A customized calendar is a very effective marketing tool to promote your business, club or organization. Unlike other marketing premiums that may be stored away and subsequently forgotten, a calendar is a year-long reminder to your customers. Every time they look at the calendar, they will see your logo or something else associated with your business. This ensures a constant presence that very few marketing tools can offer. Calendars also provide viral marketing if prominently displayed in your customers offices and homes. Calendars with colorful, eye-catching pictures are always great giveaways; the more unique the art, the more impressive and memorable the calendar and the more likely your customers will return year after year.
If you are a non-profit or charitable organization, consider using customized calendars for your fundraisers. Calendars are inexpensive to produce and provide a great return on investment. Because they are personalized, they present messages more effectively than standard calendars with stock logos. Sometimes if calendars are bought in bulk, manufacturers provide customer discounts and this savings can be re-invested in your organization or fundraising efforts. If you do not have upfront funding, you can offer potential donors ad space in your calendar to defray printing costs.
Businesses or associations often present premiums at tradeshows to connect with potential customers. These freebies are sometimes fun or quirky but provide no real functionality. Many of these items are eventually tossed away which amounts to a waste of money and marketing efforts. Because calendars are much more functional, they are popular and cost-effective as promotional tools and create an impressive marketing buzz. If you are considering items to give away at your next tradeshow, calendars make great premiums that will raise your visibility.
Functionality is not the only advantage customized calendars provide. Customization also allows you to choose attractive illustrations and artwork that make your calendars decorative pieces to hang on walls or display on desks. Beautiful images truly make an impression in ways that text alone cannot. However, decorative fonts can be just as eye-catching and can make logos that much more striking. You can choose to incorporate any print, artwork or illustration into your calendar. Landscapes, cityscapes, gardens, and architecture are images that are very popular. Before you choose a particular image, however, make sure that it is royalty-free.
When shopping for a printer to create customized calendars, look for an experienced print service that allows you to use your own designs or alternatively provides quality graphic designs. A printing service should offer a four-color process (Cyan, Magenta, Yellow and Black) to produce full-color quality photos. Photo resolution should be 300 DPI (dots per inch) or PPI (pixels per inch) to ensure better color or grayscale. If your images are in bitmap, a good resolution requires at least 1,200 DPI or PPI. Image quality also depends on whether file formats are compressed or not. Printers prefer non-compressed files including TIFFs, EPS, or certain Photoshop files. If your images are in JPEG format, make sure that they are saved at "Maximum Quality" settings. Printers discourage submission of web images as they are usually set at 72 DPI or less which produces poor quality prints. Also, web images bring up the issue of copyright infringement, something that should be avoided.
If you are submitting artwork to print, also check the size of your piece. To make sure the trim size is properly calculated, add 1/4 inch to both height and width as important elements and text should be 1/4 away from the edges.
Other factors to consider when choosing a printer are the availability of one- or two-sided prints; high-quality paper stock; coating options; and ability to convert from various program formats. Some services provide "green" options as well such as recycled biodegradable paper stock and soy inks.
Custom printed calendars provide 365 days of marketing potential. Highlight your services or products or market your message with a tool that not only offers function but can be an attractive decorative piece as well.
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