Today, businesses of all types rely on digital media to market themselves and their services. Yet despite the prevalence of things like email, web, and social media marketing, traditional print marketing techniques still offer plenty of opportunities to market your brand effectively. In fact, whereas only around 20 to 30 percent of marketing emails get opened, print marketing mail is opened an astonishing 90 percent of the time!

In other words, leveraging the power of print marketing can help your business grow in ways that digital marketing methods simply don’t. One of the most effective ways to leverage this ability is to create a physical catalog for your business. Printing catalogs for your business can be a major undertaking, however, and there’s plenty you need to consider if you’ve never done it before. Here’s our quick primer on what you need to know about creating the perfect catalog for your business.

Getting Started with Printing Catalogs

First things first: you have to make some important decisions before running off to the printer. First and foremost, you need to decide the scope of your catalog and what you’re looking for. This will be dependent on the type of business you have; if you’re looking to advertise your business services, the process of printing catalogs with the right information you need will look different than if you were advertising your products to customers, or if you’re putting a novelty catalog together for an event.

Therefore, a single ideal, “perfect” catalog doesn’t exist – just the one that’s perfect for your needs. Think long and hard about the type of content you want in the catalog. The more information you must share, the larger the volume will be; meanwhile, the physical size of the catalog, such as its actual dimensions, is also something you’ll have to determine. It’s not like an online catalog where you don’t have to worry about size and shape, after all!

Choosing Physical Characteristics of Print Catalogs

Because printing catalogs involves creating objects that occupy physical space, it’s essential to understand the different choices you have when it comes to the physical characteristics of catalogs. Let’s start from the inside out:

• Number of pages: Think about how many pages you want your print catalog to have. This will be dependent on how many entries your catalog has and how much information you want to include with each entry. Adding large pictures of products and detailed descriptions will provide the reader with plenty of information, but this will make the catalog larger. Larger catalogs naturally cost more to print.
• Type of paper: Another important decision you’ll need to make before printing catalogs is the type and quality of the paper you’re using for that catalog. You’ll need to choose a type and color of paper, its thickness and weight, and whether it will have a matte, semi-gloss, or gloss finish. Again, these decisions will have an impact on the overall cost to print your catalog and also on which types of printing technologies can and cannot be used.
• Size and dimensions: You’ll also need to determine the physical dimensions of your printed catalog. Do you want it a standard letter size, such as 8 ½” wide x 11” long? Will it be larger or smaller? Keep in mind that typical catalogs might have some oversized dimensions but typically retain a consistent aspect ratio.
• Cover: Decide the type of cover you want for your catalog. Cardstock is a popular choice, as it’s versatile and inexpensive. Durability can be an issue with cardstock, but you can choose a higher-weight cardstock or a glossy finish to ensure it’s a little better at weathering normal wear and tear.
• Binding: An unbound catalog is just a loose stack of paper. There are several different binding techniques that you can use to keep your cover on your catalog. Some are more durable, while others are more appropriate for the size of the catalog you’re producing. Saddle stitch, wire coil, perfect binding, or even case binding are all viable choices.

Las Vegas Color Graphics Makes Printing Catalogs Quick and Easy!

If you’re looking to put together a print catalog for your business, don’t feel like you have to go it alone. Here at Las Vegas Color Graphics, we’ve been providing print services to the Vegas and surrounding communities for more than 40 years! Our expert, highly trained staff can help you design and print the perfect catalog for your needs. Contact us today to learn more!