Online printing has a number of creative uses, both in the professional world and for personal projects. Designers can attract a steady rate of business by setting up an online portal for accepting client orders and printing materials according to specifications. Illustration and page layout creation software come with plenty of features and tools for making customized designs. Ordering print projects online is now quite fast and simple; customers can upload their own designs to be printed or enlist the help of a professional designer for a specific project.
Business Advertising
A diverse range of professionals rely on advertising to keep up steady clientele and revenue. They include real estate brokers, attorneys, physicians, website designers, photographers and graphic designers. Even though online promotion is a big part of their advertising efforts, the vast majority still use printed business cards to let potential customers know about them. A business card contains a professional’s contact information along with a visually pleasing logo and layout. Printed business cards are available from online vendors at relatively inexpensive prices, and buyers can select from any number of creative choices for business card design. Some creative trends in business card design include:
- Textured paper
- Embossed or raised lettering
- Non-standard card shapes
- Printing on non-paper materials such as metal or rubber
Brochures and flyers are additional creative options for business advertising. Online printing companies can render eye-catching designs on high quality paper, and the end results are effective at catching customers’ attention. Photos, business slogans, text and color are all elements of an attractive layout, and skilled designers can put them together in ways that showcase a business owner client’s products and services.
Ecommerce Product Sales
Small business owners can now set up shop online and attract interested customers from anywhere in the world. Although it may sound counterintuitive, adding the option of a printed catalog is one way to increase this customer base for some types of online businesses. Some people shopping for items such as jewelry, artwork, furniture or clothing still like to have a printed catalog in their hands. Putting together a high quality catalog can be accomplished in a few basic steps with an online printing company. The initial cost will bring a fairly quick return on investment in terms of increased sales numbers.
Book Publishing
More authors are deciding to self-publish their books due to the easy availability of online book printing services. One of the most popular options is a print-on-demand service, which will deliver only the number of copies a client needs at a time. Many online self-publishers provide an author help with editing, formatting pages uniformly, deciding on a cover art design and generating an International Standard Book Number. Each of these tasks is important for creating a visually pleasing printed book that makes a professional impression on potential readers.
Photography and Photo Sharing
People are no longer limited to ordering basic prints of photos to share with family and friends. A variety of online photo printers can render selected pictures on novelty items such as T-shirts, jigsaw puzzles, calendars and posters just to name a few examples. Photography enthusiasts can also have collections of their best shots published into high quality books that make great customized gifts. Online photo printers usually have ready-made design templates for all types of print projects, and some allow customers to submit their own if preferred. For those who want sets of printed photos from digital files, online printing vendors allow easy uploading and quick turnaround times at inexpensive costs per print.
Special Occasions
Custom printed greeting cards have also become hot items for online printing. Creating a personalized card for a friend or family member is an excellent way to commemorate a birthday, graduation, engagement, holiday or any other special occasion. Many people now feel these personalized greeting cards are more meaningful than generic ones purchased at the local store. With a custom card, a buyer can write his or her own message to the recipient and have it printed with an attractive font. Buyers can submit their own photos or graphics to be printed on greeting cards. They can select from different sizes, formats and types of paper as well.
The printing industry is alive and well online, and digital technology has allowed graphic designers to expand their creativity with each new client order. Personalized, custom print projects are some of the best-selling options for clients who want printed materials different from anyone else’s. Online printing has lower carrying costs that are passed onto customers, and the Internet allows purchases from a diverse range of print designers with varying styles and talents. Print-on-demand services are cost-effective options for self-publishing book authors and business owners who want to print smaller quantities of product catalogs. These options are just a few of the creative possibilities with online print services.