While our site has always focused more on information and utility rather than design, we felt it was possible to have both. We hope our new site succeeds with simplicity in design and good utility (we have more drop-down menus). If you find yourself lost, we still have a link to the OLD SITE design:
Luster Rag is basically PremierArt's Hot Press Fine Art Paper with a luster finish (coating is only on one side). The Luster Rag paper coating is unique with an advanced polymer make-up to provide high D-max, intense color density and possesses a luster finish of traditional photographic image style and clarity (Premier uses a special metallic ingredient in its coating to achieve a luster finish on an rag paper). This special coating is instant dry to provide additional image protection for long life and universal for dye or pigment ink and works in thermal or Piezo printers.
The composition and texture of this paper is also similar to Epson's UltraSmooth Fine Art Paper or InkjetART's Museum Digital. All of these papers are 100% cotton with a smooth or "hot press" finish. Cotton fiber is up to 10 times stronger than cellulous and naturally acid and lignin free. These are moulde made papers, providing strength and durability not found in machine made papers. They are OBA-free (no optical brightening agents), and they are 2% archival buffered to give added protection against contaminants.
Luster Rag is a high quality, single side coated paper that is especially suited for Digital Fine Art, Fine Art Photography, Fine Art Reproductions, Glicee, High End Photography, archival display prints, portfolios, book renditions, high-end promotions and scrap booking Keepsake prints. Luster Rag paper is compatible with HP, Canon, and Epson printers and inks.
Luster Rag has a smooth finish with a luster on the printable side. It currently has a caliper of 23 mils (0.023 inch), and a weight of 335 gsm. (PremierArt plans to decrease this thickness slightly, and reduce the weight to about 285 gsm so that desktop printers will be able to handle the paper with greater ease.) For pricing and a free swatch sample, go to:
We now have new solvent-free archival CD/DVD marking pens from eFilm. These pens use a permanent ink that is non-toxic, alcohol-free and solvent-free, so they are safe for writing on the non-recordable side of your CD's and DVD's.
While we have used the popular Sanford "Sharpie" marking pens for years on our CD's and DVD's, the archival experts tell us that for the safest data storage, one should not use a solvent ink marking pen, like the Sharpie:
"Numerous CD vendors have noted that the thin protective lacquer coating can deteriorate from contact with certain solvents in markers. To eliminate the risk, water-based markers are recommended for CD [or DVD] labeling. As a solvent, alcohol is generally less damaging than xylene and toluene, which are common in aromatic solvent-based markers. According to anecdotal reports, alcohol-based markers can be used to label CDs without causing performance problems. However, there are no explicit lab test results to show what effect solvents in markers have on different CDs or DVDs, particularly over the long term. ...Never use a fine point or rolling ball marker on a CD because it may scratch or depress the surface of the disc and permanently damage the metal and data layers." ("Care and Handling of CDs and DVDs - A Guide for Librarians and Archivists," Copublished by the National Institute of Standards and Technology and the Council on Library and Information Resources.)
These safe marking pens are only $1.99 each (when you buy 2):
When InkjetART first opened for business in 1998, these two non-coated watercolor papers were the only archival fine art papers we offered! At that time, there were no coated for inkjet fine art printing papers (Hahnemuhle and Legion came out with a few coated papers later that year). These two papers have "sizing" ingredients that help to reduce ink dot gain, but they are not coated for photo-quality inkjet performance. Despite this, many artists like the subtle and softer qualities of the images made from these papers.
10% OFF all non-coated ARCHES & LANAQUARELLE papers. This sale may be discontinued at any time, and applies only to stock on hand (no rain checks or special order items). The 10% off price is already on the pages and in the shopping cart:
EPSON R1800: Was $549 - Now only $529, and receive a free 50-sheet letter size box of Micro Ceramic Gloss or Luster - a $20.99 value. http://www.inkjetart.com/R1800/index.html
EPSON R320: Was $179 - Now only $169, and receive a free 50-sheet letter size box of Micro Ceramic Gloss or Luster - a $20.99 value. NOTE: Epson has a $50 mail in rebate offer for this printer if the purchase is made between 10/30/05 and 01/07/06 -- therefore, any orders received for this printer before 10/30/05 will not be processed or shipped until Tuesday, November 1, 2005 in order for our customers to qualify for this rebate. We do suggest that you do not delay in placing your order, as we have a limited number of these printers in stock! http://www.inkjetart.com/r320/index.html
EPSON RX620 (all-in-one scanner/printer): Was $299 - Now only $279, and receive a free 50-sheet letter size box of Micro Ceramic Gloss or Luster - a $20.99 value. NOTE: Epson has a $50 mail in rebate offer for this printer/scanner if the purchase is made between 10/30/05 and 01/07/06 -- therefore, any orders received for this printer/scanner before 10/30/05 will not be processed or shipped until Tuesday, November 1, 2005 in order for our customers to qualify for this rebate. We do suggest that you do not delay in placing your order, as we have a limited number of these printer/scanners in stock! http://www.inkjetart.com/rx620/index.html
EPSON PICTUREMATE DELUXE: (personal 4x6 printer w/LCD color monitor): Was $249 - Now only $179, and receive a free 100-sheet 4x6 size box of Micro Ceramic Gloss (although each Epson PictureMate Print Pack comes with an ink cartridge and 100 - 4x6 sheets of glossy paper, these ink cartridges are typically able print more than 100 sheets -- sometimes 130 to 150 prints) - an $11.90 value: http://www.inkjetart.com/picturemate/
Why use a compatible or bulk ink in your Epson printer? Because you can often save 50% to 90% over the Epson brand. We plan to offer an even greater variety of inks and bulk-feed systems in the near future.
Epson has a $400 mail-in rebate on the regular Epson 4800 and a $500 rebate on the 4800 Professional Edition. In an email we received today from Epson, they reminded us that the rebate will end on October 31 and they emphasized that it will not be extended. If you are planning to get a 4800 or 4800 pro anytime soon, we recommend doing so before the offer expires. One note though: we do not "stock" this item at our warehouse, it is shipped directly from Epson. Because of this, when you order the printer, it will appear as "out of stock" - that's true because we have none here, but we are able to ship them, usually the same day you order.
One of the most overlooked methods of advertising and self-promotion is the lowly postcard. Although it doesn't have a lot of advertising "real estate" or space (maximum of 4.25" x 6"), many people don't think too highly of it. And it's an uncovered piece that hanging out for everyone to see.
Actually, that's part of the appeal of the postcard format. It doesn't require an envelope to give you paper cuts when stuffing it, nor the labor and expense of that wrapping.
Postcards are perfect for announcing new shows, new image collections, events, or any news worthy or exciting change in your business. It's best to concentrate on a single item or event with a postcard, and not get too broad in your coverage (you don't have a lot of space to elaborate with a postcard).
SAVINGS: The big attraction of advertising by postcard mailings are their First-Class mailing status for only 23 cents in the U.S.A. Compared to 37 cents for First-Class letter postage, that's almost 61% more, or a 38% saving - whichever way you look at it.
To get those kind of savings with Bulk Rate (also known as Standard Mail), you have to mail at least 200 pieces at a time, sort by Zip Code, follow all kinds of regulations, pay an annual permit fee, and drop your mail off at a special Bulk Mail location -- or pay a mailing service to do all this for you (but you still have to have the volume to justify the service). With First-Class, your mailing can go out even if you only have a handful of pieces ready and addressed.
Even with the savings offered by Bulk Rate, you still don't get the First-Class services, unless you pay extra for them ("Address Services Requested" cost $0.57 for each item returned!):
Address Forwarding
Address Correction
SPEED: You also don't get the speed of First-Class. Local First-Class mail is usually delivered the next day. Bulk Mail can sometimes take several days. If you have a time-sensitive event coming up, Bulk Rate mailings require a lot of advanced planning, and if you mail too far in advance, people tend to forget.
First-Class Mail is generally delivered in 3-5 days nationally and 1-3 days within your state or region. With Bulk Rate, you can expect delivery in 10-14 days nationally and 4-6 days within your state. First-Class delivery is consistent throughout the year while Bulk rate can take considerably longer at peak mailing periods such as the holidays.
POSTAL SPECIFICATIONS: To qualify as a postcard in the U.S.A., your piece must meet these specs:
Thickness: at least 0.007", but no greater than 0.025"
Height: at least 3.5", but no greater than 4.25"
Width or length: at least 5.0", but no greater than 6.0"
OUR RECOMMENDATIONS: Most people want go as large as the postal regulations allow, which is 4.25" x 6", but some also prefer the standard 4" x 6" format (we'll explain the advantages of both sizes, later.
INK JET PRINTING OF POSTCARDS: Using your inkjet printer to make postcards is quite cost-effective for short runs, and is a good way to test the effectiveness of a promotion before going into more cost effective printing methods for larger print runs.
INK JET COSTS: How cost-effective are postcards via inkjet printing? Here are the paper costs to make a 4" x 6" postcard layout on the following double-sided inkjet photo or fine art grade papers --yielding 3 postcards from 8.5x11 and 9 from 13x19 when cut out (we've also included some double-sided papers in the 4x6 format, where no cutting is required):
*Although these papers pass the 0.007" minimum thickness requirement, we wouldn't recommend them, as they don't have enough stiffness to be considered a "card" stock.
The least expensive on the list is InkjetART's own "Duo Brite Matte," which is a great performer for the price. Our personal favorite though, is the "Deluxe Duo Brite Matte", which is slightly thicker, stiffer, prints with a slightly better D-max and offers a little more color saturation -- all for only 2.5 cents more per postcard (and the 4x6 format is even less expensive). The thicker, stiffer papers travel better in the mail, but beyond 0.012" (12 mil) thickness, most printers have some trouble feeding the paper automatically. The thicker papers sometimes miss-align the second time through the printer, when printing the other side.
OTHER PAPER CHOICES: All of the papers listed above will run through most desktop inkjet printers, unattended. The semi-gloss double-sided papers and the double-sided fine art papers are listed above for variety, but we strongly suggest the double-sided photo matte papers for most mailings. The "address" side of your postcard rarely has more than text, so you can get by with a single-side coated paper. If you don't mind your text not being super photo-grade crisp, here are some single-sided coated paper recommendations:
*Although this paper passed the 0.007" minimum thickness requirement, we wouldn't recommend it, as it doesn't have enough stiffness to be considered a "card" stock.
We see no reason to consider the two single-sided Epson papers, since the all of the InkjetART Duo Brite Matte papers are less expensive (even our higher quality "Deluxe" and "Premium" grades), and coated on both sides! However, the two Illuminata fine art papers are fairly inexpensive and have tactile "character" and may be a consideration for those wanting a different look.
Almost all of the single-side coated fine art papers can also be considered -- if the higher expense is not a big consideration. Keep in mind that many of the fine art papers are quite porous on the non-coated side, and even text printing can be a little soft. One fine art paper that performed quite well on the non-coated side was the Arches Infinity papers. This is because the Arches base paper is sized with animal gelatin, which does offer some control of ink droplet dot gain or wicking.
NON-RECOMMENDED PAPERS: Many single-side photo glossy or luster papers have a plastic or resin finish on the non-printing side that resists ink drying and blurs the image. All Epson "Premium" papers fall in this category, as do all of our InkjetART "Micro Ceramic" papers, except the Micro Ceramic Luster Duo (which we recommend).
INK COSTS: Ink costs will vary, depending on the density and size of your images and text area. If you're using an Epson 4000 or 4800, you can expect your ink costs to average from about $0.06 to $0.14 per card. Cards from smaller printers, with smaller ink cartridges, may cost about three times more than this.
LAYOUT TIPS FOR PRINTING: If you hate to trim after printing, use one of the pre-cut 4x6 papers, i.e. InkJetArt Deluxe Duo Brite Matte or Micro Ceramic Luster Duo. Otherwise, we recommend that you layout three postcards per letter size sheet. You can also layout more cards on larger sheets - you can arrange nine 4x6 cards into a 12x18 image with only a 1/2 inch border wasted on a sheet of 13x19. We also suggest that one side of your card, either the address side or the "display" side, should include trim lines. We recommend that the trim lines be narrow gray rather than black, so that if you miss your trim cut the errors don't stand out as much. You can also use your trim lines to center the other side of your postcard layout by holding the printed layout over a light table or up to a strong light. Here's a sample front and back layout (3-up for letter size sheets) that your editor used recently to announce a new stock photo CD collection for The Stock Solution photo agency (photo credit and Copyright by Design Pics):
(click for larger image)
OTHER POSTAL REGULATIONS: Besides the postal size and thickness specifications listed above, it is important that the address side of your postcard follow postal guidelines in order that your cards can be handled and directed properly by the Post Office's automated equipment. The most important design consideration is to leave blank (no text or image) on the bottom 5/8 inch portion of the "address" side of the postcard (this is where the Post Office will print a barcode and other markings). Here are the layout and design guidelines you should follow:
(click for larger image)
YELLOW ZONE (both dark and light yellow) - This is where you can place your return address, graphics and promotional text. Keep your return address in the light yellow area (you can also use some of the light yellow for promotional text). In the dark yellow area you should not include any addresses with a Zip Code and State. This will eliminate the risk of your postcards being sent to you by the Postal automation process. If necessary, an address can be placed in this area if it does not contain a state or zip code. This is because the Post Office will scan this entire dark yellow area for recipient addresses and zip codes.
RED ZONE - No text/graphics greater than 7% grayscale. The only text allowed in the addressing area is the recipient mailing address. You'll note that the mail address area is 2.75" wide. This is because the standard adhesive address label (the Avery #5150 or #8160) are 1" high by 2.625" (2 and 5/8") wide. This gives you only 1/8" of "fudge" room to center your label, so some will design the mail address area with a 3" width, rather than a 2.75" width. While this cuts into the promotional text area, those people who have to attach the adhesive address labels will appreciate the greater "fudge" room!
CHECK YOUR MAILING: Before sending out a lot of postcards, we suggest you mail a few to yourself to see how they travel through the mail, and to catch any problems before you've printed too many cards. This is especially helpful if this is your first experience with postcards or direct mail. Even with the "UV" clear coating (similar to a varnish) that commercial printers use on their postcard stock (see below), a small percentage of your postcards will get scuffed and otherwise mangled by the Post Office and their automated machinery. We haven't noticed that the commercially printed cards (with UV coating) arrived with any fewer abrasions than the inkjet printed stock on our Duo Brite Matte. However, postcards printed on thicker, fine art stock did pick up more scuffs and dirt.
Here's what the address side of your postcard should look like after postal delivery (notice the postal markings and barcodes in the 5/8" bottom margin):
(click for larger image)
VOLUME POSTCARD PRINTING
COMMERCIAL OFFSET PRINTING: Once you find a postcard promotion that works well for you, and you decide to print more than a few hundred, we recommend using one of the commercial offset printing companies that specialize in postcard printing. Not only will you save the frustration of having to feed the sheets through the printer twice, but you won't have to trim out the cards.
4-COLOR or BLACK? Back side (address side) printing with these commercial printers is typically done at no additional cost if you choose one color (black) ink printing. (This is called "4/1" or "four over one" in the printing industry, meaning full color or 4-color color printing on one side and one color printing on the other side.) If you want full color on the back side as well as the front side ("4/4"), you can expect to pay more. Frankly, we don't think it's worth the extra money for most postcard designs, because there is such a small area on the address side left for you to use.
WHEN TO SWITCH FROM INKJET TO OFFSET? When should you consider going with a commercial offset printer? If you're just printing a few hundred postcards, inkjet is a great way to go, and you have total control. As you've seen from our paper and ink cost charts, you can easily make 100 full color (front and back) postcards for 17 cents to 19 cents apiece. Commercial printing of 500 full color (both sides) postcards is going to cost you about 31 cents each, to as low as 19 cents each if you go with only black ink on the address side. When commercially printing 1000 full color (both sides) cards, you are about the same pricing as inkjet, and a little less when just printing with black ink on the address side. Once you hit 2000 cards the pricing really starts to favor commercial offset printing (see charts below).
OUR RECOMMENDATIONS: Both of the companies we recommend below use a clear UV gloss coating on the display side of your card that helps protects the image from postal delivery dirt and grim (but scuffs can come even with the coating if the Post Office machinery isn't set right that day). If you print full color on the address side, you'll also get this UV protection on that side. Here are two companies we have used and recommend:
COMPARING THE TWO COMPANIES: We've used Modern Postcard the most and have always liked their quality. Lately, we've started using Postcard Press because of their great prices and fast turn around. Most Postcard Press jobs are printed and shipped within 48 hours after uploading the digital files on their Web site! Modern Postcard's prices are a little higher, not quite as fast, but color quality and printing resolution is a bit higher (although our last two jobs with Postcard Press were almost identical in color balance to our inkjet proofs).
Postcard Press' standard postcard format is 4" x 6", whereas Modern Postcard prints a slightly larger 4.25" x 6" format (the maximum postcard size which still qualifies for the "postcard" rate). Modern Postcard prints with a 240 lines per inch screen (lpi), and Postcard Press uses just a little lower 200 line screen (lpi). Both of these line screens (halftone dots per inch) are higher than most magazine offset printing (usually about 133 lpi), and most book and brochure printing (usually between 150 lpi and 175 lpi).
We like working with both Modern Postcard and Postcard Press, because the same Photoshop file we use to make our inkjet postcards can be used for their printing, with two exceptions: (1) If we use 360 dpi for inkjet printing, we must remember to reduce the resolution to their (Postcard Press) 300 dpi requirement, and (2) our RGB files must be flattened and converted to CMYK. Modern Postcard's recommended input resolution is 355 dpi (closer to our inkjet input resolution), so the conversion is not as great.
Both Modern Postcard and Postcard Press have great web sites that give you templates to use, step-by-step instructions, and explain how to prepare your files for online submission from many formats (i.e. Photoshop, Illustrator, QuarkXPress, InDesign).
INKJET QUALITY vs. OFFSET: Here is a comparison of our inkjet printing with the Epson 4000 on Duo Brite Matte Deluxe, using a setting of 720 x 1440 dpi -- compared to Postcard Press' 200 lpi offset printing. These comparisons are shown at 10 times magnification (using the image of a little girl under a hair dryer -- refer to the 3-up layout image for letter size sheets). We think the inkjet printing quality is only slightly superior. If we printed at 1440 x 2880, the inkjet quality would have been considerably better, but the speed would have been much lower. We think only people who would hold the postcard six inches from their nose would notice the difference. (Photo credit & copyright: Design Pics):
(click for larger image)
PRICING for Postcard Press and Modern Postcard: Here are prices for up to 10,000 postcards. And don't forget shipping costs! Postcards are heavy. Fedex Ground shipping on 2,000 postcards from Postcard Press (Rancho Dominguez, CA to Salt Lake City, UT) was $26.71:
Postcard Press
4 x 6 Postcard
Full Color Front
1 Color (black) Back
Quantity
Price
500
$ 95.00 ($0.19 each)
1000
$145.00 ($0.15 each)
2000
$165.00 ($0.08 each)
3000
$205.00 ($0.07 each)
5000
$289.00 ($0.06 each)
7500
$405.00 ($0.05 each)
10000
$519.00 ($0.05 each)
Modern Postcard
4.25 x 6 Postcard
Full Color Front
1 Color (black) Back
NOTE: While Modern's 4/1 (full color on front and one color on back) prices are significantly more than Postcard Press, you'll find that their 4/4 (full color on both sides) prices come a lot closer to matching Postcard Press' prices.
Quantity
Price
500
$129.00 ($0.26 each)
1000
$179.00 ($0.18 each)
2000
$259.00 ($0.13 each)
3000
$320.00 ($0.11 each)
5000
$455.00 ($0.09 each)
7000
$565.00 ($0.08 each)
10000
$720.00 ($0.07 each)
YOUR INPUT: In a future newsletter we are prepared to discuss other direct mail promotional ideas you can do with your inkjet printer, including one very cool promotion that very few know about. If you want us to continue with this subject (or move onto another subject), please let us know:
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"Inkjet NEWS & Tips" is published by
Royce Bair, Editor royce@inkjetart.com
Inkjet Solutions for Photo-realistic & Archival Fine Art Printing
http://www.inkjetART.com/
Inkjet Art Solutions
8100 s. 1300 w., Suite A
West Jordan, UT 84088
Phone: 801-256-0360 Fax: 801-256-0369
(c) Copyright 2005 The Stock Solution, All Rights Reserved
No portion of this publication may be reproduced or re-published
without written permission from Royce Bair or his stock photography agency, The Stock Solution.
Send your comments to Royce Bair royce@inkjetart.com.
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http://www.inkjetART.com/news.html
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All longevity estimates should be treated as such, Inkjet Art Solutions is not liable for pre-mature fading of prints or damage to printers through use of our products. Be sure to properly research your purchase and follow the directions given. If you need help, please contact us.
For more information regarding our policies, including our return policy, please visit our Policies Page
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