Des Moines Printing Company
Printing Services For Des Moines, Iowa

                                                  Have you ever bought a digital color printing project and found that when you got it back the toner had cracked all along the fold lines?  This problem has been inherent in digital color printing as long as there has been digital color printing. 

What happens is that the toner fuses to the paper, turning into basically a plastic color coating on the sheet which is brittle.  When the paper with the brittle toner goes through the folding process, the stress that the folder places on the paper and toner causes the toner to break and crack.  Scoring minimizes the problem, but does not eliminate it and is not a solid option for prevention.   Cracking has plagued the digital color market for years and pretty much was a common problem that most were willing to accept.  But do we have to anymore? Read More

A good friend who reads this blog called me the other day and made a brilliant observation.  Since I am in the printing business, right here in Des Moines, Iowa, I often overlook some pretty important details that I can’t help but take for granted.  I sometimes make assumptions based on what I do everyday and overlook some of the obvious things.  So…with that being said, let me append my previous post with these little nuggets of knowledge that my friend has pointed out.

First off, I took for granted the fact that the skill of the operator is key in producing quality, consistent products on even a professional grade color printer.  This is important, particularly if your company is extremely brand sensitive.  In other words, your corporate colors need to be consistent, the marketing department has quality expectations for color management, the sales force is looking for high quality, high resolution likenesses of they’re products in the brochures and sales sheets that they leave behind with customers.  The list goes on. Read More

Throughout the years, I have been fortunate enough to be involved in two different sides of the printing world.  In the early to mid 90’s I sold equipment to printers and people in the printing industry all over Des Moines and the state of Iowa.  In the mid 90’s, I went to work for a printing company in Des Moines and in 2004 I bought the company with my partners.  One thing that I learned about buying and selling equipment is that the key element is justification.

Now, as a consumer, or buyer, not being prepared can be very costly.  Often, the copier sales reps come in armed with statistics and cost models that support and seem to justify the expense of a decent color copier for your office or business.  It is not unusual to see them use what you spend on having brochures printed outside, getting forms printed, and even printing letterhead has been thrown out as a means of justification.  As a business owner or a purchasing agent, you should exercise caution before signing on the dotted line.  Let’s look at some obvious areas…. Read More

Often I get asked advice from my clients on the proper direction when a choice exists between digital and offset printing.  I respond with the same statement every time I’m asked that question.  “How is this product going to be used?”  That usually opens up the conversation, and really gets my client thinking in terms of the broad picture. 

Des Moines, and Iowa in general have many outlets for either technology, and most printing companies offer both just like us. A few guidelines that I can offer may help you with your decision making process. Read More

One of the newest, slickest tools to come along in awhile are the new PDF tools that some printing companies are offering for file submission.  You may or may not be familiar with these little wonders, so I am going to take a little time to explain what these do, how they work and what it means to you and your printer.

Let’s start with what these are and what they do.  There are a few companies out there that produce their own versions of this software utility.  There is the Jaws PDF Courier and PDF2U just to name a couple.  We use the Jaws PDF Courier in our business.  As mentioned, these are software utilities that can be downloaded directly to your Mac or PC.  The function of the utility is to take a document created in any program (yes, even Word and PowerPoint) and turn them into print ready PDF files and submit them directly to the printers web-site. Read More

One of the newest ways printers are helping their clients manage their businesses is the implementation of online print management.  This is a real hot button as of late.  Managing files, orders, and history has been a somewhat elusive technology until recently.

Although the whole online print management thing sounds rather complex, it’s actually quite the opposite.  The entire system is designed to make the print buying process as painless as possible, while at the same time providing valuable information that a business owner/professional can use to budget and plan. 

Online print management systems are relatively new as a public offering. Read More

Welcome to our new blog on all things affecting our industry in the Iowa/Des Moines area.  We hope to provide information to print buyers and business owners that helps breakdown the technology and helps make valid points on how it can help you achieve greater productivity from your workforce, stabilize your companies digital assets and maximize the return on your investment in printed products. 

We will be addressing issues like online print management, electronic file submission,  web-based tools that can improve your efficiency, the value of online printing in Des Moines and much, much more. Read More

We have officially launched a blog about printing in Des Moines, Iowa. Let the fun begin!

Printing is Fun!