Creative Printing of Bay County, Inc. is a locally owned and operated "One Stop Print Shop" that has been located in Panama City, Florida for over thirty years. We offer printing services to the Florida Panhandle and beyond. We understand budgets and deadlines.
If so, you have probably been curious and want to know more. NAJU is a local business that is family owned and operated. This thriving business was originally started on the property of Biff Hunt’s parents in the 60’s and 70’s where they were breeding American Foxhounds and show dogs. The property was an old dairy farm which still had the runs and covered facilities out back. This was used for the dogs. People loved their setup and how clean and consistent the facility was. This then led to the conversion to a public facility in 1975.
Do you ever wonder what type of paper you should use for your CREATIVE PRINT PROJECTS? Often people do not realize how many choices they have available. Then when it is time to choose, the many varieties of paper can be overwhelming. What color? What finish? What style? Paper selection can make a huge impact on your print project whether it is for yourself, your family, or your business.
Whether you are a business professionals or an individual, we have all had to make copies at some point or another, but have you ever thought about the wear and tear on your printer? If you are coping large quantities in house, then it typically more cost effective to go to your local print shop. It’s important to take into consideration employee time, the amount of toner/ink you’re using, and paper. Many businesses don’t realize how the cost adds up over time when coping in house.
So what kinds of copies are people making these days? Let’s take a look.
At some time or another many of us have used signs. We see them all over the place, from yard sales, to baby showers, political signs and even for real estate. There are so many uses for yard signs such as, parties, now hiring, now enrolling, sales, special events, schools and sports. The choices are endless. Yard signs are a great way to grab people's attention and it’s important to learn how to use them in your business.
Do you ever wonder why you should use yard signs? Where they should be placed to grab attention? How about what information to include?
We want to provide you with some tips to make the most of your Yard Signs.
This is the latest in our series of Staff Bios. Our team is composed of some very talented and interesting people and we hope you'll enjoy getting to know them through this series. Previously featured employees include Bobbie and Jim, so check 'em out!
Kristin Garner came to Creative fresh out of high school over seven years ago. At the time, she worked as a typesetter, making forms and setting up stationary and projects like that. It didn't take us long to figure out that she was capable of a lot more. As it turns out, Kristin's been “getting creative” her whole life!
Her graphics career at Creative began with a challenge. With no formal art training or graphic design experience, we asked Kristin to mock up a business card design. She brought in not one but three different designs and to say we were impressed with the results is an understatement. We knew right away that Kristin had a future as a graphic artist.
This is the latest in our series of Staff Bios. Our team is composed of some very talented and interesting people and we hope you'll enjoy getting to know them through this series. Previously featured employees include Bobbie, Jim and Kristin, so check 'em out!
Carol Marrone has managed our front counter operations for the last five years. If you’ve stopped in to see us or called us on the phone, Carol is probably the first person you dealt with at Creative Printing.
As customer service representative and director of first impressions, Carol takes pride in helping customers navigate their printing service options. She uses her keen experience and friendly personality to walk people through their options and help them figure out what they actually want and need from us.
Do you ever look at a sign going down the road and think, “That is too much”? The key to designing signs, business cards, etc. is to make them stand out and not look too busy.
The less you use in designing the better. You want people to read your signs and cards.
Let's take a look at some Tips to show how less is more in Graphic Design.
Often people think that every area of white space has to be filled. This is not the case. White space is okay!
Don’t use too many effects. This will take away from the message you are trying to give.
Avoid using more than 3 fonts per design. This will make your design look unprofessional and busy.
Don’t choose a font just because you think it is cool. Be sure it goes with the theme and is the right height so that it is visible.
Letter Height Visibility Chart
Avoid using too much information. If there is too much, potential customers will skip it all together. The less that is on your card or sign the more it attracts attention to your main points.
When using graphics or pictures, make sure they look professional and only use one or two. Too many will make your design too busy.
It’s important to have a focal point, something that draws your eye and then everything should flow out from there. You want your eyes to move to all parts of your design.
When aligning your text, don’t feel like it has to be centered. Left or right justified looks more professional.
The best way to ensure that your text will be clear at a long distance is to use a high contrast color, such as White on Black. Blue on Green is more difficult to see from a distance.
11. When choosing colors for your company logo or any design project, it's important to look at the color wheel. You don't want to choose colors that are beside each other. Choose colors that are across from one another, so that they stand out and better.
12. One more important tip to remember is to trust your graphic designer! Their skills and experience will bring your images to reality. Don't be afraid to ask questions.
As you see there are many factors to consider when designing your company logo, business cards, signs and more.
At Creative Printing our friendly design team is here to help you! So when you’re ready to begin your design, come on in and let us help you Get Creative.
This is the first post in our series of Staff Bios. We hope you'll enjoying meeting our employees! They are not only some of the hardest working people in town, but we happen to think they're pretty great people, too.
Our first featured staffer is Bobbie Walker. Bobbie has been with Creative Printing for over 16 years, which means she's been part of the company longer than any other employee.
Bobbie's been in the printing business for over 24 years. Her first printing job was actually in the building that Creative Printing currently occupies. She started working for the former occupants to "help out" at her sister's job and quickly found herself being hired on as a full-time employee. She didn't mind, though, because she had fallen in love with the printing industry.
This is the second post in our series of Staff Bios. (In our first, meet Bobbie.) We hope you'll enjoying meeting our employees! They are not only some of the hardest working people in town, but we happen to think they're pretty great people, too.
Today's featured staff member is Jim Davis. Jim has been with Creative Printing over 15 years and he's our Pressman Extraordinaire. That's not just a job title. Jim really is extraordinary.
On the job at Creative, Jim's been known to do the work of three men without batting an eyelash. He's quiet and dedicated and we always know we can rely on him to show up and just do what he does.
Creative Printing of Bay County is very excited to introduce to you ... our new Canon ImagePROGRAF Printer! We can print banners, signs, posters, art prints, and canvas prints. Affordable banners from 44" by up to almost 100ft. Professional quality, high prints at any size from your local print shop.
These posters, banners and signs can be printed on a variety of media types including gloss, matte, satin, canvas, banner material, art paper and more. We also have the ability to laminate or mount posters up to 24" x 36".
Our banners are flexible, easy to hang and extremely versatile. If you want to transfer your banner to another location, simply roll it up.
Want to make the best use of your banners? Here's how ...
Tip 1: Grab Attention
Through the use of graphics, color and layout you will have an eye-catching banner of your dreams. Use bold graphics or photos and bright colors to make your banner stand out.
It's important to ask for design help. Professionals can design your banner, turning your visions into reality.
Show your personality!
Tip 2: Keep it Simple
Determine your banners purpose, and then have a focal point.
Remember to use less text, fewer colors, and one main graphic. Too much information will confuse your customers and they won't remember the important information.
Don't forget to include contact information. Let the colors and graphics do the rest!
Tip 3: Location. Location. Location.
Your banners, posters, and signs are versatile and can be displayed inside or outside.</>
Want to refresh your office? Use banner to easily change up your wall décor. Now that's an easy way to have a fresh new look!
When flagging down traffic, it's important to have a large banner, 10-12 ft. from the ground.
Banners are a great way to get your customers attention! For pedestrian traffic display banners near eye level.
Be sure your banner is not obstructed; no one will take time to read it.
Remember, design and location of your banner will affect your sales when it comes to impulse shoppers. Approximately half of all sales are from impulse shoppers.
Tip 4: Advertise seasonal specials and set the mood
Banners, posters, signs and art prints are an inexpensive way to advertise seasonal specials, events, new products, and more.
Whether you're getting ready for a celebration or advertising a huge sale, the mood of your banner tells all.
Easily change the design of a room with creative signs, posters and banners for showers, birthdays, holiday parties ...
Regardless of your needs, we are here to help you! Remember, at Creative Printing, "We Understand Budgets and Deadlines!" Our fast turnarounds and our friendly staff will provide you with top quality printing services, turning dreams into reality!
It’s the New Year and it’s time for some changes. Did you know that business cards are the most commonly printed item with nearly all businesses using them? Many businesses are having a card printed for each employee that is representing them. Business cards are the most diverse item, having so many paper choices, printing methods, coatings and more. The finished look and cost can range dramatically.
If you’re thinking about making some changes, why not simply begin with your companies’ business card?
Let’s take a look at what can or should be changed to make your new Business Cards stand out.
1. Color
The best and simplest way to change your business cards is to change the color. If your business card is white and plain, it will most likely be thrown away. You want to choose a colorful card to get your business prospects attention.
One of the most important things regarding color is that the printed image contrasts well with all elements on the card so that it is easy to read and has an eye pleasing look.
Most every company has some sort of (Company or Corporate color) they use for their logo, and they are usually already using or need Letterhead and Business envelopes. In most cases clients want these three items to be matched in paper type, paper color, and ink colors.
Have you enjoyed meeting all of the Creative Printing family over the last few months? Bobbie, Jim, Kristin, and Carol are all amazing members of the Creative Team that we have previously highlighted. We would now like to introduce you to Steve and Sheila Ruff, owners of Creative Printing of Bay County, Inc.
It all began in 1982 when Steve’s parents purchased the existing business from Ken's Quick Print. At the time Ken's Quick Print was located on the corner of Jenks and 11th street. At 15, Steve began his career at the print shop. His only other first job was bussing tables in high school. Guess what? Sheila’s first job was bussing tables in a restaurant, too! Steve graduated from Bay High School and then attended Washington Holmes Technical Center, where he furthered his skills in the printing business. One of the biggest influences in his life was his printing instructor at the Technical Center, “He never gave an answer, he helped you work through a problem by asking questions to get you to solve it by yourself”, Steve said.
Ever wonder why you feel cheerful at Christmas? Could it be all the red and green lights? Have you ever felt tired in a blue room or full of energy in a red room? Colors can change our mood, make us motivated or feel tired – – the colors that surround you may be the reason for your lack of productivity or lower creativity!The human eye sees about 7,000,000 colors. That’s an incredible amount of color!
Artists and interior designers have long understood how color can intensely affect moods, feelings and emotions. According to about.com, color is a powerful communication tool and can be used to signal action, influence mood and cause physiological reactions. Certain colors can raise blood pressure, increase metabolism or cause eyestrain.
Let’s find out how different colors make you feel.
Company Newsletters are important to keep in touch and create loyal relationships with your customers. Plus, it’s a cost effective and simple way of marketing. You can’t beat that!
What to include in your newsletter … a great, catchy name. To get your customers attention, focus on quality content. For instance, you want articles to be relevant and informative. Try not to focus solely on your business and sales goals. By this we mean, remember the 80/20 rule: 80% education and entertainment and 20% sales. Use your customers and include testimonials. Including a call to action is important. So remember to link to your website and social media sites! Don't forget your contact information like your address, phone number and website. Believe it or not, many businesses often leave their contact information out.
June 2011's Featured Business is Bad Byron's Specialty Food Products. Owner Byron Chism has been a customer of Creative Printing for nearly 14 years, since his business first began. We're lucky to call him a friend as well as a client and we'd like to introduce you to him and his products.
Byron has been a customer of Creative Printing for nearly 14 years, since his business first began. We helped him create the logo for his business and handle tons of print jobs for him as well. As a busy entrepreneur, Byron knows the importance of working with design and print professionals to get what he needs for his business.
I come back to Creative Printing because they have a personal interest in making sure they do things right,” said Byron. “They have a focus on quality. Because their services are pretty versatile, they can provide what a business needs. They know I'll be back again and again because they do things right.
"A Little Butt Rub Makes Everything Better"
If you live in NW Florida or you're really into barbeque, you may already know about Bad Byron's Butt Rub® barbeque seasoning. It's Byron's most famous product and a favorite of many BBQ aficionados. The Butt Rub® seasoning is sold nationally in retail stores as well as online. Although it was originally developed as a dry rub for meat and seafood, people have found a way to incorporate the seasoning blend into other dishes, like onion rings, Texas toast and even spiced pecans. You can find recipes using Butt Rub® on Byron's website.
Byron's Butt Rub® is not just popular, it's also award-winning. Most recently, the Butt Rub® won About.com's 2011 Reader's Choice for Barbeque Rub, awarded in March. The seasoning blend has been winning awards for over ten years and Byron travels frequently to BBQ competitions to add more awards and trophies to his collection.
Grilling Around the World
Summer is barbeque season in the States but did you know that American-style BBQ is catching on in other parts of the world as well? Byron's on his way to Bristol, England, to attend Grillstock, the UK's biggest BBQ and music festival. But this isn't the first time that Byron and his Butt Rub® have toured overseas. In fact, his first international BBQ event was in Switzerland in 1999 where he grilled as part of a team. These days, Butt Rub® is gaining popularity throughout Europe and is distributed in the UK, Germany and the Netherlands.
BBQ Secrets from the Master
Byron has some tips for first-time and veteran grillers alike. Don't skimp on safety! His #1 grilling tip is “Keep a fire extinguisher or water hose nearby.” Why? You might be a careful person but your dog has other ideas when he chases after a squirrel. Byron also warned that extra caution should be taken if your BBQ party guests are consuming alcohol.
Additionally, Byron warns that lighter fluid is obsolete for grilling and should never be used because it's dangerous and unnecessary. Instead, he recommends using a charcoal chimney starter which is easy, safer, and won't taint your food with the essence of lighter fluid. To learn how to make a chimney starter, check out this video:
As far as cooking tips, Byron suggests cooking slowly over low heat and being patient while your food cooks. This way, you can ensure that it'll be cooked completely without being burned on the outside. Whatever you're grilling, enjoy this BBQ season with Bad Byron's Butt Rub® and other specialty grilling products!
If there's one thing we know how to do at Creative Printing (besides, you know, creative printing), it's get down and spooky for Halloween! For years, we've been dressing up as our favorite monsters and villains, ghosts and ghouls, and just having fun.
We wish you a safe and happy Halloween this year and invite you to take a sneak peak at some of our favorite Halloween photos from over the years!
Chances are, they've already been given information about ordering expensive graduation announcements through their school. They might have a few options to choose from but one thing is certain: those announcements will look an awful lot like the announcements all their classmates will be sending out.
Why not make your senior's graduation truly special and get them a completely custom graduation announcement that not only shares the news of their graduation, but also includes their photo?
Unless you're a doctor or other medical professional, you may not have heard about the recent Florida laws intended to combat prescription drug abuse. It's common knowledge that Florida's state government is engaged in a tactical war on the addiction of prescription drugs--like Oxycodone and Xanax--and the state legislature had some big ideas on how to curb the problem.
The idea sounded simple at first. In 2009, they decided on a drug-monitoring database to help track inventories of addictive drugs. That was supposed to be up and running by December 2010 but it wasn't. And it still isn't. In May 2011, legislature passed the "Pill Mill" law, that would further complicate matters. The law mandated that, beginning July 1, 2011, physicians must use new counterfeit-proof prescription pads when prescribing certain drugs. Unfortunately, there wasn't enough time for all physicians to comply with the new regulations and the legislature extended the deadline to August 30, 2011.
The Florida State Department of Health estimates that over 50,000 Florida-licensed physicians prescribe controlled substances to treat their patients' medical needs. That's an awful lot of prescription pads.
So-- you're probably wondering why a local print shop is concerned about doctors' prescription pads, right?
It's been a busy summer around the office at Creative Printing. Of course, we've been busy printing your business cards, letterhead, postcards and party invitations, but there's more! We've been busy implementing a ton of exciting new equipment with the help of our technology partner Garner IT Consulting. We're so excited about it that we couldn't wait any longer to share the changes with you!
Stay up-to-date with our news and helpful information about print options for your business and personal needs.
We're still your friendly neighborhood print shop, but you can keep in touch online to make sure you don't miss any of our news, specials and printing tips. Connect with us today!
You've worked on a design with your graphic artist. You've decided whether your business cards should be matte or glossy. You've settled on the quantity of new brochures to order for your small business.
What's left?
Once the design and layout of your print job are finalized, you'll be asked to review a proof. A proof is a document or image that will show you exactly what your item will look like when it's printed. This is your last opportunity to change your mind about design elements and to check all the details to ensure there are no mistakes.
Here is what to look for when you review a printing proof:
Check the colors. Make sure the colors you see are what you expected. Do the font and background colors coordinate with your company logo?
Check the graphics. Make sure the correct, current version of your company logo is being used. If you've been thinking about redesigning your logo, consider doing that before ordering new print supplies that will soon be outdated.
Check the text--including phone numbers and addresses. Your print professionals can help with colors and graphics, but they might not realize that your office phone number ends in 2354 rather than 2345. Check and double-check these important details.
Take a step back and review the overall print job. Is it generally pleasing to the eye, interesting, and easy to read? Remember, this is your last chance to make any changes, so if you have reservations, now is the time to speak up.
What happens if there is an error or change needed on your printing proof?
Don't worry! We'll make the changes and create a new proof for your review. You'll have to sign off on all the changes and approve the proof before we proceed with the print job, giving you final control over what we print.
We understand budgets and deadlines. A careful review of your printing proof can save you both money and time, important resources for any small business.
Custom party invitations are growing in popularity and they're a great, easy way to add personal touches to your special event or celebration.
It's no mystery that a lot of folks are scheduling special events later this year on a noteworthy date. November 11, 2011 -- aka 11/11/11 -- will be a memorable day for many. If you're planning an 11/11/11 event, now's the time to start thinking about making your event even more special with custom invitations.
No matter when your event date lands on the calendar, you don't have to be a design whiz to get custom invitations, or even know exactly what you want. We can build custom invitations around your event's theme and help you choose a design that represents you. We know what questions to ask, and we understand how to listen to your answers, work with your goals and budget, and develop a solution that meets all your needs.
Business cards are the most important marketing tool that your company uses. They are often the first representative of your business and easily the one that sticks around the longest. How can you make sure that your business cards are doing everything they can to promote your business in a positive way?
Here's what you need to know:
1. Go with the pros. Running a small business on a budget--or starting a new business from scratch--might require some creative financial planning, but don't skimp on business cards. DIY cards look cheap and make your potential clients think you don't care about the details. Hire a professional printing company to print your business cards, and show your clients that you're serious about your business.
2. Short and sweet. Don't try to write a novel on your business cards. Only include the information that is actually pertinent, such as company name, your name, basic contact information including your e-mail address and website.
3. Don't be cute. Every small business owner wants their business cards to be memorable, to stand out from the crowd. Don't try to do this by being cutesy with your business cards. This means no knock-knock jokes and no cartoon characters (unless you happen to be in the cartoon business). Instead, stand out by using a sharp design and textured paper. Or, if you're really feeling adventurous, consider something really out-of-the-box like a structural aspect, like this business card with tear-tabs:
Or these clear plastic business cards:
4. Use a smart design. The design of your business cards should be appropriate for your business. If you run a landscaping business, don't put wine glasses on your business cards. Choose graphics and layouts because they represent your business, not because they're your favorite color or because they remind you of your favorite vacation spot.
5. Catch the typos. Handing out typo-ridden business cards is a death sentence for your marketing efforts. Be sure to check and double-check spelling of names and especially addresses and phone numbers. And if you get a new number or your website URL changes, it's time to get new cardsand toss your old ones in the recycling bin.
In our first blog post (of many!), we didn't want to start off with the same old boring marketing lingo. We're not here to toot our own horn, push our services on you or anything like that.
We just want to get to know our neighbors.
We're also ridiculously excited to start this blog and to get connected with more of you in internet-land. As a matter of introduction, we thought we'd invite you to take a stroll through our print production facility. We're located in Bay County, Florida, and we love working on print jobs for small businesses as well as individuals.
