Записи с меткой «flat»

Knowing The Good Custom Notepads From The Bad Ones

Doing a little notepad printing for business or personal reasons? Do you know what really good custom notepads look like or are you just going to let the notepad printing service decide all the options for you? If you really want to get the best custom notepads for business or for personal use, I recommend that you should first learn and discover what is good and what is bad in terms of notepad printing. Here are some pointers you should know.

• Sometimes it is all in the binding – Sometimes the best and the worse notepads are determined by the binding. The fact is that good binding like those simple adhesives should always be not noticeable at all. If everything is clean and you do not even mind or think about how those notepad pages cling to each other, then you have a good notepad.
• However, if you always see a tear in the binding, or there are always those red rubber or adhesive residues on the top of every notepad page, then that custom notepad is bad. It looks bad, and if you want to use that type of notepad for business, then you might give off a bad impression. So always try to get the best binding method for your custom notepads.
• Paper quality impressions – Paper quality also says a lot in notepad printing. The better the paper is, the better people’s impressions are with the notepad, as well as the people who gave the notepads away. It is best to try using glossy paper for your business notepads, with certain special coatings like moisture resistant chemicals and tear resistant materials. As long as all notepad pages gleam with the light and looks clean and flat, then your notepad should look great and professional. Anything less than that, and it might just look like your average off the shelf notepad.
• Paper-wide design elements – A good notepad will also have some nice and subtle design elements on a paper-wide or page-wide scale. A common example of this would be a light watermark or maybe a decorative border. Adding these subtle design elements changes the nature of the paper. Instead of people looking at a normal pad of paper, people will definitely see that the custom notepad is more special because of these design elements. It will look better and of course be more interesting to write on. So make sure you have these in your custom notepads make them good.
• The all important letterhead – Finally all custom notepads must have a good letterhead. I recommend that you refrain from using those templates for letterheads in word processors and other desktop publishing software. It is best to create your own letterhead design for your custom notepads so that the notepad pages look more unique and of course customized. The best custom notepads always have letterheads in a particular distinctive style that is eye catching. Try to hire a professional layout artist to do it for you so that you can be sure that the letterhead can stand out and be noticed.

So more or less, you should now have a good idea of what bad and good custom notepads are. You should at least be able now to choose the best options that should make your notepad printing good and effective.

How to Stop Spinning Your Wheels and Fully Enjoy Your Business

Copyright (c) 2009 Christine Kloser

I got off the phone yesterday with a colleague who reminded me of myself. (Well, he reminded me of my past self.) He had experienced a good level of success, was respected by his colleagues, had a wonderful family and all the clients he could ask for.

But, there was something very wrong. He was exhausted, overworked, stressed out, and feeling like his life was his business… missing out on the other things that meant a lot to him.

I call this the «spinning your wheels» syndrome. It happens when you find yourself constantly running on the hamster wheel of your business (and your life). Only to realize that when you «get» to where you think you want to go, it’s not what you had envisioned. The «success» experience falls flat in comparison to what you thought it would be. Where is the bliss? Where is the freedom? Where is the joy from doing the work you love so much? Ahhhh… these are all very good questions.

And, here are three steps you can take immediately that’ll help you get off the never-ending «merry go round» of your business and enjoy more ease in your life. These were the very steps I took to shift things in my business to a place where I truly love my business and my life.

Step 1: Create Your Personal Definition of Success When it comes to experiencing entrepreneurial success, so often we see that definition being (according to the external world) about financial success. However, if the sole focus of a business is on financial reward, your life will be compromised in that pursuit.

It’s important as you look at redefining success for yourself, that you look at the entire picture of success. Here are some things to consider as you contemplate this… that go beyond your financial goals. What is the work that truly calls to your soul? How do you want to spend your time in your business? What types of clients do you want to work with? How many hours a week do you want to be working on your business? Do you want to offer more products or services, or cut back on your offerings? What kind of team do you need in place to help you experience your definition of success? How involved are you with your team? Do you want to travel for your business, or stay closer to home? What support do you have on your journey?

These are all questions to consider as you define what real success means to you. You’ll see that success is about much more than money… it’s about fulfillment, peace of mind and joy in your life.

Step 2: Reevaluate Your Business Once you’ve gotten clarity on your personal definition of success, it’s time to take a closer look at your current business. It’s important to give yourself a half day (or preferably a day) to step back from the operations of your business, and focus on the big picture. Too often, I see entrepreneurs who are working to create a business based on someone else’s model of success. But, in this step, the only model you need to allow to emerge is the one that works for you.

As you reevaluate your business, identify if there is anything you’re doing that you don’t want to do? On the other hand, are there things you want to do, but aren’t getting to? Are there aspects of your business that you think you «should» do, but they just aren’t working for you? Once you evaluate your current business, turn your focus on creating a vision for the business you really want. If you could create anything for yourself in your business, what would that be? This type of reevaluation is a necessary step in getting your «wheels to stop spinning» and fully enjoying your business.

Step 3: Be Proactive Being proactive is a key step to take your insight and clarity from the previous two steps and create positive change for yourself. When you do this type of work (to create your personal definition of success and reevaluate your business), chances are you’ll see some things that require a change to be made.

But, it’s up to you to take your new understanding and shift something in your business as a result. Nothing is more painful than knowing it’s time to make a change, yet not being proactive to it. This has been the step that’s allowed me to release entire businesses, projects, strategies, or programs that didn’t fit with what I saw for myself, my life and business. As a result, more aligned opportunities keep showing up for me, and I’m feeling more fulfilled in my business (and my life) than ever before.

These three simple steps aren’t necessarily easy, but they are indeed simple. If you feel like you’re spinning your wheels in your business and want to enjoy your life more fully, you owe it to yourself to give yourself the gift of time to follow these three steps and move forward toward the business and life you truly want.

How Unique Business Cards Can Better Your Small Business

When it comes to evaluating their use as a basic marketing tool that can bring important attention to your company, the effectiveness of standard business cards is well established. Although business cards can be a very effective marketing tool, more effort needs to be made to make business cards unique so that they will stand out above the crowd of standard, basic cards that are prominent.

Creating a unique business card can further your brand recognition and increase the trust that customers have for your organization. However, there are many pitfalls when it comes to designing a unique card, as the great reward that comes with a successful card is matched by risk in that the card could fall flat with many individuals. Be sure to follow these simple rules when working to achieve specific goals with a unique business card.

Creating brand recognition is one of the benefits of a unique business card. Going all out in creating brand recognition can draw immense attention to your card and your business, and make it very memorable. Standard, basic business cards that are often used will generally feature a picture of the company’s logo, and maybe have a slogan on it to help consumers recognize the brand.

By creating a unique business card, you are creating a unique identity for your brand. Be sure, however, to keep in mind what would be accepted as “professional” in your field. Being unique is great, but that trait must be kept in check by professionalism, or the idea will fall apart. From there, do not just settle for simply a logo and a slogan, create a company color scheme.

Everything that comes out of your business, be it products or letterhead, should feature the same three or four unified colors. Think about popular brands and major corporations, the vast majority of these businesses have colors that you associate with them. Settle on colors that go well with your logo and are representative of your personal vision for the company, and use that to further establish your brand. Also decide on an artistic style that you will use to unify those colors, your logo, any geometric designs or basic templates that you use on the card. Even the font type and size should fit within the limitations of that style.

Another way to increase brand recognition through your business card is to change the shape or material of your card to express what you do as a company. For instance, a metalworking company could design a card made out of light metal with all the important details engraved in it. In order to stand out, some companies opt for a square business card instead of a rectangular one. This unique presentation may be just the thing that will make it stand out from all of the other companies. Make sure that every element of your card (the logo, color, text, shape and size) reinforces the identity of your brand while remaining professional. If this can be done your brand identity will be brought more into focus and should be easier to remember.

Developing the trust of potential customers is just as important as gaining brand recognition. It can be difficult for a small business to compete with the established reputations of larger corporations. Finding a way to personally gain the trust of consumers is a pursuit which should be integrated into all marketing efforts.

Though a unique business card can help individuals remember your company, it is less likely gain trust, unless your brand is well established. Trust can begin to be cultivated, however, by turning your basic business card into an abbreviated version of your resume. By choosing a few of your most important credentials and putting them on your card shows any prospective customer your personal history, and a few good reasons why they should trust you. Adding this information helps to make you more transparent to the consumers, and in doing so makes you and your business seem personal, human and trustworthy.

A personal touch and a local presence are among the more common reasons why small businesses are attractive to many over large establishments. A business card that takes steps to create this trust can do wonders. A few important details in the bottom corner of the card, or perhaps on the back, is a good place to start. Otherwise keep things very basic, because too much art and text will make the card seem cluttered.

Unique business cards are a great way to set your company apart from the myriad of other businesses that offer similar services. A good card can increase brand recognition or work to create trust. Maintain the highest standards of professionalism, stand out from the crowd with a unique business card, and you will be well on your way to creating a brand identify and gaining the trust of consumers.

Ladder Inspection – How to Assess Safety

Ladders are responsible for hundreds of injuries each year. Most of them would have been preventable if proper guidance and usage was followed and many others could also have been prevented if the ladders were inspected before they were used.

Faulty, damaged or bent ladders are responsible for a large proportion of the accidents that occur when working at height. And ensuring that equipment is checked before use is not only sensible it is now part of European guidance and proper risk assessment procedures.

Choosing the Right Ladder

The first consideration when inspecting any piece of equipment is to ask yourself if it is the right tool for the job. Often the wrong ladder is one of the reasons for accident and injury and it is important to use the correct one when you have to work at height.

Here are some of the different types of ladder:

• Leaning ladders – used against a wall of other vertical surface. Often extendible, these extension ladders are commonly used outdoors and can extend to several times their original length.
• Step-ladders – more commonly used indoors these are often used for working on ceilings. The step can provide a good platform for tools and for working on.
• Roof ladder – Suspended from roofs these ladders are for working down to a height rather than up.

Ladders are safe if used correctly

Inspection

The next thing to assess is the structural integrity of the ladder. Ensure there are no bends, buckling or misshapen rungs. Then check for any cracks or splinters in the metal. Pay particular attention to where the rungs are attached to the uprights. Check the rungs are all secure and don;t move.

Next check the base of the ladder. If there are rubber feet, ensure they are not worn and they are flat. Often when a ladder has been used in an uneven surface the feet can wear on one side causing it to be unstable so it is time to replace it.

Faults

If any damage or faults are found on the ladder it is important that you ensure that the ladder is not used. Not only by yourself but also by anyone else. It should be clearly signed and taped and the damage should be reported as soon as possible and under any circumstances – Never use a damaged ladder.

Lamination Sensation: Enhancing Your Documents with Laminating

Whether it’s for presentation or preservation, it makes no difference. Laminated documents are always more impressive and more durable than any old piece of paper. Colors are brighter and the pages are cleaner. The laminators that make this possible utilize several different modes to get the job done.

Here are your options when it comes to laminators:

* Roll Laminator: Roll laminators are used for bigger materials or high volumes of smaller materials. They are most often used for posters and signs. This type of laminator is usually owned by a larger company. These are also commonly used by schools and print shops.

* Pouch Laminator: Pouch laminators use laminating pouches to get the job done. These laminators are usually owned by smaller establishments, such as home offices or small businesses. Pouch laminators are also commonly used by print for pay organizations and for making name badges and ID’s.

Now that you know the two main types of laminators, you have to decide whether hot or cold lamination is what you are looking for. Hot laminators heat up to somewhere between 180-300 degrees Fahrenheit. They work by melting the adhesive to the paper. Hot lamination makes for longer-lasting and more durable documents.

Cold lamination is sometimes used when the documents are heat sensitive, this can include faxed documents or materials printed on special kinds of paper. Cold laminators function by applying a specific amount of pressure to stick the adhesive to the paper. These machines are considered safer than hot laminators because they don’t use heat and often don’t even require electricity. However, options for cold lamination are often more limited than options for hot lamination.

What Next?

Once you have your documents laminated, its time to take the next step in creating an impressive presentation. For manuals, reports and other related documents, it’s wise to have the materials bound together. Special binding machines can be purchased to finish off the job. Both the binding machines and laminators can be purchased from office product manufacturers.

Binding machines offer several options for putting together the necessary materials. Comb bindings use plastic teeth that insert into each tiny hole in the paper. Coil bindings use one long coil that spirals through the holes. Lastly, wire bindings, form a double loop through the holes. Coil bindings are by far the most durable.

All of these binding options allow the documents to lay flat and coil binding and wire binding can be folded from the front to the back. This makes documents easy to use, for everything from a church phone directory to a new business proposal.

Whether you choose hot or cold lamination, wire or coil binding, you will also need various lamination and binding supplies. These materials can usually be purchased from the same companies that sell the machines. Cost depends on which supplies you are purchasing and how much you need.

Keep in mind that the size of your business, school, or church makes no difference; everyone can make use of a binding machine and laminator. Office product companies offer the machines in different sizes to accommodate establishments both big and small. This is fortunate for all of us because impressive looking presentation materials are important no matter how you are using them.

Laminated and bound documents are far less likely to be thrown away. Better color, impressive delivery and durability are among the qualities that give such well-presented documents some major staying power. Laminated and bound materials grab attention and don’t let go. That is what every establishment is looking for when they put together a visual presentation.