Category: Printing

At Dynamic Print we always seek to use and guide our customers towards deciding to use the most sustainable paper and card options for their print projects.

Working closely with the paper mills and the paper merchants we stay informed and aware of all the developments within the industry. The attached article from one of them, Antalis, is a very interesting read all about sustainable papers.

Click here to find out more

In ever increasing numbers the things we all receive arrive in a cardboard box. Which all adds up to a lot of boxes!!

Whilst cardboard is extremely recyclable and great for composting, it still makes sense to whenever possible reuse a box before reaching for a first use one from you packaging store. Provided the box is in good condition there is no reason it should not be employed in a secondary delivery or beyond.

We recommend avoiding heavily damaged or torn boxes, as these will have reduced structural integrity and in turn may not protect your goods fully (these are best placed in the recycling system). It is also a good idea to remove all shipping labels from prior use, to avoid any confusion when you dispatch again.

Reusing is not just about doing what is right for the planet from an eco friendly point of view, it also saves your business time and money. Boxes are expensive and they normally need to be assembled from flat pack, so every time you reuse a perfectly sound piece of packaging you are contributing to saving the planet and your finances!

Within our own businesses, Dynamic Print and www.ecoflowersupplies.co.uk we receive all shapes and sizes of packaging daily. As a team we take great pride and enjoyment in reusing as much as possible and we have a label that we affix to boxes that are reused, to let our customers know why the box they receive may not be in pristine cosmetic appearance. That said it will always be packaged extremely carefully to ensure goods arrive in perfect condition.

We find the label helps customers appreciate and understand why we do not always use a fresh box and we have found most completely agree and support the policy.

If you require a standard or bespoke branded version of these labels please contact us at quotes@dynamicprint.co.uk to discuss your requirement.

Eco Floristry Supplies
Addressing Print & Packaging challenges

Everyone, in all industry sectors, needs to play their part in addressing the environmental issues we are facing.

Dynamic Print are constantly seeking to provide eco-friendly and sustainable print and packaging solutions for all industry sectors. We have a dedicated subsidiary division that focuses on these challenges, in the specific area of Floristry, which trades as Eco Flower Supplies.

Understandably the pressure is on the Floristry industry to become increasingly eco-friendly and to work in a sustainable way. Amongst the challenges faced are the requirements to move away from plastic packaging in favour of recycled, easily recyclable and sustainable materials. Good examples of solutions are kraft paper, recycled card and biodegradable cellophane.

There is the ongoing search for biodegradable floral foam which is seeing alternatives such as chicken wire, wood wool, willow and reeds increasingly used as options that are fully recyclable or biodegradable.

Alongside these issues there are choices to be made around the flowers used, the distance they have to travel to the UK, the green credentials of suppliers, avoiding chemicals and pesticides whenever possible and flower life extension.

A lot of challenges certainly, yet equally a lot of opportunities for improvement! Floristry is without doubt an industry that wants to change and adapt. We are yet to speak to anyone who is adamant they want to continue using plastic wrap for floral bouquets, or printed items using non recycled card.

Recently we have had an increasing number of customers from the Floristry sector ask us directly for ways we can help their business switch to sustainable eco-friendly floristry supplies, from our one piece kraft paper flower sleeves to biodegradable eco cellophane. We are constantly thinking of new ways to upcycle materials from Dynamic Print into quality items that ensure maximum first usage of items such as recycled card or plantable seeded paper before it goes into the recycling system.

Ultimately with www.ecoflowersupplies.co.uk we specialise in our world of packaging and print. Yet we know that when it comes to the day to day requirements of Florists and Floral industry professionals up and down the UK, the people who know best the products and innovations required are those working day to day with the flowers.

With all of the above in mind we would welcome any ideas for new products, or variations on our existing ones, that would make Florists days easier and in turn their businesses more successful. All whilst moving the industry further down the eco friendly and sustainable path.

If you have a few minutes to send us a message on email, would like to call us with your suggestions or have any questions on our product range we would love to hear from you.

To contact us you can email on info@ecoflowersupplies.co.uk or call on 01603 400040

Here at Dynamic Print we do all we can to offset our Carbon Footprint. That’s why we’ve linked up with programmes such as The Woodland Trust and Woodland Carbon.

We capture the Co2 emissions from paper purchases by planting native woodland, right here in the UK, through the Woodland Trust and Premier Papers Carbon Capture Scheme.

To find out more about Carbon Capture, take a browse through this document.

Being proactive in a Sales situation essentially all boils down to one thing, can you anticipate your customers future requirements in relation to your business? Oh, if only it was that easy!

That said, I will try and highlight a few of the things that we find helpful:

Listening

A crucial piece of advice that is easy to forget in the eagerness of the moment. The temptation can be to run on about all the things you can do, before taking the time to fully understand what is required to resolve the issue.

It may seem counterintuitive that listening, which seems like a passive action, is something we class as highly proactive. Yet information received is key to formulating your ideas and knowing where to take to conversation in the sales context. Finding out where they are taking their business will enable you to think of ideas and come back with solutions, proactively guiding your products to fit opportunities.

By listening and empathising with your customers struggles, or exciting projects that they are working on, you will gain a deeper understanding and rapport. Take the time to have a thoughtful conversation and you may be surprised where it leads.

Offer Advice

Offering genuine advice will help your customers feel at ease and understand you are not trying to “just sell them something”. Often that advice may not even relate to your product range but be a relatable and applicable piece of business experience that can be passed on.

Ultimately the hard sell direct route will rarely work, and it will almost certainly not lend itself to building a lasting reciprocal relationship with your client.

If you build a solid working rapport and really take the time to listen to their needs, you will be in a better position to recommend products and services that will benefit both of your companies as opportunities arise.

Highlight New Products

“Build it and they will come” is a luxury most businesses do not have. It can be easy to have a great product yet still fade into obscurity, so talk to your customers (rather than bombarding them with emails), or better still first send them samples. Often a tangible item to engage with can bring a much higher rate of engagement. Our senses are powerful and if your products lend themselves to in person rather than digital viewing the investment in delivering can be well worth it.

Don’t feel embarrassed about reaching out to your customers, it’s okay to contact out to your clients first with relevant information.

Keeping up with industry trends (your own and those of core customers) is a great way of getting ahead of your competition. You stay relevant, and your clients will want to see and hear from you to find out about exciting new innovations and products that can add value to their own business.

Follow up on quotes

Sending out quotations and chasing them up can be rather painful and often avoided. It is crucial though to gain feedback, both positive and negative, to help you course correct for the future. It also helps to hone your skills over which types of lead are hot or cold and to be blunt a time waster. The other thing follow ups can resolve are the occasional times that the original quote does not arrive with the requestee, perhaps due to postal or email issues or spam settings. Over the years many times this sort of thing has occurred and the follow up saved a lost opportunity that progressed to an order being placed.

The points above are by no means a definitive list, however they will hopefully give you some food for thought and be of benefit to you and your business.

We really enjoy helping bring our customers ideas together and printing different companies brochures. To work with fantastic photography, high end text and layouts brings a smile to our faces.

If your design is ready to print we can help you decide on the right papers to complement your brand and advise on recycled elements or finishing touches such as hot foiling. We can also help you decide on the best binding method which may be saddle stitched or pur bound depending on the page count and materials used.

From novel types of papers to foil printed covers or embossed logos, we will help you create engaging content with thoughtful layouts and ideas. Your brochures will get noticed and assist you with growing your business.

A brochure or booklet is an important ‘shop window’ for your clients and for you to tell them what you do. With lock down restrictions lifting in the future you can re visit your customers and show them your new brochure, which will re-invigorate your customers minds to use you and your products.

Send us your concept, give us a brief and let us spin our magic and come up with some new angles. We’ll help you stand out from your competition.

With over 30 years worth of paper & print knowledge we know the potential pitfalls. We understand various techniques that will enhance your job including die-cutting, laminating, UV varnishing, foil printing, gluing and binding. We can help you make it the best it can be!

When it comes to paperback versus hard back there are pros and cons to both types of cover style, many of which we have summarised below:

Paper Back

Pros:

• Distribution is easier due to size and in turn more cost effective per copy.
• If Production price is a factor they win out over hardbacks in this respect.
• Hard wearing, as they flex and can withstand a level of abuse.
• Easy for the reader to handle and transport with them due to reduced weight and size.
• Easily recycled along with other paper.

Cons:

• May damage and shown signs of wear and tear depending on how they are used.
• The competitive nature of the production costs may mean you are able to command a lower selling price than a hard back, given the nature of the market.

Hard Back

Pros:

• Durability is high given the protection the hard cover affords the pages.
• Premium feel and a higher price point can be achieved.
• They are nice to keep and people like to retain them for many years.

Cons:

• Price, it can be a factor as the cost involved in production require a higher selling margin for the book to be profitable.
• The weight can put people off, especially if they are prone to falling asleep reading in bed and being woken by a book hitting the bridge of their nose!
• Distribution costs can be high given the weight of the book.
• Lead times are longer due to the complexity of production compared to a paper back.
• If you need any advice on your book project and the types of papers and binding methods that would suit best, get in touch and we can help you.

Vellum invitations are so popular right now, and we can understand why, this beautiful semi translucent paper gives a touch of glass to any wedding suite whether it is using it as a vellum jacket or a belly band, the main invite or just an overlay.

Vellum is so versatile and can create the extra “luxe” feel that you want when designing your invitations that gives a softness, looks super chic and will give a great first impression.

Vellum is also known as tracing paper or translucent paper and comes in a variety of weights from 110gsm to 200gsm.

Simple stationery can be enhanced with the addition of a vellum overlay, each wedding invitation suite can be wrapped with a vellum & with a block lettering design this can really finish your suite off beautifully.

For more information contact us at Quotes@dynamicprint.co.uk