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We do a lot of corporate work. Since August (especially since 9/11), manufacturing has dropped quite a bit. Hence, our own sales are equally down. I've read and re-read Dan Anonelli's article in SignCraft about creating our own brochures.
We had contacted an ad agency that we had done work for in the past. They gave us a price of about $3k to develop and have the brochures & postcards made. Frankly, I don't have the money (especially if I have to make a change later on). I started looking at color laser printers and I'm developing a brain-fart. I'm really not sure what to look for in a printer. Minolta-QMS has a 8.5x14 printer for $1000 and a 13x19 for $2100. HP has a 8.5x14 as well, but they want $2000.
Anyone have experience with color laser printers? What do you see as the Pro's and Con's?
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They are not true laser but I've had good luck with the Tektronix Phaser Series. We used them when I worked at BellSouth, they where Tough machines and inexpensive to use. They are wax printers, loaded it with big 'ol crayons! You might want to look into those.
-------------------- Greg Sellers Posts: 207 | From: McCalla, Alabama, USA | Registered: Jun 1999
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a buddy of mine has the textronic 850 phaser and he got it free from xeroxs free color printer program you will see the link below. they ask for a high volume promise, the inks are not realy cheap but this thing does great graphics. Free Color Printers
Hope this helps
-------------------- Benji McEntire Harrison Graphics/Signs of America Harrison, Arkansas 72601 signmaker@cox.com
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Lasers are expensive. So if you are going to put out for one, get one that can do more then one thing. I don't know if you do any Dye Sublimation printing but if you don't yet, the HP4500 series might be a good choice. There are Dye Sub toners available for it. When you want to sub, put in the sub toner. When you are done change back to the regular. I have a link to the toner supplier somewhere if you need it.
-------------------- Roy H.Somers Signs Of Distinction 609-652-6507 Oceanville, New Jersey Posts: 107 | From: USA | Registered: Dec 1998
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Stay away from QMS anything, they are history. As for color lasers, your best deal would be at tigerdirect.com - they had a ricoh for like $499 that sold elsewhere for $3000.
I'd recommend Canon or Ricoh as they are on top of the game right now. But then again, I wouldnt buy one - I'd let someone else worry about the consumables and upkeep.
Consult your local salesman. A lot of people lease these monsters, and they get charged around $0.15 per print. You can sub your work to them for a great savings to yourself, and pay them .05 a print or some miniscule amount. Could be a nice in-road to a new customer as well...
Personally I never saw the reason for need for 10k prints of anything. I'm much more inclined to order 500-1000 and see what works best, then maybe 5000, tops. But my whole STATE cant compare to Dallas/Ft. Worth so I'm sure the sliding scale works just right for Robert Beverly.
Your local Kinko's and other quicky-print places are handy for shortruns (less than 100). Postcardpress and other waterless printers are good for the larger runs.
If I were going to buy a color laser, I think I would buy a large format inkjet first, and use waterproof inks. That way your money is spent on a money maker of infinite uses. But thats just me - and I cant afford either one right now!
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Color lasers? There are dozons of them and all really good. I use a xerox Phaser 850 color laser for my marketing flyers.
Before any thing,,,,,,Go get all the info u can get on direct marketing by Dan Kennedy.
That way you may avoid the 7 great myths of marketing.
You may save hundreds by operating a better marketing plan..
curtis
-------------------- Leaper of Tall buildings.. If you find my posts divisive or otherwise snarky please ignore them. If you do not know how then PM me about it and I will demonstrate.
Posts: 5278 | From: Im a nowhere man | Registered: Jul 2001
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I generate significant amounts of new and repeat business tied directly to a very targeted and specific mailing program. I picked my group of potential customers and send out: (A.) 100 color ink jet letters with a hand signature, very neat and very succinct. (B.) with a color ink jet page of work examples and (C.) a color business card.
I HAND ADDRESS the envelopes and HAND STAMP them. I use a professional looking return address that is done from my ink jet. I probably spend a hundred bucks on the whole package (home printing, paper, envelopes, stamps). I do this maybe ten times a year. I have even included a return post card, pre-stamped, but only one time in ten. I have been doing this for the past ten years and I do get results. At least once a month, someone calls with my letter in front of them and the deal is then more about "when" and not "how much". This is very relevant as the boneheads become respectful clients when they see I paint about all of their competitors windows from the pictures. It becomes true 'Business to business' communication this way and not just some mass mailing.
The hand stamp and the hand address works to get the barely sealed envelope opened, instead of immediately thrown into the trash. I know. I used to run a Chevy store and this always got me to open a letter. The hand signature also made me see the vendor was serious enough about my business and professional enough to not just 'broadcast' a thousand of these out to the masses. I pack the business card in, so that it drops onto the floor or desk to force the potential client to spend another second picking it up.
I also have a photo of myself on the picture page, showing that I am not some giant company or some rube with no teeth. I have had clients actually hold up the picture when I show up to paint and tell me I look just like my photo.
You can go to a local printer and get 500 postcards run at the end of some big color run for about half price, if you are patient and get to know them. I last did 500 cards for an art show and they ran $175. For targeting a specific customer, I would recommend the more elaborate letter approach (one page only) as it catches more action.
Another trick to really make sure it gets there is to use the extra last four zip numbers, in case the internet address is based on a telephone book 'geography' address. Yahoo has a good one, to get these last four. The last four just insures the post office does what they intend to.
I keep a 'Ctl C and Ctl V' list of my potential clients and note each time they get mail from me. I have 600 potential clients in my area, so I rotate things.
How long does all of this take? I can usually bang out a hundred letters and do all of the mail work in two days. Twenty days a year for an extra $75,000 of fresh work? It is a bargain, I believe and it does build on itself. I have had clients finally call and mention that I have been sending them letters for five years or more and they finally want to try me. I could never personally cold call on a hundred clients in two days, especially considering my market is 700 miles across. There are 600 new car dealers in my targeted market and I call 180 of them my 'repeat offenders'. I guess it works?
-------------------- Preston McCall 10305 Eby st. Overland Park, KS 66212 text: 5056607370
Posts: 1562 | From: Overland Park, KS | Registered: Nov 1998
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My moms boss does all of his flyers for his company on a Tektronix with the wax colors. I'm not sure of the model #. It prints really great and is totally waterproof. I took a sheet and ran it under the kitchen faucet and nothing runs because of the wax.
I also recall him telling me that you can get the black wax refills for free from Tektronix. I am not totally sure on that so don't quote me.
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Hi Glenn, I had a Tektronix 740plus (extra ram) and now have a Tektronix 780. The 740 would print up to legal size and the 780 prints up to 11 x 17. They both print very good quality. They don't recommend duplexing though, so you may be limited to only printing one side of the paper since it isn't recommended to run it through again due to the already printed toners possibly coming off inside the machine on the second pass. I use it mostly for table tents and business cards. I've never figured exactly the cost per page but it's not too bad. I've also printed the original and taken to a printshop to let them copy, saving a fair amount of time and money depending on the amount needed.
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I might be the dissenting voice here on Tektronix printers. We used one for years for design comps and I don't like them at all.
The solid wax ink refills they take must be of a thick viscosity when melted and transferred to the paper. Results were always super grainy (big dots), slightly dirty in appearance compared with today's ink jet technology. And I recall that the was refills were like $60-$70 apiece. Does that sound right Greg? It's been awhile...I used to order them and install them..but I kind of forget now. Anyway, supplies costs can add up in a hurry.
I don't really have experience with other color laser printers other than I know my brother sells Canon brand printers....which are phenominal...but start in the thousands of dollars.
Haven't heard much about other entry level color lasers. I do know that the desktop inkjets are using inks now that are more "water resistant" than they used to be....but we all know the costs of ink cartridges for producing many brochures would be cost prohibitive.
I would think a professional printer might still be the best and most economical way to go in the long run?.
[ January 05, 2002: Message edited by: Todd Gill ]
-------------------- Todd Gill Outside The Lines Potterville, MI Posts: 7792 | From: Potterville, MI | Registered: Dec 2001
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Better late than never--I thought I would jump in here....First of all, the free printedr thing from xerox AIN't FREE....It will cost you around 160 bucks a month minimum.
I also looked into a color printer for brochures and stuff, and finally decided on this:
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