We have recently formed Kate's Kitchen Band and performed with reasonable success at several gigs. In particular we have booked halls and run a couple of local ceilidh dances with about 70 dancers which were sell outs.
To advertise these we have used cards which have a nice colour picture and band details on one side, and ceilidh details on the other. They also double as tickets. These are printed locally in batches of 2000 and there is no saving in smaller print runs. However, in reality, we need only about 300 and the rest are wasted.
It seems to me that we could use such cards with blank backsides, and use a PC plus software and printer to write the ceilidh details ouselves. This would save money and be 'greener'.
We have no experience in the area though, so can anybody offer us advice? I have been told that it would be expensive in ink cartidges, that inkjet printing would not look professional enough and that laser printers are expensive. Is this true? How about printers/software that can do the job? What do other bands do??
Ah yes, the irrepressible rise of amateur desk top publishing. Diluting the availability of decent design. Steam rolling over years of study of type design with your feckin arials and your zapf chancery.
If you want a job to look "professional enough", hire a professional.
Hi Yogi.
I'm in a band that does contradances, weddings and gigs in restaurants and so forth. We advertise on line , in the local blog, in several papers in town and by printing flyers on our pc and putting them up in various establishments that will allow us. All of this is free. (except for the paper and printer cartridges) the cost of doing flyers is minimal. The game is to figure out the best way to reach your audience with your advertising.
If you want good business cards to hand out, I recommend you have a local printshop do it, for better quality, but we get by without that and manage to stay quite busy.
What's wrong with photocopies? You could have them done on coloured, thicker paper. You'd still have the band's standard advertising on one side and the dates of the next ceilidh on the other. And you'd order only as much as you actually need.
Maybe the "green" thing is to pay the minimum price but only get them to do 300.
You don't have to take 2000 just because you've paid for it.
But 2000 sounds odd to me - our printer does however many we require except for business cards where he does min 250. Maybe part of the cost is initial set up.
On re-reading, I see that you want the band's ad on one side, and the current ceilidh's details on the other. So you'll get the 2000 done with the band's name and pic on one side, and blank on the other, which you'll print up as tickets, as and when required, on your own printer.
Is that right?
No reason why you can't do what you've proposed - a plain black & white text for the ticket side would do and needn't look "professional"
You can do that and employ one of Michael's mates to do the design for the colour side
For posters, we create pdfs so you can just send people a link and they can print out for their venue - which saves you money and saves them waiting for you to send them in the post. Plus, you're not emailing a large file, just a link.
You may not know that you can create a pdf with blank fields that people can use to type in their own venue details before printing - and you set the fonts and the size of text so the design still works visually. I only discovered this quite recently and it's really useful - saves you having to do anything other than send a link, as your clients will better know what they want on their posters.
Thanks for the advice folks - pretty helpful on the whole. We do have a professional design on the picture side - I was just trying to find out what was feasible for the reverse.
Just an adjunct on 'flyers' _ we use the same simple design and just change the updates, putting two A5 duplicates (one can be slightly different) on the A4 print out. With the master i hunt around for the cheapest 'good quality' photocopying shop (at 10, 8 even 5 pence a copy in south London). For anything fancy colour photocopy, still 2 flyers per go, but not sure how 'green' on mass runs. Double-side option if you know someone with a machine or someone who works in a school, otherwise pay the professionals.
Band Advertising
Band Advertising
Hi All,
We have recently formed Kate's Kitchen Band and performed with reasonable success at several gigs. In particular we have booked halls and run a couple of local ceilidh dances with about 70 dancers which were sell outs.
To advertise these we have used cards which have a nice colour picture and band details on one side, and ceilidh details on the other. They also double as tickets. These are printed locally in batches of 2000 and there is no saving in smaller print runs. However, in reality, we need only about 300 and the rest are wasted.
It seems to me that we could use such cards with blank backsides, and use a PC plus software and printer to write the ceilidh details ouselves. This would save money and be 'greener'.
We have no experience in the area though, so can anybody offer us advice? I have been told that it would be expensive in ink cartidges, that inkjet printing would not look professional enough and that laser printers are expensive. Is this true? How about printers/software that can do the job? What do other bands do??
Any help gratefully received...
On-On /Yogi (Kate's Kitchen Band)
# Posted on March 9th 2009 by Yogi
Re: Band Advertising
Ah yes, the irrepressible rise of amateur desk top publishing. Diluting the availability of decent design. Steam rolling over years of study of type design with your feckin arials and your zapf chancery.
If you want a job to look "professional enough", hire a professional.
# Posted on March 9th 2009 by ...
Re: Band Advertising
Ask Llig, he'd do a great job!
# Posted on March 9th 2009 by Kathryn35
Re: Band Advertising
Hi Yogi.
I'm in a band that does contradances, weddings and gigs in restaurants and so forth. We advertise on line , in the local blog, in several papers in town and by printing flyers on our pc and putting them up in various establishments that will allow us. All of this is free. (except for the paper and printer cartridges) the cost of doing flyers is minimal. The game is to figure out the best way to reach your audience with your advertising.
If you want good business cards to hand out, I recommend you have a local printshop do it, for better quality, but we get by without that and manage to stay quite busy.
Good luck...
# Posted on March 9th 2009 by jardineromi
Re: Band Advertising
What's wrong with photocopies? You could have them done on coloured, thicker paper. You'd still have the band's standard advertising on one side and the dates of the next ceilidh on the other. And you'd order only as much as you actually need.
# Posted on March 9th 2009 by kuec
Re: Band Advertising
Maybe the "green" thing is to pay the minimum price but only get them to do 300.
You don't have to take 2000 just because you've paid for it.
But 2000 sounds odd to me - our printer does however many we require except for business cards where he does min 250. Maybe part of the cost is initial set up.
On re-reading, I see that you want the band's ad on one side, and the current ceilidh's details on the other. So you'll get the 2000 done with the band's name and pic on one side, and blank on the other, which you'll print up as tickets, as and when required, on your own printer.
Is that right?
No reason why you can't do what you've proposed - a plain black & white text for the ticket side would do and needn't look "professional"
You can do that and employ one of Michael's mates to do the design for the colour side
# Posted on March 9th 2009 by Bren
Re: Band Advertising
We design our own tickets where that's relevent.
For posters, we create pdfs so you can just send people a link and they can print out for their venue - which saves you money and saves them waiting for you to send them in the post. Plus, you're not emailing a large file, just a link.
You may not know that you can create a pdf with blank fields that people can use to type in their own venue details before printing - and you set the fonts and the size of text so the design still works visually. I only discovered this quite recently and it's really useful - saves you having to do anything other than send a link, as your clients will better know what they want on their posters.
# Posted on March 9th 2009 by Mark Harmer
Re: Band Advertising
PS Llig, isn't DIY design OK if you're doing DIY music?
# Posted on March 9th 2009 by Mark Harmer
Re: Band Advertising
are any of these kinkoses close to any of your band members?
http://www.kinkos.co.uk/companyinfo/locations.html
Here in the US they do fairly decent postcards in any amount you need.
# Posted on March 9th 2009 by airport
Re: Band Advertising
DIY music is no good unless you've studied it for years. I thought that was frigin obvious
# Posted on March 10th 2009 by ...
Re: Band Advertising
"I thought that was frigin obvious".
Nice!
# Posted on March 10th 2009 by Mark Harmer
Re: Band Advertising
Thanks for the advice folks - pretty helpful on the whole. We do have a professional design on the picture side - I was just trying to find out what was feasible for the reverse.
We will certainly follow up on these ideas,
On-On /Yogi
# Posted on March 10th 2009 by Yogi
Re: Band Advertising
Just an adjunct on 'flyers' _ we use the same simple design and just change the updates, putting two A5 duplicates (one can be slightly different) on the A4 print out. With the master i hunt around for the cheapest 'good quality' photocopying shop (at 10, 8 even 5 pence a copy in south London). For anything fancy colour photocopy, still 2 flyers per go, but not sure how 'green' on mass runs. Double-side option if you know someone with a machine or someone who works in a school, otherwise pay the professionals.
# Posted on March 13th 2009 by hungry grass