After reading our last blogpost on confusing print and mailing terms, did you feel like that was just the start of what you need to know about the industry? If so, you’re in luck. We agree, and so we’re giving you some more explanations of some of the terms that we can easily forget aren’t familiar to our clients. Read on to see what this terminology means and how it applies to the projects that we print and distribute for you.

Binding Methods

Everyone knows what a book looks like in general, but how often do you inspect one to see how it’s actually bound together? There are different ways to make sure the pages of a book stay inside its covers, and each one has its own name that may or may not clearly indicate how it works.

Perfect Binding doesn’t refer to how well the binding looks or holds up with use. Rather, it describes the most common way of binding paperback books and catalogs. Perfect binding glues the pages to a paper cover at the spine using specialized adhesive and equipment.

Case Binding is similar, but involves gluing the pages to the inside of a hard cover rather than a paper cover. A hardcover can also be bound by sewing the pages to the cover instead of gluing them.

Saddle Stitch is a much simpler binding method used for smaller pieces like pamphlets or booklets that have more than one page, but not as many as a paperback book. This method uses staples through the spine to hold the pages together.

There are other types of binding available, such as comb and coil binding, for projects that need to lie flat or that need to have pages added or removed by the end user. Spectra’s full service print facility includes all the equipment needed to perform these binding projects, so your organization can publish its own books, catalogs, manuals, pamphlets, and other longer form pieces efficiently and affordably.

Large Format

Large format printing refers to projects in which the substrate, or the surface to which the printing is applied, is wider than a standard commercial press’s capabilities. The general guideline is that a project wider than 18 inches is a large format printing job.

Many large format projects are printed on substrates other than typical paper or card stock. Common substrates are vinyl, fabrics, and window films, and it takes a specialized press to print on these surfaces with high quality. Spectra has large format print capabilities for these and other projects, which makes our shop a great choice for clients who need to create trade show booth displays, banners for special events, and advertising materials.

Open Rate

You could probably figure out the definition of this term on your own, but it still deserves some clarification. It’s also a very important factor to consider when you’re creating a marketing campaign, because if you choose a format with a low open rate, you could end up spending a lot of money on printed materials that just end up in the trash can without ever being examined.

Open rate is the percentage of people who, on average, take the time to open and give attention to a piece of mail rather than discarding it. Different features can bring that open rate up or down. A common feature that brings the open rate down is the designation “Current Resident” above the address line on an envelope. From the marketer’s perspective, that term may be intended to indicate that even if the owner of that address has just moved in, they can still take advantage of the offer inside the envelope. To the recipient, however, it most often suggests simply that the offer is a general marketing effort, not specifically meant for them, and therefore not worth the time it will take them to take a closer look.

Conversely, using the recipient’s correctly spelled full name along with their address greatly increases the open rate for that campaign. It shows that the piece of mail was created with that recipient in mind, and most people are far less likely to discard an envelope carrying their name until they have at least investigated to see what the document inside is about.

Expert print and mail service providers have long lists of other features that can impact the open rate of a campaign. By partnering with Spectra for your marketing efforts, you get that firsthand, real-world experience and knowledge to power your campaign, rather than having to figure out yourself by trial and error.

Postage Meter

A postage meter is a very useful piece of equipment that saves companies significant amounts of money on postage. That’s because it has the ability to print proof of postage paid directly onto an envelope or other piece of mail, rather than applying a postage stamp to it. There is a discount offered by the US Postal Service for using this method, and it saves money in other ways as well.

Interestingly, a business or individual is not allowed to own a postage meter in most circumstances. Instead, the equipment is leased from an approved vendor. Pitney Bowes is the leading vendor in this area, and Spectra works closely with them to ensure that our clients are getting all the discounts on postage and shipping that we can achieve for them. 

Spectra Has Answers

Just knowing the definitions of these terms doesn’t make you a print or mailing expert, but working with them for more than 24 years does! Spectra  provides expert guidance throughout every printing and mailing project. From marketing campaigns and book publishing to new employee materials, educational products, and official mail such as statements and bills, clients trust us as a long-term partner to help them achieve the best results with every project.

We’d love to meet with you and show you examples of our work! Our deep expertise in printing and mailing services helps us deliver high-quality print materials and identify opportunities for significant postage savings.