Direct mail marketing can be a powerful tool, allowing companies to reach past or potential customers who may not be actively engaged via email, social media or another medium. Direct mail encompasses a wide variety of materials, including postcards, newsletters, brochures, catalogs and more. It can be one of the easiest and most effective ways to reach out to new and existing clients.

The printing press has come a long way since Johannes Gutenberg ‘s invention of the first press with movable type in the mid-15^th century.  Today there are multiple types of printing presses designed for applying ink to everything from paper to metal.  In commercial printing, substrates are the base material, supplied in sheets or rolls, onto which ink is applied. Traditional Offset printers were once limited to printing on paper. Today, paper is just the start of the numerous substrates available. Special ink formulations, UV printing technology, and improvements in the manufacture of substrates enables offset printers to apply ink to a wide range of plastics and synthetics. 

In the print production of direct mail there are many factors which affect costs. Because price is dependent on the design specifications unique to a project, commercial printers price every job individually. Color, paper choices, print method, and bindery finishing all contribute to cost and should be taken into account during project planning and budgeting. It is important to have a basic understanding of how your direct mail project will be produced. The following overview covers some of the more common considerations every marketer should be aware of and how different production techniques affect cost.

The cost of paper is one of the most important considerations for any print project. In fact, paper can account for 50% or more of the total project cost. If your marketing budget is slimmer than ever, you may be tempted to buy your own paper from a paper mill or distributor as an alternative to buying it through your printer. But does buying your own paper really save you time and money?