Great catalogue printing at your fingertips

Despite widespread digitalisation, the catalogue is still one of the fundamental methods of presenting a sales offer. No matter whether we operate in the travel industry, are a supplier of power tools or manufacture bathroom fittings – our customers still want to learn about our products by receiving a beautifully printed and easy-to-view paper publication.

It is often argued that in an age when so much activity has moved to the online world, printing catalogues is not necessary. Experienced marketers and traders, however, have a different opinion. Frequently, after experimenting to varying degrees of success with online versions of catalogues, they return to traditional printed catalogues.

Why print catalogues?
We are all aware that changes in shopping habits are inevitable, but it will be a long time before new channels for reaching customers supersede the direct presentation of products via catalogues. In order to keep things professional and leave not only the best impression after the meeting, but also a complete set of information needed to make a decision, many marketers and salespeople use product catalogues. Thanks to them, the customer has the opportunity to return to the catalogue at a convenient time. Free and unrestricted access to sales material significantly increases the chance of making a purchase. And isn’t that exactly the point?

How to design a good catalogue?
When working on the design, it is worth paying attention to the following elements, which have an impact on the functionality and quality of the catalogue, but also on the optimisation of the subsequent printing process, which ultimately affects the cost of printing and its execution time:

• compliance with the company’s existing communication standards – the catalogue should include logos, signs and slogans identifying the company that distinguishes it from the competition, and a colour scheme that matches the company’s other publications – this allows the potential customer to immediately recognise the brand;

• clarity of the information contained in the catalogue – it is advisable to organise the content of the catalogue according to certain criteria, e.g. the type of products, if we sell machines and devices or their application, as is the case with, e.g. home furnishings. Our catalogue should, above all, facilitate navigation through our range and not cause the viewer to get lost, as this might discourage them from our business proposal. Elements that help make the content of the catalogue coherent can be sections of different colours or index tabs, i.e. cut-outs of various formats (e.g. panoramic, pennant, thumb or stepped) in the right-hand edge of the publication to make it easier to browse through;

• the quality of graphic materials and their appropriate layout on the pages – when designing, it’s worth taking into account the technical parameters required by the given printing house – graphic designers, who are experienced in preparing materials for printing, know very well that the quality and manner of taking product photos is extremely important, because they determine whether a given product range attracts attention; moreover, the pages should be designed in such a way that the photo does not move from one to another, as it may not be clearly visible, especially if the catalogue is large; the elements of the page layout must be kept away from the edge of the page, and it should have bleed marks, which allow the format to be correctly trimmed after printing;

• language versions – we often prepare catalogues in several language versions, so if we want to optimise the printing process, it is advisable to have only black text – then in offset printing, which is the printing method used for larger print runs (including catalogues), only one plate is replaced, which makes the whole process more cost and time-effective – the layout of pages and graphics remain the same, only the text in a given language is changed;

• format – if you want to minimise printing costs, it is worth looking for a print shop with a wide range of machinery. Specialists working in the print shop, based on the technical possibilities of the machines available, should recommend possible changes in the technical specification of the designed catalogue, so as to effectively use the possibilities of heatset or sheet-fed printing. At the design stage, we can make small changes which, in the case of huge print runs of catalogues, bring significant financial savings and allow the project to be completed more cost-effectively.

Types of offset printing and catalogue production
When looking for a print shop that can print our catalogues, it is worth looking at the machinery they have at their disposal. Small print shops usually print on sheet-fed presses. Sheet-fed printing allows the printing of paper of more varied weight (thickness), greater freedom in the selection of formats and the introduction of decorative elements such as Pantone colours and finishing, i.e. coating, foiling, hot stamping, etc. Printing on sheet-fed presses takes time, as they do not allow several operations to be carried out during one paper pass – each one triggers another process, which ultimately translates into a higher unit price for the catalogue.

This is why, for higher print runs, it is worth considering printing catalogues on web presses, commonly referred to as offset presses. (Find out more about web printing here)

A good catalogue print shop offset prints high-volume runs on heatset web printing presses (heatset means that the machine is equipped with a drying tunnel). Offset presses print at high speeds (up to 55,000 folds per hour), and the process is highly mechanised (e.g. spectrophotometers for colour quality control are built into the machine) – the paper is printed, dried in the drying tunnel, folded and trimmed into finished folds in a single pass through the machine. This optimises costs and production time. However, web printing also has its limitations, such as the thickness of the paper and the impossibility of printing the so-called fifth colour, i.e. Pantone (which must be broken down into colours from the CMYK palette in web printing).

A great catalogue print shop

1. Types of printing
What print shop to choose in this situation? Preferably a catalogue print shop that is technologically sophisticated enough to offer both sheet-fed and heatset web printing. Then, depending on the technical specifications, the catalogue print shop can select the right technology for our project. As a rule, the centres are printed on offset presses and the covers on sheet-fed presses. This ensures that the covers are made of thicker raw material, decorated and reinforced with finishes, while the centres are printed on thinner paper. Thanks to this, the catalogue will not weigh too much, which is hugely important for very high-volume catalogues. The cover will have a professional look, and the whole project will be carried out in a cost-effective manner.

2. Binding
A good catalogue print shop also offers a wide range of bookbinding possibilities, from binding to index tabs. The most basic binding for a thin catalogue – i.e. up to 96 pages – is a saddle-stitched binding. In the case of a higher volume or if a more prestigious look of the catalogue is desired, a good print shop is likely to recommend a softbound cover. Such a cover may have additional flaps or no flaps. A good catalogue print shop also has PUR-type glued binding, which is more durable and flexible compared to hot melt binding. If you have a bigger budget, you can consider hardcover binding.

3. Finishes
It’s worth using finishing on the cover, which not only visually distinguishes our catalogues but, above all, strengthens and protects the cover. Depending on the budget and the nature of the publication, we can use the cheapest solution, i.e. dispersion varnish to protect the colours on the cover. We can also opt for eye-catching glossy UV varnish or use glossy, matte or soft touch lamination in combination with selective UV varnish, hot stamps and embossing. There are many cover finishing solutions available, and a good catalogue print shop can advise you exactly what to choose.

4. Index tabs
When creating catalogues, it is worth considering how to separate the sections in the catalogue and what distinctive features to use – whether in the form of different coloured sections or cut-out index tabs to make it easier to navigate through the publication. Index tabs can be of various shapes; in the case of very voluminous catalogues, index tabs can be present on several levels of the catalogue to form separate groups of sections.

5. Comprehensive execution
Ordering the entire production from one contractor gives us the certainty that the print shop is responsible for the end result and oversees all processes related to our production. In this situation, the waiting time for the finished publication is significantly reduced, and any losses or discrepancies that may occur when work is split between several subcontractors – printing separately, binding separately, finishing separately, etc. – are prevented. In addition, large print shops that have high-volume orders in their portfolio also offer additional services such as individual foiling, labelling and shipping. If you represent a company with multiple entities or need to print multiple versions and then deliver them to the individual entities – the print shop helps with logistics and transport. The reliability of the chosen print shop is confirmed by its ISO 9001 management and 14001 environmental certificates.

6. Paper certificates
A good catalogue print shop is certified to use paper, such as FSC-certified paper from responsibly managed forests. For catalogues we are designing, we can consider FSC-certified papers, and if our catalogues are intended for Scandinavian markets, the Nordic Ecolabel certification is also worth considering. Usually, there is a wait of about four weeks for roll paper, and a shorter wait for sheet paper, unless it is a specially selected format for our project. Sometimes, the print shop has its own stock, which it manages to use without delay, but for higher volumes, this cannot be counted on, especially when it comes to certified papers, which you also have to wait several weeks for, whether it’s roll or sheet paper. It is therefore worth starting discussions with the print shop in advance, preferably as soon as you have decided on the printing of the catalogues. After all, if we want to prepare catalogues for an event and are limited by specific deadlines, we need to check whether the print shop can supply the right paper. We should also get to know the print shop’s procedures and technical requirements in detail from the outset, as poor preparation of printing files and the need to improve them may result in a change in the printing schedule. The joint development of the best solutions for our order – both in terms of deadlines and optimisation of printing costs – guarantees a satisfactory partnership and satisfaction with the printed catalogue.

Do you plan to print catalogues? We can advise you on formats, paper, finishing and binding. Elanders – as one of the largest print shops in Poland – has both sheet and web presses. We offer comprehensive printing of even the most complex catalogues. Contact us today.