Who has never found in the back of their pocket a business card that reminded them of a wonderful evening spent in a good restaurant? Who has never bought a package of cakes because they found the packaging nice? Who has never scrutinized every detail of this advertising poster that is there before our eyes, every morning while waiting for the metro?
We tend to forget it, but all these communication media have one thing in common: these are printing products. The field of printing may seem very vast and neglected in the digital age, but it is reality the inspirer and ally of successful communication! The We Are COM team shares the Printing guide for communicators, according to experts from GE Communications.
🔨 The basics of the basics: printing techniques
Reprography, offset printing, coated papers, PAO, lost funds… Does that mean anything to you?
There are a thousand and one ways to give birth to a graphic creation, on a multitude of supports. From the printing method to the different types of paper used and their format, everything is important to constitute the identity of your communication: you would not use glossy paper to present a new range of completely recyclable products, for example! The Printing Memo reveals all the secrets of the different printing technologies, papers, types of formats, finishes and surfacings, bindings… and their meaning.
👸 POS, queen of advertising
“Point of Sale Advertising (POS) is all the advertising equipment present on points of sale, whether stands or stores. It brings together advertising material and techniques, used directly at the point of sale. " That's what we (almost) all know about POS. But would you know if your advertising space at the next Salon des Expositions will be in kakemono, totem or silhouette? The objective of the POS is to promote a product in different forms: display, gondola head, theatricalization, trade marketing operation, advertising column, display, etc.. Adapted to all types of products or services, it constitutes an important part of the advertising operations of companies in all fields.
➡️ Signage, or orientation towards the right choice
Signage is the starting point of visual communication : pictograms which indicate an emergency exit or the nearest WC, stickers and lettering which give the number of a room or an office, windows which catch the eye when passing in front of a bakery ... And yes, that too, it is achievable in printing! Outdoors, banners, pennants and advertising flags are also part of the signage family. An original option to make its communication interactive and to show consumers the way directly where they are.
(I.e. Packagings, packaging: the body of the product
We all kept in our drawers or on one of our furniture a nice shopping bag that we took home when we made a purchase, or the box that contained the new phone that we had been dreaming of receiving for weeks. Packaging is the first medium at the service of the product. It encourages the consumer to purchase and constitutes the identity of the product by referring to the image of the brand. It also comes in several forms: cases, boxes, pouches, bags ... It is crucial to adapt it to your product, to adjust its format and design, in order to make it a real treasure chest at the service of an optimal customer experience!
(I.e. Display, everyday life in the service of communication
We see them every day in the subway, in the street, on buildings. You can also put it on buses, in the cinema, in bus shelters. With an adapted format ranging from 3m2 to 12m2, the display has proven its effectiveness in everyday places: by dint of seeing them every day, we retain the colors, the images, slogans... It is THE perfect format to promote large-scale commercial or event operations!
???? In short
As you can see, GE Communication's Printing Memo is a guide that brings together in one place everything you need to properly develop your visual communication. Image formats (PDF, GIF, PNG…), adhesives, moldings and bindings, finishes, surfacings… Thanks to this must have, the world of printing is available to you. And as a bonus, a glossary of technical terms awaits you at the end 😉
