So, you’ve finally finished dotting your I’s and crossing your T’s on your direct mail campaign. You’ve spent countless hours carefully collecting data, choosing the best direct mailer for your needs and now it’s time to send it out. Envelopes are often an afterthought – the less attractive, less interesting necessary evil just to get your direct mail into the hands of your consumer.

Recently a print buyer from an agency requested a mockup of a side-sewn bound book needed for a presentation. He provided detailed specifications down to the color of thread and the paper stocks required.

When he received the mock-up he realized side-sewn did not match how he pictured the book should look. It turned out what he really needed was a Smyth-sewn book. He had to do the presentation without the correct mock-up.

Like many print professionals, he wasn’t aware of the difference. Whether you are producing a book, brochure, calendar, or pamphlet, it is important to know what options you have for binding together printed pages.

Polywrapping - you’ve seen it before, usually around magazines and thicker catalogs that have inserts. Did you know that it’s now a great solution for direct mail campaigns? You can even “wrap” promotional items, newspapers or flyers!

The portable document format (PDF) revolutionized commercial printing services by making it possible for anybody to supply print ready files, complete with all the text, graphics, and data. The PDF is largely responsible for the rapid growth and popularity of digital printing and print on demand. It's commonplace for printers to receive print ready PDF files for both offset printing and digital printing projects. Equally common is the discovery that the PDF files are not print ready.

Secure data printing is a tricky beast. Keeping up with ever-evolving compliance requirements while still staying on schedule is a handful, at best.

Colors fill our world and (literally) frame what we see. Colors are also key for successful direct mailings. The right color can invoke a mood that harmonizes your campaign, while the wrong color can at best send a mixed message, at worst make a direct trip to the recycling bin.

With the way that Millennials and Boomers dominate discussions about generations, it’s easy to forget that other generations are also key buying powers. Generation Z – those born in 1995 or later – makes up 25.9% of the population. These are the future decision makers. If your current direct mail strategies aren't impacting Generation Z, there are some tweaks you can make to reach them where they live.

The United States Postal Service (USPS) filed a notice with the Postal Regulatory Commission (PRC) proposing new mailing and shipping services pricing to take effect January 21, 2018. The PRC has reviewed and approved the proposed pricing changes.

Notable mailing services price changes include:

• First-Class Forever stamps from 49 to 50 cents
• Domestic Postcards stamp price increase from 34 to 35 cents
• Metered Letters price increase from 46 to 47 cents