What you write and print on matters. Whether you’re sending a personal note or sharing important news about your business’s finances, you want people to take what you say seriously and respect you as a person and a professional.
Investing in custom-printed stationery (as well as custom folders, binders, and other materials) can be a powerful way to make the right impression at work, at school, and in every area of your life. Here are a few reasons why you should consider custom stationery.
It projects professionalism
Personalization and custom printing, embossing, and engraving are everywhere in the worlds of business and education. While we might not even notice every example, we are almost always picking up these things unconsciously. The engraved gold nameplate on a door or a desk, the logo on the top of each page of a report, even the monogram above the pocket of a well-pressed shirt — each of these things can change our perception of a person in subtle ways.
So when you get up and give a presentation at school or at work, you’ll make a better impression if your stationery, presentation folders, and other materials are custom-printed. What you say and do still matter, of course, but make no mistake: The difference between a quality custom folder and one of those colorful dollar store pocket folders is massive. Personalized presentations are just more memorable.
It personalizes your projects
Customizing your stationery puts your name (or your business’s brand name) front and center. And further customization can help clients or college professors feel flattered and attended to. Imagine using custom printing not only to brand your work, but to connect with your audience: For instance, you could print custom pocket folders with a client’s name embossed on the front and use them when handing out materials for your next business presentation. The key to a good sales pitch is in the details, and attention to detail is never more appealing than when it flatters us. This kind of customization and personalization can be the difference between a flop and a sale (or an A and an F).
Not all custom stationery is for the fields of education and business. There are lots of great options for custom printing in the world of personal stationery, too. Personal stationery can help you make loved ones feel important. While you probably won’t custom-print stationery or folders with your reader’s name on it, as you might in a professional setting, sending a letter on stationery with your name or initials is still a way to connect. It shows the recipient that you cared enough to use your fancy personalized stationery. And when the setting is a personal one, you may be able to get away with using computer programs to print your own stuff.
It keeps you on people’s minds
Why do companies advertise? Why do they give away promotional pens, T-shirts, and hats? Why do they put up big signs and billboards? Why do they have logos and focus on branding?
It’s all about staying on the minds of customers, of course. Marketing is about bringing in new customers and keeping old ones. And custom printing, both on stationery and other materials, can be a big part of that. If your great presentation comes in a folder bearing your company’s logo and features your company’s name on every page of the custom stationery, then your customers will remember with a glance the business that wowed them. If your insightful letter full of money-saving suggestions features your name or initials on the stationery, it will stand out on your boss’s desk and remind him or her who deserves the credit for those great ideas. If you want to be memorable and stay on the minds of the people that matter most to your professional and personal future, then it pays to invest in custom printing.