Although best known for being a gift shop item bought by tourists to brag about their vacation, Postcards can also be a valuable marketing tool.

In fact, if looked at from the business perspective, tourist postcards are a clever marketing tool used to increase awareness of a travel destination.

Whether used to promote an event or product, to keep in touch with a professional network, to increase awareness of a brand, or to distribute important information, the versatility of the postcard format can achieve top-notch results.

Postcards date back to the very beginning of postal services in general, and come in wide variety of shapes and sizes. If the term 'postcard' is used as a general category of printed products, the average size is around 7" wide by 5" tall.

In stricter terms, the US Postal Service officially defines postcards as falling within the following size range:

• Minimum: 5" x 3.5"
• Maximum: 6" x 4.35"

Design

The most common postcard format is a two-sided design. One side has minimal text and a prominent visual component, such as a photo, and the other side has the opposite. If the intention is to personalize and mail each postcard, some space should be allotted for a postal stamp and for writing a few sentences by hand.

Material

Postcards should feel relatively rigid, which means a thicker card stock is typically used. The US Postal Service defines the official postcard basis weight (thickness) as falling within:

• 145gsm to 390 gsm
• Bond Stock: 39lb to 105lb
• Cover Stock (Card Stock): 55lb to 145lb

Processes

The majority of postcards are finished with a UV coat to give texture, durability, and aesthetics. The type of UV coating depends on the content and intended use of the postcard.

A step up in size from postcards, posters and flyers are two more effective marketing tools that have been around since the early days of printing. They are still a go-to for many events and organizations around the world.

Posters are generally meant to be displayed on walls, windows, and bulletin boards. Flyers can be similarly posted, but usually have a form-factor that allows them to also be distributed hand-to-hand. Therefore, they must be large enough to be easily read and understood from a distance or with only a passing glance.

Although they can be printed much larger, the size range of posters is roughly between 8.5" by 11" and 12" by 18". Flyers tend to be around 8.5" by 11", or the size of a sheet of printer paper.

Design

As mentioned above, posters and flyers should be designed in such a way that the message can be conveyed at a distance. In general, this means higher contrast throughout, text elements are short and minimal—so the letters can be as large as possible—and the visual elements are simple yet striking.

Material

Posters and flyers can be printed on the entire gamut of paper stock. The best choice for a particular campaign is dependent upon the location and surface to which they will be posted, and the complexity of the design.

Processes

For full-color posters featuring detailed designs and/or photographs that will be posted on outdoors surfaces, a UV coating will make a world of difference. However, if the primary goal is high quantity and the print is, for example, black and white, a UV coating is not really practical.

For those businesses that have a busy storefront, that make appearances at industry conventions and tradeshows, or that otherwise advertise at large events, signs and banners are the vanguard of brand awareness.

As such, with proper investment comes proper results.

The possibilities are basically endless when it comes to creating a sign or banner. While we can print a limited range of sizes in-house (up to 48" tall and as wide as needed), we can work with you and some of our local partners to create whatever it is you're looking for.

Here are some of the most popular signs and banners we produce:

• Retractable stand-up displays (large and small)
• Indoor/outdoor decals
• Vinyl and canvas banners
• Yard signs
• Wood, metal, or foamcore signs/menus

Some of the most important factors to consider while designing a sign or banner are purpose, context, and brand.

The design of a banner to be hung on the fence at a high-school football game should have simple, minimal elements with high contrast to make it understandable from a distance.

On the other hand, a menu board at a restaurant takeout counter or a stand-up display for a tradeshow could have a combination of larger elements, to draw the eyes from further away, and small details, to be read once those people get closer.

Effective branding tells a brand's visual story in such a way that people understand the message without having to think about it too hard—ideally without thinking about it at all.

One of the tried-and-true methods of raising brand awareness is designing and ordering quantities of useful everyday items that tell your brand's visual story, then gifting these items as appropriate not only to those within the organization, but to key individuals and groups outside of it as well.

Pyramid Print & Graphics is an official distributor of both BIC and 3M products.

We will work with you to create the perfect design for any of their products, which includes taking care of the ordering, processing, and shipping.

Here are a few examples of popular products we've helped design for clients:

• Calendars and planners
• Notebooks, notepads
• Post-It Notes
• USB Sticks
• Pens
• Other Office Supplies
• And much, much more...