Mailing Systems Technology - September/October 2008 - (Page 27) Take advantage of postal regulations and consider using sizes such as a 6 x 9, #10 or #14 instead of a 9 x 12 to reduce costs and stand out in the mail. Your creative team should be up to speed on postal rates and envelope sizes, shapes, etc. before they ever start designing the message inside and the envelope that will carry it. • Make sure your print production manager is knowledgeable about postal regulations and costs, paper, coatings, varnishes and printing options: o Offset printing provides the best color and image reproduction when envelope artwork features photos, halftones and fine screens. Sheets are printed first, then die-cut and folded. Flood coverage, full bleeds, tight traps and close registration are a snap with offset. Full-color offset printed envelopes are considered the “gold standard” of direct mail envelopes, providing rich, brilliant color, more paper choices, coating for scuff resistance and visual effects. o Flexographic or flexo printing is done while the envelopes are being folded. Flexo quality is good, but it’s not always suited for sharp halftones and fine screens. If Flexo meets your quality standards, it can be very cost-effective, especially for long runs. o JET printing, printing pre-folded envelopes in an off-line process, is best suited for small runs of already converted envelopes. Copy can’t wrap from face to back, bleeds can’t go to the edge or too close to a window, and registration can be imprecise. Not as many colors can be printed at one time as with other processes. Jobs with heavy ink coverage can smear. • A template makes the designer’s task easier, helping him or her to be mindful of how each design fits onto an envelope blank. Envelope size, construction, fold location, gum lines, flap shape, window positions and bleeds all come into play. Starting with a template means knowing precisely how much bleed to add and how close copy can come to a window or perimeter edge. It means less preproduction re-work, getting proofs faster and avoiding folding and mailing problems. Envelope dies vary among converters, so always start with a template from the converter folding the job. According to the EMA’s Because It’s Personal study, among the top 10 reasons consumers want to look inside an envelope are “stands out from other mail,” “sense of urgency,” “message written outside” and “know what it’s about.” Consumers are three times as likely to pay attention to direct mail sent to their home than they are unsolicited email, Internet banner and pop-up ads, telephone calls to their home, person coming to their door, text messages and mobile phone messages combined. And they pay more attention to marketing materials sent in an envelope than they do information sent on a postcard or flyer. With all the respect consumers give envelopes, it’s high time we elevate envelopes to their proper status as an integral part of the direct marketing mix. Ed Glaser is Director of Marketing at ColorTree. Contact him via email at eglaser@colortreeva.com or by calling 804-545-2566. ColorTree of Virginia is a manufacturer and printer of full-color direct mail envelopes. For more information, visit www.colortreeva.com. WWW.MAILINGSYSTEMSTECHNOLOGY.COM | SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER 2008 27 http://www.colortreeva.com http://www.MailingSystemsTechnology.com
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