Is your message getting lost in the digital world

Its very noisy and busy out there in cyberspace.

So many emails, so many adverts following you around the Internet, is your message getting lost.

Print is going through a revival process at the moment, almost seeming retro. The market place has changed dramatically and probably for the better. It makes us all think differently, especially about getting our message heard.

The most successful multi channel campaigns are integrated with print. Although digital and physical marketing should be targeting in a different way, they should also be working together for the common good.

Print has a great advantage over digital. It can be touched, played with, smelt, explored. Some of the best work we have produced here plays on these senses to make campaigns more interesting. Print is no longer just a simple leaflet of brochure. By using finishes such as in line coatings you can cost effectively have a visual and tactile impact on your print.

One of our latest projects include a direct mail campaign with a branded combination lock. You have to physically unlock the information that's waiting for you. Only then can the powerful design and high quality print do its job. You are engaged with the message and you want play with it, show your friends. The chances of it ending up being binned straight away are very slim. You will come back to the same piece again and again. Imagine being sent the same email over and over again, do you think you would even bother to open it?

To make print work it has to be innovative and creative. The information that is available about our ideal customers means we don't have to produce massive print runs in the hope some of it arrives at the right person. We can be more targeted, reduce the print run and use the money saved to be a bit more interesting.

Work with your printer to get your ideas produced in a cost effective way, get them to help you bring your ideas to life. Don't be afraid of boundaries, its amazing how many ideas we have made work with just a little thought and effort. Certainly don't be told that it cant be done!

Be seen, be heard, get it printed.

Right tools for the job

I'm terrible at DIY. 

My biggest problem is that I don't have many tools so when I do come to do a little job around the house, I never have the right equipment. I usually spend hours trying to work with what i have got, wasting a lot of time and getting very frustrated. 


Then I end up rushing about form one DIY store to another, just as they are closing on a Saturday afternoon, trying to get what I need.

If I had planned what I wanted to do in advance, talked to the right people and invested in the right equipment, I might have had a more relaxing weekend!

Its the same when you are trying to produce creative and innovative marketing campaigns.

By talking to the right printer early enough, you can get help and advice on the best way to bring your ideas to life.

By choosing the wrong printer, you could end up diluting your ideas and ending up with a final product that was not anywhere near what you were wanting to produce.

By choosing a printer that is passionate about pushing the boundaries and trying new methods enables you to be more creative. It gives your campaign the ability to grab your audiences attention in the way you want.

By getting involved in the early stages of creative, your printer can advise on different methods and materials that will get you the best result in the most cost effective manor.

Don't be afraid of asking for ball park costs early on either, this way you can determine if a project is going to be affordable within a budget. And if it's not, ask the printer to work with you on coming up with a cost effective option that will work.

After all, they are the experts and have a wealth of experience for you to draw upon.


If you do involve your printer early enough, it can also reduce your lead times so when a project becomes urgent, your printer is in a much better position to react and meet a tight delivery date.

By doing this you will build a stronger relationship with your printer so when you don't have time to plan in advance, you will be in a better position with your printer to react quickly and still achieve the results you want in the time scale you need.

Two Ten or not Two Ten

Are you looking for ways to reduce the cost of your print projects?

You could reduce the weight or spec of the stock you are using but will that cheapen your brand? But what about reducing the page size of your brochure?

Moving from 297 x 210 to 210 x 210 could save 30% of your paper cost which nowadays equates to a huge proportion of your print cost. Depending on your project, this could be a substantial amount you could save.

But you don't have to go as far as 210 x 210. By taking advantage of our larger than B1 maximum sheet size you can be even more creative. 

A page size 252 x 178 would reduce your paper cost by 34% but only reduce the size of your A4 brochure by 15%.

And why not look at one of our luxury in line coatings. These can offer a real alternative to a laminate and are considerably cheaper. Our very own Rubbacoat is our latest offering, giving you a tactile, rubbery feel very close to the effect of soft touch laminate. 
Best of all, these coatings are water based so environmentally are a better choice. If you would like to see some samples then just let us know.

We love the jobs everyone else hates!

When your trying to be creative and create something a little different, its frustrating when all get back from your printers is a negative response.

You wont find that here at Central Colour as we go out of our way to make your ideas work. We know how much time and resource goes into developing a concept so we do all we can to make it a reality.

We have an army of enthusiastic technical engineers and specialist finishers all passionate about print and packaging. We offer advice and a comprehensive mock up facility so we can refine your projects all the way, making sure you get the most out of your marketing budgets.

Some of our recent challenges include a mailer with a combination padlock, a landscape folder with soft closing magnets and brochures affixed to give an opening size of over 1300mm and curved, one piece pillow pack.

From simple mailers to complex packaging Central Colour are a creative printer with a flexible 'can do' attitude. Some of the country's leading brands and creative agencies benefit from our expertise, enthusiasm and quality to provide outstanding and innovative results, recognising the difference we can make to their products and services within the cost restraints that we all have to work within.

For any help and advice on your next project, just get in touch

Your special?

Whats your special? Ours is Pantone 389 and 432.

There are many great advantages using a special Pantone colour rather than just 4 colour process.

Firstly you can achieve a stronger more vibrant colour. Some Pantone colours you can get close to out of CMYK but other colours are just a mile away. Just have a look at Pantone Orange 012 in your swatch book and compare that to the CMYK verison. All the intensity of the colour has been lost in the CMYK translation.

If consistency is key to your brand then this will work for you. By printing your corporate colour out of CMYK you are running the risk of the colour varying from page to page, especially if your 4 colour images are also important.

If you use more than one printer, you can ensure consistency across all of your marketing collateral and have the confidence that it will be matched to a specific colour.

This year marks the 50th anniversary of Pantone being the universal language of colour and as part of the celebrations they are releasing some limited edition packs with the new guides incorporating 336 new colours that were released last year.

If your chosen colour does not have a specific pantone colour then why not create your own and have an ink created to match a specific item already produced. This colour will be given a unique reference number and colour matching swatch for your printers to ensure an accurate reproduction.

Its like a car showroom in here!

This morning was an early start with one of our new customers press passing at 7.30am. While giving a brief tour of our factory it was a great chance to show off some of the fantastic and creative work we are currently working on.

What became apparent was the amount of different car manufacturers that had entrusted us with their marketing campaigns. We currently have work on the factory floor for Volkswagen, Hyundai  Porsche  Skoda, Jaguar Landrover, Vauxhall, Seat and not forgetting Bentley.

The work is varied from simple mailers, top secret product launches, posters, presentation packaging and brochures.

One of the reasons we are so successful in this market place is down to our creative thinking and flexible approach to production. You don't often hear us say it cant be done or there isnt enough time. Usually its count me in, how can we make this idea work!

Our High Definition screening along with our colour management expertise enables us to really show off product detail and colour, something that's worked really well for this industry.

We are always keen to find a solution and bring ideas too life and love working on projects as the ideas are developing.

If you would like to see some of the great work we have been producing (or are unsure what car to get next!), you know where to come.

Prints evolving.

You often hear people talking about the demise of print, how much of an old fashioned way of communication it is. You wont be surprised to hear me say that I disagree but then have you looked at how to get the most from print in today's digital world?

This video from Augmented Reality developers, Daqri show just what is possible with a little imagination.

Print is not dead, but we do need to think about how the get the best out of it. Making sure that it works alongside all you other marketing activities is important but more important is how to make sure it engages with your target audience.

If you are looking at a new rug, why cant you place the brochure on the floor where you want the rug to go, hover your ipad over it and see exactly what it would look like in your own front room?

What will that new sofa look like over in that corner - same principle, the real 'try before your buy'!

The list is endless in ways you can incorporate the fantastic benefits of modern technology and really bring print to life.

Top Manchester Agency, True North, have been involved in a virtual awards ceremony. Buy using a poster that links to a unique film each time an award is announced.

Augmented reality brings the best of the virtual world and the benefits of something tangible you can hold in your hand together. It enables you to be even more creative, to use different textures and finishes but still integrate with other marketing activities.

So what are you waiting for, lets make print work, lets really bring print to life.