Refreshed Seasonal Pubs Create Revenue and Readership

Turn The Page Toward Revenue and Readership with Refreshed Seasonal Publications

Consumers love to look first and buy later. But websites are still challenging to browse. On the other hand, they are perfect for e-commerce and up-to-the-minute announcements.

That’s why printed catalogs, magazines, guides, and lookbooks continue to drive awareness and sales when seamlessly integrated with a digital publication and friction-free e-commerce site.

In fact, 122 new magazines launched in 2021, more than double the number of new launches in 2020. 

The data is tracked by retired professor Samir Husni, founder of the University of Mississippi’s Magazine Innovation Center at the School of Journalism and New Media.

New launches are overwhelmingly niche-oriented and published quarterly or bimonthly. “There’s no more room for general interest magazines. Magazine editors now have to be more curators than creators. I tell them, if I can find the answer on Google, it doesn’t need to be in a magazine,” Husni told the New York Post in January.

Drive e-commerce with regional niche publications and catalogs

Gardening is an excellent example of a specific niche with a wide audience of direct buyers located in specific regions. Gardeners jump for joy when their regional seed catalogs start coming in the mail in January. When coupled with magazine format content and professional photography, catalogs become designated keepers in a household.

The first step is sitting in front of the fireplace next to a stack of seed catalogs, Sharpie in hand, paging through those luscious photographs and endless varietals, circling and jotting with glee. 

The next step is pulling up the website for a secure purchasing experience, order confirmation, and attentive customer service.

The same goes for nurseries that ship live plants and starts. In addition, confectioners, gift basket curators, specialty food and beverage distributors, and many more visually enticing e-commerce industries all stand to benefit from a similar approach.

Catch readers who’ve caught the travel bug

Now is also an excellent time to invest in a refresh of your visitors' guide or regional travel magazine. The World Travel and Tourism Council expects the global sector to grow to $8.6 trillion—a huge bounce back from the last two pandemic years and nearly as high as 2019. What’s more, U.S. domestic tourism and travel has significantly outpaced international travel and is expected to climb another 28.4% this year after a 35.6% bump in 2021 over 2020.

Consumers readily pick up a refreshed and strategically located travel guide to their region from the grocery store, coffee shop, or visitors center. People love to learn about new staycation destinations, shops, and local eateries, especially when entertained with gorgeous photos, enticing storytelling, and unique content. 

A prominent QR code to the publication’s digital version can lead people to tools that are better suited to the web, such as maps and directions, current open hours, announcements, and COVID policies.

Smart partnerships with local restaurants, shopping hubs, and business associations can help offset printing costs. Crowd Riff recently analyzed 50 destination visitors’ guides to discover what makes the excellent ones stand out: They determined that clear focus and stunning visuals, coupled with clean design (think CondeNast) are key. In addition, engaging content to help consumers make informed choices creates interest and influences where consumers spend their vacation dollars.

Investing in a seasonal publication update to catch consumers who love to browse then buy is a smart wintertime move. And it’s worth a quarterly inventory of your publications to decide which has the most potential to recoup a refresh.

Contact Journal Graphics today to take advantage of our deep expertise in print and digital publications. We can help you turn the page on revenue and readership.

Printing and the Supply Chain

Where’s my Stuff?

Try these 6 tricks to navigate supply chain and current employee shortages.

In the United States, 4.1 million people quit their jobs in October 2021. In the private sector, fewer people left their jobs in October than in August and September, which could mean good news for worldwide supply chain slowdowns. However, in the public sector, quit rates continue their five-month upward trend, indicating continued instability. 

More than 21% of these workers—nearly a million—hail from the trade, transportation, and utility industries. Over 900,000 people in industries like trucking, rail cargo, air travel, retail, agriculture, mining, power, gas, water, manufacturing, and publishing left their jobs last month.

Our industry—print, and publishing—is getting hit hard. There are lumber shortages, increased cost of pulp, insufficiency in the labor force, and impaired logistics that are keeping even basic supplies on backorder. All commercial printers are hiring. 

These problems are unlikely to be resolved until well into 2022.

Yet, we know how crucial your collateral is. From scheduled publications to sales tools, from catalogs to direct mail, every piece you invest in is designed to create revenue.

Revenue is lost if the piece or campaign doesn’t come out on time.

Here’s how Journal Graphics can help you navigate delays and keep the momentum in your marketing.

It starts as an inside job.

We are recruiting the most experienced and competent professionals available to keep our presses running 24 hours a day. We offer a competitive salary and benefits well beyond standard medical and dental.

Why does this matter to you, our customer?

When we hire the best, train them to our standards and retain them over the long haul, we provide you with a consistent, high-quality, error-free product. This enables Journal Graphics to stay on schedule and within budget.

We put you at the front of the pack.

If we are experiencing hiring and supply chain challenges, we assume you are too. 2022 is here. We will work as consultants to help you plan your year. Let’s sit down and prioritize your publications and focus on your goals in the months ahead. We are happy to commit future resources to loyal customers. Planning in advance (at least 12 weeks), allows Journal Graphics to secure the paper, inks, and finishes you want when you need them. A great relationship is the tide that floats all boats.

We have friends up the chain.

For more than 80 years, we have been a premier commercial printer in the Pacific Northwest. That means we have cultivated strong relationships at all points in the supply chain. As we work with you to get your priorities on the calendar, we stay in front of our suppliers and vendors to ensure prompt delivery when supplies come in. We can also special-order quality substitutions and create workarounds to ensure the quality you expect from Journal Graphics is achieved.

Here’s what you can do to mitigate supply and employee shortages.

Get ahead of deadlines. 

Make this year all about the calendar. If you send out fall catalogs in June, have them ready to go on the press in March. Decide in August if you’ll be sending out season’s greetings and gifts. Check with us - we can give you the skinny on lead time and supply availability. Plan to have your scheduled publications done weeks ahead of time. Create evergreen content and talk to sponsors early. Give them the same advice we’re giving you.

If your company holds regular fall galas, end-of-year fundraisers, or spring auctions—or any annual/seasonal promotion—plan ahead and get that collateral ordered.

Go local.

Use vendors and suppliers with local delivery services. If your project or product only travels a few miles, it will get there a lot faster if it’s not being manufactured or printed hundreds of miles away. If you are shipping products and have outsourced delivery in the past, try building a supply chain department, however small, in-house. Short-distance deliveries can add days of needed cushion to a project.

Know—and keep—your customers. 

Loyal, long-term clients make all the difference during a challenging period in business. Small businesses routinely get stuck in the I’ll-pay-when-I-get-paid loop. If your clients and customers prioritize your relationship, count your lucky stars. Return the favor by keeping up communication in good times so that when challenges arise, you have a connection to fall back on. No client wants to pick up a cold call out of the blue delivering bad news. 

The bottom line, it will level out. We just don’t know when. Until then, we work together to create impressive projects that increase your revenue and visibility. Just like we always have.

Journal Graphics creates high-quality print products to ensure your creative messaging and overall strategy are collectively focused to help you grow your business in target markets. We can design and execute a mailing campaign that complements and capitalizes on your brand’s e-commerce efforts.
Call or click today to tap into the most effective marketing tools for your brand.

Publication Essentials

At Journal Graphics, we’re proud to produce top-quality multipage publications like magazines, catalogs, and brochures. These are possible with a combined approach of intelligent engineering, appropriate paper selections, high-quality ink, and finishing processes that bring your message to life. We love to work with our customers early on to help achieve results with consistent, colorful outcomes. In this blog post, we cover some of the basics around what goes into creating a multipage publication and offer some tips on what works best to grab your audience’s attention.

All shapes and sizes

The most frequently used sizes for multi-page print publications are 8” x 10.5”, produced in both landscape and portrait layouts. However, square (8.5” x 8.5”), oversized (11” x 14+”) and other configurations are available as well. When selecting the size for your publication, consider if the shape and size will factor in the overall design aesthetic while staying within your print and postage budget parameters.

Tip: Don’t be afraid to be different. Some of the most successful print pieces are those that stand out from the crowd. Work with your sales representative to create a size and shape that works best for your design and budget.

Specs of paper

Selecting the best type of paper to use in your print publication or marketing collateral can be overwhelming. Ask for samples from your sales representative before making your final decision. We compiled a list of terms that will help you learn the lingo used in describing paper.

• Basis weight – weight per pound per ream cut to size by inches

• Coated – paper treated with a coating for added properties like durability, ink holdout and gloss..

• Cover – a durable, heavy-weight paper used for booklet covers, postcards, business cards, rack cards, etc.

• Smoothness – the evenness of a paper’s surface

• Text – a general term describing an assortment of paper grades but often applied to content pages within a publication and programs

• Uncoated – paper that is not treated or coated and typically has a rougher surface

• Varnish – a thin layer of protective coating that is applied over the ink to help prevent scuffing or add gloss or matte effects

Tip: Go green and FSC. Sustainably sourced paper products are not only good for the environment, but they are a value-add for your brand image. Consumers seek out companies committed to helping to save the planet and are willing to spend more on products and companies with a sustainable focus.

Finishing in style

Once the main pages of a publication come off the press, they progress to the finishing department for completion. This next step involves any number of machines that will apply any additional coatings needed for durability or shine, fold the pages, bind the publication together in either saddle-stitch or perfect binding format, and trim the edges.

Tip: Perfect binding is worth the money when your page count allows and your audience skews toward luxury. The edges have a crisp and clean look that elevates your brand.

Let Journal Graphics help you turn your next publication into something spectacular. Contact us today to see what we can do for you!

Five Fresh Summer Design Trends

The summer sun has us inspired to try out some fresh new ideas. We researched design trends to help infuse some creativity into your next publication or direct mail project. Here are our top five selections:

Brighten up with sunny, juicy palettes

One sure sign that we're starting to come out of the pandemic is the dialing back of muted, subdued tones. In their place are fun, juicy colors in bright citrus and berry hues. See it here on everything from kombucha to book jackets to magazine covers – "the future is so bright we gotta wear shades."

Hold the type

Dial back the type and let your images do the talking. Use bold, striking images to draw your audience in rather than bombarding them with many layers of type in different sizes and weights. Mainstream magazines like TIME and Wired have used this technique to make statement pieces, creating intrigue while sparking curiosity.

Authenticity and representation

2020 was the year that brought everyone's social consciousness into focus. Consumers are looking at brands to follow suit. Add authenticity to your designs by featuring real people and real-life situations. Focus on reflecting your targeted customers visually in your language and layout. It is essential to avoid appearing opportunistic or pandering. When in doubt, hire a freelance writer or designer to help bring an outside perspective to your team.

Elevate retail with look book styling

Capture your customers' attention by infusing lookbook styling into your retail or sales catalog approach. For example, fashion designers use lookbooks to show off their newest creations within themed collections using high-quality photography. Content is curated around the images, using in-depth product descriptions. Pricing is downplayed, either relegated to a separate sheet or landing page. This idea can be applied to any industry and set of products or services. They help to elevate your brand status and give your customers a memorable experience beyond just flipping pages. Here are a few tips:

• Keep the focus on images and layout – simple is always best

• Think about the whole theme you're trying to convey – is there a particular lifestyle you want your customers to experience or embody?

• Tell your story start to finish

Everything old is new again

Nostalgia design and retro-futurism are having big moments right now. 80s video game graphics, 90s music videos, and psychedelic typography and palettes all seem to be popping up on the design trends list this year. It makes for a lot of fun for designers to create and customers when they get that pop of recognition in seeing the effect.

 Are you ready to put these trends to work in print? Journal Graphics can turn any design trend into a top-quality print publication or direct mail piece. Contact us today to see what we can do for you!

Putting the Power of Touch in Your Print

Texture and touch are an excellent way to have your message pop off the page, perk up your readers to pause and take an interest in any publication or catalog. Email marketing can't do that, nor can a television ad or social media post, podcast, or search engine optimization. Printed materials have the unique ability to power up the recipients' senses and evoke real emotional response and sensation. In neuroscience, this user experience is referred to as haptics. Let's explore some of the unique and clever ways you can put haptics to work to elevate your print publications or marketing campaigns.

 The power of touch and haptics fuels print

Print and mail are a slower-paced marketing channel, where digital audiences are constantly served up ads begging for attention and the coveted click. Unlike the mere seconds in the life span of an email or social media post, multi-page direct mail pieces will stick around for more than two weeks. 

Laminate your way into their hearts

Most people think of lamination as being high gloss and high shine. While that is one type of laminate coating that will achieve this desired effect suitable for fashion magazines, luxury goods and sports car brochures, there is another type that rocks the reader! Soft-touch lamination is just as effective, if not more so, for its touch-ability. Its supple, velvety feel begs consumers to reach out and experience it. Popular with children's products, healthcare, wellness, and cosmetics, this effect conveys a feeling of softness and subtly that many brands crave. It pairs particularly well with minimalist design and metallic effects. 

Texturize for maximum sensation

Want your audience to feel the wind in their hair and taste the salt air? Add the rough texture of sand to your beach side condominium brochure. Debuting your latest collection of custom leather sofas – consider adding a peddled leather texture to the catalog. Special effects like embossing and debossing, coupled with spot UV in varying raised heights can mimic virtually any texture to create the look and feel you crave.

Pop-up into another dimension

While we've talked mostly about flat or surface effects, there is another way to surprise your audience with 3-D dimensional solutions that delight. Clever marketers find ways to engage consumers simply with the turn of a page. Nescafe created a pop-up café that magazine readers could turn the page into two paper cups and brew their own delicious cup of coffee at home. Other examples of jump off-the-page advertisements in print include these for furniture, lamps, and financial services.

 These are just a few of the many possibilities and combinations you can work with when considering haptics in your next insert or publication cover! Contact Journal Graphics today to explore your creative options. Let us help you engineer innovative solutions that will utilize the science of haptics to capture your audience's imagination, experiencing a new sensation at their fingertips.

Print Publications Engage Audiences

Whether your target audience is B2B or traditional consumers, multi-page print publications are an effective way to reach them. It is hard to ignore a beautifully designed multi-page printed piece that encourages you to flip through its pages. Let’s explore the many ways print pieces with many pages can go to work for you!

Multi-page, multi-faceted

Communicating with your customers where they are is vital, and a multi-page print piece is an excellent tool for keeping them informed about the latest products, services or news at your organization. They can come in all shapes, sizes and styles, from catalogs to magazines and annual reports to print portfolios and softcover books.

Get creative

The design and layout possibilities are endless!. You can go tall and skinny to fit in your average brochure rack or be avant-garde with something nontraditional like an oversize, oblong or square publication size. Use bright colors and oversized typography for an on-trend design approach, or experiment with coated and uncoated paper substrates to give your audience different tactile experiences. Work with your team of print experts to explore your best options, meet your marketing goals, stay within budget and maximize your exposure.

Add on for more value

Multi-page publications don’t have to stand alone. Promotional coupons or other offers, call-to-action cards, response by mail envelopes, and free gifts can all be included with the publication. These items can be blown in, glued into the seam of the piece, poly-bagged or shrink-wrapped right along with your materials and mailed to your customers for a more significant impact. Drive customers to your website with a QR code or easy online ordering. Print and digital can work hand-in-hand to deliver more sales.

Tell your story

Multi-page publications allow you to tell your organization’s brand story in a more in-depth and compelling way to your audience. Videos are an excellent medium for digital but can be costly to produce in the long term. Magazines, catalogs, and magalogs offer the opportunity to tell your story through a narrative style and speak directly to your audience. Appeal to the human side of your brand story, showing your customers that you’re focused on more than just on sales. Stunning pages with relevant content connect with them on an emotional level.

From mailbox to inbox

Multi-page publications can reach customers in several different ways, but the most accessible method is by mail. These publications are self-mailing, meaning they don’t need an additional envelope. Bulk rates for mailing start at just 200 pieces and pricing varies upon weight and size. It’s best to work with a printing partner with a top-tier in-house mailing department to get you the best rates possible and help you acquire and/or clean your mailing list to prevent duplicates and bad addresses.

Journal Graphics has an experienced team to help with your next printing project. We can help you choose the perfect style and size that will work best for your publication needs. We’re here to help!

Welcome to the New Voice of Journal Graphics

As a privately held commercial printer in Portland, Oregon, since 1937, we consider our customers, vendors and suppliers, community members and industry colleagues in everything we do. As we build our brand to demonstrate excellence in powerful, high-capacity web printing, we’ll take deep dives into new techniques, technologies and approaches that are crucial to the work we do for you.

We launched this platform to share the resources we discover, the inspiration we find, and our expertise along the journey.

For over 80 years, Journal Graphics has been pushing the edge of innovation to print superior publications on deadline and within budget.  Our state-of-the-art web presses and bindery ensure a professional product that stands the test of time, while our expert mailing and fulfillment teams deliver to destinations with speed and accuracy. Seamless integration of web editions create value-added content, brand awareness, and critical analytics. 

We will also use this space to explore issues critical to our industry and region. At Journal Graphics, we recognize that the way we do business impacts everything around us, including the natural world and the people in it. We aim to lessen our carbon footprint in every way we can while finding ways to make life better for those who live, work and play in our community. We recently invested in new technologies to develop the most efficient production methods, and all employees are encouraged to continuously innovate. 

We’re invested in the future of the industry and our lasting place within it. We want you right there with us as we learn and grow, so watch this space for the latest in printing innovations, technological advances and people-first practices. While other printers may be holding back, we will continue to press forward.