Printing Services: Types of Ink Used in Printing

Printing is a process whereby text and images are reproduced on various materials. There are different printing methods and depending on the printing method different types of inks are used. Inks used in printing can be classified into 4 different categories such as aqueous, liquid, paste and powder.

Paste inks:

Paste is often used in offset printing and there are different types of paste inks such as cold set, heat set and energy curable ones. Some of the different energy curable sorts are electron beam curable and ultraviolet curable. While energy curable offers the highest quality print, heat sets are most commonly used. Energy curable ones also require special equipment which makes it one of the most expensive types of inks used in offset printing.

The heat set one requires heat to set it and then it is cooled rapidly as it catalyses the curing process. In cold set inks, it is set by using the phenomenon of absorption into the stocks that are non-coated. Cold set ones are usually used for printing books, newspapers, insert printing and are the most cost effective option if you are on a tight budget.

Solvent ink:

Solvent ink comprises a mixture of organic chemical compounds and volatile organic compounds. These ingredients have high vapour pressure and colour in this type of ink is achieved through pigments which makes them resistant to fading. Solvent inks can be used to print on uncoated vinyl substrates and they are cost effective. Banners, billboards, graphics and decals are typically printed using solvent ink. The main advantage of using solvent ink for printing is that the prints are UV resistant and waterproof however the downside to using this is the disposal of the solvent and the vapour produced by the solvent.

Aqueous ink:

Aqueous inks are primarily used in desktop inkjet printers. These comprise a mixture of pigments or dyes, glycol and water. Aqueous offer the vivid and a variety of colour options the only disadvantage of this ink is that it is not waterproof and can be washed away from the surface without lamination or specialized coating to protect the ink. Aqueous inks are also inexpensive to manufacture.

UV curable inks:

UV curable inks have acrylic monomers coupled with an initiator package. After the printing job is completed the printed material is exposed to strong UV light which cures the ink. The main advantage of this ink is that it dries quickly and the disadvantage is that they are very expensive.

These are some of the different types of inks used in commercial printing services.

Obtaining Telemarketing Services: Having In-House or Outsourced Services?

Even with the cost-effective outsourced services available in the world today, such as telemarketing, many still choose to have in-house telemarketing services rather than to entrust it to a third party provider. However, for small and medium firms that have only recently just started and do not possess the needed resources to have in-house services, the only choice would be to go for outsourced telemarketing services. Both forms may have their pros and cons, however, in-house telemarketing services are just a bit more disadvantageous that going with outsourcing. If you are planning to have telemarketing done for you soon, then you would do well to know which type to get: outsourced or in-house services.

As said above, both sides have their positives and negatives but as also mentioned, in-house services may just be a little more of a hassle to handle unlike with outsourced services. Hopefully, this article won't discourage you from picking in-house but rather just give you a view of what you would be getting into. Although, the question still remains: should you go with in-house service? Or outsourced services?

OUTSOURCED TELEMARKETING SERVICES - This is perhaps the most widely taken choice by many firms, even those who have the needed resourced for getting their own in-house staff and call center. However, many choose this because it is a cost-effective sales and marketing solution. Also, the telemarketing companies that offer their services to clients that need them employ professional and skilled telemarketers. And although they do hire new staff every now and then, the experience that they soon earn is enough to fuel their purpose. Be it lead generation, appointment setting or plain old hard-selling, these telemarketers are experts at what they do, show professionalism no matter the circumstances they are pushed into and know just what to do and what to say to make sales happen. Also, if the services is not effective for you, it can easily be terminated after the open contract is over. This offers less risk because you won't have to spend for so much and only have it fail in the end.

IN-HOUSE TELEMARKETING SERVICES - This type of service proves to be also quite promising but it takes a bit of difficulty to manage. For one, you would need additional office space to house your own call center, something that small and medium firms, especially those who are leasing a building cannot do. This already is a huge problem to those who do not have the resourced needed to spend for the construction of an in-house call center and those without enough space within their office building. Second, aside from just the costs of construction, one would also have to deal with buying all the needed equipment for the tasks that need to be done. Third is hiring new staff, another thing that may possibly incur a heavy toll on the allotted budget. Last and not the least is time. Time is mentioned because you would need to take time to train these new employees in how to market your products and services via the phone. You can have complete control of how your telemarketing campaign functions when you have it done in-house but just remember to be prepared that if it does not go so well, you may have just spent a great portion of your hard-earned money on a major loss.

Don't fret too much, though. No matter what type of telemarketing service you get, it has proven to be quite successful; don't get discouraged about in-house services, as well. If you're a small/medium firm, then outsourcing may be your only choice. But if you're a large company and can afford it and believes that your campaign will succeed, then by all means, go for in-house telemarketing services.

Sarah Barnes is a telemarketing expert with 11 years experience as a sales leads analyst for small and medium companies. Sarah invites you to visit http://www.121directmarketing.com/ for more information on pre-qualified sales leads and appointments.

Text SMS Services For Business - Why It Is A Must?

Why do you need text SMS services for your business? Let me put it this way - there was a time when businesses felt that they did not need a fax machine. The same was said about having a P. C. If you can show me a business that does not use a P.C. I will show you a business that is unsuccessful.

The Secret To Profits Using Text SMS Services

Sure everybody has heard the buzz about text marketing. Although Text Marketing is one of the best forms of marketing on the planet at the moment, it is not a magic bullet. It takes effort on the business owners end. The secret to text SMS marketing is you need to build a list of subscribers.

This can be done in a number of ways and it is dependent on your current financial model. For instance if you are the owner of a diner you might place your campaign on your table tents, or simply have your hostess or waiters inform the customer.

If you are in the real estate business, you can show your lists 24/7. All you would do is add your campaign information to your current signage and watch your list grow. The leads will come to you on virtual autopilot.

Buyer Beware

There are two competing versions of text services competing against each other. The first is the most popular one, (because it was the first to the market) which is known as short code text marketing. The second is known as long code text marketing.

A short code is a special phone number that is usually 4 to 6 digits. The downside to using them is the text marketing service supplier will allot that same number to other companies. Before it is possible to setup your keyword, your service provider must make sure that the keyword is not already being used on the short code number that was assigned to you.

The best strategy is the 10 digit number method, which is the phone number that is assigned to you and you only e.g. the long code method. This is the most powerful method for the end user simply because it enables you to setup multiple campaigns on the fly using whatever keyword phrase you select within the predetermined character limit.

Cost To Get Started

This is hands down the most affordable method of marketing available to all business. For less than pennies per text message and $10 a month you could be up and running within minutes. No contracts, no worries, and no hassles.

Now that you know why you want a text service for your business, go setup your first Text SMS Marketing campaign and increase your ROI today.