Digital Print Archives - Modern Litho

Modern Litho-St. Louis Strengthens Market-Defining Direct Mail Capabilities with Key Talent Acquisition

Kyle Caraway — Wed, 22 Jan 2025 01:00:00 +0000

Rich Graham

Director -Direct Mail Division, Modern Litho - St. Louis

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

Modern Litho-St. Louis Strengthens Market-Defining Direct Mail Capabilities with Key Talent Acquisition

ST. LOUIS, MO, JANUARY 22, 2025 - Modern Litho, a leading full-service publication and commercial printer, today announces a significant expansion of its direct mail capabilities at its St. Louis location. The company has recently onboarded several key employees with extensive industry experience in direct mail, enhancing its ability to deliver high-quality solutions.

Among the new additions is Richie Graham, a seasoned professional 33-year industry veteran with a strong background in direct mail sales and operations. Graham's impressive track record includes owning and managing a successful St. Louis-based direct mail company, as well as delivering top sales results.

This strategic move brings a wealth of expertise to Modern Litho St. Louis, including:
•Advanced direct mail proficiency
•Sophisticated data processing skills
•Comprehensive warehouse management experience

"We are thrilled to welcome these talented professionals to our team," said Skip Bray, President of Modern Litho-St. Louis. "Their expertise significantly enhances our ability to serve the direct mail needs of businesses and organizations in St. Louis and the surrounding region."

The addition of these skilled team members positions Modern Litho as the premier resource for direct mail services in the St. Louis market. This expansion aligns with the company's recent relocation to a larger 67,000 sq. ft. facility at 5001 Southwest Avenue, which has more than doubled its production space.

"Our new team members, combined with our expanded facility, allow us to offer unparalleled direct mail services," Bray added. "We're now uniquely positioned to handle complex data processing, provide advanced warehouse management, and deliver top-tier direct mail campaigns for our clients."

Modern Litho-St. Louis continues to invest in its workforce and facilities, reinforcing its commitment to serving customers with cutting-edge printing and mailing solutions.

About Modern Litho
Headquartered in Jefferson City, Missouri, with operations in St. Louis, Columbia and Kansas City, Modern Litho has been serving the print needs of client organizations for more than 85 years. With national clientele in 50 states, the company specializes in high-performance offset print, finishing and distribution of marketing and member communications, advanced variable data print, direct mail, mailing services and signage.

For media inquiries or more information about Modern Litho's enhanced direct mail services, please contact:
Cassandra Atchison | catchison@modernlitho.com | 573-644-7024 | modernlitho.com
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Modern Litho Brochure 2024

admin — Mon, 29 Jul 2024 14:53:23 +0000

Experience our Modern Litho corporate brochure in digital format by clicking on the image.

The post Modern Litho Brochure 2024 appeared first on Modern Litho.

Impactful Postcards: 14 Design Tips

admin — Tue, 07 Jul 2020 17:07:28 +0000

Designing postcards seems simple enough; but are you getting the results you need after it’s in the mail? Try some of these tips to make your direct mail piece more impactful and most importantly generate a response!

1. SIZE

Mail a non-standard size that doesn’t stack nicely. Even if you have to pay a bit more in postage or printing, this could be a sound marketing investment.

2. COLOR

Rather than printing on white stock, how about using neon green or hot pink? Any color will stand out from the plethora of white postcards.

3. WEIGHT

The heavier the card stock, the more important and valuable your postcard “feels” as your reader or mail screener sorts through the mail.

4. TEXTURE

Add a bit of luxury, mystery or even fun by using a textured card stock. If you can’t find the right textured paper, ask your printer about using a special varnish that’s more tactile.

5. PERFORATIONS

Build in a retention device with a perforated coupon, business or appointment card

6. PEEL-OFF

Include a peel-off reminder sticker to place on a calendar or computer monitor. Or how about a peel-off sticker that reveals a private discount?

7. DIECUT

With 99.9 percent of all postcards perfect rectangles, make yours stand out by investing in a die-cut. One creative way is to write a postcard offering a free piece of pie with a “bite” cut out of it.

8. THE UNEXPECTED

How about affixing a peel-off magnet—perfect for getting your phone number on your reader’s refrigerator. Or what about a scratch-off that reveals a surprise discount for Web-only orders? Or a Post-It note with a PURL offer?

9. PICTURE POSTCARD

People love getting picture postcards from faraway places. Find an appropriate reason to send one. They look more personal—especially when you use a live postage stamp.

10. SHORT COPY

You’ve heard this from a copywriter: Don’t try to say too much on a postcard. Keep copy short and offer-focused.

11. EYE FLOW

Use type and design to move the reader’s eye wherever you want it to go, especially your call-to-action.

12. GET OVER IT

Give readers a reason to turn your postcard over and read both sides. Reinforce your “get over” message with an arrow or teaser, “See back for discount.”

13. POSTAGE

When appropriate, invest in a live stamp vs. printed indicia or metering. It’s a small detail that can make your postcard look more important and personal than others in the stack.

14. VDP

Use variable data printing (VDP) to not only personalize but also customize postcards—making them individually relevant. Consider individualizing headlines, offers, even images.

Remember, your Account Executive at Modern Litho can help with postcard design tips and provide samples that have worked for other customers. Ask them today about die cuts, scratch-offs, and even soft touch aqueous! Contact us here.

Source: Direct Marketing IQ report, “Design & Formats for Boosting Direct Mail Response.”

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Data Select Options: Show Me Your Demographics…

admin — Mon, 19 Mar 2018 15:44:33 +0000

Guide to third-party data selects

Data can transform both design and messaging in creative ways! Have you ever received a piece of direct mail that spoke to you exactly? I mean, really felt like it was intended for only you? Maybe it had your name in the design or talked about a specific place you visited last year on vacation. Did it give you that ‘how’d they know that’ feeling? That’s the power of data and it can be leveraged in many ways to connect your message with your audience. But where to start? Click the image to download our guide.

Click here to read the full article as published in Inspired Momentum.

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Digital vs Offset Printing

admin — Wed, 28 Jun 2017 16:22:33 +0000

If you’re currently planning a printing project, you may have come across the terms digital printing and offset printing and found out that you will have to choose between one or the other for your upcoming project. While the names are similar, they are entirely different processes of printing and will get different results at different price points. Understanding the key differences between digital and offset printing will help you make a more informed decision and get better results on your printing project.

WHAT IS OFFSET PRINTING?

Offset printing utilizes aluminum based plates, or plates made from a similar metallic material. For every color during the printing process a separate metal plate has to be used. Each plate has to be laser etched using information from a digital file of the image. The plate is attached to a roller, known as the plate cylinder, which will transfer ink to another cylinder with rubber sheet known as a blanket, which then rolls the ink onto paper, vinyl or whatever print material is being used.

Offset printing gets its name because the ink used is not directly transferred to the sheet paper, but is offset onto another cylinder before being applied to paper. Before printing can begin, an initial warmup run on scrap paper must be done to ensure that the metal plates are inked properly.

WHAT IS DIGITAL PRINTING?

The digital printing process does not use aluminum plates with the image etched onto them. Instead the image is digitally transferred from a computer to the digital printing machine. Digital printing uses electrostatic rollers, more commonly known as drums, to apply toner to sheets of paper. This is a similar process used by most inkjet printers.

For every color used during printing a different drum must be used. Unlike digital printing an initial warmup run is not necessary to ensure ink will be properly applied to the print material.

COST – VOLUME OF COPIES IS IMPORTANT

Does your printing project require four copies or 4,000? The total number of copies is often the deciding factor when determining whether offset or digital printing makes more sense for a business.

It is important to distinguish the total number of sheets produced from the total number of copies made. If 10,000 copies of one direct mail flyer need to be produced, that requires printing 10,000 sheets and 10,000 copies. However if 80 copies of a booklet that contain 100 pages need to be made, that is 8,000 total sheets but only 80 copies of the booklet. Offset printing makes sense for higher volumes of copies, but not always higher volumes of total sheets.

Digital printing favors projects that require a lower volume of copies. Offset printing requires more materials, more machinery and more time to setup the printing operation. Those operational costs, which get passed along to the customer, make the initial cost of offset printing much higher than digital printing and impractical for smaller printing batches.

However, the paper and ink used for offset printing is less expensive than used for digital printing. It also takes much less time to print many copies using offset printing than it takes using digital printing. If the volume of copies you need to produce is high enough the initial costs of operating an offset printing production can be less than the higher paper and ink costs of digital printing.

COLOR REPRODUCTION

Color reproduction on offset printing is generally more precise and superior to digital printing. This can be critical for high-value brands with a brand-centric Pantone color where color consistency and representation is of the utmost importance. Most business owners find the differences in color representation between offset and digital printing as being minor and not worth the added expenses of offset printing.

SHEET SIZE

The sheet size of offset printing is typically larger than what digital printing produces. Digital printing produces sheets ranging about 19 inches to 29 inches and offset printing allows sheets from 29 inches and 40 inches. While the sheet size of digital printing may seem limiting, many businesses turn to digital wide format printing presses to meet their large sheet size needs.

TURNAROUND TIME

As previously mentioned, there is a large amount of initial setup required for offset printing compared to digital printing. For this reason, digital printing is ideal for on demand printing needs as it can be completed more quickly than offset printing. If your business needs print materials on short notice, it will likely be more practical and cost effective to use digital printing instead of offset printing.

VARIETY IN MATERIALS

While digital printing is generally cheaper for short runs and lower quantity print jobs, the paper types, surface finishes and ink types are more limiting. If your business is in need of print materials that have a specific finish or ink type, such as fluorescent or metallic ink, offset printing may be your only option.

PERSONALIZATION

If a printing project requires unique information for each copy, digital printing makes much more sense compared to offset printing. Variable data printing is possible with digital printing, meaning the information printed on each printed piece comes from a database telling the printer what to put on every individual print. This makes sense for greeting cards, logos, and other print jobs where the business wants to include specific information about their customer such as their name, address or birthday.

CASE BY CASE BASIS

Depending on the exact specifications of your printing needs, digital printing may make more financial sense when offset printing seems like the obvious way to go and vice versa. Deciding between offset and digital also depends on the printing equipment available from the printing provider and the cost of operating the equipment. It’s best to get help from a professional who can guide you through the planning of your printing project and help you decide whether offset printing or digital printing makes more sense.

Modern Litho provides both offset and digital printing services for various print productions including publications, manuals, catalogs, direct mail, and much more. Visit our commercial printing page to learn more or contact us to learn more.

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Pamphlets vs Brochures

admin — Wed, 28 Jun 2017 16:19:35 +0000

If you’ve ever ordered marketing or direct mail materials for your business or an event, you know that there are several different terms for each piece of print marketing materials. This stands true for pamphlets and brochures.

We get asked by customers what the real difference is between brochures and pamphlets very often. You’ve probably heard people use these two words interchangeably when looking to print product or company information in a small booklet style. The only distinct difference between the two is their names. Generally, pamphlets and brochures look very similar but there are some slight differences to make note of. Let’s define pamphlets and brochures further and provide a few brochure and pamphlet examples to help make this clear.

WHAT IS A PAMPHLET?

A pamphlet, by definition, is a small, unbound booklet that is used to advertise or provide information on a single subject.

They are mainly used for informing rather than direct selling. You’ll sometimes hear someone use the term “leaflet” when describing a pamphlet too. Pamphlet pages are stapled together or printed on both sides of one sheet and folded in half or several times. There are many different pamphlet designs that can come in different shapes, sizes, and number of pages. Some common uses for pamphlets include political campaigns, event promotion, and communicating organization information.

An overview of pamphlets:

Informational in nature
Unbounded format
Limited total number of pages

WHAT IS A BROCHURE?

A brochure is a single or multi page folded paper used to sell a company’s products or services.

This piece of paper can be folded several times to create separate pages, or are several pages stapled together. The term “booklet” is sometimes used when referring to a brochure. While it can look similar to a pamphlet, the important thing to remember is brochures are more commonly used for advertising multiple products or services for a company. Brochures typically contain more images than words. Some common uses for brochures include introducing a new product line or detailing service offerings to be sent out to new customers.

An overview of brochures:

Advertising products/services
Sometimes binded
Multiple pages

WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN BROCHURES AND PAMPHLETS?

These two print marketing materials seem very similar after you lay out their definitions. The most important difference is the subject matter. Pamphlets are used for non-commercial promotion, while brochures are used to advertise products and services. Brochures also typically have more pages and images. Pamphlets can have multiple pages, but are generally contain fewer pages and more words than images to inform the reader. However, these two are used interchangeably or together depending on your marketing needs.

PAMPHLET & BROCHURE SIZES

The sizes of pamphlets and brochures can vary depending on the specific requirements and design preferences. However, there are some common sizes that are often used for these print marketing materials. Here are a few standard sizes for pamphlets and brochures:

PAMPHLET SIZES:

Standard Letter Size (8.5″ x 11″): This size is commonly used for pamphlets and provides ample space for text and images.
Half-Letter Size (5.5″ x 8.5″): This size is smaller and more compact, making it convenient for distribution or carrying.
DL Size (99mm x 210mm): DL size is a popular choice for pamphlets as it is longer and narrower, allowing for a unique layout.

BROCHURE SIZES:

Tri-Fold Brochure: The most common size for a tri-fold brochure is 8.5″ x 11″. It is folded into three panels, with each panel measuring approximately 8.5″ x 3.66″.
Bi-Fold Brochure: Bi-fold brochures are typically 8.5″ x 11″ and folded in half, resulting in four panels of approximately 5.5″ x 8.5″.
Square Brochure: Square brochures come in various sizes, such as 6″ x 6″, 8″ x 8″, or 10″ x 10″. These square dimensions offer a unique and visually appealing format.

Sizes for pamphlets and brochures can also be customized according to specific needs. When working with a printing company or designing your own pamphlets or brochures, you can discuss the size options and select the dimensions that best suit your content and desired visual presentation.

WHAT ISN’T A PAMPHLET OR BROCHURE?

While pamphlets and flyers are very similar types of marketing materials, there are several other types that should not be confused with pamphlets or brochures.

FLYERS

Flyers are typically a single, one-sided page design that offers information on a single event or announcement. Flyers are smaller scale than pamphlets or brochures and contain fewer words. Flyers are generally a cheap way to quickly get information about an announcement to a large audience. While they are cheap, they are generally less effective for products and services because people will generally spend less time reviewing the information in a flyer when compared to a pamphlet or a brochure.

MAGAZINES

A magazine is a periodical publication that is printed on a glossy paper and is several pages long. Magazines typically cover one subject in length and feature products, services, and other advertisements throughout. They also have a mix of articles that vary in word count and images. Generally, magazines are printed in color and vary in size and page length. Magazines are much more detailed than brochures or pamphlets. However, if you are looking to print a magazine, Modern Litho is recognized as one of the top 20 publications and magazine printing services by Publishing Executive.

NEWSLETTERS

A newsletter is a publication that is distributed on a set time frame about one main topic or company to its subscribers. Companies use newsletters to send subscribers new company, product, and service information. They are likely to distribute to customers or internally at a company, to parents at schools, or within a community. They can have a newspaper format but are a single page or a few pages long. Newsletters are used for communicating ongoing information, but can sometimes be the same length as a brochure or pamphlet.

HOW TO DISTRIBUTE PAMPHLETS AND BROCHURES

The easiest way to distribute a pamphlet or brochure is to set them out on a table or at the checkout counter at a store location. If you’ve been speaking with a customer about a particular product or service, this is also a great opportunity to hand them a brochure or pamphlet for more information. When it comes to communicating political information in a pamphlet, sometimes door to door or mail is the best way to distribute. When communicating product line information in a brochure, you can always mail them out to the appropriate customers or include them in a bag or with a receipt upon completing an order. If your business is done mostly online, emailing an electronic copy or mailing a physical copy will be your best bet. Collecting customer information, such as email and physical addresses, will help when distributing brochures or pamphlets.

Another way to distribute brochures and pamphlets is to have a rack set up at your store location. A helpful tip is to organize your brochures and pamphlets by product or subject matter to make it easier for the customer to find the information they’re looking for. This allows the customer to get the information they need and be on their way. Make sure to restock your rack or front counter frequently update the brochure or pamphlet when there are new products or fresher information.

WHERE CAN I GET A BROCHURE OR PAMPHLET PRINTED?

Modern Litho of course! We provide the latest printing technology and fast processes to ensure your pamphlet or brochure is high-quality and printed with all the correct information you need. If you need help with designing materials, we have a knowledgeable design team to help you make your pamphlet or brochure look professional. We also offer mailing and logistics services to ensure your brochures or pamphlets are stored correctly and mailed to you or your customers on time. Check out our services or request a quote and see the Modern Litho printing difference for your next brochure or pamphlet order.

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The Perks of a Digital Publication

admin — Fri, 14 Feb 2014 12:05:54 +0000

Print is a beautiful thing, especially when your magazine is a glistening spread of well-placed images and inspirational copy. But, are you missing out on an audience who is looking to read your publication online?

Consider offering an online version of your magazine as an additional perk or even as a general subscription. Digital publications can help to expand your readership and drive your audience to your online content, allowing the interaction with your brand to expand beyond the written page into an interactive space, and to be shared easily.

There are 5 benefits of a digital publication that can help you improve, execute and share your content better with your audience.

EDITORIAL TOOLS

Let’s face it; with every magazine there is a desire to know how the audience is receiving the content. Is it hitting the mark, is the audience interacting, and is there a way to improve? With an online magazine, analytics, polls and comments can help you get a better sense of what works and what doesn’t. With this insight, you can make better decisions on upcoming editorial, digital initiatives and other customer-based components.

INSTANT AUDIENCE FEEDBACK

Polls and surveys are an excellent way to involve your audience to shape the content of your publication. In addition to delivering a customer centric experience, you will also begin to establish a more personal connection with your audience. Using polls and surveys can also help you to generate statistics and insight that you can feature in your publication. Giving your content a sense of community will bring you one step closer to establishing the personal connection.

ANALYTICS

Analytics is your key to success. With online content, you have access to instantaneous results. You’ll know (whether you want to or not!) the readership engagement, which pages or articles are viewed, and which articles are shared, among other track-able activities.

READER OPINION

Opinions can be a valuable asset and comments on your digital content can provide insight into how your readership thinks, how they interact with the online community and what content they enjoy. It can be a critical component when building you editorial calendars and content and taking into consideration trending topics.

USER-GENERATED CONTENT

Depending on the type of publication you have, user generated content could be an excellent way to involve the readers while also eliciting new content at the same time. You can use reader-produced content such as photos, tips, success stories, lessons and other various insights. User generated content can add another layer of personal connection, something your readership can relate to.

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Help! I Need a Typeface

admin — Wed, 25 Sep 2013 23:37:29 +0000

Have you ever started a design project and thought, “What the font?” Well, that’s where this handy-dandy typeface flow chart can help you make that tough font decision. Whether you’re designing an infographic or need a font for a new logo, this flow chart can help you make a font choice by setting you on the right typeface path!

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The Great Adobe InDesign Cheat Sheet

admin — Wed, 25 Sep 2013 20:10:00 +0000

Don’t worry about memorizing all of the InDesign shortcut keys, we have a cheat sheet that’s worthy of wall space. Whether you print it out and hang it up, or save a copy to your desktop, this infographic is the perfect reference for any design project.

Source: Wells & Drew

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Understanding Variable Data and Its Uses

admin — Thu, 08 Aug 2013 23:39:19 +0000

Want your marketing piece to make a bigger impact? Try using variable data to create personalized promotional direct mail and publications that will grab your reader’s attention.

Variable data is a form of digital printing that allows different elements such as text, images or graphics to be changed from one printed piece to the next without sacrificing production speed and using a single database or external file for all of the variable data information.

Great uses of variable data print include direct marketing, customer relationship management, advertising, invoicing brochures and postcard campaigns.

Want to learn more about how you can use variable data on your next marketing campaign? Download our Understanding Variable Data and It’s Uses white paper to learn how you can start your variable data campaign today.

Click to Download the White Paper

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