How Do You Plan A Project? From The End to the Start!

Talking to your printer while in the planning stage of a project can often save you time, money and perhaps show you options you might not have considered. Allow Athens Printing to help you from the very start and it will improve your entire experience.

We always ask specific questions up front, and they’re usually the ones that many put at the bottom of their lists. However, any successful project is actually planned backwards.

First Question: When do you need it in your hands?

Answer: It all depends on the purpose of the piece. Are you giving it out at an event, or to invite people to an event?  Will it need to be shipped anywhere? How much do you have budgeted for shipping (in case of Saturday delivery)?  If it will be mailed, the shape, design and weight of the piece will all factor into the mailing cost, and should be approved by a mail house during the design process. The paper stock you choose has an impact on weight and print time, so creating a printed dummy with the actual paper is a very helpful step.

Once you’ve addressed final destination and deadline, we move to quantity.

Are they handouts for a conference? Organizers can provide you with attendance numbers from the previous years, but you must determine how the information will be distributed. Do you want everyone to take one, or is it a more focused effort, and only those truly interested will receive collateral?
Will this be a pocket folder to use for a few years, and you don’t see the information changing?

Higher quantities will save you in the long run.

Business cards for a new small business? 500 will be plenty, and you can change information in the next run.

Color cards can be turned in a few days, even with edits.

This leads us to color: Black only, CMYK, Pantone inks, metallic? It’s a fun sea of choices, but can be an overwhelming process.  If there will be a main logo, you can take cues from the colors used for the rest of the piece. Many well-recognized brands use colors that are complementary to their logo to create a visually exciting piece, rather than sticking to only the colors in their logo.

Your paper choice will also affect how the colors look. They will be brighter on a white sheet, and more subdued on a natural or cream stock.

In our next entry, we’ll talk more about paper choices, how to build time into your project for design, and bindery and finishing processes.

We’d love to hear your comments or questions!

Happy Planning!