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Print has been used by businesses for centuries really. Billboards, flyers and business cards all derived from slate carvings, parchment paper and flags and now print is still as important a marketing tool as ever.

A lot of companies have dropped print in favour of online marketing but many forget just how cost effective and visual print is by comparison. Take, for example if someone put a scrunched up flyer through your door – you’d open it to see what it is, rather than just binning it. It’s curiosity – with online ads, we tend to put our blinkers on and just focus on the content we’re interested in, ignoring what have become pesky ads that we just want to skip or close.

With print though, it’s much more – you can create an experience through print, through the right stock, original designs and on-trend products. It’s not just traditional print that catches the eye, our promotional items are hotter than ever, with mugs proving a popular choice for boardrooms, customer gifts and for branded merchandise.

If you’re not currently using print or are looking to incorporate print into your marketing this year, take a look at the following 3 reasons why it’s guaranteed to work for your business:

• PRINT IS VISIBLE – Print’s visible to a lot of people. One mug on your desk will be seen by many people each day. One banner outside your office will be seen by tens, if not hundreds of people a day. One vehicle graphic will be seen by up to 3,000 people a day. That’s a lot of exposure for a low outlay, making print not only just cost effective but very adaptable too. Digital ads don’t work on motorways, those in your office or passers by. You have to remember not to neglect physical customers who are in front of your brand, rather than their screen.
• PRINT IS COST EFFECTIVE – Take flyers for example, you can have a few thousand flyers designed, printed and distributed all for less than a few hundred pounds now. With our design service, we know what does and doesn’t work so you can be sure to catch the eye of many potential customers with an original design. Flyers are also a great way to offer a discount or voucher for customers, making it more personal and exclusive than widespread advertising. A tyre garage for example may spend £200 on leaflet design, print and distribution for 2500 customers. It only takes 2 customers to have tyres fitted to make a return. The lifespan of marketing like this is quite lengthy as people will begin to then see your brand out and about and begin to create a mental bond with it, making them more inclined to use your services.
• PRINT IS MORE LUXURIOUS THAN EVER – Mention printed leaflets to most people, and the first thing in their mind would be takeaway flyers, often printed on a low stock and mass produced. Whilst this is ideal for distribution and keeping costs down, sometimes you need something a notch or two above in terms of quality. We’re proud to offer a Lux range of products including business 810gsm business cards, lux postcards, clothing and much more. We work closely with many luxury and high end brands to ensure a perfect harmony between high quality print and target customer, retaining the high standard expected throughout.

If you’re interested in utilising print for your business, no matter what size company – sole trader or just starting out, feel free to get in touch with us. We’ll be more than happy to help – just click ‘Request a Quote’ on the top of our menu.

We are continuing to grow fast into 2017 already, expanding our product line and services. We are seeing an increasing number of orders being produced at our Hertfordshire unit and are now looking to expand our team to accommodate this change.

Working for Citiprint offers an unrivalled industry experience, working with a fresh fast moving company. We print for a wide range of customers including McLaren, Mercedes, NHS and many more. We also for work as suppliers for a wide range of other companies, producing printed items for Amazon, Carrefour, AXA and many more.

Job Role

Our current vacancy is for a Print Production Team Member. You will be involved in producing printed clothing, signage, gifts and much more using our state of the art equipment and various print processes. You will also be responsible for handling goods in and outgoing deliveries with packing and quality control an essential part.

Experience

Specific print experience isn’t necessary as this can be picked up fairly quickly through our training however you would require an understanding of graphic design software, (Illustrator or Photoshop minimum) and ideally experience in SignPro or Corel Draw software.

Location

This role is for our main location in Welham Green, Hertfordshire. Secure staff car parking is available and we are also accessible by train (Welham Green Station)

Specifics

3 days per week (21 hours/week) – competitive pay rate

Start date: February 2017

Please email your CV to careers@citiprint.co.uk

It’s often the first thing we see in most instances – British Gas pulling up on the drive in a blue livery van, the distinct yellow and black of the AA arriving on the hard shoulder and the commonly used hazard chevrons on maintenance vehicles. Whichever way you look at it, you see a sign written vehicle every day. That makes you just one of around 3,000 people who will see that vehicle per hour.

Many businesses may opt for the discreet look and keep their brands completely unbranded – normally for security purposes but if it’s for lack of wanting to spend out, let us give you some pointers.

• Brand Recognition – keeping your brand image consistent with print, signage and vehicle graphics creates a strong brand image which helps customers recall said brand and gives them trust and faith. If a gas engineer arrives on your doorstep and has a sign written vehicle parked up, you’re more likely to trust that person and find them credible.
• Cost Effectiveness – sign writing a medium-large size van is often around £300+vat, which compared to other advertising mediums is very effective as it’s a one time cost. We sit down with you and design the graphics to ensure you get the maximum exposure. To put the cost into perspective, radio advertising typically costs upwards of £150/day with no visual brand image and a very short time to get your message across.
• Paintwork Protection – if you opt for a partial or full vehicle wrap, your paintwork underneath will be protected from keying, scratches and paint fade. This is great for leased vehicles where the paint is inspected at the end of the lease term. We also offer a de-wrap service at the end of your lease.
• Leads and Free Advertising – having your company’s services advertised on your vehicle is in effect free advertising and great for lead generations. Builders will often acquire work from people nearby to a job they’re working on through van signage.
• Reputation – having a branded vehicle shows you’re proud to have your company shown to the public. Large vehicle fleets like Eddie Stobart’s for example have become an icon on the roads and instantly recognisable. If you opt for something a bit out of the box with your wrap or graphics, you’re bound to be noticed and photographed – getting your company details onto every photo shared.

Our vehicle sign writing starts from just £35+vat for small graphics. We can fit and install any graphics at our unit in Welham Green, Hertfordshire and cut vinyl graphics in house for a Same Day service when you need it. To get a quote or to speak to us about the design process, click here to email us or call 0843 289 4819 or visit us at Unit 6, AL9 7HB.