The Feel of Paper

You run your own small business. You’re proud of your product or service and you want to communicate the craftsmanship built-in to what you provide. How best to tell that story? With a nice printed piece sharing why you are in business and how you help your customers.

TIP: Use thicker paper for documents intended to impress customers and clients.

It turns out there are several real benefits of heavy paper marketing materials.

Print it on heavy paper. A nice 32lb or higher bond paper will do the trick. It’s a little more expensive. For that extra money, the thicker paper will last longer. You put your heart into your business. You want potential customers to feel the quality of your product or service when they read that brochure. And you want that piece to last, not crinkle like a newspaper.

Use a smooth paper designed for laser printers. A smooth paper will show the text and image better than a rough paper. Generally, new paper is less rough than recycled papers. Check the label to be sure. [If you are a paper-geek, you want a Sheffield rating between 100-250.]

What? Digital ads, smartphone pop-ups, banner ads –  that’s the way to go, right?

Actually, in his blog Neuromarketing, Roger Dooley notes that ”Paper Beats Digital for Emotion”. Mr. Dooley comments on research showing that physical media leaves a deeper footprint in the brain. Deeper footprint implies your customers are more likely to remember your message. Mr. Dooley also gives tips about how to put the printed piece together and also recommends heavy paper.

Your business is important. Tell your potential customers how important it can be to them. Not only by what you say on the printed piece – but by how the piece feels in their hands.

Xerox encourages you to print responsibility – print only what you need!

Share your tips here and ask questions too. We want to hear from you.