Four reasons you need an expert mailing partner right now

When your organization depends on time-sensitive catalogs, urgent mailers, and scheduled periodicals landing in front of paying customers, you need a printer partner that is also a mailing and logistics expert.

Logistics is a pain point for printers worldwide.

When your sensitive information doesn’t get to its destination on time, you lose trust with your readers, customers, sponsors, and advertisers.

Unfortunately, logistics and supply chain slowdowns in every sector show no signs of letting up, and commercial printers are being hit hard with paper and ink shortages, rising costs, and a lack of truck drivers. Local commercial printers can alleviate downward pressure on their customers by managing local logistics in-house. 

All printed products need to go somewhere, so a reputable commercial printer will have an efficient and economical delivery plan for every piece that comes off the press. This means reliable fleet trucks, local drivers, and an out-of-state network—all expertly managed by a dedicated logistics team. 

Our central Portland location allows us to make most Western region deliveries within two business days. Our internal team of logistics specialists evaluates your project’s requirements to determine the most timely and cost-effective solution. 

If your printer is outsourcing logistics or delivery, your plan might run off the road.

Going postal can be problematic.

Commercial printers need to keep up with the latest changes in postal rates, codes, and discounts. If your publication can use a lighter-weight paper or an adjusted mailing list to save a bundle at the post office, your project manager should let you know. A good printer partner always looks at the whole picture—from files coming in the door to publications heading out—to see where you can save money, increase efficiency or add value.

Periodical Class postage is complicated. Pricing depends on a mix of factors, such as size, weight, distance mailed, pre-sorting—even what percentage of the piece is advertising. As the media landscape continues to shift, your printer partner will be paying attention to the needs of your printed titles and catalogs, advising you along the way, ensuring your publications don’t get stuck at the post office.

Journal Graphics services include addressing, labeling, and postal processing for periodicals, catalogs, and direct mail, as well as dropshipping and delivery to the post office.

List management is crucial.

A clean mailing list—free of duplications, incorrect addresses, and cancellations—is a must for smooth mailing. Journal Graphics processes over 3 million pieces of mail per month. We offer critical list management services, including duplication elimination and segmenting. To qualify for periodical class bulk rates, recipients must request the mailing. List management and data hygiene are crucial to reducing time spent and money wasted, and for meeting federal postal regulations.

We warehouse it well.

The final piece of a commercial printer’s logistics and mailing puzzle is a secure, temperature-controlled warehouse onsite, staffed 24/7 by competent and trained professionals. Having access to our 120,000-square-foot warehouse for every publication saves you time and storage space at your facility. 

A well-kept warehouse with space to spare also means you can plan and print well ahead of your deadline, which helps us secure preferred papers and ink for your projects at the best prices we can offer. Polybagging and shrink packaging keep your publications safe from weather and moisture in storage and in transit.

Before you choose a printer partner for your magazine, newspaper, catalog, or direct mail, be sure they tick these important boxes when it comes to delivering your project to its final destination.

Journal Graphics creates high-quality print products to ensure your creative messaging and timely publications get from our hands to your customer’s door. Call or click today, and we’ll show you our moves.

Print Subscriptions - An All Access Pass!

Your Print Subscription Can Be an All-Access Pass to Exclusive and Essential Branded Content. Here’s How.

We live in a set-and-it-and-forget-it world.

But what you really want is your readers to set it and remember it. Be captivated by your publication. Eagerly anticipate its arrival.

How do you do that in a digital marketing space—and monetize it?

Through omnichannel marketing.

In essence, omnichannel marketing is an integrated brand experience across multiple online and offline channels. For a publication-based brand, those channels might include social media, an email newsletter, ebooks, a website or landing pages, online events, and of course the print products.

Omnichannel marketing is effective because a customer or reader who engages across multiple channels is more likely to spend money and share your content with others.

Marketers using three or more channels in any one campaign earned a 287% higher purchase rate in 2020 than those using a single-channel campaign.

What differentiates omnichannel marketing from multi-channel marketing is an emphasis on brand cohesion, customer experience, and human connection.  Over 35% of customers expect to be able to contact the same customer service representative on any channel. You need a well-developed brand identity and consistently impeccable customer service at each touchpoint. 

Remember, content is king. That’s what you sell, so you’re already ahead of the game. Here are five ways to drive subscriptions to your publication through omnichannel marketing.

Teach teach teach.

If content is king, actionable insights are the keys to the castle. Give your readers more than they buy. 

Keep your market research up to date. Deeply understand your readers, and speak to what they need. If you publish a catalog, include articles about how to use your products to solve consumer problems. If you publish a newspaper or magazine, write fresh, original content with a point of view and a strong voice. Use subject matter experts connected in the community or the industry. 

To hook your reader, think outside the old structure. Put opinions and analysis upfront, news and features in the back.

Encourage personal branding.

Pay your writers and staff to develop their personal brands on company time. Don’t require it, but if your smart, interesting employees want to build a following on LinkedIn, TikTok, or Instagram—with your brand in their bio—encourage them to do it. Customers connect with people, not with companies, so let your people speak for you in an authentic and high-level way.

Developing this strategy takes a conscious focus within your organization’s culture and some light-touch monitoring, but the potential revenue is worth it.

Put yourself out there.

Newspapers and magazines have leveraged awards and events for years. Recognizing and celebrating people and projects in your core segments is a feel-good way to gather fans and increase engagement with your corresponding special publications. 

But plan ahead, please. There’s nothing more demoralizing than begging people to buy tickets or nominate peers at the last minute. If events are going to be part of your omnichannel marketing strategy, choose productions that appeal to your customer base, integrate seamlessly with your publications, and have the potential to convert new customers.

Collect, update and utilize data.

At every touchpoint, collect email addresses, phone numbers, and mailing addresses. Use the data to segment your customers and offer tailored product offerings. Use variable data printing to customize publications to customer interests. Print QR codes on the front of your publication to drive readers to a landing page that can collect unique interest data for use in your future marketing efforts.

Don’t miss the opportunity to offer something of value when you request customer info. Give away freebies and exclusive information on your website in exchange for email addresses, demographics, and survey responses.

Put print in its place.

Your print publication should be at the center of an omnichannel subscription-based media strategy. First and foremost, your print product should be attractive and irresistible. Then take full advantage of low-cost, high potential touchpoints like social media, blogging, and personal brand to raise your publication’s profile. Create value-added products such as email newsletters, ebooks, and online courses. 

Some copy from your print publication can and should be repurposed on other channels, but a good practice is to always be creating fresh content. 

Journal Graphics offers fully interactive and dynamic online publications and customized mailing services for your subscriptions. 

• Offer a free subscription with every ebook sold, or give away a free ebook with every subscription. 

• Offer a subscription with each event ticket or a set of event tickets with each subscription. 

• Offer a weekly email newsletter with each app download if you have an app. 

Come to think of it—develop an app, too!

Expand the definition of your subscription model. Think of it as an all-access pass to your exclusive and essential branded content. Companies with extremely strong omnichannel customer engagement see a 9.5% year-over-year increase in annual revenue, compared to 3.4% who do not incorporate enough channels. If you stay consistent with your quality, offerings, and customer experience, expect them to clamor for more and refer new readers for years to come.

Hit the presses at Journal Graphics to jumpstart your omnichannel marketing subscription service today.

Walking Maps Bring People to Your Door!

A WALKING MAP IS THE PERFECT FIRST STEP TO GET PEOPLE TO FIND YOUR BUSINESS.

Urban areas are brimming with vibrant, walkable neighborhoods. The synergy of those spaces makes them irresistible to zoomers starting out, career-focused millennials, and cultured retirees. 

Portland neighborhoods are densely populated with homes, apartments, and condos, and—of course—shops, restaurants and grocery stores. Some of those retailers are on the arterial, easy to find and visible from multiple vantage points. But the real gems—exclusive boutiques, fresh eateries, innovative service providers—are often tucked into small spaces off the beaten path. 

But the strategic wonder of walkable commercial hubs is this: if you bring a browser to one store, you’ll bring a buyer to many. 

Enter the humble yet powerful walking map. 

As the pandemic recedes and tourism spikes, consider printing a well-designed walking map that showcases your business and your brand, while encouraging consumers to visit your neighbors. 

A charming yet functional walking map highlights the features of your neighborhood and the businesses that serve it. Here are some guidelines to follow: 

❌ Don’t miss those businesses that are off the beaten path. Shoppers love to discover and frequent hidden treasures. 

❌ Don’t charge businesses to participate. An incomplete walking map is confusing at best, frustrating at worst. 

❌ Don’t charge shoppers for it. People love to pick up cool, useful brochures and maps. What’s more, they’re an incredibly powerful influence on consumer behavior. 

79% percent of people will pick up a brochure from a lobby or visitors center. Check out these other shocking stats about the power of brochures. 

✔️Do develop a brand for your map. If you’re going it alone, showcase your own brand on the map. If you are partnering, create a new brand or leverage the neighborhood’s brand. 

✔️ Do commit to an annual or biannual reprint. Businesses open and close all the time. Keep your map current, and date it prominently, so consumers know what to expect. 

✔️Display the maps in an intentional and consistent manner. You could invest in a specific display or simply reserve a space at point-of-sale. Keep it organized, or the maps lose their perceived value. 

✔️Do sell advertising space to offset costs and create visual interest. 

✔️Do create a corresponding website or interactive map. Drive traffic between them with powerful messaging and special offers. 

Did you know? Journal Graphics can create an interactive digital edition of any printed piece! 

Get ready to help drive traffic! A walking map is the perfect first step. Contact us today to get on the road to success in 2022. 

Publication Essentials

At Journal Graphics, we’re proud to produce top-quality multipage publications like magazines, catalogs, and brochures. These are possible with a combined approach of intelligent engineering, appropriate paper selections, high-quality ink, and finishing processes that bring your message to life. We love to work with our customers early on to help achieve results with consistent, colorful outcomes. In this blog post, we cover some of the basics around what goes into creating a multipage publication and offer some tips on what works best to grab your audience’s attention.

All shapes and sizes

The most frequently used sizes for multi-page print publications are 8” x 10.5”, produced in both landscape and portrait layouts. However, square (8.5” x 8.5”), oversized (11” x 14+”) and other configurations are available as well. When selecting the size for your publication, consider if the shape and size will factor in the overall design aesthetic while staying within your print and postage budget parameters.

Tip: Don’t be afraid to be different. Some of the most successful print pieces are those that stand out from the crowd. Work with your sales representative to create a size and shape that works best for your design and budget.

Specs of paper

Selecting the best type of paper to use in your print publication or marketing collateral can be overwhelming. Ask for samples from your sales representative before making your final decision. We compiled a list of terms that will help you learn the lingo used in describing paper.

• Basis weight – weight per pound per ream cut to size by inches

• Coated – paper treated with a coating for added properties like durability, ink holdout and gloss..

• Cover – a durable, heavy-weight paper used for booklet covers, postcards, business cards, rack cards, etc.

• Smoothness – the evenness of a paper’s surface

• Text – a general term describing an assortment of paper grades but often applied to content pages within a publication and programs

• Uncoated – paper that is not treated or coated and typically has a rougher surface

• Varnish – a thin layer of protective coating that is applied over the ink to help prevent scuffing or add gloss or matte effects

Tip: Go green and FSC. Sustainably sourced paper products are not only good for the environment, but they are a value-add for your brand image. Consumers seek out companies committed to helping to save the planet and are willing to spend more on products and companies with a sustainable focus.

Finishing in style

Once the main pages of a publication come off the press, they progress to the finishing department for completion. This next step involves any number of machines that will apply any additional coatings needed for durability or shine, fold the pages, bind the publication together in either saddle-stitch or perfect binding format, and trim the edges.

Tip: Perfect binding is worth the money when your page count allows and your audience skews toward luxury. The edges have a crisp and clean look that elevates your brand.

Let Journal Graphics help you turn your next publication into something spectacular. Contact us today to see what we can do for you!

Welcome to the New Voice of Journal Graphics

As a privately held commercial printer in Portland, Oregon, since 1937, we consider our customers, vendors and suppliers, community members and industry colleagues in everything we do. As we build our brand to demonstrate excellence in powerful, high-capacity web printing, we’ll take deep dives into new techniques, technologies and approaches that are crucial to the work we do for you.

We launched this platform to share the resources we discover, the inspiration we find, and our expertise along the journey.

For over 80 years, Journal Graphics has been pushing the edge of innovation to print superior publications on deadline and within budget.  Our state-of-the-art web presses and bindery ensure a professional product that stands the test of time, while our expert mailing and fulfillment teams deliver to destinations with speed and accuracy. Seamless integration of web editions create value-added content, brand awareness, and critical analytics. 

We will also use this space to explore issues critical to our industry and region. At Journal Graphics, we recognize that the way we do business impacts everything around us, including the natural world and the people in it. We aim to lessen our carbon footprint in every way we can while finding ways to make life better for those who live, work and play in our community. We recently invested in new technologies to develop the most efficient production methods, and all employees are encouraged to continuously innovate. 

We’re invested in the future of the industry and our lasting place within it. We want you right there with us as we learn and grow, so watch this space for the latest in printing innovations, technological advances and people-first practices. While other printers may be holding back, we will continue to press forward.