Impressions - Digital Decorator - Summer 2014 - 35

In the past, various techniques were used - including
"peel-n-stick" and heat-bonding solutions, which typically
yielded low-quality products that were prone to scratching,
peeling and cracking. Essentially, a photo was printed onto
some type of bondable material, which was then applied
directly to the surface of the item being decorated. Though
the process was quick and easy, the quality just wasn't there
- especially in the long term. It was OK for home hobby applications, but not for commercial production. With the advent of
high-resolution digital transfer systems such as sublimation,
everything changed.
Today there are several reliable digital transfer processes
that rely on inkjet and laser printers, plus specialty systems
such as ultraviolet (UV) printing and sublimation. A key factor
is matching blanks to applications, as there is no one type of
digital ink that bonds to every surface. Thus, when researching
equipment, pay close attention to what can be decorated and
the range of products that is available.

MARKETING TO THE HEART
Regardless of the digital process you decide to use, creative
marketing is key for making the highest margins. This begins
by ﬁguring out how to play on people's emotions. Remember,
you don't want to take advantage of them, but rather get their
attention in a positive way that captures their hearts while getting them to ignore their brains. Your product is only worth
what customers perceive it to be worth to them. Therefore,
your goal is to raise their perceived value to your level of pricing rather than dropping your pricing to a poorly perceived
value of worth on the customers' part.
How do you develop a line of proﬁtable consumer products?
Start by focusing on the emotional aspects of the situation as
seen through the eyes (and heart strings) of customers.
For example, consider an image on a cell phone case. To you
and me, it could simply be a cell phone cover with a picture
of a cute young child along with her name. But to the grandparents, this is an important memory that captures a moment
and preserves it forever in a format that can easily be used to
show her off to others. That, of course, raises the perceived
value into the $30-plus range. It's the emotional aspect that is
driving the price, not a formula.
If you are a creative marketer, you can put together all kinds
of other angles to accompany this. For example, if you were
creating this for a parent or grandparent, there may be other
children who are near and dear to them. Thus, make sure they
have a different cover for proﬁ ling each one. (Some manufacturers offer packaged blanks that consist of one frame and
multiple inserts.)

In the world
of advertising
specialties, the
most effective
products get
used frequently,
such that a
given brand gets
frequent visual
attention. One
of the best ways
to do that is by
creating a personalized promotional product.
Photo courtesy
of Sawgrass
Technologies

LOOK TOWARD TOMORROW
Generating future sales is just as important as maximizing
the initial sale. A simple way to do this is to customize products with a date, as in many cases it will make the initial image
obsolete in the near future, causing the customer to ﬁ nd it necessary to update and replace the original item.
PRESENTED BY IMPRESSIONS

SUMMER 2014 § 35

Impressions - Digital Decorator - Summer 2014

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