My husband thought a seven-year-old boy’s painting was a card purchased at the store...because of the choice of paper.
We have had the privilege of teaching the Kindergarten–First Grade boys at church for several years now. Like clockwork, every year there comes a time for some boys to move up and new ones to come in.
It’s always interesting to see what happens around this time of year. Some years it goes really smoothly (like this one), but other years some boys have a very hard time. And every few years we have boys in our class with extremely thoughtful parents (setting a good example for us!).
This year was no different. A few weeks after promotion Sunday, we went over at the house of one of the boys we previously taught, and he brought us a card thanking us for being his teachers every Sunday. It was so sweet.
A few minutes later, his mom brought us a picture he painted for us (he’s maybe 7 years-old.). I walked over to Shawn, handed him the picture, and said, “look at what our student painted for us!”
Shawn responded, “seriously?! I thought that was like a professional card!” Now the flowers themselves aren't super skillfully painted flowers. But the high-quality acrylic paint and the expensive paper make the card easily look like it could have been something purchased at the store. (Something that’s difficult to capture in an image.)
This is why paper choice matters and is exactly why I tell people: paper and printing are SO important (Printing for Less).
This seven year old boy’s painting was “mistaken” for one purchased at the store because of the quality of that materials used.
In the same way, the quality of your paper suggests the quality of your company.
If your company offers materials with a poor design printed on cheap paper, buyers don't think you’ll give them a good experience. This may be subconscious, but it doesn’t look like you care. (It's psychological.)
As an example, what would you think if who you thought was a highly-qualified candidate showed up for an interview in a sweatshirt and jeans. You wouldn’t be impressed. In fact, you may not even consider him anymore. The same goes for marketing materials on inexpensive paper — they certainly don’t help your company and may actually harm it.
Even the worst designs look decent on great paper. Even the cheapest paper looks decent with a good design — one that considers how it will be printed. Paper choice here is probably more important than design. It's that important.
But if you really want your company or event to stand out, have great design and high-quality printing on high-quality paper.
If you are convinced and you need help, or even recommendations, contact us! We would love to help.
