plenty of print for everyone

Starting off in business

Frank Golden, Print Hut's Printhuteer#1, recollects the very early days in business in St.Neots and telling the world how he was 'giving print back to the people':

Through my own experience of starting up a business in the St.Neots area, it is a total minefield for any wouldbe buisness owner to get advice. We are all promised support when launching but the trouble was too many organisations crossing over on their propositions; There was Business Link, St Neots Business Services, HDC Economic Developement, EEDA, Huntingdonshire Business Enterprise services or something and so on and so on. Someone should take the reins and navigate us start ups through all this mess so we can get to the real offer of support. Since launching Print Hut! - The Uk’s only Ultra Wholesale Printers the only support that has actually found its way to me from a centrally government funded iniative was a DVD on how to fill out Corporation Tax… They were obvious unaware of the stats and how low a chance I had of getting to that ‘fortunate’ piont with the business. I praise anyone supporting micro business and wish you all the very best. But please work together and not against each other. The strange irony here is that its capitalist trying to help capitalist. Lets go communist on the former... Finally if you need advise on how not to waste cash on print in those early days then give me a call

Frank Golden Printhuteer#1 The Uk's only Ultra Wholesale Printing company 0880 9545 014

Use it twice!! Once more- use it twice!!!!!

Continuing with his theme of the environment and the print industry, Frank Golden, Print Hut's printhuteer#1 continues to examine what the Industry is doing to clean up its act; howwever let's take a break and see what the consumer can do whilst still benefiting from an Ultra Wholesale printing Company

Why use recycled paper?

There are three main reasons to use recycled fibre:

Lower resource use: Paper manufacture is very resource-intensive. It simply makes no sense to use paper only once, when it can be so easily re-used.

Less landfill: Recycling reduces the amount of waste paper going to landfill. It is predicted that we will run out of landfill sites in the UK during the next decade. Landfills will be replaced by incinerators, whose toxic fall-out has been proven to be harmful to human health. Also, as it biodegrades in landfill (anaerobic conditions), paper produces methane, which is 23 times more powerful than CO2.

No harm to forests: Only when using 100 percent recycled paper can you can be absolutely sure that your product has not had a detrimental effect on any forest.

An Interesting Lunch 29th July

The first 'Interesting Lunch' for St. Neots' Businesses will be held at the Bridge House Public House in St. Neots on the 29th July 2009.

The Town Mayor will be speaking to the diners and on hand to answer questions from the floor. Pay as you go with food and drinks. Frank Golden, Print Hut''s Printhuteer#1 who will be chairing the dinner remarks: "This isn't a networking frenzy, but an opportunity to meet with interesting people from within St. Neots Business Community and a chance to mix with people who could influence your business, rather than selling to the room."

Attendance will be invitation only. Frank Golden adds: "I hope this to be the first of many interesting lunches and hope to schedule the second towards the end of August. If anyone is both interesting and interested in the lunch then please call me on 01480 216 331

Printhuteers take to the Ocean

Print Hut- The Uk's Only Ultra Wholesale Printing Company took part in the Recent JP Morgan Asset Management 'Around the Island Race' over the weekend of the 19th, 20th and 21st of June. The team comprising of three including Frank Golden, Manging Director, Tom Gray and Mitch Peeters, who flew in especially from Zurich ended the 54 mile course in 55th position (out of a catagory number of 188 vessels) and finished overall in 506th position out of a record 1800 vessels that entered. Well done to the team and a special thanks to Tom Gray for providing the boat, Ruth May. One quick comment; Tom please bin that red and yellow sail which made mine and Mitch's life hell for 2 hours and a big thanks to the boat in Osborne Bay that retreived the broom (or brush if French or Belgian speaking) that Frank dropped into the sea - you saved my bacon from the skipper!!

Frank Golden Printhuteer#1 Print Hut! Plenty of Print for everyone!!!

Become a Print Hut! Reseller - Printhuteers

Well, you have been selected as a ‘printhuteer’ sales agent for Print Hut, probably because you know lots of people and lots of people know and trust you. It could be also that you are currently selling other services and products that we think compliments business printing. (We’re not daft!)

You will receive cash rewards everytime you introduce somebody who places an order into Print Hut. Whether it's a repeat order, an order a few months down the line or a new visiting customer - the reward is yours as long as the agreement is running between us both.

Attached is a marketing flyer, you can pass on, your pricing matrix and commission’s sheet for the month as well as an intro to ‘Ultra Wholesale Printing’ - sell a product and see what cash is coming your way. There will be bonuses too of course - more volume more cash, but I will be in touch about that later.

I reckon its best to keep that commission sheet under wraps or everyone will want to be a printhuteer. Oh and don’t worry if a product doesn’t appear on the list; we produce over 160 products, these are just the most common. Get your contacts to call us directly; we are a very friendly bunch…. Finally if you are a ‘retail’ printhuteer, we will be round very shortly with a box of retail goodies including flyers, printhuteer cards and counter display.

Welcome to The Ultra Wholesale print Pipeline… and I look forward to sending that first statement and receiving your invoice! I wonder what you might use the cash for? Welcome to The Ultra Wholesale print Pipeline… and I look forward to sending that first statement and receiving your invoice! I wonder what you might use the cash for? Statements go out on the last working day of the month and we pay with 48 hours of receiving your invoice.Download Ultra Wholesale Leaflet EMAIL

Frank Golden Printhuteer #1 Print Hut! Print for the People www.printhut.co.uk 0800 9545 014

A few more myths concerning the print industry and the environment

“Recycled paper is more expensive than virgin paper” False: This is another over perpetuated myth. The first recycled materials were more expensive, mainly because they were produced in relatively small quantities and systems needed for producing highervolumes, such as waste collection and sorting, were not in place. Customer demand has led to an explosion of interest in papers containing recycled fibre. Paper companies have responded to this market demand and there is an unprecedented range available. Many recycled papers are now produced in high volumes and compare favourably in cost to virgin fibre options. Stubbornly the myth persists, but it is usually perpetuated by printing companies that have little experience of recycled papers and do not have appropriate suppliers. They are, therefore, in no position to give customers informed advice.

Frank Golden

1 Printhuteer

So put that in your pipe and smoke it (carbon free of course!!)

Continuing with his theme of the environment and the print industry, Frank Golden continues to examine what the Industry is doing to clean up its act;

Printing is estimated to be the UK’s 4th most polluting industry, mostly because of high energy and chemical use, and associated waste. People want to know what they can do to reduce environmental impact, not just by using less energy in planes/cars/domestic heating, but also in their purchasing choices. This is especially important when it comes to choosing a printer and it isn’t just about recycled paper. In fact to ensure sustainability, all aspects of a company's activities need to be addressed, as well as the design and printing process itself.

Myths and Misinformation

Unfortunately many people are dissuaded from making positive environmental choices by myths and misinformation which range from out of date to completely untrue. However, slowly but surely, progress is being made and the message is getting through. For example:

“Recycled paper is more damaging for the environment than non-chlorine bleached paper produced from sustainable forests”

False: This vague generalisation with no basis in fact has been perpetuated widely. It is an all-encompassing myth that does not stand up to questioning. With more widespread experience of the use of recycled paper, better general environmental awareness and the scientific rigour introduced by the requirements of forestry-certification, surely its days are numbered.

Fact: One tonne of recycled paper saves approximately six mature trees and 3.3 cubic yards of rapidly diminishing landfill space (Source: Friends of the Earth). So put that in your pipe and smoke it (carbon free of course)

Printers Jibberish.. The 'B's

Backbone. Alternate term for Spine.

Back up. To print on the second side of a sheet already printed on one side. Such printing is called a backup.

Banding. Method of packaging printed pieces using paper, rubber, or fiberglass bands.

Base negative. Negative made from copy pasted to mounting board, not overlays.

Basic size. The one standard size of each grade of paper used to calculate basis weight.

Basis weight. Weight in pounds of a ream of paper cut to the basic size for its grade.

Baud rate. Number of bits of information transmitted per second from one digital device to another.

Benday. Alternate term for Screen tint.

Bind. To fasten sheets or signatures and adhere covers with glue, wire, thread, or by other means.

Binder's board. Very stiff paper board used to make covers of case bound books.

Bindery. Print shop department or separate business that does trimming, folding, binding, and other finishing tasks.

Black Printer The plate during the prepress printing process that is used with the cyan, magenta and yellow printers to enhance the contrast and to emphasize the neutral tones and detail in the final reproduction shadow areas.

Blanket. Thick rubber sheet that transfers ink from plate to paper on an offset press.

Blanket cylinder. Cylinder of a press on which the blanket is mounted.

Bleed. Printing that extends to the edge of a sheet or page after trimming.

Blind emboss. To emboss without added ink or foil the embossed image.

Blow up. To enlarge photographically. Such an enlargement is called a blowup.

Blueline. Prepress, photographic proof where all colors show as blue image on white paper.

Board. Alternate term for Mechanical.

Board paper. Grade of paper commonly used for file folders, display, and post cards.

Bond paper. Grade of paper commonly used for writing, printing, and photocopying.

Bookbinder. Alternate term for Trade bindery.

Book paper. Grade of paper suitable for books, magazines, and general printing needs.

Brightness. Characteristic of paper referring to how much light it reflects.

Bristol. Type of board paper used for post cards, business cards, and other heavy-use products.

Broken carton. Less than one full carton of paper.

Broker. Agent who supplies printing from many printing companies.

Bulk. Thickness of paper, expressed in thousandths of an inch or pages per inch (ppi).

Bulk pack. To pack printed pieces in boxes without prior wrapping in bundles.

Burn. In photography, to give extra exposure to a specific area of a print. In lithography, to expose a blueline proof or printing plate with light.

Burnisb. To smooth and seal by rubbing elements. adhered to a mechanical.

Burst perfect bind. To bind by forcing glue into notches in spines of signatures, and then adhering a paper cover.

Butt. To join without overlapping or space between.

Butt fit. Ink colors overlapped only a hairline so they appear perfectly butted.

Buyout. Subcontracted service.

Printhutter #1 in the Hills

Had a well deserved trip into the hills with a few colleagues recently. Left Print Hut early on the Friday, cheers Neil P for covering and caught several trains ending up in Sheffield for the night before getting into Edale on the Saturday. Was a well deserved break after the record breaking months we experienced throughout November through to March. Here is one or two shots thought I would share. Frank Golden Plenty of print for everyone

Frank Golden Printhuteer #1

Printhuteers in the hills <

On top on it for once.

Brand - take it seriously

Have spend with weekend reading a few articles of various aspects of business. Here is a slice of quality reading looking at your Brand so thought I would share it with you all Frank Golden Printhuteer#1 Print Hut! Plenty of print for everyone!

Sad but true - life can be tough for SMEs. They share the same challenges as large companies, but with limited financial muscle or human resources. They have to punch above their weight. And that's where marketing comes in. The problem is, marketing budgets can be tight and, in smaller companies, the same person frequently has split responsibilities for both sales and marketing - often without formal marketing expertise. For that reason, I am going to concentrate on some very simple concepts that can really make all the difference for an SME. "PR publicity stunts can be remarkably cost effective"

Creating a 'brand' Lesson number one: a brand is not just a logo. Lesson number two: branding is not just for large companies. For marketing professionals, branding is all about perception; the perceptions people have about a company or its products. Products (and companies) are like people. They have personalities. If that sounds pretentious, let me give an example: Volskwagen and Skoda are part of the same business and under the skin of the cars they share many of the same components. VW has evolved a brand personality that is around quality and performance whereas Skoda has evolved a value proposition, with the obvious benefits and drawbacks associated with this. Neither is right or wrong, they are just different as a result of being targeted at different sectors of the market, each with their own profit pool. I have chosen to use a ‘big company’ example simply because all readers will recognise the brands. But can small companies really create a brand? Well, a lady called Anita Roddick once had a small shop selling body oils and fragrances. She also had a brand built on a very strong value system that was just right for the times. The rest is history. The benefits of a brand are significant. A lot of small businesses find themselves competing on price, yet people are willing to pay more for a brand if they have an affinity with it. For example, Waitrose has a loyal customer base that chooses to pay more for some of their foodstuffs than other retailers’ customers. People choose Norton anti-virus software in spite of there being free solutions that can be downloaded. A good endorsement for Norton’s brand marketing. Once you have a brand, invest in it, nurture it as you would a child. It then becomes possible to enter new markets on the strength of the brand. Richard Branson's empire is a perfect example. So how might this apply to, say, a small plumbing business? First, the company should identify and promote its core values - such as 'reliability ', always sticking to the quote, turning up on time, cleaning up properly at the end of the job, phoning back a week later to ensure the customer is satisfied. A perfect brand name for this company would be something like 'No Hassle Plumbing'. Taking a leaf out of Richard Banson's book, over time they might expand into 'No Hassle Air Conditioning', 'No Hassle Electrics' etc. The four 'A' approach Ask yourself four things: Awareness - how do people hear about my brand? Association - what things do they associate with my brand, as opposed to that of my competitors? Advantage - what are the merits of my brand over my competitors' brands? Affinity - does my brand/company have a 'personality' of its own that makes people feel affection for it? As to Awareness, it is not necessary to resort to expensive advertising. PR publicity stunts can be remarkably cost effective - editors need stories. A local baker launching a new cake is no story. Baking a giant cake and giving it to the local Children's Hospital is. The web is another outstandingly cost effective way of gaining awareness, whatever size the company. Price vs value Marketeers often refer to the four Ps, or the Marketing Mix Product Pricing Promotion Place Smaller companies seem to have most difficulty addressing price. The problem stems from adopting a cost-plus strategy: "My product costs X. I need to make a profit, so I will charge X + Y". I often find people who consistently under-price themselves this way. Price should not only have a simple arithmetic relationship with cost. You can try to sell your products/services for whatever price you choose; even giving them away (you would probably be surprised with the results if you did!). The secret is to understand your buyers’ values and charge what you are worth. If you should over-price, you will quickly learn and can take appropriate action. Once under priced, it is difficult to raise the bar. Under-pricing results in the whole business engine suffering a vicious circle. When working to tight margins, there is a greater risk of things going wrong and then insufficient margin to remedy problems - quality suffers and reputation is destroyed. There are many other topics I could cover, but space prevents me. To find a layman's guide to such things as the Marketing Mix, PR, Market Research, Branding and so on, I strongly recommend the Chartered Institute of Marketing's knowledge hub.

A perspective on Business Marketing Bill Simcox