Dear David - Visions, Inc

Printing Arts, Inc. and Visions Design Studio, Inc. have signed a defi nitive merger agree-ment that will combine the companies into a major new integrated marketing com-munications solution provider, making it one of the largest Native American-owned marketing services companies in the United States. The new company will market itself as Visions.

This merger combines the technical, op-erational and management talents of two strong companies that have grown even in this diffi cult economy. We will now be able to deliver a unique mix of services attuned to today’s new marketing environment that few others in the industry can deliver. The combined company will off er creative design services, web design and development, digital/variable data and off set printing, and mailing and fulfi llment services; providing a single-source solution to clients. Depending on your needs, our dedicated team is ready to assist at any stage of the creative process.

As a NMSDC certifi ed minority business enterprise, we can help clients meet any corporate or government subcontracting goals. In addition, Visions is FSC certifi ed and a member of the PIM Great Printer Initiative.

Jon Otto, CEO, Rick Hansen, President and Jerry Shapiro, Chief Operating Offi cer will comprise the management and ownership team of the newly-created Visions.

Contact Information:New Name: Visions, Inc.Same Address: 8801 Wyoming Avenue N Brooklyn Park, MN 55445Same Phone: 763-425-4251Same Fax: 763-425-4616New Web: www.visionsfi rst.com

If you have any questions regarding this exciting news contact me anytime at 612-978-5584 or my new email address is kay.beam@visionsfi rst.com.

Dear David:Here is a brief summary of our in-house services:

Design• Concept, Design, & Development• Marketing, Advertising, & Promotion Services• Writing & Editing• Corporate Identity, Branding, & Logo• Interactive CD/DVD Presentations• PowerPoint Presentation Production• Video and Special Eff ects• Video Streaming & Duplication• Photography• Project Management

Web• Web Site Design, Development & Production• Email Marketing• Personalized URL’s (PURL)• Response URL’s (RURL)• Mobile Web Solutions (Phone and PDA)• Secure e-Commerce Solutions• Database Design• Macromedia Flash Development

Print• Full Service Commercial Printing• Digital Printing• Variable Data/Variable Image Printing• Web-to-print interface• Design Die Cutting• Bindery/Finishing Services• Mailing• Inventory Management• Fulfi llment – Online interface• Pre-Press Services

Volume 1 June/July 2009

This Issue

Printing Arts/Visions Merger 1

2-3

4

4

5

5

6-7

Simple Changes

A Vocabulary of the Graphic Arts

The Idea Corner

Tips & Tricks

Q & A

Going Green

81:1 Marketing

F I L E

Printing Arts, Inc.

This Issue


2-3

4

4

5

5

6-7

Simple Changes


The Idea Corner

Tips & Tricks

Q & A

Going Green

81:1 Marketing

F | I | L | EPRESORTED STANDARD U.S. POSTAGE PAIDMINNEAPOLIS, MNPERMIT NO. 2805 8801 Wyoming Avenue North

Brooklyn Park, MN 55445www.visionsfirst.com

Address Service Requested

1:1 Marketing

Printing Arts, Inc.

Today, consumers are drowning in a sea of messaging. According to Consumer Reports, the average U.S. consumer receives a whopping 247 commercial mes-sages a day!

Visions goes beyond traditional marketing by cutting through the clutter with personalized solutions which allow you to tailor messages and graphics specifi c to your individual client’s needs. By using what you know about your client or prospect you can deliver a relevant message on which they will take action. Contact me anytime to learn how our cross-channel solutions can work for you!

Kay Beam612-978-5584kay.beam@visionsfi rst.com

*553019688753************************AUTO**3-DIGIT 553David Resch, DDS, MS S1 B1 C1###

OwnerAlbertville Orthodontics 5075 Jason Ave NEAlbertville MN 55301-9688

XX%

Cert no. XXX-XXX-000

This newsletter is printed on 80# New Page Centura gloss text.

2 Providing you an edge in print communications. www.visionsfi rst.com

Simple Changes Make the Common Uncommon

Visions 763-425-4251 7

TOILETCheck your toilet. A leaky toilet can waste 200 gallons of water a day, 73,000 gallons of water per year. Add food color-ing to the tank. If you have a leak, color will appear in the bowl within 15 minutes. Flush as soon as you're done to avoid a stain.

WINDOW SHADESUse drapes or blinds to reduce heat gain or loss. In warm weather, closing light-colored shades or blinds during the day can reduce your home's solar gain by up to 50%. In cold weather, closing them at night reduces heat loss by about 5%.

DISHWASHER: 840 lbs.Run dishwasher only when full and on energy-saver mode. Dishwashers use between four and eight gallons per wash. Washing by hand for 10 minutes with the faucet running can use as much as 20 gallons of water.

HEAT & AIR CONDITIONER: 478 lbs.Turn down thermostat by 2° in winter-months. Raise it to 74°when using your air conditioner. Dial down/up your ther-mostat by 2° and turn on a ceiling fan to lower costs by as much as 14% over each season, with no sacrifi ce in comfort.

ELECTRONICS: 240 lbs.Plug TV & stereo into power strip; turn off when not in use. Televisions and other

home entertainment components waste huge amounts of energy in “stand by” mode, but start up a few seconds faster.

HOME COMPUTEREnable the power management feature in your desktop computer. With standby /sleep, your monitor, hard drive and other parts go into a low-powermode, saving up to $100 on your electric bill over a year as compared to a screen saver. An LCD monitor uses one-third the power of a CRT monitor.

AIR FILTERSChange the air fi lters in your furnace regularly. Save up to 5% of heating costs.

REFRIGERATOR: 696 lbs.Clean the coils and defrost regularly. Refrigerators made pre-1993 use twice as much energy as the new Energy Star qualifi ed models. Save up to $65 in an-nual energy costs by replacing it.

LIGHT BULBS: 300 lbs.Replace fi ve 70 watt bulbs with 9 watt LEDs. Replace fi ve of your most used incandescent light bulbs with compact fl uorescent bulbs (which use two-thirds less energy and last up to 10 times longer). Save $25 to $65 a year in energy costs, depending on the wattage and how long you leave bulbs on.

WASHER & DRYER: 1,224 lbsWash clothes in cold water, rather than warm or hot; dry half your clothes on line or rack. Washing only full loads saves as much as 3,400 gallons of water a year. Heating water to hot accounts for 90% of the machine's washing energy. Switching to cold can save the average household more than $400 with an electric heater, $300 annually with a gas heater. If your dryer has a moisture sensor that turns the machine off when clothes are dry, use it. Clean the lint trap before every load to save up to $35 a year.

WEATHERSTRIP & INSULATE: 1,188 lbs.Insulation. Caulk and weatherstrip your home and insulate your home’s hot water heater. These two home improvements can save massive amounts of energy each year.

SODA CANSRecycle those cans. Recycling just a single aluminum can saves enough energy to run your television or operate your computer for up to three hours.

TIRES: 252 lbs.Infl ation. Keep your car’s tires properly infl ated.

BUS OR CAR POOL: 156 lbs.Rides. Take the bus or grab a ride to work one day a week.

GREEN BY THE NUMBERS

How You Can Reduce Emissions 5,000+ lbs. Per YearHow does gas weigh anything? Consider taking a pound of ice and boiling it on the stove until it evaporates. The ice is now vapor in the air, but it still weighs a pound. On a larger scale, the same thing oc-curs at the powerplant when you draw energy to power your home. Every step you take to save energy trims emissions from the atmo-sphere and reduces global warming. Here’s a plan to reduce your emissions by over 5,000 lbs. per year.

How many common printing items, such as newsletters, post cards, brochures, note pads, note cards and thank you notes do you routinely use for communicating with customers and prospects? How long has it been since you looked at those items with a fresh eye?

If you were to lay everything out on a table, would the company name, logo and contact information be consistently displayed on each item? Do fonts change from item to item? Is the company’s web site on each piece? These consistencies are the elements of brand identity and are important no matter what your company size or location or how many items you routinely print.

But while it is important to maintain consistency and predictability for your brand identity, it can be refreshing to move away from conformity in the size and shape of common printing items. In this issue of the Idea File we’ll off er a few simple changes that will make common printing items eye-catching and unique.

NewslettersWe’ve said it before (and will continue to remind you) that staying in touch with your customers and introducing your company to prospects via a monthly direct mail piece is the foundation of a strong sales program. Regularly reviewing your products and services with your customers promotes what marketers call top of mind awareness and helps prevent hearing a customer say, “I didn’t know you did that”. Regular mailing to prospects promotes name recognition as well as acquainting prospects with your product and service line.

As you can tell, our fi rst choice for regular monthly direct mail is a newsletter – particularly one that showcases your expertise in your company’s business line. We also know that many companies that begin a newsletter fail to follow through largely because of the signifi cant amount of time needed for research, writing, design and layout.

In response, we suggest several simple changes to the traditional newsletter, all of which lessen the burden of research and writing copy:

• News-in-brief. Written like a letter in paragraph form, the news-in-brief style is a series of short news articles, mini-stories, one-sentence comments and other succinctly-stated information that a reader can quickly browse.

• Mini newsletter. A fl at (i.e., before folding) size of 7 x 12 ½ Inches, then a right angle fold to produce a fi nished size of 3½ x 6¼. The right angle fold yields eight “pages” that can be designed with a front cover and a mailing panel. It will also fi t inside a business envelope as a stuff er.

• Envelope stuff er: A fl at size of 6¾ x 12½ Inches, then a double parallel fold to produce a fi nished size of 6¾ x 41/8. The fold doesn’t create panels, so the newsletter unfolds to become two pages.

Post cardsIf you don’t think you can generate enough copy for a newsletter, or if you want to supplement your newsletter with additional mailings highlighting a specifi c

product or service, then a post card is a good choice. Standard post card sizes are 6x9, 5½ x 8½ and 5x8. However, there are other sizes that off er advantages:

• USPS card size: Because of their physical dimensions, the United States Postal Service defi nes 6x9, 5½ x 8½ and 25x8 post cards as letter mail which can be mailed at either First Class, First Class presort or standard mail rates. But for 4x6 post cards, it off ers a special rate called card rate that can be mailed either fi rst class or fi rst class presort at lower postage than standard mail. What this means is that a 4x6 post card gets delivery priority, address services at no additional charge, and a lower postage rate – a real bargain.

• Unusual dimensions: There are two factors to consider when deciding on the dimensions of a post card: the number that can be cut out of a standard press sheet, and the postage amount. For example, a 5½ x 8½ post card is an even cut out of an 8½ x 11 press sheet and allows for certain production effi ciencies. That size also fi ts the defi nition of letter mail. But there are other sizes that off er those same benefi ts, such as 9 x 41/8 or 5x7.

Visions 763-425-4251 3

A post card measuring 6x11 mails at the letter rate but appears as a giant post card.

BrochuresMost companies seem to prefer one of two standard sizes for brochures: An 8½ x 11 sheet folded in thirds to create six panels or pages or an 11x17 sheet folded in half, resulting in four pages. While these are good sizes, a few simple changes can produce something diff erent:

• A legal-sized sheet (8½ x 14), printed on both sides, trimmed to 4 x 14 and folded in a gatefold creates a fi nished size of 4 x 7 with eight panels or pages – two more than a trifold 8½ x 11. This size of brochure also fi ts into a #10 commercial envelope. The gatefold provides another advantage because it can be designed with two images (one each on the left and right) or with one crossover image. When open, the gatefold dramatically reveals a panoramic page. In addition, the back page is large enough to accommodate all business contact information.

• A legal-sized sheet can also be used to form a 16-page brochure in booklet form. After folding, stitching, and trimming, the fi nished size of the booklet is 4¼ x 3½ Inches. It can be made with a self-cover or the cover can be printed separated and attached when the interior pages are stitched.

Preparing the layout for this brochure requires a pagination guide, as each page will have to be placed in the proper location and orientation on the sheet. To prepare a pagination guide, fold a legal-sized sheet in half (to 8½ x 7) and in half again (to 8½ x 3½). Finally, make a third, right angle fold (to 4¼ x 3½). Number the pages – you will have to reach inside some of the folds to reach the page. When numbering is complete, unfold the sheet to reveal a diagram of where and what orientation each page has on the sheet.

Note padsNote pads are popular as a promotional item to give to customers and prospects as well as for personal use. The two standard sizes are 8½ x 5½ inches (half of a letter-sized sheet) and 4¼ x 5½ (one-quarter of a letter-sized sheet). However, other sizes for note pads can be interesting:

• A letter-sized sheet trimmed in thirds to 8½ x 3 5/8 inches produces a good shape for a list – long and relatively narrow. A pad measuring 7 x 10 inches can be cut from a legal-sized (8½ x 14) sheet, producing a size associated with social stationery. This is a popular size for From the desk of pads. Or use half of a legal sheet – 8½ x 7 – for an almost square note pad off ering a lot of room for note taking.

• If you hold meetings at your facility, consider having custom-printed tablets measuring 8½ x 11 and printed with your company’s logo and contact information for each customer or prospect attending the meeting. Besides being a convenient way to take meeting notes, the pad becomes a promotional item advertising your company.

Thank you notesFollowing up on a meeting or sales call with a personalized piece of mail is an eff ective technique for expressing appreciation, summarizing the results of the meeting, or getting details down in writing. The standard for thank you notes is cover weight paper folded at the top or side like a greeting card. For a more unusual presentation, here are two ideas:

• Correspondence cards: a single ply (rather than a foldover) in a heavier card stock and personalized with the writer’s name or monogram creates a more informal, almost social tone to the correspondence. This is particularly eff ective when the card is hand written.

• Foldover notes: Printing on one side

of a letter-sized sheet and folding in a French fold – two right angle folds – creates four pages that can be preprinted with a message or company information. A French fold has the advantage of printing on one side of the sheet, yet when folded, presenting information as if printed on both sides.

New ideas – our specialtyOur experience with all types of printing projects helps us generate new ideas. If you are considering a new project, or if you would like some fresh ideas for an old one, call us at 763-425-4251 today!

FSCForest Stewardship CouncilThe Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) is an international organization that promotes responsible stewardship of the world’s forests.

What is the Forest Stewardship Council?FSC is a stakeholder owned system for promoting re-sponsible management of the world’s forests. Through consultative processes, it sets international standards for responsible forest management. It accredits inde-pendent third party organizations who can certify forest managers and forest product producers to FSC stan-dards. Its trademark provides international recognition to organizations who support the growth of forest man-agement. Its product label allows consumers worldwide to recognize products that support the growth of respon-sible forest management worldwide. FSC undertakes marketing programs and information services that con-tribute to the mission of promoting responsible forestry worldwide. Over the past 13 years, over 222 million acres in more than 70 countries have been certifi ed according to FSC standards while several thousand products are produced using FSC certifi ed wood and carrying the FSC trademark. FSC operates through its network of National Initiatives in 45 countries.


Going GreenRECYCLED PAPERQuestions and Answers Regarding the Paper for Print

What are the components of recycled paper?1. Convertor’s waste: Waste which has left the mill and is waste from a cutting or slitting operation undertaken to meet a commercial order.2. Printer’s waste: Printed or unprinted waste collected from a printing operation and may be either ‘trimmings’ (guillotine waste), ‘overs’, ‘rejects’ or any other similar waste received direct from a printer.3. Domestic, household or offi ce waste: Waste collected from either of these places which may be printed or un-printed.

What is post-consumer waste?This is paper that has been used by the consumer and returned for recycling, thus keeping it out of a landfi ll. The more post-consumer waste that is incorporated into recycled material the better.

What is virgin fi ber?Virgin fi ber is new fi ber that has never been used by a manu-facturer before to make paper or other products.

What is pre-consumer waste?Pre-consumer waste occurs as a by-product to the printing process such as printer’s trim, make-ready and overs.Is ink removed from recycled paper?Sometimes the ink is not removed from the paper when it is processed but allowed to disperse into the pulp, discoloring it slightly — which is why some recycled paper can have a grayish tinge.

With de-inking, what happens to the ink?With recycled paper that is de-inked, ink that is removed from recycled pulp can be burned to generate energy to run the paper mill, or sold to make useful materials such as com-post or gravel for roads.

Why use recycled paper?1. Reduces landfi ll. Recycled paper diverts waste paper from entering landfi lls. Landfi lls are a source of methane emis-sions and are rapidly becoming full, and fewer new sites are available.2. Place less strain on global forest resources. Paper recycling optimizes the use of a valuable material and reduces the amount of virgin pulp required. Although forests are increas-ingly managed in a sustainable way there is a need to reduce wastage by using more recycled content.3. Save water and energy. Producing recycled paper uses up to 70% less energy than virgin paper, as well as using far less water. For every ton (about two pallets) of 100% post-consumer recycled paper purchased instead of virgin fi ber paper, we save at least 8,000 gallons of water and up to 4,000 kWh of electricity, enough to power a three-bedroom house for one year.

A bleed is any printed element on the page that extends beyond the edge of the sheet. A full bleed means the printed elements extend beyond all four edges of the sheet.

Even though it looks like we have printed to the edge of the sheet, we actually have trimmed away the paper and an extra one-eighth inch of the image so it looks like we printed to the edge of the sheet. This process is called trimming the bleed.

To include a bleed in the design, the image must be extended by one-eighth of an inch (0.125) past the trim line, and the press sheet must be larger than the fi nished size of the printed piece.

Depending on the fi nished size of the piece, this may mean we get fewer fi nished pieces out of a standard press sheet. If you would like to include a bleed as a design element, let us know and we’ll advise you how.

Q What is bleed and how does it aff ect my printing costs? A

Visions 763-425-4251 5

#10 envelope: standard size envelope often used for business correspondence. Sometimes called a commercial or offi cial style envelope.

Advertisement: a message that seeks to persuade or infl uence buyers.

Booklet envelope: envelope with the fl ap on the long side.

Catalog envelope: envelope with the fl ap on the short side.

Crop: to trim away unwanted areas of an image; often indicated by crop marks that print on the press sheet.

Bleed: an image that extends to the edge of the document.

French fold: two right angle folds creating four pages.

Gatefold: a fold in which the sides are brought together in the center or overlapping.

Prospect: in selling, an individual, company, or organization that has been qualifi ed as a potential customer.

Self-mailer: a direct mail piece not enclosed in an envelope. May be a folded sheet, a booklet or single ply (such as a post card).

Suspect: in selling, an individual, company, or organization that fi ts the marketing profi le but has not yet been qualifi ed as a potential customer.

Top of mind awareness (TOMA): a marketing term that describes the association in the mind of a customer for a specifi c business to fi ll the need for a particular product or service.

If you intend to mail your brochure, invitation, thank you card or other material, it is a good idea to size the piece to fi t in a standard envelope. Although it is possible to have envelopes custom-manufactured in a special size, the process is expensive and not feasible for less than 10,000 envelopes.

• Here are the dimensions of some standard envelope sizes: #10 commercial (4 1/8 x 9 1/2): use for 8 1/2 x 11 sheet folded in thirds

• Monarch (3 x 7 1/2): use for 8 x 11 sheet trimmed to 7 1/4 x 101/2 and folded in thirds

• A2 announcement (square fl ap) or 5 1/2 baronial (pointed fl ap) (4 3/8 x 5 3/4): use for 8 1/2 x 11 sheet folded in quarters

• A6 announcement (square fl ap) (4 3/4 x 6 1/2): use for 8 1/2 x 11 sheet trimmed to 6 1/4 x 9 1/4 and folded in half

• Booklet (fl ap on 9 inch side) (6 x 9): use for 8 1/2 x 11 sheet folded in half

There are many other envelope styles and sizes. If you have a project in mind, call us at 763-425-4251 to review the options.


Note pads are a versatile and appreciated promotional product that can be printed for a specifi c event or for general use. Follow these tips to be sure your pads are as useful as they are attractive.

• Select the right paper. People use pens and pencils to write on pads. Select a paper made for writing (bond, writing or text) and with an appropriate fi nish. Avoid coated papers, papers with a prominent fi nish, and papers too vividly colored.

• Advertise with subtlety. Keep your logo and contact information out of the way of the note-taking section

• Leave room for the notes. Design the note pads to provide adequate space for the purpose - taking notes. This is particularly important for small (4 1/4 x 5 1/2 inch) note pads.

• If using a screen or grid behind the note-taking area, keep it light. Avoid images that will compete with the notes.

Our design department will be happy to refresh the design of your company’s notes sheets or help you with your fi rst order. Contact Kay Beam for more information.

500copiesPantone

326

DoubleSided

A bleed is any printed element on the page that extends beyond the edge of the sheet. A full bleed means the printed elements extend beyond all four edges of the sheet.

Even though it looks like we have printed to the edge of the sheet, we actually have trimmed away the paper and an extra one-eighth inch of the image so it looks like we printed to the edge of the sheet. This process is called trimming the bleed.

To include a bleed in the design, the image must be extended by one-eighth of an inch (0.125) past the trim line, and the press sheet must be larger than the fi nished size of the printed piece.

Depending on the fi nished size of the piece, this may mean we get fewer fi nished pieces out of a standard press sheet. If you would like to include a bleed as a design element, let us know and we’ll advise you how.

Q What is bleed and how does it aff ect my printing costs? A

Visions 763-425-4251 5

#10 envelope: standard size envelope often used for business correspondence. Sometimes called a commercial or offi cial style envelope.

Advertisement: a message that seeks to persuade or infl uence buyers.

Booklet envelope: envelope with the fl ap on the long side.

Catalog envelope: envelope with the fl ap on the short side.

Crop: to trim away unwanted areas of an image; often indicated by crop marks that print on the press sheet.

Bleed: an image that extends to the edge of the document.

French fold: two right angle folds creating four pages.

Gatefold: a fold in which the sides are brought together in the center or overlapping.

Prospect: in selling, an individual, company, or organization that has been qualifi ed as a potential customer.

Self-mailer: a direct mail piece not enclosed in an envelope. May be a folded sheet, a booklet or single ply (such as a post card).

Suspect: in selling, an individual, company, or organization that fi ts the marketing profi le but has not yet been qualifi ed as a potential customer.

Top of mind awareness (TOMA): a marketing term that describes the association in the mind of a customer for a specifi c business to fi ll the need for a particular product or service.

If you intend to mail your brochure, invitation, thank you card or other material, it is a good idea to size the piece to fi t in a standard envelope. Although it is possible to have envelopes custom-manufactured in a special size, the process is expensive and not feasible for less than 10,000 envelopes.

• Here are the dimensions of some standard envelope sizes: #10 commercial (4 1/8 x 9 1/2): use for 8 1/2 x 11 sheet folded in thirds

• Monarch (3 x 7 1/2): use for 8 x 11 sheet trimmed to 7 1/4 x 101/2 and folded in thirds

• A2 announcement (square fl ap) or 5 1/2 baronial (pointed fl ap) (4 3/8 x 5 3/4): use for 8 1/2 x 11 sheet folded in quarters

• A6 announcement (square fl ap) (4 3/4 x 6 1/2): use for 8 1/2 x 11 sheet trimmed to 6 1/4 x 9 1/4 and folded in half

• Booklet (fl ap on 9 inch side) (6 x 9): use for 8 1/2 x 11 sheet folded in half

There are many other envelope styles and sizes. If you have a project in mind, call us at 763-425-4251 to review the options.


Note pads are a versatile and appreciated promotional product that can be printed for a specifi c event or for general use. Follow these tips to be sure your pads are as useful as they are attractive.

• Select the right paper. People use pens and pencils to write on pads. Select a paper made for writing (bond, writing or text) and with an appropriate fi nish. Avoid coated papers, papers with a prominent fi nish, and papers too vividly colored.

• Advertise with subtlety. Keep your logo and contact information out of the way of the note-taking section

• Leave room for the notes. Design the note pads to provide adequate space for the purpose - taking notes. This is particularly important for small (4 1/4 x 5 1/2 inch) note pads.

• If using a screen or grid behind the note-taking area, keep it light. Avoid images that will compete with the notes.

Our design department will be happy to refresh the design of your company’s notes sheets or help you with your fi rst order. Contact Kay Beam for more information.

500copiesPantone

326

DoubleSided

Visions 763-425-4251 3

A post card measuring 6x11 mails at the letter rate but appears as a giant post card.

BrochuresMost companies seem to prefer one of two standard sizes for brochures: An 8½ x 11 sheet folded in thirds to create six panels or pages or an 11x17 sheet folded in half, resulting in four pages. While these are good sizes, a few simple changes can produce something diff erent:

• A legal-sized sheet (8½ x 14), printed on both sides, trimmed to 4 x 14 and folded in a gatefold creates a fi nished size of 4 x 7 with eight panels or pages – two more than a trifold 8½ x 11. This size of brochure also fi ts into a #10 commercial envelope. The gatefold provides another advantage because it can be designed with two images (one each on the left and right) or with one crossover image. When open, the gatefold dramatically reveals a panoramic page. In addition, the back page is large enough to accommodate all business contact information.

• A legal-sized sheet can also be used to form a 16-page brochure in booklet form. After folding, stitching, and trimming, the fi nished size of the booklet is 4¼ x 3½ Inches. It can be made with a self-cover or the cover can be printed separated and attached when the interior pages are stitched.

Preparing the layout for this brochure requires a pagination guide, as each page will have to be placed in the proper location and orientation on the sheet. To prepare a pagination guide, fold a legal-sized sheet in half (to 8½ x 7) and in half again (to 8½ x 3½). Finally, make a third, right angle fold (to 4¼ x 3½). Number the pages – you will have to reach inside some of the folds to reach the page. When numbering is complete, unfold the sheet to reveal a diagram of where and what orientation each page has on the sheet.

Note padsNote pads are popular as a promotional item to give to customers and prospects as well as for personal use. The two standard sizes are 8½ x 5½ inches (half of a letter-sized sheet) and 4¼ x 5½ (one-quarter of a letter-sized sheet). However, other sizes for note pads can be interesting:

• A letter-sized sheet trimmed in thirds to 8½ x 3 5/8 inches produces a good shape for a list – long and relatively narrow. A pad measuring 7 x 10 inches can be cut from a legal-sized (8½ x 14) sheet, producing a size associated with social stationery. This is a popular size for From the desk of pads. Or use half of a legal sheet – 8½ x 7 – for an almost square note pad off ering a lot of room for note taking.

• If you hold meetings at your facility, consider having custom-printed tablets measuring 8½ x 11 and printed with your company’s logo and contact information for each customer or prospect attending the meeting. Besides being a convenient way to take meeting notes, the pad becomes a promotional item advertising your company.

Thank you notesFollowing up on a meeting or sales call with a personalized piece of mail is an eff ective technique for expressing appreciation, summarizing the results of the meeting, or getting details down in writing. The standard for thank you notes is cover weight paper folded at the top or side like a greeting card. For a more unusual presentation, here are two ideas:

• Correspondence cards: a single ply (rather than a foldover) in a heavier card stock and personalized with the writer’s name or monogram creates a more informal, almost social tone to the correspondence. This is particularly eff ective when the card is hand written.

• Foldover notes: Printing on one side

of a letter-sized sheet and folding in a French fold – two right angle folds – creates four pages that can be preprinted with a message or company information. A French fold has the advantage of printing on one side of the sheet, yet when folded, presenting information as if printed on both sides.

New ideas – our specialtyOur experience with all types of printing projects helps us generate new ideas. If you are considering a new project, or if you would like some fresh ideas for an old one, call us at 763-425-4251 today!

FSCForest Stewardship CouncilThe Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) is an international organization that promotes responsible stewardship of the world’s forests.

What is the Forest Stewardship Council?FSC is a stakeholder owned system for promoting re-sponsible management of the world’s forests. Through consultative processes, it sets international standards for responsible forest management. It accredits inde-pendent third party organizations who can certify forest managers and forest product producers to FSC stan-dards. Its trademark provides international recognition to organizations who support the growth of forest man-agement. Its product label allows consumers worldwide to recognize products that support the growth of respon-sible forest management worldwide. FSC undertakes marketing programs and information services that con-tribute to the mission of promoting responsible forestry worldwide. Over the past 13 years, over 222 million acres in more than 70 countries have been certifi ed according to FSC standards while several thousand products are produced using FSC certifi ed wood and carrying the FSC trademark. FSC operates through its network of National Initiatives in 45 countries.


Going GreenRECYCLED PAPERQuestions and Answers Regarding the Paper for Print

What are the components of recycled paper?1. Convertor’s waste: Waste which has left the mill and is waste from a cutting or slitting operation undertaken to meet a commercial order.2. Printer’s waste: Printed or unprinted waste collected from a printing operation and may be either ‘trimmings’ (guillotine waste), ‘overs’, ‘rejects’ or any other similar waste received direct from a printer.3. Domestic, household or offi ce waste: Waste collected from either of these places which may be printed or un-printed.

What is post-consumer waste?This is paper that has been used by the consumer and returned for recycling, thus keeping it out of a landfi ll. The more post-consumer waste that is incorporated into recycled material the better.

What is virgin fi ber?Virgin fi ber is new fi ber that has never been used by a manu-facturer before to make paper or other products.

What is pre-consumer waste?Pre-consumer waste occurs as a by-product to the printing process such as printer’s trim, make-ready and overs.Is ink removed from recycled paper?Sometimes the ink is not removed from the paper when it is processed but allowed to disperse into the pulp, discoloring it slightly — which is why some recycled paper can have a grayish tinge.

With de-inking, what happens to the ink?With recycled paper that is de-inked, ink that is removed from recycled pulp can be burned to generate energy to run the paper mill, or sold to make useful materials such as com-post or gravel for roads.

Why use recycled paper?1. Reduces landfi ll. Recycled paper diverts waste paper from entering landfi lls. Landfi lls are a source of methane emis-sions and are rapidly becoming full, and fewer new sites are available.2. Place less strain on global forest resources. Paper recycling optimizes the use of a valuable material and reduces the amount of virgin pulp required. Although forests are increas-ingly managed in a sustainable way there is a need to reduce wastage by using more recycled content.3. Save water and energy. Producing recycled paper uses up to 70% less energy than virgin paper, as well as using far less water. For every ton (about two pallets) of 100% post-consumer recycled paper purchased instead of virgin fi ber paper, we save at least 8,000 gallons of water and up to 4,000 kWh of electricity, enough to power a three-bedroom house for one year.


Simple Changes Make the Common Uncommon

Visions 763-425-4251 7

TOILETCheck your toilet. A leaky toilet can waste 200 gallons of water a day, 73,000 gallons of water per year. Add food color-ing to the tank. If you have a leak, color will appear in the bowl within 15 minutes. Flush as soon as you're done to avoid a stain.

WINDOW SHADESUse drapes or blinds to reduce heat gain or loss. In warm weather, closing light-colored shades or blinds during the day can reduce your home's solar gain by up to 50%. In cold weather, closing them at night reduces heat loss by about 5%.

DISHWASHER: 840 lbs.Run dishwasher only when full and on energy-saver mode. Dishwashers use between four and eight gallons per wash. Washing by hand for 10 minutes with the faucet running can use as much as 20 gallons of water.

HEAT & AIR CONDITIONER: 478 lbs.Turn down thermostat by 2° in winter-months. Raise it to 74°when using your air conditioner. Dial down/up your ther-mostat by 2° and turn on a ceiling fan to lower costs by as much as 14% over each season, with no sacrifi ce in comfort.

ELECTRONICS: 240 lbs.Plug TV & stereo into power strip; turn off when not in use. Televisions and other

home entertainment components waste huge amounts of energy in “stand by” mode, but start up a few seconds faster.

HOME COMPUTEREnable the power management feature in your desktop computer. With standby /sleep, your monitor, hard drive and other parts go into a low-powermode, saving up to $100 on your electric bill over a year as compared to a screen saver. An LCD monitor uses one-third the power of a CRT monitor.

AIR FILTERSChange the air fi lters in your furnace regularly. Save up to 5% of heating costs.

REFRIGERATOR: 696 lbs.Clean the coils and defrost regularly. Refrigerators made pre-1993 use twice as much energy as the new Energy Star qualifi ed models. Save up to $65 in an-nual energy costs by replacing it.

LIGHT BULBS: 300 lbs.Replace fi ve 70 watt bulbs with 9 watt LEDs. Replace fi ve of your most used incandescent light bulbs with compact fl uorescent bulbs (which use two-thirds less energy and last up to 10 times longer). Save $25 to $65 a year in energy costs, depending on the wattage and how long you leave bulbs on.

WASHER & DRYER: 1,224 lbsWash clothes in cold water, rather than warm or hot; dry half your clothes on line or rack. Washing only full loads saves as much as 3,400 gallons of water a year. Heating water to hot accounts for 90% of the machine's washing energy. Switching to cold can save the average household more than $400 with an electric heater, $300 annually with a gas heater. If your dryer has a moisture sensor that turns the machine off when clothes are dry, use it. Clean the lint trap before every load to save up to $35 a year.

WEATHERSTRIP & INSULATE: 1,188 lbs.Insulation. Caulk and weatherstrip your home and insulate your home’s hot water heater. These two home improvements can save massive amounts of energy each year.

SODA CANSRecycle those cans. Recycling just a single aluminum can saves enough energy to run your television or operate your computer for up to three hours.

TIRES: 252 lbs.Infl ation. Keep your car’s tires properly infl ated.

BUS OR CAR POOL: 156 lbs.Rides. Take the bus or grab a ride to work one day a week.

GREEN BY THE NUMBERS

How You Can Reduce Emissions 5,000+ lbs. Per YearHow does gas weigh anything? Consider taking a pound of ice and boiling it on the stove until it evaporates. The ice is now vapor in the air, but it still weighs a pound. On a larger scale, the same thing oc-curs at the powerplant when you draw energy to power your home. Every step you take to save energy trims emissions from the atmo-sphere and reduces global warming. Here’s a plan to reduce your emissions by over 5,000 lbs. per year.

How many common printing items, such as newsletters, post cards, brochures, note pads, note cards and thank you notes do you routinely use for communicating with customers and prospects? How long has it been since you looked at those items with a fresh eye?

If you were to lay everything out on a table, would the company name, logo and contact information be consistently displayed on each item? Do fonts change from item to item? Is the company’s web site on each piece? These consistencies are the elements of brand identity and are important no matter what your company size or location or how many items you routinely print.

But while it is important to maintain consistency and predictability for your brand identity, it can be refreshing to move away from conformity in the size and shape of common printing items. In this issue of the Idea File we’ll off er a few simple changes that will make common printing items eye-catching and unique.

NewslettersWe’ve said it before (and will continue to remind you) that staying in touch with your customers and introducing your company to prospects via a monthly direct mail piece is the foundation of a strong sales program. Regularly reviewing your products and services with your customers promotes what marketers call top of mind awareness and helps prevent hearing a customer say, “I didn’t know you did that”. Regular mailing to prospects promotes name recognition as well as acquainting prospects with your product and service line.

As you can tell, our fi rst choice for regular monthly direct mail is a newsletter – particularly one that showcases your expertise in your company’s business line. We also know that many companies that begin a newsletter fail to follow through largely because of the signifi cant amount of time needed for research, writing, design and layout.

In response, we suggest several simple changes to the traditional newsletter, all of which lessen the burden of research and writing copy:

• News-in-brief. Written like a letter in paragraph form, the news-in-brief style is a series of short news articles, mini-stories, one-sentence comments and other succinctly-stated information that a reader can quickly browse.

• Mini newsletter. A fl at (i.e., before folding) size of 7 x 12 ½ Inches, then a right angle fold to produce a fi nished size of 3½ x 6¼. The right angle fold yields eight “pages” that can be designed with a front cover and a mailing panel. It will also fi t inside a business envelope as a stuff er.

• Envelope stuff er: A fl at size of 6¾ x 12½ Inches, then a double parallel fold to produce a fi nished size of 6¾ x 41/8. The fold doesn’t create panels, so the newsletter unfolds to become two pages.

Post cardsIf you don’t think you can generate enough copy for a newsletter, or if you want to supplement your newsletter with additional mailings highlighting a specifi c

product or service, then a post card is a good choice. Standard post card sizes are 6x9, 5½ x 8½ and 5x8. However, there are other sizes that off er advantages:

• USPS card size: Because of their physical dimensions, the United States Postal Service defi nes 6x9, 5½ x 8½ and 25x8 post cards as letter mail which can be mailed at either First Class, First Class presort or standard mail rates. But for 4x6 post cards, it off ers a special rate called card rate that can be mailed either fi rst class or fi rst class presort at lower postage than standard mail. What this means is that a 4x6 post card gets delivery priority, address services at no additional charge, and a lower postage rate – a real bargain.

• Unusual dimensions: There are two factors to consider when deciding on the dimensions of a post card: the number that can be cut out of a standard press sheet, and the postage amount. For example, a 5½ x 8½ post card is an even cut out of an 8½ x 11 press sheet and allows for certain production effi ciencies. That size also fi ts the defi nition of letter mail. But there are other sizes that off er those same benefi ts, such as 9 x 41/8 or 5x7.

Printing Arts, Inc. and Visions Design Studio, Inc. have signed a defi nitive merger agree-ment that will combine the companies into a major new integrated marketing com-munications solution provider, making it one of the largest Native American-owned marketing services companies in the United States. The new company will market itself as Visions.

This merger combines the technical, op-erational and management talents of two strong companies that have grown even in this diffi cult economy. We will now be able to deliver a unique mix of services attuned to today’s new marketing environment that few others in the industry can deliver. The combined company will off er creative design services, web design and development, digital/variable data and off set printing, and mailing and fulfi llment services; providing a single-source solution to clients. Depending on your needs, our dedicated team is ready to assist at any stage of the creative process.

As a NMSDC certifi ed minority business enterprise, we can help clients meet any corporate or government subcontracting goals. In addition, Visions is FSC certifi ed and a member of the PIM Great Printer Initiative.

Jon Otto, CEO, Rick Hansen, President and Jerry Shapiro, Chief Operating Offi cer will comprise the management and ownership team of the newly-created Visions.

Contact Information:New Name: Visions, Inc.Same Address: 8801 Wyoming Avenue N Brooklyn Park, MN 55445Same Phone: 763-425-4251Same Fax: 763-425-4616New Web: www.visionsfi rst.com

If you have any questions regarding this exciting news contact me anytime at 612-978-5584 or my new email address is kay.beam@visionsfi rst.com.

Dear David:Here is a brief summary of our in-house services:

Design• Concept, Design, & Development• Marketing, Advertising, & Promotion Services• Writing & Editing• Corporate Identity, Branding, & Logo• Interactive CD/DVD Presentations• PowerPoint Presentation Production• Video and Special Eff ects• Video Streaming & Duplication• Photography• Project Management

Web• Web Site Design, Development & Production• Email Marketing• Personalized URL’s (PURL)• Response URL’s (RURL)• Mobile Web Solutions (Phone and PDA)• Secure e-Commerce Solutions• Database Design• Macromedia Flash Development

Print• Full Service Commercial Printing• Digital Printing• Variable Data/Variable Image Printing• Web-to-print interface• Design Die Cutting• Bindery/Finishing Services• Mailing• Inventory Management• Fulfi llment – Online interface• Pre-Press Services

Volume 1 June/July 2009

This Issue


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4

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6-7

Simple Changes


The Idea Corner

Tips & Tricks

Q & A

Going Green

81:1 Marketing

F I L E

Printing Arts, Inc.

This Issue


2-3

4

4

5

5

6-7

Simple Changes


The Idea Corner

Tips & Tricks

Q & A

Going Green

81:1 Marketing

F | I | L | EPRESORTED STANDARD U.S. POSTAGE PAIDMINNEAPOLIS, MNPERMIT NO. 2805 8801 Wyoming Avenue North

Brooklyn Park, MN 55445www.visionsfirst.com

Address Service Requested

1:1 Marketing

Printing Arts, Inc.

Today, consumers are drowning in a sea of messaging. According to Consumer Reports, the average U.S. consumer receives a whopping 247 commercial mes-sages a day!

Visions goes beyond traditional marketing by cutting through the clutter with personalized solutions which allow you to tailor messages and graphics specifi c to your individual client’s needs. By using what you know about your client or prospect you can deliver a relevant message on which they will take action. Contact me anytime to learn how our cross-channel solutions can work for you!

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This newsletter is printed on 80# New Page Centura gloss text.

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Dear David - Visions, Inc