Recently several of my clients have been asking about their logo files and which is the “print” one. They have also been asking, “Is this photo large enough for our newsletter?” I happened to write about both questions last year and thought it would be helpful to share those links again. Another question I want to tackle, for my non-profits, is invitation printing costs.

Let’s start with your logo, back in March 2013, I wrote “Making Sense of Logo File Formats: Learning What’s What” it goes on to say each media platform (i.e., print, website, social media, email) has its own needs. There is no “one size fits all” file. Click here for a few common file types you should have in your master logo folder. And, if you want, I will review your current logos and revise their file names to have “web” or “print” on the end so you always know which is which.

“How to tell if you have high- or lo-resolution art or photos and will it print well” helps you figure out if your jpeg is large enough for your print newsletter or annual report. Click here for more on that.

Lastly, one client asked me, “Why are invitations so darn expensive?” Well, they don’t have to be but that depends on many factors. My first questions would be: how big is the event and what does it cost to attend? That will start to determine if you can quickly create an evite or if you need to print up an elaborate package with several components such as invite, envelope, reply, reply envelope, maybe even tissue inserts and other add ons. Obviously a gala where attendees are paying a premium to attend one simply cannot use an evite, but you can control paper stock and utilize press efficient sizes. These can help lower the cost of printing as well as postage. I spoke with one of my mail house experts, Laurie Kleinhenz, and asked her thoughts on invitations. She said for a mailing over 500 pieces, you should consider machine stuffing the components versus hand inserting. The difference being you need a half inch of clearance for machine inserting versus a quarter or eighth of an inch by hand. The look of the package changes with the looser fit, but the savings may be worth it. Another option to consider is presorting with a live stamp versus first class because you get the second ounce free. As soon as you go over one ounce with a live stamp, postage jumps from 49¢ to 70¢. But with presorting (depending on the mailing list) postage for up to two ounces falls to between 38¢ and 46¢. Then I spoke with my friends over at Corporate Color printing to see what they recommend. We discussed odd sizes versus standard sizes. A square-shaped mailing costs about 20% more to print than a rectangular-shaped one, and the postage costs more, too. The difference between an A10 package or an A7 in mailings under 5000 is not that much, but the smaller size may help a little so you can use a nicer paper stock. These are a few ideas on where to start the conversation for your next invitation.