Why invest in preprinted letterhead?

In a recent post on the blog insights4print.ceo entitled, Why invest in preprinted letterheads? Your brand image!, author Eddy Hagen makes a compelling argument for why customers should preprint their letterhead and envelopes, rather than print them with a desktop printer.

Mr. Hagen points to the image to the right as a concrete example of the color fluctuations that can occur when items are printed with desktop printers. In fact, the color spaces of these devices vary so widely that many unique colors cannot easily be reproduced in a way that's consistent with other versions your customer may come across (web, packaging, pocket folders, etc.)

In the example to the right, the author explains, "This [top left] is a photo with four samples I received: a magazine (printed in CMYK) [top right], an envelope (printed with one spot color), two letterheads (one of them printed with a digital printer, the other one preprinted in CMYK) [bottom left and right]. Especially the letterhead printed on a digital printer looks very different."

Mr. Hagen concludes by observing that, "Your brand image, your brand colors matter. You spent a lot of time, effort and money to choose those colors that fit you. Don’t mess it up with wrong choices, e.g. saving a bit of money by printing it with a desktop printer. All the investment in the design will be wasted."

We couldn't agree more!