Size: Usability was key to the choice of format and our 12pp, A5 fold out option allowed us to split the leaflet’s informative text into relevant sections whilst at the same time provide a large, easy to read location map. 

Our Recommendation: 12pp, A5 fold out is a very flexible format and we suggest calling in to discuss design and layouts prior to starting your project. 

Materials: 75% recycled, 150gsm silk was the preferred choice. Less reflective than gloss, this paper suited our client’s needs and the recycled element was chosen to emphasise their environmental credentials having achieved certification to the BS EN ISO 14001:2004 Environmental Standard in 2008. 

Our Recommendation: Recycled papers benefit the environment and currently do not add significantly to the cost of production. 

Printing: Full colour throughout – this allowed us to highlight key elements within the map artwork as well as accentuate the main information points and imagery within the leaflet. 

Our Recommendation: Print this type of project in full colour as it provides a much better “reading experience” for the end user. 

Finishing: The 12pp, A5 format provides a practical, storable and useable leaflet. It folds out to produce an A3 sheet which is easy to handle. 

Our Top Tip:  Call us to discuss the most suitable layout and design that will provide maximum impact as well as promote your product/service and inform your clients BEFORE any work begins on the artwork.

Customer: Various including, DITT, TPMO Ltd, Burra History Group, Sandness History Group, Viking Sea Angling, Shetland Museum.

Customer Feedback: “Our calendar is a firm favourite with our customers and is a useful tool in our advertising and promotional marketing campaign”.

Size: This will depend on many factors including if you have photographs, type of block/dates preferred, format, amount of space you want it to take up when hung and of course your budget. With this in mind we produce single leaf (twelve month blocks shown on one sheet), 7 leaf calendars (two months to view per month plus cover), 13 leaf (one month to view per month plus cover) calendars. Formats vary from “appointment style” 148mm x 415mm, A4 / A3 portrait or landscape with hanging wires or A4 folding out to A3 with wire stitches in the centre.

Our Recommendation: Choose your photographs carefully if going for this option. Keep them either all landscape or all portrait to keep continuity running throughout.

Materials: 150-170gsm silk or matt art paper work well and allows the calendar block to be written on.

Our Recommendation: Don’t go for gloss or photographic paper – writing on these stock would be difficult at best. Our recycled ranges of papers are available and benefit the environment at competitive prices.

Printing: For a single leaf single calendar, mono, two or full colour are all viable options. Mono options work well for historic images whilst full colour should be the preferred choice to enhance good colour photography.

Our Recommendation: Discuss your options with us, take along any proposed content you are considering and we can give you advice on which format would give the best end result.

Finishing: Traditionally calendars have wires and hangers which allow the months to be torn off as they pass. This format requires the calendars to be collated, punched and then bound. This option is suited to a wide array of formats.

If you have accommodation to let/rent, an event to promote and/or sell tickets for, advertising space to sell on you web site, or availability of magazine and internet advertising space, a well produced booking form works very well.

The forms usually incorporate content to inform and give potential customers the confidence in the offer, to then go on and place a booking. This provides advance bookings, guaranteed financial commitment and further success for your business or organisation.

Customers: Include Shetland Visitor, Shetland Folk Festival, KGQ Hotels, Shetland Accordion & Fiddle Festival, Scalloway Hotel.

Customer Feedback: Events and advertising space have been completely sold out in the past using this method.
“The booking form is well received” – Peter Leask, Shetland Accordion & Fiddle Festival.

Size: In general pagination will depend on the size of your event/promotion/business and the amount of relevant information you wish to provide. With this in mind we produce 1/3A4, A5, and A4 leaflets to incorporate booking forms in various formats from 4pp upwards to 8pp.

Our Recommendation:  Provide enough information to make the choice for customers to make a booking as easy as possible and keep your form content clear, simple and concise.

Materials: 130/170gsm uncoated, silk or matt art paper work well. The decision on which one to choose will mainly come down to personal choice and perhaps the amount of information required on the form. Recycled paper stocks are available too.

Our Recommendation: An uncoated stock works well as it will not create any issues for customers’ getting a pen to write on it without “smudging”!

Printing: Single colour, two colours or full colour are all options and will depend on the content you wish to include in your form.

Our Recommendation: Discuss the budget you have available with us and we will help you choose the most cost effective and suitable format for you.

Finishing: Choosing pagination and a finished format that makes the end product most suitable for our clients’ needs will be discussed and agreed prior to any work commencing.

Our Top Tip: Ensure the overall content layout/design is clear, easy to read/follow and that the booking form simple to complete.

Tidy Business Award is an annual award scheme with three award levels: Bronze, Silver and Gold.

The aim of the scheme is to raise the awareness of local businesses about methods of containment, storage, collection and disposal of their waste, promoting litter or recycling initiatives to the public and schools, enhancing local community environment and to drive up standards in general.

Working for a clean, green, sustainable Shetland, the awards also focus on waste minimisation strategies for local businesses and we are proud to be involved in such initiatives.

Customer: Aith Garage, AMS Mechanical Services, Burra Motors, Brae Garage,  Central Garage, GMS, JRJ Shetland Ltd, J. Burgess, Leask Motors, Tingwall Garage, Nicolsons.

Customer Feedback: Participating companies have informed us that they can directly link new business and new business enquiries directly back to their page promotions in the leaflet.

Size: The 12pp, A5 fold out format works well to incorporate and display all the contributors’ promotions whilst at the same time making use of a popular layout.

Our Recommendation: 12pp, A5 folding out to A3 can be more cost effective than a producing a stitched booklet of the same pagination.

Materials: This 130gsm gloss art is perfect for flyers and leaflets that have multiple folds.

Our Recommendation: Choosing one of our recycled ranges of papers will benefit the environment and currently do not add much, if anything in some instances, to the cost of production.

Printing: Full colour throughout gives the option to highlight certain services or products and make any special offers eye-catching, drawing potential clients into your promotion.

Our Recommendation: Don’t advertise “everything” your company has to offer on your A5 page. Choose a maximum of two services/products/offers as this will allow you to monitor the level of feedback and gauge if this marketing tool works well for you.

Finishing: This manageable and popular format is tactile and the perfect size for taking out shopping, keeping in the car, on the coffee table or pin-board in the homes of your potential clients for future reference.

Our Top Tip: Our 8pp or 12pp fold out formats are cost effective options provide flexible layout and design choices that work well. For 16pp promotions we recommend the saddle stitched booklet option.

Customer: Individuals/families/friends, sports groups and associations.

Customer Feedback: Orders from 2004 through to the present day proves how popular an offer this is.

Size: 12pp plus cover, A4 portrait with backboard, ring bound at the top and includes a metal hanger.

Our Recommendation: A4 portrait doesn’t take up too much room when hung and displays photographs to their full potential.

Materials: 170gsm matt art paper work well as this stock allows you to write notes, appointments or special dates on the calendar block with an everyday biro or pencil (some offers may be produced on photographic paper which makes this more difficult).

Our Recommendation: 170gsm is the most suitable calliper for calendar leaves.

Printing: Full colour throughout – this will display your photographs to their full potential.

Our Recommendation: Set your camera to its highest setting and supply high resolution images to get the best end result.

Finishing: We will include a dust cover with an appropriate image chosen by you. The calendar will have white metal wires and a hanger along with a stiff backboard to give it a professional finish. It will definitely be a gift worth giving.

Our Top Tip: Choose your photographs wisely and supply only the ones that are sharp and in focus as any that are not will stand out (for all the wrong reasons!!) and may spoil the overall finished look of your calendar.

Elsewhere, Jordan Ogg catches up with novelist and poet Kevin MacNeil, the editor of a new collection of poetry from Scotland’s islands entitled These Islands, We Sing. No less than 20 of the 60 poets featured in the book have some sort of connection with Shetland.

Photographer Chloe Garrick contributes a gallery of pictures of Shetland’s climbing enthusiasts from a recent club outing to Burra and one of its weekly training sessions at Clickimin. The centre-spread gallery is a series of shots of Shetland in winter from Bristol photographer Jerome Lorieau.

There is a two-page feature on In Passing, the new album from singer-songwriter Donald Anderson and his backing band, guitarist Alan McKay, (councillor) Rick Nickerson on bass and drummer Duncan Kidson.

Motor enthusiasts are sure to enjoy the second of two articles about George Jacobson’s slow and painstaking restoration of his 1936 Calthorpe motorcycle, written by Ryan Taylor.

Marsali Taylor delves into the past to find out the history behind reports of apparitions and mysterious happenings at Busta House. Also looking back in time is Douglas C Smith, who examines the enormous improvements in living standards that took place in Shetland over the course of the 20th century.

University student and writer Roseanne Watt answers this month’s 21 questions, while regular columnists including Vaila Wishart, Jimmy Stout, Louise Brewer, Bryan Peterson and Sandy Nelson are all present and correct.

• Available Friday 7th October from all good newsagents, priced £2.30.

Benefits of producing professional menus:

When selling food items it is particularly essential to create a good first impression and give consumers instant confidence in your business and its produce. Having a professionally produced menu plays a part in achieving this and we can design, layout, print and finish your menus to help showcase your products.

Customer:

Various including, The Great Wall, Flames, KGQ Hotels, Sarmile, Phusiam, Da Muckle Café and Scalloway Hotel.

Customer Feedback:

Frequent re-orders for many of the menus provides positive feedback that the formats chosen work well and our clients’ tell us there is a strong and constant demand for their takeaway menus in particular.

Size:

Pagination will depend on the amount of items you wish to include on your menu. Formats vary widely from A5 single sided, 6pp or 8pp 1/3 A4 through to 4pp A4 depending on usage. There are various other format options too which can be discussed and we have a selection of samples at our factory for clients to view.

Our Recommendation:

6pp or 8pp 1/3 A4 menus work well for takeaway menus.

Materials:

From 80gsm coloured uncoated papers through to 300gsm uncoated, silk or matt art boards, we can help you choose which will be most beneficial dependent on our clients’ proposed usage.

Our Recommendation:

For in-house/table menus we suggest using one of our heavier card options.

Printing:

Your options are varied and will depend on usage. Single or two colour suits a variety of formats but full colour can provide that extra eye-catching edge.

Our Recommendation:

If your in-house menus are changing on a regular basis, get us to print a generic “template” with your corporate details and “menu” strap-line. This will allow you to overprint the menu content whilst keeping them looking professional.

Finishing:

We provide the option to gloss or matt laminate menus which creates a protective coating.

Our Top Tip:

If you want to get your menu out to the majority of potential clients within Shetland, call us for information on our “Shetland – Town and Country” distribution option. We insert 9700 copies of your menu into an issue of The Shetland Times newspaper which cover the majority of the islands.

Benefits of producing a Directory:

We have brought together 40 local companies working within Shetland’s fishing and aquaculture industry to create an informative and useful guide.

It provides potential customers requiring information, products or services from within this sector, relevant and up to date contact information alongside short company profiles. It allows them to locate and place orders with the most suitable local Shetland business that can best meet their needs.

Distribution of the directory at trade shows, exhibitions and similar relevant fishing/aquaculture events will help reach our target audience directly and enhance the exchange process.

Customer:

From Associations through to Zetland Marine Services

Customer Feedback:

The project is supported by 40 local companies whose vision of combining forces to promote the industry together was seen as a positive and beneficial step.

Size:

Each company was allocated a half page entry from a choice of six sectors. Multiple entries were also accepted for those who worked in a variety of areas. The directory is a 40pp A5 booklet format.

Our Recommendation:

Choose a format that enhances the content of your project and that still allows “white space” in the layout/design.

Materials:

150gsm gloss art paper worked well and the decision to use this stock was made to ensure the bright and vibrant colours of logos and photographs reproduced as sharp imagery.

Our Recommendation:

Choose the type of paper or board to enhance the content of your project. Gloss, matt, silk or uncoated stock all have benefits depending on the final effect you want to achieve.

Printing:

Full colour throughout allows contributing companies to promote their corporate image and product/service content to its full potential and leaves those reading the directory with a more memorable impression.

Our Recommendation:

Statistics show that people are 85% more likely to buy a product which has been promoted in full colour – the choice is simple!
Source: http://www.agidc.com/pdf/20WAYSCOLOR.pdf

Our Top Tip:

Work together on projects to promote your industry as a whole and reap the following benefits:

Hassle free – we can project manage your next production
Cost effective – production cost is split equally between all businesses
High impact – visually eye-catching and well produced promotional product
New contacts – Reach new and potential customers

We offer direction from design to finishing the printed piece while advising on the do’s and don’ts of preparing a programme for printing. This is a good way to raise funds for your organisation, whilst at the same time create an archive of historical information and images for your particular sport or event. A programme can help raise your organisation’s profile and further increase interest and possibly even participation in your sport.

Customer:

Various including Shetland Junior Inter-county Association, Shetland Interclub, Shetland Football Association and Shetland Volleyball Association.

Customer Feedback:

“We raised funds from the sale of our programme and our own feedback from player and spectators on the design and content was very positive”. KS – S.V.A.

Size:

In general pagination will depend on your budget, the size of your event, the amount of programmes you can sell and of course the final content you decide to publish. With this in mind we produce programmes from 4pp upwards.

Our Recommendation:

A5 portrait booklets work well for sporting events. Let us advise on the most economical number of pages prior to sending you a free quotation.

Materials:

130/150gsm gloss, silk or matt art paper work well and the decision on which one to choose will mainly come down to personal choice rather than any obvious technical benefit.

Our Recommendation:

Choosing one of our recycled ranges of papers will benefit the environment and currently do not add much, if anything in some instances, to the cost of production.

Printing:

Full colour throughout – it provides better value for your potential customers or supporting advertisers and is what the majority of purchasers expect.

Our Recommendation:

Get your job printed using the lithographic process on a commercial printing press for the best reproduction. Avoid poor digitally printed substitutes if possible.

Finishing:

We saddle stitch the majority of A5 booklets and trim to the finished size on our binding line before packaging them ready for delivery.

Our Recommendation:

Produce a “self-covered” programme with the same weight of cover as is on the inside pages. This is the most economical format.

Our Top Tip:

It will help if you initially take time to approach relevant companies that are in some way connected to your sport or event and offer them the opportunity to advertise in your programme.

Set a sensible price per full page or half page advert. This will provide enough revenue to help pay for the production of your programme – the cash raised from the sale of the programme is clear profit for your funds.