Free business cards! Sounds great, right?

by Caroline Huth, Art Direction & Graphic Design Specialist, do good Consulting

When dollars are tight, everyone looks for cheaper resources. Online sources for printing abound, and often offer too-good-to-be-true sounding offers. Are they really the great deal they seem to be? The answer is yes and no. Here are some guidelines to finding a good online source for your printing needs, and pitfalls to watch out for.

1. Do your homework.
Free business cards are rarely free. You'll end up paying to see a proof before printing (errors are your problem if you opt to skip the proof) or paper stock upgrades (cheap cards will inevitably be on flimsy, uncoated card stock). Some places make back their printing costs by charging plenty for shipping, even on something as small as business cards. So do your homework and find all the costs before jumping into deals that seem too good to be true.

2. Request samples before ordering.
Most online sources offer a sample packet free upon request. Do not work with vendors who don't. In your sample kit, they will show you the flashiest, most colorful samples they've printed, so keep a level head. Here's what to look carefully for:

Check for paper stock thickness, whiteness, and quality. A common trick is to fill up the entire space on a sample with as many graphics as possible so you cannot tell what the paper stock looks like by itself. Request plain sheets, without printing, as part of your sample kit. Some will comply, others will not.

Most cheap printers will also try to up-sell you on gloss stock because it's cheaper (for them). But check an unprinted area (compare it to a blank sheet of your most premium office copier paper). Is the white bright or dingy? Cheaper paper will result in dirtier whites (grayish or yellowish), which will make printing appear washed out and not as bright. Premium stock will be bluish white and very bright.

Tilt the cards in the light and look for mottling (patchiness) in the ink. Touch dark areas and test for residual fingerprints. Also check for evenness of color across the page – there should be no faded areas or color shifts from one side of the piece to the other.

Check the "registration": the alignment of all the color plates when printing. Cheap printers run thousands of jobs a day and rarely check to make sure it all stays in alignment throughout. Samples that are out of registration are sure indicators your job will be treated the same way.

3. There's no such thing as overnight printing.
Well, this is not entirely true. At most vendors you can usually get business cards in a single day. But quality printing takes time, and rushing it just means you'll get a poorer job. Good quality printing for projects like letterhead or brochures take a minimum of five days. This is time for the company to receive the file, check that there are no errors, proof it, print it, pack it, and ship it.

Some outlets try to gain your business by calling themselves "overnight" services. Look closely at the deal – you might not be getting your order overnight. Unless the printer receives files early in the day, printing will likely take at least one day (even for the more expensive rush service), and shipping can add another (and you'll be paying for pricey overnight shipping as well). And none of these companies work weekends, so keep that in mind as well.

A good rule of thumb? You’re not going to get it overnight. Budget at least a week for an online print job.

4. Shipping is expensive and takes time.
Shipping for printed items is expensive, there's no two ways about it. Paper is heavy and more of it means more weight and a larger shipping bill. Most places offer different speeds of shipping, from overnight to up to 21 days (just for shipping!). Keep in mind the shipping is above and beyond the time it takes to print.

Also note where the items are printed and how many days typical ground service usually takes to get to you. If they print in California and you are in Chicago, assume 4-5 days to receive your order. During the holidays (anytime after Thanksgiving), it'll be even longer.

If you need the items quickly, budget for the shipping upgrade. Or, plan ahead and save a few bucks with regular Ground shipping instead.

5. Save some more money.
Last but not least, (and if you've read this far, this could be the best nugget in this article), I recommend signing up for online specials if you can stand getting an email a day from these places. The deals they offer online can save you a lot of money, though you will be bombarded with them.

6. Check your final product.
Proofread and check for missing or shifted items. Check the registration (alignment of printing plates). Check for mottling or fading in the ink across the page.

If it all looks good, be sure to put them into your address book so you can use them again. If you do notice a problem, call immediately. Some places will be easier to get on the phone than others (the "overnight" places, forget it – you'll be on hold forever).

As budgets tighten, creativity with dollars is a must. Online printers can be a good bet, but require some research and smart decisions. If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Head to one of the trusted sources listed below in this month's Q&A column and you’re sure to find some excellent results.

Watch for the next Doing Good issue where Caroline discusses the differences in paper weight as well as digital printing versus offset printing and color matching (Pantone vs. CMYK).

Q&A: What's the scoop with online printers?

Dear do good:

I’ve been hearing a lot about online vendors for printing and promotional materials, but am getting some mixed reviews. What are your favorites and why?
-Looking for some good ink in Danville

Dear ink:
The online printing business has exploded recently and it’s no wonder you’re feeling a bit overwhelmed. These companies have achieved success by streamlining the printing process to a simple upload and emailing proofs, so they can often be cheaper than local print shops. However, without face-to-face interaction, some are not great at customer service and their quality might not be as good as you’d get right in your hometown.

Here are the companies I have heard about or have experience with:

modernpostcard.com
The best in the business, though they don't offer as much variety as other places (they stick to printing on paper products only). Their quality is spectacular with the finest, brightest, heaviest paper stock in the business, and their attention to detail and color matching is unparalleled. Their customer service is excellent, with individual “teams” assigned to your project. Their site is really easy to use and has a well-designed order estimating tool that will show your exact pricing and a calendar of the entire production timeline, including shipping. Probably the most expensive, but worth it. They archive jobs, too, so it's easy to reorder unchanged files.

psprint.com
My second favorite, psprint has plants on both coasts so you can get your job quickly from whichever plant is closest to you. They have quick turnaround and good customer service. They also correct mistakes for free, though they haven't always caught mine before printing. They offer lots of variety (from printed materials to posters to stickers) and their quality, in general, is very good. They have an easy-to-use online calculator for pricing estimates, including shipping, thought it lacks a calendar to visualize your exact timeline (including non-business days, like modern postcard has). Also, it's a bit quirky to change your order, as they often have your cancel it, then reorder, which can be time-consuming.

vistaprint.com
A place I use, but only if funds are really tight. They tout "free" business cards, but only with standard templates, regular turnaround, and you pay for shipping. Business cards are oddly sized (a little smaller than standard 3.5" x 2" for unknown reasons), as are some other items (letterhead is 8.5" x 10.98" – probably not noticeable but odd nonetheless). Quality is good, especially nicer on glossy stock, though a bit washed out on uncoated paper. Their site is not intuitive and can be difficult to figure out exact pricing as they don't give you a total that includes both printing and shipping (and a disclaimer says prices are subject to change at any time). They charge to upload files and for PDF proofs (which for an online company is ridiculous – how else are you to send your files or receive proofs?). Pricing is cheaper than most, though, and they archive jobs so it's easy to reorder unchanged files. They will try to sell you on all kinds of unnecessary items at the end of your order (business card holders, etc.) so be aware of what you're agreeing to when ordering. Great for down and dirty, get it quick, don't pay a lot kind of projects.

jakprints.com
While I don't have experience with this company (I just discovered them), their full-scope service offerings are really impressive, as is sample quality. I cannot recommend them yet, but will be using them soon.

overnight prints.com
I had a terrible experience with this company several years back, including long delays, poor quality, and terrible customer service. I do not recommend them.

There certainly are more resources out there than what’s listed here. Be sure to read the main story in this month’s Doing Good about how to choose an online printer, with tips and tricks on how to make the right decision. Good luck!

-Caroline Huth, Art Direction & Graphic Design Specialist, do good Consulting

Group Profile: Orpheum Children's Science Museum

Located in a beautiful, historical building in downtown Champaign, the Orpheum Children’s Science Museum is full of exciting experiences for kids and their parents. As Executive Director Sonya Darter explains, “The Orpheum Children’s Science Museum’s charge is to excite and enlighten children about the importance of science in their daily lives. We are focused on science to help children live wide-awake lives in harmony with nature and the world around them. We encourage children to have a million questions, to explore the why and why not’s.”

To assist kids in their exploring, the museum’s exhibits include a two-story castle, tugboat, rock grotto, 10-foot water flume, whisper dishes, dinosaur dig area, sand exploration, and a tornado exhibit. Children can also see such critters as a corn snake, turtles, a tarantula, hissing cockroaches, and bearded dragons.

All Orpheum activities give kids a chance to be impacted by the world around them. “Anytime I hear a child saying ‘WOW!’ it confirms why we are here,” shares Darter. “To us, this signals that the excitement and magic of science has made an impact. We heard a ‘WOW!’ during Art in Motion camp last summer when a child watched a chrysalis suddenly crack open and a monarch butterfly emerge. The child then spontaneously acted out a play of the metamorphosis of a butterfly. The child’s parent later told us that the story of monarch’s emergence was retold at the dinner table, where the play was performed for the entire family. This ‘WOW!’ moment illustrates to me how one child was inspired by the wonders of the natural world through science and art – through the Orpheum. We are blessed to see a child’s imagination and knowledge emerge in tandem with their environment. This is really at the core of what the Orpheum is here to accomplish.”

As if opening kids’ worlds wasn’t enough, the museum is also revitalizing an historic Champaign site. Orpheum’s website proudly states, “Our home is the [1914] Orpheum Theatre, one of the finest buildings in downstate Illinois. Our facility is one of the best examples of adaptive reuse of a historic structure in the country.” Darter explains, “Initially, the museum was created to preserve one of our community's rarest and most beautiful structures by providing an appropriate and economically viable reuse of the Orpheum Theatre. We see this dual focus as an important learning experience for our children to understand the repurposing of space and appreciate the beauty and importance of our historic sites. A wonderful sidebar is that we have created an opportunity for stories to be shared between generations that may have visited the building when it was a theatre, and are visiting the space again as a children’s museum.”

Enjoy the Orpheum Children’s Science Museum for yourself! November activities include a pumpkin catapult, civil war musicians, and reading to the dogs. Call 217-352-5895 or see www.orpheumkids.com for more information.