Direct Mail Samples

7 Questions to Ask Yourself When Reviewing Political Direct Mail Samples

When it comes to political direct mail...size matters

With regards to mailing for direct mail, we have discussed the weight of paper and the two general measures used, U.S. Basis Weight and GSM. So onto thickness and size. Both of these are characteristics of printing papers that can affect mailing costs and mail-ability.

How to Get the Most out of Your Political Printing

Political printing services run the full spectrum. Whether you are printing direct mail, billboards, yard signs or any other type of campaign material, this post is for you. When it comes to quality and service, some political printers are fantastic, while others seem like you might find hamsters running the presses. Here are some tips for separating the worst from the best political printing services.

Political Printing: What To Look For In A Proof

So you send your final political direct mail file off to the printer and breathe a sigh of relief. Not so fast! Political printing is a much longer process than that. After you send off your final political direct mail file, the printer will send you back something called a print proof that you need to approve. A print proof is an exact mock up of what your piece will look like when it prints so its important you take the time to look it over carefully. If you don't like how your piece looks on the printer proofs, you won't like how it turns out when it's printed. Below are a few items to be sure to look for in your printer proof:

Production Youtility

I was reading a printing blog the other day in which the writer was emphasizing how printers should be selling themselves to designers, so that designers know the newest trends and are able to make cost effective decisions based on new technology. I was reminded of the book Youtility by Jay Baer. This was a book The Campaign Workshop read in a recent company retreat. This book focused on the future of marketing, customer support, and the importance of being useful to your clients. This got me thinking about our company and my position as a production manager. 

How is the USPS Streamlining?

The USPS is starting to clean up their data and streamline mail entry so that it is not as manual and paper based. One part of this is that companies don’t need to open up permits at every facility location where their mail is verified, and can instead utilize a “Mail Anywhere” service. Entering mail is all being streamlined to a digital process where fewer eyes look at it and fewer hands touch or physically verify.

Political Yard Signs

Political yards signs are everywhere during elections—both traditional political yard signs and larger highway signs on street corners. There are a few tips to help you plan for the design and production of these signs to get the most bang for your buck.

Die-Cuts Are a Great Way to Ensure Your Mail Stands out and Reinforces Its Message

Two things off the bat to consider are costs and timing. First, die-cuts add costs, so it's not something to suggest on every campaign. Second is the time factor, die-cuts do add time to the production of the piece, so this needs to be worked into the schedule.

Hal Malchow Tells Us How Political Direct Mail in the Digital Age Is Still Relevant

Last week we released our first ebook: Political Direct Mail In The Digital Age. The book explains why with all the technology we have, political direct mail in the digital age is still relevant. We explain how you should decide on direct mail and targeted communications strategies for political and advocacy campaigns. We also discuss the cost of direct mail, micro-targeting strategies and how to use direct mail for GOTV.

Everything You Were Afraid to Ask About Political Direct Mail Printing—Part 3

Political direct mail printing part 3: In previous installments of this series on political direct mail printing we covered finding a political direct mail printer, managing schedules and specifying paper. Today, we’re going to get technical and talk about presses. We couldn’t have political direct mail printing without presses to get the job done, so let’s examine the differences and uses for digital and offset printing.