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Welcome to PSAdvantage, a newsletter for advertiser clients of Print Solutions magazine and the email newsletters Print Matters and the Independent Management Report. We’ll keep you abreast of marketing news and trends, and provide tips you can use to maximize the effectiveness of your advertising. And, we’ll have some fun with a monthly Trivia Contest. Each month’s winner gets a $50 Amazon.com gift certificate.

If you have any questions, comments or suggestions, call me directly at (703) 302-8776 or toll-free at (800) 336-4641. Thanks for your support of PSDA publications, and please let me know what I can do to enhance our products and services.

Brad Holt
Vice President of Publications/New Media

Meet Kevin Boyle
Even before Kevin Boyle, Print Solutions’ new Advertising Director, took the job, he was impressed with the magazine. “I thought it was very good,” he says. “A lot of people believe in it, and a lot of advertisers have been in it for years.” Kevin understands why. “People want to be affiliated with the industry leader,” he explains. “To increase sales, they need to show what they have to offer.”

Kevin is new to the printing industry, but not to the association business. He joined PSDA in October from the Association for Financial Professionals. At AFP, he not only sold ad space in print publications, but also helped companies devise campaigns featuring trade show exhibits and event sponsorship. He previously sold advertising for the American Society for Training and Development. Unlike most advertising directors, Boyle has insights into the challenges and joys of owning a small business. For several years, he co-owned a chain of ice cream stores in the mid-Atlantic region.

Kevin appreciates the role that trade associations play in educating industry players, and he believes this is a major reason for advertising in Print Solutions. Ads in trade magazines get lots of reader attention because the ads relate directly to the reader’s business.

At PSDA’s Print Solutions Conference & Expo in Las Vegas last month, Kevin spoke with advertisers and readers. “One reader told me he needed a hang tag for an auto dealership. I’m new to the industry, so he had to explain what a hang tag was! But he said he found exactly what he needed in a Print Solutions ad. And he made the sale. I was impressed at how much readers look to Print Solutions as a resource.”

Kevin is a resource for anyone currently advertising or considering advertising in Print Solutions. He also handles advertising for the Print Solutions and PSDA websites, and the association’s award-winning email newsletters: Print Matters and the Independent Management Report (IMR). He can help you determine the best audience mix, explain which issues of the magazine are best suited for your company’s message and help you devise a multimedia campaign.

To contact Kevin, email him at kboyle@psda.org, or dial him direct at (703) 302-8824.

Update Your Ad with the PSDA Logo
With DMIA’s recent name change to the Print Services & Distribution Association, we encourage everyone to update their Print Solutions ads with the new PSDA logo. Members must fill out a short form requesting the PSDA logo for their use. Go to www.psda.org and click on “Services,” then choose “Members Only Services.” After logging in, click on the “PSDA Logo” link to the logo agreement form. When filling out the form, request the 4/C eps file. Once you have completed the form, fax it to (703) 836-9845, and PSDA will email the logo to you.

Tips for Submitting a Problem-Free Ad
As a company president or marketing manager, you undoubtedly have a vision of how your ad should look when it is published. The Print Solutions staff shares that vision. “We want you to open the magazine when it arrives and say, ‘That’s exactly how it should look,’” says Roxanne Rash, the magazine’s art director and production manager. To ensure that your ad looks its best, we’ve compiled these tips. Consider sharing them with your ad agency, new members of your marketing team and outside designers.

• Pay attention to the correct page size. The Print Solutions final trim size is 8.125 inches x 10.875 inches.
• Follow guidelines for bleeds. The bleed size is 8.375 inches x 11.125 inches. For bleeds, be sure to allow 0.125-inch (1/8-inch) larger than trim size, and keep live matter at least 0.25 inches (1/4-inch) from the trim.
• Name your electronic file to reflect your company’s name (the name of the advertiser). Your file should not say “PrintSolutionsad.pdf,” nor should it list only the name of the designer or ad agency. Having the correct name ensures proper placement in Print Solutions.
• Don’t scale images in ads. Instead, place images at 100 percent of the size used.
• Use the proper resolution. All images should be a minimum of 300 dpi. Otherwise, the print quality of your ad will suffer.
• Don’t design an ad with white type set to overprint on a dark background. This advice sounds elementary, but designers who are not grounded in the printing industry often make this beginner’s mistake. “Just because you can see it, doesn’t mean it will print,” Rash says.
• Convert all colors to CMYK from RGB or PMS designated colors.
• Don’t send native files without all the complete linked elements or font families.
• Place all images as CMYK, not RGB. Web designers without a printing background may mistakenly assume that an RGB image is adequate. If your ad contains RGB files, there may be a delay in processing your ad, and additional production cost.
• Click on the “embed fonts” selection when creating your PDF.

If you have any production questions or concerns, call Roxanne Rash at (703) 302-8778, or send her an email (rrash@psda.org). For more details, check out Print Solutions magazine’s Production Specifications.
http://www.printsolutionsmag.com/advertiserhelp.html

Why Advertise in Magazines?
Magazine advertising motivates readers to action, according to the results of a study published in the Magazine Handbook, available at the Magazine Publishers of America website. More than half of magazine readers (51 percent) took action on ads or had a more favorable opinion about the advertiser, according to a study from Affinity’s VISTA Print Effectiveness Rating Service. Fifty-five percent took action based on editorial content.

By advertising in Print Solutions, you get your message out to 13,630 subscribers every month. With a pass-along rate of 2.5, your message reaches more than 34,000 of the most successful print distributors in North America. Call Kevin Boyle at (800) 336-4641 for details.

Coming in December’s Print Solutions:
PSDA Name Change and Print Solutions Conference & Expo Coverage
The cover story focuses on the PSDA rebranding, along with in-depth coverage of the show in Las Vegas.

Movin’ on Up
Making the transition from sales rep to sales manager isn’t for everyone. This story explains what it takes to be a good sales manager in the printing industry.

Big Box Bullies: The printing industry has gotten tougher. Have you?
A story about Big Box competitors--Staples, OfficeMax, Office Depot and FedEx Kinkos--and moves they’ve made recently that will affect our segment of the printing industry.

Growth Means Change
A small distributor taking his business to the next level finds the terrain may change en route. This is an update to the June story about Tim McClellan’s quest to grow his business.

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