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July 27, 2011

3 Tips for Advertising Outdoors in the Fall

Filed under: Marketing & Sales Promotion Techniques — Tags: , — PDWriter @ 8:00 am

Fall Gathering Border PapersMany people name autumn as their favorite season. Cool temperatures, leaves changing color, holiday season soon approaching, and a nice crispness to the air all contribute to make fall the most enjoyable season of the year for many of us. If you are a business owner, you may want to take advantage of the fall weather to utilize some marketing techniques that may not work so well at other times of the years. Advertising outdoors in the fall is a great way to get your name out there and get customers through the door.

While advertising tools such as email lists and vinyl banners can be utilized year-round, Autumn Luster Specialty Border Papersthere are some advertising tools that are more feasible when the weather is nice–not too cold and not too hot. Outdoor advertising can be powerful and effective because creating a robust visible impression to build recognition just works.

  1. One way of advertising outdoors in the fall is handing out brochures or flyers in market places and other crowded areas (college campuses are a great place to reach a variety of age and socioeconomic groups). With the cool fall temperatures, you can hire people to hand out information about your business in marketplaces that have a lot of foot traffic. By handing out a flyer or coupon, you have attached a living, breathing person to your business. With the right person outside marketing, you can increase your business inside greatly. A warm personality and friendly disposition, along with some sort of special offer (buy one, get one free or 50% off first purchase), is a fantastic way to get customers or clients in the door.
  2. Car “wrapping” is another means of advertising that works best (and most safely) when the weather is nice. We spend so much time sitting in traffic going to work, school and chauffering the kids around, and when people sit in traffic long enough, they will take notice of tFall Frenzy Border Papershe scenery around them. Private autos can be transformed into mobile advertisements (if you’re willing to forever alter the appearance of your vehicle).
  3. Hire a sign twirler. More and more of these brave young men and women can be seen on street corners all across the United States; sign twirling is an inexpensive way to target a certain intersection or zip code.

The greatest benefit of outdoor advertising is that the cost per customer contact is very inexpensive.

July 25, 2011

Stand Out With These Unique Resume Ideas

Filed under: Designing Your Business Communication — Tags: , — PDWriter @ 8:00 am

Linen 32lb Letter PapersIn today’s tough job market, it takes a little creativity to stand out from all the rest of the applicants for a particular job. While a  professional-looking, neat, succinct resume will certainly get the job done (no pun intended), it may not really stand out from a stack of 200 or 300 other resumes.

One thing to keep in mind as you ponder creative resume ideas is that more is not always better. A resume that is too “busy” or has too many graphics may actually hurt your chances of being considered for the position. You can be creative without being excessive. Here are some unique resume ideas that my put yours on the top of the stack:

  • 3-D resumeEarth Tones Letterhead Paper
  • Flyer resume
  • Fabric resume
  • Fold-up resume
  • Infographic resume (indicate job history with colored pie chart or show education with a color-coded timeline)
  • Magazine cover resume (set up your resume to resemble the cover of a magazine)
  • Newspaper classified ad resume (design your resume to look like the classified ads section of a newspaper)

To make your resume unique, you can design it based on the job for which you’re applying. An example of this would be for an illustrator to build a resume that resembles a common type of illustration (a comic book, perhaps). Teachers could put their information into the shape of an apple or make their resume look like a chalkboard. As long as the resume is original and not cutesy or immature, the prospective employer will probably be impressed with your initiative and creativity. A poet or some other type of writer might consider putting his/her resume information into verse format or have the resume paper resemble a scroll.  Applying for a bartender position? Put your information in the shape of a martini glass. That will surely get the employer’s attention! When it comes to unique resume ideas, the possibilities are endless.

Springtime Business CardsIf you’d rather stick with a more traditional resume format, please view these resume samples, but if you’re looking for something more creative, you may want to try some of the ideas mentioned above (or maybe you have some unique resume ideas up your sleeve!).

Regardless of the type of resume you create, it’s important to use good quality resume paper and to include a business card if you have one. With so many people looking for work, you really must have e a unique resume to get noticed.

July 21, 2011

How to Create Desktop Printable Place Cards

Filed under: How-To Videos — PDWriter @ 1:10 pm

Now you can easily create printable place cards with place card stock at PaperDirect. Watch and learn how to rapidly create beautiful printable place cards that you can print right from the convenience of your very own home computer. You’ll be amazed at how many pretty choices of printable place cards you will find at PaperDirect. Using PaperDirect’s print at home place cards will save you a massive of time and money. Order, create, print and send. It’s that simple!

Follow these simple steps to print beautiful place cards:

  1. Order Place Card Stock – You can start by selecting the place card blank you want from the huge variety of wonderful options available that will match any occasion or any theme. You will order your blank stock which will arrive in 3 – 5 days. Need to see and touch your place cards before you order, choose the “FREE Desktop Printable Sample” and we will send you a sample.
  2. Customize – Once you’ve received your blank place card stock, you’ll download the template for your favorite word processor which makes laying out the names and table numbers a breeze.
  3. Print – Once you are finished laying out the text, load the blank place cards into your printer and click the print button. In a matter of minutes you’ll have completed a job that used to be extremely tedious to do or expensive to have done for you and will have an absolutely perfect result. You can print as many or as few as you need and that’s it, you’re done.

With all the fantastic desktop printable place cards, you’ll not only save money by making your own place cards, but you’ll be able to monitor the total process which means you can have perfect place cards that are ready just when you want them. No more waste on guessing who is coming, no more waiting and no more unnerving thoughts that your place cards will arrive with misprints.

July 18, 2011

Creating Print at Home Invitations with Printable Invitation Templates

Filed under: How-To Videos — PDWriter @ 8:17 pm

It is easy to create print at home invitations. In this video you will learn how to create great printable party invitations that you can print right from your very own home computer. PaperDirect has a huge variety of printable invitation templates to match your party theme. Print at home invitations will save you a lot of money and time. No more waiting on delivery time.

Follow these simple steps at Print Right Now invitation templates page at PaperDirect:

  1. Select Invitation Template –  pick out the invitation blank you want. With the large assortment of wonderful options available you’ll find one that will match any occasion.
  2. Customize – Once you’ve picked out your favorite template, you’ll customize your invitation using our easy to use personalization tools. There are text boxes for you to fill in your invitation details as well as button icons to change fonts, text size, adding images and so much more. There is a big blue help button in the upper right corner of the editor, just in case you get stuck.
  3. Preview – After you’ve gotten the text laid out like you want, you’ll simply click the next button to see a preview of your creation.
  4. Checkout – Click the “Checkout” button and pay for your purchase.
  5. Print – Once you are finished checking out, load your own blank stock paper into your printer and click the print button. You can print as many or as few as you need and that’s it, you’re done.

With all the great invitation templates, you’ll not only save money by making your own invitations and using your own paper, but being able to control the entire process means you can have great looking invitations that are exactly what you want. No more waste, no more waiting and no more worrying that your invitations won’t be right.

July 15, 2011

What to Include in a Wedding Program: 4 Quick Tips

Filed under: DIY Wedding Accessories — Tags: — PDWriter @ 8:00 am

Black Occasion Specialty ProgramsWondering what to include in a wedding program? If you’re getting married, you have a million tasks to accomplish and may be feeling a little (or a lot) overwhelmed. Of course, what you include in your wedding program will vary from what someone else may have, but there is some general information common to all wedding programs.

Here are the four primary elements we recommend including in your wedding program:

  1. Names of bride, groom and location of wedding ceremony, which generally goes at the top of the front or the first panel of your wedding program.
  2. Order of ceremony’s events, which could be as simple as a list of the ceremony’s elements or so detailed that it includes all the readings, song titles, who is reading and singing and even the text of the reading and song lyrics.
  3. The names of the wedding party. You should give credit to everyone who helped with the ceremony but some people frown on listing paid vendors like florists and photographers. You must list the officiant, however. Traditional etiquette calls for using the full names and titles of anyone you list in your wedding program.Calla Lilies Program
  4. A closing. Many brides include a closing at the end of the wedding program–a personal note of thanks to their guests. Some wedding programs may have a dedication to someone who has passed away.

With these tips, you should no longer be wondering what to include in a wedding program – enjoy your planning!!!

PaperDirect can help you with all your do-it-yourself wedding needs including invitations, place cards, wedding napkins, wedding note cards, and  all types of wedding accessories.

July 14, 2011

Quick & Easy Printable Pool Party Invitations

Filed under: Seasonal & Special Events Ideas — Tags: , — PDWriter @ 8:00 am

Aqua Splash Casual InvitationsSummer time is a great time to get together with friends and family and have a good time. When planning out a full blown pool party you’ll definitely want to have great printable pool party invitations to send out so everyone you know will have the opportunity to get together and enjoy a great time. By having printable invitations you can have full creative control over every part of the process enabling you to make the invitations you want and have them when you want them.

Pool parties are very casual, laid back occasions where fun is the primary purpose. Having very casual invitations that look like fun are a great way to start off the event because it puts everybody in the right mindset. WhilePoolside Casual Invitationspool parties aren’t usually known for a lot of food, having munchies and other comestibles around is expected. Even though it doesn’t really much matter if you have too much food left or even run out a little early, if you want to make sure you’ve got plenty you may want to include a response card in with the printable pool party invitation so you’ll have a good idea of how many people are actually going to be there. That way you’ll know you’ve got enough food and beverages for everyone, plus if someone has any specific dietary needs, such as gluten intolerance, you can accommodate them as well.

Beach Balls Casual InvitationsWith printable pool party invitations, it becomes very easy to get the exact invitations you want. Starting with cool invitation blanks, you download the template for your favorite word processor and half the battle is over. All that remains is to place a graphic or even a photo if you want, set the text with the time, date, location and anything else you want to add to set the theme. Once it looks like what you want on the screen, simply hit the print button and watch as your invitations appear out of your printer. If you’re using fold over invitations, simply fold it up, put a stamp on it and hand it to your mail person and you’re already done.

A pool party doesn’t take a lot of planning or a lot of set up and with printable pool party invitations, it doesn’t take a lot of effort to have a great invitation put together either. Fun is the point to a pool party and putting together the invitations is fun too.

July 12, 2011

Unique Flyer Design Ideas That Compliment Your Message

Filed under: Marketing & Sales Promotion Techniques — Tags: , — PDWriter @ 8:00 am

For Sale Border PaperFlyers can make up the backbone of a very effective marketing campaign if done right. Using a unique flyer design to enhance and power advertising at conventions, trade shows and even parking lot blitzes can push your business into an entirely new level. To make it work though, several things have to work together. Here are a few things you’ll want to consider when putting together a flyer based marketing campaign

–    Flyers give you the opportunity to put a lot of information onto a single sheet of paper. However, keeping that message clear and consistent with all the other parts of your marketing is essential. Make sure other parts of your campaign reinforce and reiterates what is being placed on your flyer.Marquee Border Papers –    Using a graphic or photo to illustrate the message on your flyer is a great way to make it eye-catching and to reinforce your message.
–    While using a slick flyer is a little more expensive, using them as a part of your unique flyer design makes the text and colors pop better.
–    Plan out your design carefully. You’ve got some options on execution, using the entire pages as a single block, breaking up the page into sections or even a combination of both by using both sides.
–    Using both sides of a flyer is a little unconventional. You’ll want to make sure the quality of paper used doesn’t show through one side to the other which can make Wine Glasses Border Papersyour flyer hard to read.
–    Take advantage of “dress up” tools in your word processor. These enable you to make tables for your sections and put borders around them so you’re boxing off sections of text to contain a specific point or thought such as contact information or a product push.
–    When using color flyers, using reverse color/text combinations in a block pulls the eye to that area
–    This same contrast in a black and white flyer (doing white text in a black box) accomplishes the same task

There are a lot of great flyer design ideas out there. Try to remember the last few flyers you’ve received and see what parts of those unique flyer designs made you remember them. This will enable you to bring forward those ideas and concepts to incorporate in your own flyers. Flyers can be extremely effective sales tools so take a look and see how you can take advantage of flyers in your next marketing campaign.

July 11, 2011

Need Inspiration? Try These 10 Creative Business Card Design Tips

Filed under: Designing Your Business Communication — Tags: — PDWriter @ 8:00 am
Lighthouse Business CardsHere are some business card design tips that will help you create an attractive, appealing business card that lets others know who you are and what your business is all about:
  1. Use vibrant colors to pique interest or emphasize something but no more than 3-4 different colors
  2. Use colors from your logo or other marketing materials
  3. Only include a photo if it’s a very good one of you and appropriate
  4. Avoid the use of clip art on your business card—use images that are unique to you and your business
  5. Keep the colors, style and language consistent with your website and other marketing materials
  6. Text should be aligned left; centered text is sometimes difficult to read and put text on front of card only
  7. Avoid unusual, difficult-to-read fonts, font that is too small, or more than one or two fonts and avoid light-colored font
  8. Keep the information clean and simple. Avoid visual overload such as maps, multiple locations, appointment information, etc. Folded business cards are an excellent choice when you have a great deal of information to convey.
  9. Make sure your business card design matches the overall theme of your business.
  10. Don’t deviate from the standard size and shape of business cards (3.5 x 2”) so it fits into most wallets, business card holders and business card scanners

If you follow these simple business card design tips, you may notice more

customers and clients coming through your doors.Paper Direct has a full line of business cards and business card holders. Please shop online today at www.paperdirect.com to find all your paper office needs.

July 7, 2011

Cool Teenage Birthday Party Themes

Filed under: Seasonal & Special Events Ideas — PDWriter @ 8:00 am

Music Festival Casual InvitationDepending on the person, birthdays can either be the most awesome day in the world, or the most dreaded. For teenagers, it’s a toss-up, but most teens really enjoy having a cool party for their birthdays. While getting together with friends and family and doing the cake and presents thing, throwing a teenage birthday party with a theme takes the totally cool party factor to the next level. And with all the great theme ideas, regardless of the birthday person’s interest, you’ll be able to come up with a cool party that they’ll love.

Having a great theme party is actually quite easy. First, ask what is the teenager’s main interest? Once you know that, then putting together a teenage birthday party based on that theme is going to be a breeze. If they’re into sports then having a party based on the sport is as simple as getting decorations of their favorite sport. Not only can you get Home Plate Casual Invitationpennants for the wall, but there are napkins and plates for all the different sports as well.

Not only that but having a specialty cake made like a football, baseball, golf ball, tennis ball or soccer ball is something bakeries do every day. Even sheet cakes that look like the ball field with the proper goals or nets can be made very easily.

While sports themes are easy to do, so are a lot of other teenage birthday party themes. Music themes with cakes shaped like guitars or other musical instruments and musical note decorations makes for a great party. Other great birthday party themes are those based on favorite video games and TV shows or movies. There are all kinds of totally cool decorations for game and movie based parties available and having a bunch of friends over to play the game or have a movie marathon is an awesome way to make a memorable birthday.At The Movies Casual Invitations

Regardless of what the teenager is into, a great birthday theme party idea is just a step away. With a little planning, sending out some great invitations, especially for a surprise party, and some cool decorations, not only will the birthday honoree have a great time but the guests will too. Themed parties gives everyone a central focus for the party and being able to have a party that everyone gets into, participates in and has a really great time at is definitely going to be a party to remember. Check out all the great themed invitations, decorations and cakes and make the next party the party everyone wants to be at.

July 5, 2011

How to Make Your Own Place Cards

Filed under: How-To Videos — PDWriter @ 2:30 pm


Place cards are a great way to take care of seating arrangements at wedding receptions, birthdays and dinner parties. Being able to make your own place cards enables you to control exactly how many cards you need and to make changes and corrections if needed. Making your own place cards isn’t a difficult prospect at all, especially with all the great tools you have available.

First, you’ll pick out the place card blank you want and with the dozens of great choices available you’ll find ones that will suit any occasion. Once you’ve received your blank cards, you’ll download the template for your favorite word processor which makes laying out the names and table numbers a breeze. After you’ve gotten the text laid out like you want, you’ll simply load the blank place cards into your printer and click the print button. In a matter of minutes you’ll have completed a job that used to be extremely tedious to do or expensive to have done for you and will have an absolutely perfect result.
With all the great blanks and the custom template, you’ll not only save money by making your own place cards, but being able to control the entire process means you can have great looking place cards that are exactly what you want. No more waste, no more waiting and no more concern your place cards won’t be right. Making your own place cards is definitely a great way to take care of one aspect of your wedding, birthday or dinner plans with ease.

Door Hanger Marketing – Does It Work?

Filed under: Marketing & Sales Promotion Techniques — PDWriter @ 8:00 am

Brights Door Hangers StockYou know exactly what door hangers are. You’ve come home from work and had one hanging on your door, usually from the local pizza place, maybe from a church inviting you to attend or even from a local store running a sale. Sometimes you get a door hanger that has a sample product in it like cologne or even laundry detergent. Door hanger marketing is a very powerful tool and more and more companies are turning to it to boost their sales.

Door hangers have a lot of potential in a lot of different ways. Aside from the sample packs in hanging bags, simple door hangers can be the most effective marketing tool in your arsenal. Not only can door hangers provide a lot of information about your business, but they can be used to deliver sales incentives as well.Brights Door Hangers Stock

Since door hangers do have two sides, there is a lot of real estate to put information on. Not only can you put the store location, but you can put product information, sales blurbs, or even an invitation to visit the store. For instance, if you’re opening a new business, running a door hanger marketing campaign announcing the grand opening with refreshments, etc. can be a very powerful way to open the doors and get the information to people that a new business is opening.

Using door hangers as sales incentives with coupons or discounts if they bring in the door hanger works in a couple of ways. One way, yoPerfectly Plain Door Hangersu get the person to order product with the coupon which allows you to track how many people are using it or the other way is when they bring in the door hanger, you can count how many you receive back. This gives you a great way to track just how well your marketing campaign is working.

And a campaign like this isn’t expensive either. Door hangers are relatively inexpensive to start with and hiring people to canvass neighborhoods hanging them isn’t terribly expensive either. On the whole, door hanger marketing campaigns are the most cost effective and easiest ways to attract customers and build business.

July 1, 2011

8 Unique and Personal Bridesmaid Gift Ideas

Filed under: DIY Invitation Ideas — PDWriter @ 8:00 am

YouFrame® KitWeddings are a truly special time in a person’s life, whether you’re the bride or you’ve been invited to be a bridesmaid. And while being a bride is definitely a challenge, being a bridesmaid is a challenge as well. Having to help the bride get everything ready, get dressed, throw the bachelorette party, help with the planning and execution of the wedding are all things bridesmaids have to do. This means finding the right gifts for the bridesmaids as tokens of appreciation is important. Bridesmaid gift ideas may seem like a challenge, but there are lots of great ideas that everyone will appreciate.

One thing you’ll want to do is make sure none of the bridesmaids feel that they aren’t getting the same quality of gift as the others. This means the gifts for the bridesmaids all need to be the same. Here are some great ideas for your bridesmaid gifts.

  1. Having jewelry like a necklace or bracelet engraved with the bridesmaids names on Piano Wood Clock by PaperDirectthem make great gifts
  2. One little gift that makes for a cute memento is a wedding snow globe, especially if the wedding is in the winter
  3. Before the wedding, treating all the bridesmaids to a spa day makes for a fantastic get together
  4. Personalized bags and totes filled with a lot of little gifts like perfumes and cosmetics makes for great gifts
  5. Jewelry boxes engraved or etched with the bridesmaid’s names makes for totally cool presents
  6. Picture frames and picture boxes make for great gifts as well
  7. Personalized compacts make for sweet presents for bridesmaids
  8. An engraved pen and pencil set is nice also

There are lots of other ideas and variations on a theme with bridesmaid’s gifts. You’ll be amazed at just how cool some of the gifts are and at how inexpensive some of the coolest bridesmaid gift ideas actually are. Being a bridesmaid is quite an honor and giving them gifts as mementos of the occasion is truly a nice way to express your appreciation for all the help and friendship they provide.

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