1. Flyer Printing Basics

 

Get familiar with a few terms used in the printing industry. This will help you to understand what the designers and printers are talking about when you place your order.

 

Flyer paper sizes: (A5 is the most popular size ordered)

A4 = 210mm x 297mm 
A5 = 210mm x 148mm 
A6 = 148mm x 105mm

 

Flyer paper 

The thickness of the paper is measured in grams per square metre, abbreviated as gsm. There is very little difference between the price of gloss paper and matt paper.

 

80gsm = Thin paper like pages of a magazine
115gsm = Good quality for the price
170gsm = Thick paper, expensive for high volumes

 

Bleed

 

When colours go right up to the edge of a page the designer makes the colour extend past the edge of the page or “bleed” over the edge of the page. When the flyers are cut the “bleed” area gets cut off. If there is no “bleed” then the flyers will often have a thin white line between the edge of the page and the start of the image on the flyer.

 

Picture resolution (Hi-res and Low-res)

This refers to the quality of a picture and is measured in dots per inch abbreviated as dpi. The higher the resolution the better the quality of the picture. Low resolution pictures will look blurry when printed.

72dpi = Low-res. Only suitable for internet, not printing.
300dpi = Hi-res. Suitable for printing.
900dpi = Hi-res. Too high though, files size will be very big.

 

Litho printing

This is the printing method used for high volume, high quality printing and is also the cheapest way of printing high volumes. Litho printing machines cost millions of rands and are about the size of a single garage.

 

2. Flyer prices

 

Your printing quote / price should include the following:

 

Quantity - The more you order, the lower the cost per flyer.
Size - The bigger the flyer the higher the cost per flyer
Paper - The thicker the paper the higher the cost per flyer.
Design - This is a once off charge regardless of the quantity.
Delivery - It is expensive to transport flyers long distances.
Distribution - Yes, handing out flyers costs money too.

5000 A5 Flyers has become an industry standard.

 

Warning: Printing large quantities on Inkjet or lazer printers is very expensive. 

 

3. Flyer delivery time

 

“There's never enough time to do a job properly the first time, but there's always time to fix a mistake.”

Allow enough time for the printing company to get the job done without rushing. They need to put your job in a production line, they don't just press a print button. Allow an extra few days if you are not in the same location in South Africa.

 

4. Flyer Design Concept

 

Begin your design by coming up with a general idea of what the flyer will look like before you get into the exact design. Think colours, pictures, and attention grabbing headline. Leave the product specifications and exact words till last.

 

5. Get your message across

 

Your flyer should do all of the following:

 

- Grab the customer's attention
- Create a desire for your product or service
- Clearly display what you're offering.
- Tell the customer what to do. (eg Order before 30 Dec)
- Make it easy for the customer to contact you and order.

 

6. Adding value adds life

 

Adding value to your Flyer will also add to the lifespan of the Flyer because people will keep it for longer or even pass it on to a friend. Some examples of adding value are vouchers, discount coupons, calendars, interesting pictures, competitions, etc.

 

7. Flyer Design Tips

 

You only have seconds to grab a person's attention, so make sure that you get your message across quickly and clearly, Your headline and main picture should achieve this without going into too much detail.

 

Don't make the common mistake of making your company logo or name more visible than the product or service that you are selling. First create an interest in what you are selling, people will then read more to find out who you are and how to contact you.

 

Keep it simple. Another common mistake is to clutter a small flyer with too much information and too many pictures. One striking picture and a few clever words will work better than paragraphs of small text and tiny pictures. 

 

8. Flyer Design Errors

 

Don't use too many fonts, one or two fonts are enough.

 

Don't use fonts that are difficult to read, especially in long sentences or paragraphs. Your flyer should be easy on the eye to avoid losing the person's attention.

Keep text and important elements at least 5mm away from the edge of the page. This will allow for some inaccuracy when cutting the job. A cutting error of a few millimetres either way won't ruin the flyer.

 

Don't use small white text (7pt or less) on a dark background because it makes the job extremely difficult to print and the text often becomes unreadable.

Don't waste time trying to design your flyer perfectly in MS Word, Excel or any other office program before you have spoken to the printer about what files they can use. In many cases the flyer will have to be converted to another program or even re-done from scratch.

 

Colour varies from screen to screen and from printer to printer, so don't think that the colour you see on your screen will be the same as the printed Flyer. The best way to check colour is by referring to a colour chart to get the correct colour specifications. Your printer should have one available on request.

 

9. Proof reading

 

“The easiest way to find a mistake is to print the job.”

Print out a few copies on your desktop printer and ask people to proof read your Flyer. Pay special attention to phone numbers, dates, email addresses and price lists. Spelling mistakes and language errors can create a damaging first impression of your company. Incorrect contact details can mean having to reprint the entire job.

 

Remember that the final sign-off is your responsibility and you will have to pay for a re-print.

 

Print 100% scale samples when proofing to establish if all text is readable and pictures easy to view.

 

10. Flyer Distribution

 

• Distribution costs money, so include distribution in your budget for the project. People often underestimate how long it takes to hand out 5000 Flyers.

• When at all possible, distribute to target markets. There is a trade show every week in South Africa, so if the show is related to your product or service then get flyers to these shows. People are also more inclined to look at flyers at shows because they are already in shopping mode.

• Placing flyers in P.O. Boxes is another way to distribute your flyers. The Post Office charge between R0.08 - R0.10 cents per flyer. Make sure that when you phone them you ask them for their number of operating boxes and not the total number of boxes. Sometimes this number is less so don't waste your flyers. If you want to distribute your flyers at a Post Office far from where you are, your local Post Office will get them to the desired Post office for a nominal fee.

• Get your flyers on store counters. Most people in your related industry won't mind you leaving some flyers on their counter. This is also great when trying to get to your target market. You can also have some perspex flyer holders made.

• Attach flyers to all your existing correspondence like invoices, statements etc. This certainly gets your flyers onto desks at no extra cost!

• It is a well known marketing fact that it is better to be consistent than to just have one attempt, so try to hand out your flyers regularly, its good to let people know that you are still around and people can contact you at any time.

• Try different approaches and don't just distribute all your flyers in one way. Ask customers how they got your flyer. By monitoring this you can find the method of distribution that works best for you.