Tom Dean | Screentec

Bleed in Printing; What Is It & Do I Need It?

Tom Dean — Fri, 08 Apr 2022 12:41:07 +0000

On the surface, printing may seem straightforward. After all, you’re pushing patches of ink onto paper! However, suppose you’ve studied the process closer. In that case, you’ll realise the sheer amount of options available in different printing styles and materials. Card, photographic paper and plastic require unique processes for an impressive finished result. The possibilities are endless, and the only limit is your imagination.

Regardless of your ideas and expectations for the outcome of your printing, it would help if you considered whether you’d like to incorporate bleed in your project. And if you’re wondering, ‘what is bleeding?’ or ‘do I need it?’, then take a deep breath and continue reading. Here’s an introduction to bleed in printing.

What Does Bleed Mean In Printing?

Your print bleed is ink on the page that reaches beyond the edge of your digital design. Bleed exists to ensure you won’t face unwanted white borders around your custom signs or flyers after trimming them to the desired size. A 3mm bleed is the very least recommended on any printed product, regardless of the dimensions or the shape.

Manually check your bleed dimensions before you print any project. If you’re using Microsoft Word, Adobe Photoshop or PowerPoint, you’ll need to make your canvas 6mm larger from the beginning. You can then treat the additional space as a 3mm bleed margin around the border. A5 paper is 148mm by 210mm, so your project should be 154mm by 216mm with the additional space incorporated. You’ll never face unsightly gaps again if you demonstrate careful forethought.

Do I Always Need To Leave Bleeds While Printing?

If your project incorporates a photograph you’d like to display without white borders, you’ll need a bleed. Improperly proportioned prints look less professional, so you may be wasting your money and effort on marketing without achieving clean edges. However, you won’t need to consider a bleed if your image or design uses a white background! Everything will blend anyway, so you needn’t alter dimensions.

What Do I Need To Look Out For With Bleeds?

Up until now, we’ve only recommended a 3mm bleed margin. That space will suffice for documents up to 45cm by 60cm. Anything more significant than 45cm by 60cm will require a more substantial bleed, and we recommend 12mm to be safe. Remember you dictate your bleed margins, so be sure they’re adequate for any printing you complete.

We recommend running a test print with traditional printer paper before committing to your dimensions if you’re working with expensive material. Bleeds are adjustable, and you may determine you need wider margins than usual for a particularly awkward image.

A Checklist Of Common Mistakes To Avoid In Printing:

Forgetting to consider bleed space is only one of the mistakes you can make while printing. Impressive designs take lots of consideration and careful planning, so we’ve compiled a checklist to run through before you throw money at bulk materials and buckets of ink.

Check for typos before you print text. Double, triple and quadruple assess your work.
Reassess your dimensions before you print. It’s easy to mistype by a centimetre or two.
Delete guidelines that aren’t supposed to feature in the project.
Apply a colour palette to your design. Too many tones and hues are distracting.
Utilise high definition images that can convert to CMYK.
Consider the shade of your material. If your base isn’t white, you’ll need to balance the colour.

Why Not Trust The Professional Printers?

The best news we can deliver is you needn’t stress over calculating bleed dimensions alone. At Screentec, we’re here and happy to help with any printing project. Whether your team plans to create outdoor display stands or promotional posters, you can contact us for valuable support.

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Innovative Business Card Designs

Tom Dean — Fri, 08 Apr 2022 12:32:03 +0000

1. Plantable Business Cards

Is your organisation loud and proud about remaining environmentally friendly? A plantable business card would be an impressive touch to market your services. You needn’t contribute to the millions of paper sheets discarded every day.

If your advertising has seeds inbuilt, you’re actively demonstrating that protecting the earth is one of your priorities. Of course, recipients won’t be able to refer back to your details if they’ve buried your card in soil. Still, they’re likely to save your details in their contacts before nurturing their baby wildflowers!

2. Ruler Business Cards

So, you want your business card to be valuable enough to last in your prospect’s pocket. We’ve got you! Add true-to-scale ruler measurements, both centimetres and inches, on the top and bottom of your card. You can’t predict when the recipient will need to note an exact distance down. However, you can position yourself and your organisation as incredibly helpful if you’ve provided a functional tool. Your handiness could secure you the upper hand if your lead is torn between your business and others. Never underestimate the power of forward-thinking.

3. Bookmark Business Cards

So, you’d like all eyes on your business logo constantly. Isn’t that the dream for most? A bookmark business card is one way to get yourself consistently noticed by your target audience. Nobody appreciates spending money on something unnecessary to wedge between paper. Still, custom business cards will cling to the saved spot tighter than a receipt! Use thick material and include a clip to fix your card firmly on your prospect’s pages.

A quality business card reflects a quality business, so you don’t want to opt for cheap printing or design. Carefully created print marketing wins every time.

4. Business Card Stamp

You heard us right. You needn’t hand out pocket-sized rectangles of thick paper to promote your business. While creative business cards may suit your organisation, and you may find the previous ideas appealing, you have more options.

Why not check out a business card stamp? You can deliver all the information you’d offer on typical print marketing while securing your details into your prospect’s diary or notebook. Your details will never get lost! You’ll save yourself plenty of time, money and effort if you opt for an ink stamp rather than having to get a new batch of cards printed for your next trade show.

5. Coaster Business Cards

Do you often voice your affection for a cosy hot drink? Or are you an appreciator of a regular pint? A coaster business card could reflect your personality and your business wonderfully. Laminated cardboard would work effectively enough, or you could opt for some classy cork. It’d be fantastic exposure for you if your logo were visible every time your prospect picked up their mug.

Additionally, any recipients of your marketing material would subconsciously associate your business with delightful beverages. If that won’t secure you more clients, we aren’t sure what would!

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The Top 7 Worst Fonts You Really Wanna Avoid

Tom Dean — Sun, 26 Sep 2021 11:45:39 +0000

Fonts add a little flavour to any text you’re writing. Whether you’re creating a custom exhibition display or you’re picking some bold graphic text for a poster, your font can make or break the finished product. We all have a group of pet peeve fonts that we’re convinced are overused, but they rely on personal preference.

Regardless of your opinion, some fonts are universally disliked. You’d be clever to give these a miss unless you’re trying to inspire fury in the hearts of your audience. If you want people to appreciate your hard work, here is our breakdown of the top 7 worst fonts you really wanna avoid.

1. Comic Sans

You knew this was coming. Comic Sans has been the bane of our existence since our school days. It’s an overly round, stupidly cheery style of font that screams immaturity. There’s no creativity in selecting this style anymore since it’s the go-to for teachers across the UK. The only acceptable application for this font is in a meme as a joke. It may come back in style one day, but don’t hold your breath.

2. Zirkle

Zirkle looks alien, but in the worst way possible. It’s challenging to follow and bendy in places where it doesn’t need to be. There’s no difference between capital and lowercase shapes, which reflects how lazy the design is on the whole. The N and the Z are the same shapes, just at different angles. There are very few circumstances that would benefit from this typeface. Not aesthetically pleasing.

3. Beastform

Beastform is close to entirely illegible. It’s essentially just slashes of harsh lines on such a slant that you don’t know which way to turn your head. You certainly couldn’t print a sentence in this font, and even one single word could be challenging to interpret. At least it’s less round than Comic Sans and Zirkle, but Beastform is too far the opposite. It’s spiky and not inviting.

4. Papyrus

You’ll have encountered this old-school font. It’s a crowd-pleaser when it comes to cafe logo designers but supposedly lends its look to Ancient Egypt. Papyrus isn’t a challenging font to comprehend, but it isn’t impressive. There are purposeful irregular gaps where letters begin and finish. Papyrus reflects handwriting while looking inauthentic. Fabulous if that’s the look you’re striving for, but why would you?

5. Klute

If you’re wondering why this font looks familiar, even if you can’t put your finger on it, we’ll put you out of your misery. This font massively inspired promotional items for the London 2021 Olympics. Can you tell? After covering adverts plastered around the globe, the Klute font design can’t represent anything but competitive sport. It is recognisable and legible but ultimately useless for anything but events.

6. Monoton

Any amateur disco night will incorporate Monoton somewhere. Enough said. The font layers lines and gaps to form letters rather than block print. Some of the spacing between letters is strange, and numbers are much taller than lower-case letters. Big single words in this style are passable, but sentences in a smaller font size appear trippy. The white space in each letter makes the design seem glitchy. Not the best look!

7. Curlz MT

Did somebody say let’s make a nine-year-old’s birthday party invitation? Curlz MT will get the job done, but it’ll upset all adults simultaneously. This font puts swirls and curls where swirls don’t need to be. Curlz MT’s small weight also makes it a problematic font to read in sentences. We’re pretty sure the design has caused misunderstandings for decades and resulted in parents rocking up to the wrong party location.

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Here’s The Health And Safety Signs You Actually Need (And Why!)

Tom Dean — Sun, 26 Sep 2021 11:23:04 +0000

It is undeniable that health and safety signage is a necessity. You’re responsible for the well-being of your employees even when you aren’t on the premises! Sensibly placed instructions on custom signs and labels help you to avoid serious incidents. Clear warnings guide your team members when you can’t. Still, you can overdo it if you aren’t careful. At Screentec, we’re here to take the guesswork out of your hands. Here are the health and safety signs you actually need, and why!

Firstly, What Are Health And Safety Signs?

Health and safety signs are simply warnings or instructions to protect the welfare of the viewer. Though printed signs are the traditional way to deliver health and safety information, other methods include:

Audibly, over a speaker system.
Through gestures, physical signals and body language.
By light or illumination.

What Types Of Health And Safety Signs Are There?

The purpose of health and safety signs can differ, even if they’re all delivered by print. Types of signs include:

Warning – must be yellow. Warning signs highlight hazards and dangers.
Prohibition – must be red. Prohibition signs directly instruct against dangerous behaviour.
Emergency exits – must be green. Emergency exit signs clarify escape routes for any incident.
Fire safety – must be red. Fire safety signs explain the equipment that fights against flames.
Mandatory – must be blue. Mandatory signs demand viewers act or dress a certain way.
First aid – must be green. First aid signs highlight where the kits can be found if necessary.
Suggestion signs encourage considerate actions, like handwashing.

What Are The Legal Requirements Around Safety Signs?

The Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1992 outlines the use of signage. Fitting health and safety signs is a legal requirement in the following circumstance. You must install signs if you’ve implemented every possible method to manage risk, but a significant threat to health remains. Additionally, any printed warnings or instructions need to be in their correlating colour or aren’t valid.

Legal guidance around signage is vague, and it’s challenging to determine how cautious you ought to be. Conduct a thorough risk assessment of your premises with professional help and custom plastic clipboards, so you can note where signage would be beneficial.

The Right Amount Of Signs And Labels

For every hazard that poses a threat to health, you only need one clear sign in that room. When you fit two or more safety warnings in the same space for the same hazard, you clutter your surroundings and increase the likelihood of the signs being ignored. Additionally, if a threat is immediately apparent to the untrained eye, a sign is unnecessary. Your employees can recognise the risk before you address it, and you can offer a verbal warning during their training if you see a need.

Signs You Don’t Legally Need:

The only signs that aren’t legally required are suggestion signs. Suggestion signs encourage activities like hand washing, but they aren’t a necessity. These instructions can be displayed at your discretion if you want to minimise the spread of germs and infections.

Signs You Do Legally Need:

Fire safety instructions.
Emergency escape routes.
First aid displays if there isn’t always a qualified first aider present.
Mandatory instructions to prevent injury.
Warning signs to highlight hidden risks.
Prohibition signs to direct against dangerous behaviour.

The Conclusion On Health And Safety Signs

Caution is always sensible, and that is no less true in health and safety signs. You must do everything within your power to identify and address the threats in your workplace. You need to apply signs where they’ll be helpful.

Remember that you only need one clear sign for each hazard! A cluttered workspace filled with unnecessary signage is not practical. If you’re unsure of what style of labels and boards you require to protect your employees, contact us at Screentec.

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How To Have The Best Trade Show

Tom Dean — Thu, 26 Aug 2021 11:13:24 +0000

Hosting a trade show is no easy feat, but they can bring in a whole host of new business! Whether you throw the event for yourself or you attend with your own stall, seeing success at any trade show takes planning and organisation. You’ve got to be prepared to fight for attention, and you need to retain it with helpful information and impressive merchandise.

Here are five tips you need, covering how to have the best trade show:

1. Plan your stalls far in advance.

No matter what, the most critical element of any trade show is the business stands. If you’re hosting the trade event, figure out how many stalls you’re going to require! It would help if you had an initial idea of how many companies are interested in participating, and this will also guide your choice of venue.

As well as determining how many stalls you’re going to need to set up, you’ve got to give extra thought to your company stand. Where do you want to be located in the hall? Do you want to sit toward the front of the exhibition to catch visitors upon entering, or at the back to leave the final impression?

It would help if you also began to think about what you’re going to promote at your stall. Do you have a new product launch you’d like to talk about, or are you trying to build up an email list to start marketing campaigns? Are you going to need a custom exhibition display created with your company logo to summarise what you do?

2. Elect staff members to attend

The most vital tool in trade show preparation is communication. Every attendee needs to be clear on their role in the team, whether as a salesperson or in administration. A strong staff selection will represent your business in the best light, so choosing confident and charismatic employees is essential.

Though it may seem very early to be considering the logistics of the day, you need to consider the event from your staff’s perspective. Give them as much detail as possible, including what you wish to achieve with your stand! Gather together instructions for your employees once they arrive, and print them out alongside one another’s phone numbers in case of emergency.

3. Plan to be active on social media.

One surefire way to spread your trade stall beyond the walls of your event is to publish photographs and videos on social media! You’ve gone to the effort of setting up a stand, and your employees won’t always be occupied with visitors when they’re exploring other companies. Plan to use the spare time to upload stories for fans, and include any hashtags relevant to the event.

Anybody searching through content relating to the trade show will see your business, and you could find potential customers on Instagram and Facebook as well as your physical stall. The social content of the show will also give some entertainment to your current followers, and you may even encourage some fans to attend the show that otherwise wouldn’t have realised the event was happening.

4. Offer Freebies Or Food

Of course, you’ll receive more footfall to your stall if attendees realise you’re giving away free sweets and treats. You can qualify every visitor to your booth for their free item by asking them a question for market research. For example, before you hand over any merchandised pens or notepads, you could invite visitors to explain any challenges they’ve faced in your industry. If their issue is something you believe you can solve, they’re a lead! You can quickly explain how you’d rectify their issue, and get their details for further conversation.

Invite every staff member attending the trade show to participate in a preparation session the week before the trade show is scheduled. Mock set up your stall, including your freebies, and encourage practice networking conversations between your attendees. Double-check that business cards and flyers are in document wallets, so they’re easy to find and up to date with relevant information for any visitors to your stand.

5. Run Your Stall And Follow Up

All that’s left to do is to enjoy hosting your stall at the event! All staff are confident in their roles at the trade show, and you’ve got a system in place to record leads. Make sure to contact your leads no later than two days after the stall, so your offering is fresh in their mind. Also, be open to suggestions from your team as to what could be improved for the next event!

Do your best to ensure you’ve always got plenty of merchandise on hand, and contact us at ScreenTec if you need any advice on suitable freebies.

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The Best Movie Posters Of All Time

Tom Dean — Tue, 24 Aug 2021 09:52:26 +0000

One of the most exciting strolls you’ll ever take is down the corridor before your movie at the cinema. Dotted between the different doors are ads for new and upcoming films, so you’re already planning your next trip to the cinema before you’re even at your seat! Movie posters give you the feel for a movie before you see the trailer, and they allow producers the opportunity to get creative with still prints. You can even buy custom full colour posters to spice up the walls in your own home.

Speaking of full-colour posters, here are Screentec’s picks for the best movie posters of all time. Prepare for a trip down memory lane!

Jaws

Of course, this is one of the first movie posters that’ll spring to mind. The Jaws poster is an iconic artwork, with bold red text and a blue and white colour palette.

We want to bet this graphic is framed on a fair few walls across the globe, and the poster is one of the first things we visualise when we think of the film.

The plot of Jaws isn’t difficult to predict from this artwork, so it promotes the movie exceptionally. One thing is for sure; we wouldn’t want to be in that swimmer’s position!

High School Musical

Once again, this movie poster is so iconic that it’s one of the first things we picture from the title.

Including all of the prominent cast members, this artwork has been printed on the DVD, and endless promotional items, so it’s easily one of the most recognisable teen film posters.

With a burgundy theatre background and some clever neon font, you can derive the plot of this movie from its artwork.

It’s the first of three High School Musical films, but the second and third posters aren’t half as memorable.

The Godfather

On a completely different note to High School Musical, The Godfather is a much darker tale, and that much is evident from the movie poster.

The sinister shadowing on this artwork immediately gives the impression of a gangster tale, which is a credit to how cleverly this poster has been created.

Though The Godfather trilogy includes three movies, no scene is as well-remembered as this frame from the first film. You can almost hear it!

American Beauty

In yet another twist, the American Beauty poster uses sex appeal to sell the film.

There is an instant impression that the movie will be provocative, with an exposed, toned stomach, and a rose draped across bare skin. As we all know now, the rose is a clever and PG tribute to the movie’s nude scene.

While the poster may not be as memorable as Angela draped in rose petals, the film’s recurring motif, it’s a brilliant piece of artwork with plenty of hidden symbolism.

Back To The Future

Back To The Future is a classic, old-school film, and the movie poster is equally iconic.

The first, second, and third film posters have a similar feel, so the entire franchise is recognisable.

With the trail of fire, Marty staring at his watch, and the Delorean in the background, the first film’s most significant elements are all cleverly featured in the poster.

We’d bet this is framed on plenty of walls for some nostalgia!

The Silence Of The Lambs

An unsettling poster certainly suits a disturbing film, and it doesn’t get much more disturbing than The Silence Of The Lambs.

Since the movie is a psychological thriller to the highest degree, the unusual artwork gives an insight into the twists and turns of the film.

With a dark colour palette and pops of red, movie posters don’t get much more iconic than this. It’s universally appreciated, and has been recreated by multiple artists.

While we can’t promise they’ll be as iconic as the best movie posters of all time, you can create custom posters and promotional items with our team at Screentec. Contact us to find out more!

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