Who has never found a business card in the bottom of his pocket that reminded him of a wonderful evening spent in a good restaurant? Who has never bought a packet of cakes because he thought the packaging was nice? Who has never polled every detail of that advertising poster that is there before our eyes every morning waiting for the metro?
We tend to forget it, but all these communication supports have one thing in common: they are printing products. The field of printing may seem very vast and neglected in the digital age, but it is in fact the inspiration and ally of successful communication! The We Are COM team shares the Printing Memo from the experts at GE Communications.
🔨 The basics of the basics: printing techniques
Reprography, offset printing, coated papers, DTP, bleeding… Does that sound familiar?
There are a thousand and one ways to give birth to a graphic creation, on a multitude of supports. From the method of printing to the different types of paper used and their format, everything is important to create the identity of your communication: you wouldn't use glossy paper to present a new range of totally recyclable products, for example! The Printing Memo reveals all the secrets of the different printing technologies, papers, types of formats, finishes and surfaces, bindings… and their meaning.
👸 POS, the queen of advertising
“Point of Sale Advertising (POS) is all the advertising equipment present at points of sale, whether stands or shops. It includes advertising materials and techniques used directly at the point of sale » That's what we (almost) all know about POS. But could you tell whether your advertising space at the next exhibition will be in kakemono, totem pole or silhouette? The aim of POS is to promote a product in different forms: display, gondola head, theatricality, trade marketing operation, advertising column, poster, etc. Suitable for all types of products or services, it is an important part of the advertising operations of companies in all fields.
➡️ Signage, or pointing to the right choice
Signage is the starting point for visual communication: pictograms indicating an emergency exit or the nearest toilet, stickers and lettering indicating the number of a room or office, window displays that catch the eye when you pass a bakery… And yes, that too can be printed! Outdoors, banners, pennants and advertising flags are also part of the signage family. An original option to make your communication interactive and to show the way to the consumer directly where he is.
(I.e. Packagings, wrapping: the product's body envelope
We all kept in our drawers or on one of our pieces of furniture a nice shopping bag that we took home with us 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 media to serve the product. It encourages the consumer to make a purchase and constitutes the identity of the product by reflecting the image of the brand. It is also available in several forms: cases, boxes, pouches, bags ... It is crucial to adapt it to the 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. Poster advertising, the daily newspaper at the service of communication
We see them every day in the metro, in the street, on buildings. We can also put them on buses, at the cinema, in bus shelters. With an adapted format ranging from 3m2 to 12m2, posters have proven their effectiveness in everyday places: by dint of seeing them every day, we retain their colors, images, Slogans... It is THE perfect format to promote large-scale commercial operations or events!
???? In shorts
As you can see, the GE Communication Printing Memo is a guide that brings together in one place everything you need to develop your visual communication. Image formats (PDF, GIF, PNG…), adhesives, finishing and binding, surfacing… Thanks to this must-have, the world of printing is open to you. And as a bonus, a glossary of technical terms is waiting for you at the end. 😉
