publishers want to print smaller quantities on demand to eliminate costly storage. There is also intense pressure to keep content up-to-date, requiring continual content modifications and driving shorter runs. According to Yurchak, “Even with all the information available on the Internet, there is a niche market for quantities ranging from 10 to 1,000 that require a short turnaround time. People want loose-leaf, hard-bound, and perfect bound reference materials.”

Lightweight Stocks with Blazing Speed

Yurchak went on to say, “We partnered with Océ for a number of reasons. With our focus on reference materials, printing on lightweight paper has become our specialty. For continuous printing on lightweight paper, Océ was the unquestionable choice.”

A flexible and powerful workflow was key for the quick delivery of a variety of jobs. Océ automated the book production software capabilities, providing Yurchak with a more hands-free, lower-cost approach. This translated into fewer errors, less manual handling, greater service consistency, and more accurate monitoring.

 The best print quality is critical for Yurchak customers. The company uses a variety of Océ devices, including the ColorStream 10000 Flex with Hunkeler Finishing, VarioPrint 6250, and VarioStream 9230 with Hunkeler Finishing. Yurchak explained, “Charts and graphs are important for scientific materials, but math books require clear images for formulas. We need quality without compromise, and Océ has delivered.”

 John Yurchak, Jr. had a tremendous vision when digital print was still in its infancy, but Océ has helped his company move to the next level. He concludes, “Océ hardware and software solutions have helped us create an exceptional business in the highly competitive world of digital publishing.”

Learn more about Yurchak, Printing Inc. by watching the video below!

For Print Providers who specialize in direct mail pieces, the challenge to come up with something new and interesting for your customers can be daunting. However, if you can create something that your customer has never seen before and something that is sure to excite their target audience – you can be sure that they will continue coming to you for direct mail solutions. Check out the Super Cool Fold of the Week for innovative direct mail ideas. In this week’s edition, learn how to create this cube design pioneered by Schmitz Press in Baltimore and produced for the Maryland Institute College of Art.

By David Smith

In the past, and for many companies currently, check printing has been slow and expensive. Checks required special stocks, MICR printing – often on dedicated machines or slower mixed-use machines. When checks are only part of the mailing, this often means a separate matching step that further slows down the process. Ideally, checks would be printed in-line with the rest of a job on the same paper and at high speed. This has been a challenge in the past due to the resolution and droplet control on inkjet devices as well as the lack of MICR capabilities.

The challenge of printing checks digitally from a blank roll at relatively high speeds has been overcome due to the higher resolution of the Drop-On -Demand (DOD) print heads and the development of a jettable MICR ink. Resolution of 600 X 600 is now very common at speeds of up to 600 feet per minute when producing output that doesn’t require MICR, but when printing checks the speeds are more in the 400 feet per minute range. While these speeds are not comparable to the offset space, they are significantly faster than the traditional cutsheet and continuous EP devices commonly used to produce checks digitally. With the higher speeds, and the ability to print from a virgin roll, the overall cost of check production can be significantly reduced using the latest high speed DOD printers. 

Jetting the MICR ink initially caused a significant reduction in print head life, but manufacturers have been able to resolve the excessive wear issues through improvements to the print heads plates. Other recent breakthroughs in the production of digital checks from a blank roll include:

• Integration of selective perfing equipment
• Ability to use a 20# bond or 50# offset sheet
• Digital pantographs
• Micro printing
• Drop out inks

The ability to use a 20# sheet can significantly reduce your postage spend in a multistage per envelope scenario.  At DST Output, initially we were advised that we would be required to use a 24# sheet, but in our testing and in the validation process we discovered that a 20# sheet meets all bank processing requirements.  The use of a digital pantograph, drop out ink and a micro print line meets the three security features requirement allowing for use of the Padlock icon on your digital checks.  The digital pantograph is a license that needs to be purchased annually at the printer level and each printer needs to be individually Check Payment Systems Association (CPSA) certified.  

In testing the MICR signal strength at DST Output over a 18 month period, the readability level has far exceeded CPSA specifications and is consistently better than what we experienced using EP printers.  In those 18 months of check printing we have produced over 10 million checks without a reported issue in terms of readability from our client’s service provider.  We are now printing checks at 800 pages per minute versus 150 pages per minute and our costs on white paper at that speed are quite a bit lower than what they were on preprint.  Getting more mail produced in one day has the added benefit of increasing postal density and reducing postal costs for our clients.

Overall, digital check printing on white paper has become an everyday non-issue allowing for reduced cost and quality that meets or exceeds US banking requirements.  

David Smith is the Operations Director for DST Output in El Dorado Hills California.

Even though the USPS is struggling, and digital and social media are all the rage, direct mail is seeing renewed interest and technological advancement—for good reason. Printed material in the mailbox, done right, is still the preferred and most effective way to reach a customer. The key to whether or not the opportunity is a wasted one comes down to format and technique. I’ll give you an example:

Recently, I was involved in a collaboration with Sappi Fine Paper. I provided content for their highly acclaimed educational publication series The Standard Volume 4: Scoring & Folding (you can obtain a free copy of the publication by clicking here).

To launch the project, we did a seven-city speaking tour, which included myself and world-famous designer Kit Hinrichs, who was responsible for the design of the piece. Sappi sent out a save the date email blast in each city, which received some response. They followed it up with an exotic “Twist Fold” direct mailpiece in a brightly colored envelope, and the RSVPs skyrocketed the day that piece hit mailboxes. Hundreds showed up at each venue for the events. Print can be powerful.

For this instance, the concept was on target, the design was great, the fold was interesting, and the envelope was attention-grabbing. This was a special piece mailed to a targeted audience and they got the response they were looking for. So, is the moral of the story that you have to spend a lot of money, use a funky fold and an envelope that screams to get good results these days? Of course not. The lesson here is that email alone won’t cut it. Print alone may not cut it, either, but good design and smart decisions along the way can save money, while getting you the response that justifies the expenditure.

Here are a few tips:

• If you want to use an interesting folding style, go for it—but do your research first. Some folds that are generally hand-folded can in many cases be finished by machine if the quantity is high enough. There are specialty binderies that can do this kind of work. On the flip side, if your quantity is low, the expense of hand folding isn’t a very big deal.
•  The Sappi piece finished to a square format, which we all know is more expensive from a mailing perspective, but there are many, many interesting folding configurations that can finish to rectangular formats that fit within USPS aspect ratio. Why spend an extra $.20 per piece if you don’t have to? This tip seems like common sense, but I have samples in my folding collection that miss aspect ratio by 1/8 inch. What a careless and costly mistake.
•  Make sure your list is clean. It sounds obvious, but if your mailing list isn’t current or targeted, then you’re wasting money. The goal should be to spend an appropriate amount of money on a quality piece that is sent to a clean list of targeted customers.  
• For self-mailing pieces, watch fold placement. If the folds are vertical, the lead edge (the edge to the right of the mailing address) must be closed. Other edges must be closed or tabbed. If the fold is on the horizontal, the fold should be below the mailing address. Also, mailing address should always be parallel to the longest dimension. Defy these rules and you can kiss your ROI goodbye to the tune of an additional $.20 per piece non-machinable surcharge.
• Utilize as much automation as possible. Ask your printer how you can maximize the efficiency of your direct mail projects. Many have invested in inline finishing equipment that can score, perf, slit, glue and fold inline. Any time you can automate the process, you can save money. And automation doesn’t necessarily mean limited creativity, either. There are some very sophisticated computerized folding machines that can blow through gate folds, stepped accordions, and lots of other interesting configurations. If you’re printing digitally, various forms of customization can be very effective and efficient with some advanced planning. 
• Don’t forget about the envelope. A great printed piece can be overlooked in a boring envelope. Consider full color printing, personalization, custom windows or pulls—do something to get attention and motivate the recipient. 
• Spend money to make money. If you’re going to put in the effort and expense to produce and mail a piece, shouldn’t it represent your best efforts? Maybe you saved money with a cheap sheet, a tri-fold format, and a #10 envelope, but if nobody noticed, didn’t you ultimately lose a lot more than you saved? 
• Lastly, don’t get caught up in gimmicks. It can be tempting to go in the other direction and pull out all the stops, but there must be balance. A really cool folding style with a confusing message will just end up in somebody’s “cool idea file” or maybe even their “circular file.” A successful direct mailer involves many components and those components must work together to send the right message and provoke a call to action. For best results, resist the urge to get sidetracked solely on “wow-factor” and focus on the objectives and the quality presentation of your content.

By leveraging current technology, marketers can use print as a way to create a dialogue in B2C communications. Send an email, then a targeted print piece with a PURL, a microsite or QR code to increase points of contact and gather more information about the customer’s interests. In doing this, they’re saying goodbye to the old-school “spray and pray” direct mail methodology and choosing to spend more on the piece to ensure its visibility and return on investment. So what does folding have to do with it? Successful direct mail involves the alignment of several variables, and choice of folding style is one of these variables, however so is color palette, text and imagery, paper choice, layout, format and even schedule. Below is a list of questions addressing machinability for direct mail. I’ll be posting in the future about envelope choice, tips, tricks and techniques to help you get the most out of your DM investment.

Is one fold better than another at getting the most into a standard letter envelope?

Not really. There are always different configurations for folding paper that can get a very large amount of information into a compact size. When designing for folded materials, what is most important is to focus on the organization and reveal of the content so that it does not confuse the recipient, and the placement of critical marketing messages. I always suggest that you mock up your layout and hand it to a few people to make sure the message is properly communicated. If your small test group doesn’t get it, your mailing audience won’t get it, either, and you should rework your layout and test again.

What are the most effective machinable folds for direct mail?

The key to successful machine production for direct mail is closed edges. Perfect example – the accordion fold is notoriously problematic for both self-mailing and for auto-inserting. The trouble is caused by the format—accordions don’t have a closed edge. The open sides make it very difficult, if not impossible, to auto insert, and if it’s self-mailing it’ll need four tabs to seal both sides. Expensive and unattractive. However, if you choose a wrapped accordion (see illustration), you get the accordion experience you’re looking for with its pull-out panels, but you also get a closed edge, which changes the tab requirement and offers a closed edge for inserting. So, sometimes you can get what you want with a little creativity.

How important is machinability for direct mail?

I’ll answer a question with a question: How important is it that you don’t throw money away? I see it all the time—a really great design built in a format that instantly adds a .20 per piece non-machinable surcharge to the mailing budget. Why???? I have samples in my collection that miss USPS aspect ratio by 1/8 inch. It’s silly. What a mindless and costly mistake. In my opinion, there are two things to consider when talking about machine production—machinability of the fold and machinability for mailing. Unless you don’t care at all about the budget, ideally, you should aim for a maximum of one of the two options, but never both. For example, if you’re printing a fairly short run, you may choose a unique folding style that has to be hand folded, but you should try to produce it in a format that is within USPS aspect ratio. Or, similar scenario, design a machinable fold in a square format if you must, however, your most efficient solution will always be machinable fold in a machinable mail format.

Editors Note:  You can find more ideas from Trish at the foldfactory 3-D sample library and watch short videos of hundreds of folding ideas that will be sure to add some variety to the everyday. 

You can pack a lot of information into a compact package with this cool accordian z fold from Z Card. See more of their cool stuff at www.zcardna.com Take a look!

I found this diemensional promo piece in a Sheraton hotel room. It has different lenght panels with half inch tabs glued to the center. It makes a super-cool reveal – take a look!

Below is the embed code for this week’s fold: Sheraton Dimensional Promo Piece

It’s hard to believe, but to date I’ve done more than 80 Fold of the Week videos. The shirts that have become my trademark have been very popular with my viewers, and I get a lot of questions and comments about them. Many ask if I repeat the shirts, or of they’re new every time. It’s hard to believe, but they are new every week. And, just when I think I might run out of clever folding slogans, my mind sends me a nice little burst of ideas to get me through the next 5 or six videos. Even better, sometimes my viewers send me great shirt slogans to use. For those who don’t believe I could come up with 83 fun folding saying, I give you my list as proof.

And if you like these slogans, check out our new foldfactoryGEAR store.

Get t-shirts and mugs with your favorite folding slogans on them. And, if you don’t see your favorite, contact me at trish@foldfactory.com and I’ll add yours to the store.

1. Fold That Thought
2. Respect the Fold
3. Folds Never Get Old
4. Stop Talking Start Folding
5. Folding Knowledge is Power
6. Where’d you get that fold?
7. That’s Fold-tastic
8. I fold you so
9. Fold and Prosper
10. Think before you fold
11. Send me your folds
12. Rock and Fold
13. Be a bolder folder
14. Keep foldin’ on
15. Fold it or lose it
16. Think outside the Tri-fold
17. Know when to fold ‘em
18. Holy fold!
19. This fold’s for you
20. FOLD=LOVE
21. Will work for folding samples
22. Keep your paws off my fold
23. Stop, Drop and Fold
24. Don’t just hold it, fold it
25. Everything’s better when it’s FOLDED
26. Gimme back my fold
27. Folding Power
28. So many folds, so little time
29. Folding is a state of mind
30. It’s Foldin’ time
31. a FOLD to BEHOLD
32. It’s a “fold” thing
33. Get your Fold on
34. Gimme the fold and nobody gets hurt
35. I don’t do origami
36. Today I feel like a: Roll fold
37. Make Folds Not War
38. Broaden Your Folding Horizons
39. It’s Folding Appreciation Day
40. Mind your own Fold
41. FOLDMANIA
42. Fold for Life
43. Have you Hugged a fold today?
44. Just fold it.
45. What happens in the bindery, stays in the bindery
46. Please pass the fold
47. Folds for all!
48. Folding is not a job, it’s a lifestyle
49. Folds “R” Us
50. Git ‘er folded
51. Think finishing at the beginning
52. What the fold?
53. Fold for thought
54. Let me fold that for you
55. Back in the fold
56. Lights, Camera . . . Fold!
57. Fold-a-rama
58. Frequent Folder
59. A fold to feel good about
60. It’s bring a fold to work day
61. I fold paper, not laundry
62. Honk if you love folding
63. What’s your folding IQ?
64. Thanks for folding
65. Trish is my name, folding’s my game
66. CAUTION: Folding Zone
67. Old folds never die, they just crack under the pressure
68. You gonna fold that?
69. It’s all in the way you fold it.
70. Another Day, another awesome fold.
71. Foldin’ is Golden
72. The world runs on folding
73. The best things in life are folded
74. Folding is as folding does
75. pholdin’ it
76. For the love of folding
77. Fold Freak
78. Life’s too short for bad folding
79. Folding Nirvana
80. I fold therefore I am
81. Folding makes the world go ’round
82. There’s a fold in your future

CJ Graphics in Toronto produced this 16 page booklet with Stitched-in Folded insert. Check it out:

Folding Makes the World Go ‘Round!

Wow! It’s Folding Nirvana (check the T-Shirt). This video shows a super-cool direct mail piece and includes cost and production details. It’s not a proprietary fold but it does require some hands work. If you’ve got a clean, well targeted list this is worth serious consideration. Check it out.

This example is from ColorTree Marketing Solutions by way of FoldFactory.com. If you’re interested in efficient, completely automated folds for digitally printed direct mail – take a look:

As always, super-cool!

Here’s an example of the “checkbook fold” sent by Papermonkey all the way from Australia.

Pretty tough to automate – but still super-cool for driving response. Take a look: