Multi-Craft

Multi-Craft Adds a Cutting-Edge Digital Press

sean — Mon, 13 May 2013 18:51:01 +0000

HP Indigo 7600 offers new, fast printing techniques to customers NEWPORT, KENTUCKY—May 13, 2013— Cincinnati area commercial printer and marketing support services company, Multi-Craft, has added one of the newest printing presses on the market to bring cutting-edge techniques to customers at a faster turnaround time than ever before.

The use of printed marketing collateral that is professionally designed and stands out is important in breaking through the clutter to reach target customers. Personalized text, unique inks, paper and printing techniques are all great ways to draw attention to a mailer or other printed pieces.

The HP Indigo 7600 is a digital press which is ideal for short runs or pieces that utilize variable data for personalization. Multi-Craft can produce prints with up to seven colors, including 3 spot colors. The machine also has textured ink and embossing capabilities, so if a customer is interested in including a basketball-like or leaf-like texture, for example, this machine can produce it. This HP Indigo prints on metallic, transparent and recycled papers and has capabilities to print white or pastel inks to show beautifully on darker paper.

Digital presses are generally a faster production cycle, but with the HP Indigo 7600 Multi-Craft can provide an even faster production time with increased throughput.

We would love to hear your questions about all of the new possibilities for your print projects that can be produced with our HP Indigo 7600! Tweet us questions and your print ideas @IdeasnMotion.

For more information about our new digital press capabilities, please contact a sales representative at 800.733.3317.

Newport Company Recognized for Print Excellence

sean — Tue, 05 Mar 2013 21:50:40 +0000

Multi-Craft awarded top honor by Printing Industries of Ohio and N. Kentucky

Cincinnati OH- March 5, 2013- Multi-Craft is proud to announce it was recently awarded in the Best of Category at the 2013 Print Excellence Awards presented by the Printing Industries of Ohio and N. Kentucky (PIANKO).

Multi-Craft won 11 awards at the January 2013 ceremony but their piece, Toolbox Campaign earned them top honors in the Best of Category and a place in the Grand Ceremony this summer. The campaign was a multi-week series of mailers sent to prospective customers. Each piece was a post card with a perforated tool that punched out and fit into a decorative tool box for a desk. The mailers contained practical and unique marketing “tools” provided by Multi-Craft.

Each year, PIANKO holds its Print Excellence Awards Competition to reward Ohio and Northern Kentucky printers that demonstrate excellence in 34 categories. This year member companies submitted over 450 printed pieces and three out-of-state expert judges ranked them in a regional competition. The 2013 judges were Ken Eberhart, The Merrick Printing Company; Paul Schmitz, Schmitz Printing; and Glenn Petry.

Multi-Craft and other award winners in the regional competition are entered in an association-wide competition for Best Category and Best of Show prizes that will be awarded in August 2013 at the Grand Ceremony, being held in Columbus, Ohio.

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About Multi-Craft

Multi-Craft is a privately-held marketing services and support company founded in 1955, providing strategic marketing support, creative and print services, mailing, fulfillment and database management for businesses seeking opportunity and growth in their market. Its focus is to develop solutions with measurable results and ROI for a long-term business partnership. For more information visit: www.Multi-Craft.com.

About PIANKO

Printing Industries of Ohio and N. Kentucky serves nearly 400 commercial printing companies and suppliers to the industry in its service area. The Association provides a broad range of products and services to its membership, including workers’ compensation and product discounts. Printing Industries of Ohio • N. Kentucky is an affiliate of the national Printing Industries of America, the largest graphic arts association in the world. For complete information on Printing Industries of Ohio and N. Kentucky and Printing Industries of America, please visit www.pianko.org.

Newport Printer Wins at Lexington’s ADDYs

sean — Tue, 05 Mar 2013 21:48:09 +0000

Multi-Craft awarded gold and silver

Cincinnati, OH—March 5, 2013— Cincinnati based marketing support and print solutions company, Multi-Craft, won awards for three print entries in the 2013 Lexington ADDY Awards competition. The ADDY Awards is the world’s largest advertising competition, recognizing only exceptional work.

Multi-Craft received 2 Gold honors, one for the counter display and brochure for Protective Life Social Security and the other for Gray Construction’s newsletter GrayWay. Multi-Craft also won Silver for Gainsway Farms 2013 Stallion Catalog. There was further recognition for Multi-Craft with one Gold and three Silvers as the printer on four Big Ass Fan projects.

Proud of their strong roots in Kentucky, Multi-Craft President Debbie Simpson says, “Multi-Craft is honored to represent our Lexington customers at the ADDY awards again in 2013, especially in projects that support green initiatives,” Simpson continues “At Multi-Craft we are dedicated to our green initiatives and our customers that utilize them and are thrilled that these projects were recognized at the ADDYs.”

Both the Big Ass Fans products and GrayWay were printed on FSC-certified paper. For every client project that is made with FSC-certified paper Multi-Craft contributes a donation to the Boone County Arboretum to help support their mission of preserving a sustainable environment.

For more information visit www.Multi-Craft.com or follow @IdeasnMotion on Twitter.

*Please request files of the winning print pieces from the media contact.

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About Multi-Craft

Multi-Craft is a privately-held marketing services and support company founded in 1955, providing strategic marketing support, creative and print services, mailing, fulfillment and database management for businesses seeking opportunity and growth in their market. Its focus is to develop solutions with measurable results and ROI for a long-term business partnership. For more information visit: www.Multi-Craft.com.

Cincinnati Commercial Printer Hosts Successful Annual Open House

sean — Tue, 19 Feb 2013 15:51:44 +0000

Multi-Craft Fat Tuesday displayed latest in industry technology

CINCINNATI, OHIO—February 18, 2013— On Tuesday, February 12, Cincinnati-area commercial printer and marketing support services company, Multi-Craft invited customers and local business professionals to their annual Fat Tuesday open house. The event displays the latest print industry innovations and products in a fun Mardi Gras-inspired atmosphere.

Print industry and marketing experts in software, packaging solutions, FSC-certified papers and other sustainability options displayed products and capabilities. Multi-Craft featured digital print technology and new marketing automation tools.

“It was exciting to discuss Multi-Craft’s new capabilities in data and marketing campaign management with customers for the first time,” Multi-Craft president Deborah Simpson said, “This is a growth area that many companies have a need for and we are one of the only comprehensive print-on-demand and data analytics providers under one roof in the area.”

The event also featured the Second Annual Poster Design Contest. Joe Stryker, Creative Director for Icon Marketing Communications was named the winner for his entry “No Nudity, No Profanity.” More than 80 people voted, Stryker receiving nearly half of the votes.

“This year, we were very impressed with the all of the entries for our poster contest. We hope the contest will continue to grow year after year, as it is a fun opportunity to showcase work amongst a savvy group of marketing peers,” Simpson said.

For more information on services showcased at this year’s Fat Tuesday event call 859.581.2754 or follow Multi-Craft on Twitter @IdeasnMotion.

About Multi-Craft

Multi-Craft is a privately-held marketing services and support company founded in 1955, providing strategic marketing support, creative and print services, mailing, fulfillment and database management for businesses seeking opportunity and growth in their market. Its focus is to develop solutions with measurable results and ROI for a long-term business partnership. For more information visit: www.Multi-Craft.com.

Cincinnati Commercial Printer Hosts Annual Fat Tuesday Celebration

sean — Tue, 29 Jan 2013 13:21:40 +0000

Multi-Craft brings Mardi Gras to customers in Newport
Multi-Craft’s annual open house Fat Tuesday Event is February 12. The Newport-based marketing support and print solutions company will showcase some of the newest industry techniques while guests network and enjoy traditional New Orleans fare.

The Second Annual Multi-Craft Poster Design Contest winner will be chosen at the event by a popular vote for a grand prize of a $500 Apple® gift card. Representatives from Customer Contact Insights, Inc., Xerox, Ariva and FSN will be there to demonstrate new print, paper and data products.

“Multi-Craft has had an excellent year marked by several industry awards and recognitions in the greater Cincinnati business community. This event is the fun, original way we invite our customers and friends to celebrate with us,” Deborah Simpson Multi-Craft president said.

The last day to RSVP is Friday, February 1.

For more information on this year’s Fat Tuesday event, call Multi-Craft at 859.581.2754 or follow Multi-Craft on Twitter @IdeasnMotion, #MCFatTuesday.

About Multi-Craft Multi-Craft is a privately-held marketing services and support company founded in 1955, providing strategic marketing support, creative and print services, mailing, fulfillment and database management for businesses seeking opportunity and growth in their market. Its focus is to develop solutions with measurable results and ROI for a long-term business partnership. For more information visit: www.Multi-Craft.com.

FSC Print Projects Contribute to Boone County Arboretum

sean — Tue, 29 Jan 2013 13:11:40 +0000

Multi-Craft challenges Cincinnati businesses to go green and give back

Multi-Craft’s Green Ideas in Motion program has been in effect since 2010. Through this green print initiative, Multi-Craft makes a donation to the Boone County Arboretum for every print project that uses FSC certified paper. The 2012 donation was just sent to the arboretum.

The Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certification supports smart and sustainable forestry. Varieties of papers have been given FSC certification and are a way for businesses to support green initiatives, similar to printing on recycled paper. Multi-Craft takes the green benefit one step further by making a donation to the local arboretum to support the protection of green space in our community.

Since the program’s inception, Multi-Craft has completed 172 FSC print jobs that contributed to the annual donation. Help us increase that number by learning more and choosing FSC certified paper for your next project.

Support the Boone County Arboretum! http://www.bcarboretum.org/.

Print Excellence Awarded to Newport Company

sean — Thu, 03 Jan 2013 19:42:02 +0000

Multi-Craft awarded at state level on 11 entries

Cincinnati, OH – January 2, 2013 – Multi-Craft is proud to announce it was recently awarded 11 Print Excellence Awards from the Printing Industries of Ohio and N. Kentucky (PIANKO).

Printing Industries Association President, Jim Cunningham stated how impressed this year’s judges were with the overall quality of all of the entries. “Ken, Paul and Glenn are all three experienced judges and printers whose combined expertise spans more than 100 years of print. Yet, even they were impressed with our members’ incredible work. It’s easy in today’s fast-paced world to just get the job done, but our Association members continue to demonstrate the pride and dedication to their craft that has made Ohio and Northern Kentucky printers some of the best in the world!”

Each year, PIANKO holds its Print Excellence Awards Competition to reward Ohio and Northern Kentucky printers that demonstrate excellence in 34 categories. This year member companies submitted over 458 printed pieces and three out-of-state expert judges ranked them in a regional competition. The 2012 judges were Ken Eberhart, The Merrick Printing Company; Paul Schmitz; Schmitz Printing Inc.; and Glenn Petry.

Each of the gold award winners in the regional competition are entered in an association-wide competition for Best Category and Best of Show prizes that will be awarded in August 2013 at the Grand Ceremony, being held in Columbus, Ohio.

Multi-Craft won the following awards:

Two (2) Gold Awards
Eight (8) Silver Awards
One (1) Bronze Award

To see some of Multi-Craft’s award-winning work, please visit: www.Multi-Craft.com.

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About Multi-Craft – Print Excellence

Multi-Craft is a privately-held marketing services and support company founded in 1955, providing strategic marketing support, creative and print services, mailing, fulfillment and database management for businesses seeking opportunity and growth in their market. Its focus is to develop solutions with measurable results and ROI for a long-term business partnership. For more information visit: www.Multi-Craft.com

How to Dress Up Direct Mail

sean — Mon, 26 Nov 2012 16:43:03 +0000

Those familiar with the marketing industry know that nearly anything is possible when it comes to print and mailing. However, managing budgetary, logistical and ROI concerns is what gives us pros the expertise to develop the smartest mailing campaigns for our organizations or clients. Recent studies show that dimensional mail produces higher response rates than other direct mail formats. Recently, marketers have reported response rates anywhere between 25% and 50%.

So, what’s new in dimensional mail?

It is not just about sending something fancy; it’s all about engaging clients and prospects. Every day we receive letters, postcards and flat mailers and if they don’t grab your attention, they are quickly discarded. The Winterberry Group reports that 63% of consumers said they were more likely to open a direct mail piece that came in an interesting package. Dimensional mail maintains effectiveness in engaging the recipient based on shape or appearance alone, but you’ll be much better off to take the extra steps in delivering a stand out message.

• Make it pop! Sending an item that is playful or requiring some assembly extends the engagement. This takes the recipient from being intrigued enough to open your mailer, to engaging with the meaning behind it and more likely to take another step toward action.

• Make your dimensional mail campaign shareable and memorable. Social media is not the only way to get target customers to share something. In fact, it could be argued that a clever mailer, being physically shown to a friend or co-worker, has a higher impact than sharing something only on social media in the hopes that the right people will see it and share it. Bonus – if the mailer is something useful that they might save and use over and over again you will extend your brand recognition.

Beware of budgeting and boxing

Of course, some dimensional mail can cause great production challenges. It is easy to get caught up in the fun, imaginative possibilities of a dimensional campaign and forget about cost of production and postage. Mailers can integrate the latest print technologies with old-fashioned hand-assembly that can require a high-level of precision. The production of dimensional mail can also take longer than traditional flat mail.

Almost anything can be mailed if you’re willing to pay the price – first class postage, Custom Market Mail fees or high shipping rates. The USPS will mail bags, cans and drums (properly sealed and within weight and size specs) – even coconuts! You may have to pay an extra non-automation rate, but the impact may be worth it. A document bag, bank bag or sport bottle can act as both gift and package in one.
Dimensional mail will cost more than a letter, traditional mailer or postcard, but it’s not about the cost – it is about the value – the return on investment. The increased engagement that comes with dimensional mail and the increased response rates may make it worth it to you and your organization. The extra steps in making a standout package or envelope can only increase your chances of reaching your targets. In any case, sort out the details sooner rather than later, so that you might save on cost and reap a higher ROI.
If dimensional mail isn’t in your budget, consider being creative with unique envelope sizes, colored envelopes, unusual envelope windows or a teaser printed boldly on the outside of the envelope. A letter in a FedEx or ExpressMail package can sometimes be as enticing as a dimensional mail piece – and may be more affordable. One of the benefits of the FedEx or ExpressMail package is that it is immediately given importance and gets through to the intended recipient. Consider all available shipping services including UPS, Fedex and USPS. Work with your strategic printing partner to establish the size, weight, packaging and most cost effective shipping method early on to avoid custom production or other costly services that may not be necessary.

Additionally, The United States Postal Service is undergoing many changes – from the closing of 229 processing facilities to the enactment of new postal regulations. Most of these regulation changes will be effective January 2013. When it comes to being budget conscious, it is very important to be aware of the changes so that any negative impact is minimized. So, if you are planning to launch a direct mail campaign of any kind, especially dimensional, be certain to work with a print and fulfillment partner that is knowledgeable about the new regulations and can help you keep cost down.

Direct marketing encompasses a variety of tactics today and they all have their place. The customization and versatility that direct mail offers is still very effective in getting new clients into the sales funnel. Mailings are also great tactics for integrating marketing campaigns, as they can lead customers to something online, on social or even in-person. Direct mail continues to be the key component of direct marketing.

By Deborah Simpson, President Multi-Craft

About the Author:
Deborah Simpson has been the president of Multi-Craft for more than twenty years. Multi-Craft is a privately-held marketing services and support company founded in 1955, providing strategic marketing support, creative and print services, mailing, fulfillment and database management for businesses seeking opportunity and growth in their market. Its focus is to develop solutions with measurable results and ROI for a long-term business partnership. For more information visit: www.Multi-Craft.com.

Cincinnati Commercial Printer Signs UK

sean — Thu, 01 Nov 2012 15:36:36 +0000

Multi-Craft lands printing contract with University of Kentucky

Cincinnati, OH -October 22, 2012- Recently, the University of Kentucky signed a contract with Multi-Craft, a Newport-based provider of print and marketing support services. The contract, entitled “University of Kentucky Full Service Printing Contract”, is a big success for Multi-Craft.

“This contract is very meaningful to our team. We are proud to provide services to many colleges and universities throughout Ohio and Kentucky, and are happy for the opportunity to expand that list to include UK,” said Deborah Simpson, President of Multi-Craft.

Multi-Craft serves clients throughout the greater Cincinnati region and has been looking for opportunities to further expand in the Lexington area in recent years. In March, Multi-Craft was recognized with one gold and two silver ADDY awards from the Lexington chapter, which are now making their way to national competition.

This contract with the University of Kentucky has certainly solidified the success of Multi-Craft’s growth further into the state.

To see some of Multi-Craft’s award-winning work, please visit: www.Multi-Craft.com.

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Post recession, women made more connections

sean — Wed, 12 Sep 2012 19:46:53 +0000

click image to enlarge

Women-owned companies across the country are rebuilding after the Great Recession, with many using new marketing strategies to grow their business.

A recent study by Chase Card Services, the National Federation of Independent Business and the Center for Women’s Business Research found the 50 precent of the firms surveyed said they now use social media while only 4 percent used it before the recession.

The study, called “The Small Business: Lesson of the Recession,” was a telephone and online survey conducted between March 28 and April11, 2012. It polled a total of 760 business owners. Results were released in June.

The fact that many women-owned companies are small businesses likely gave them more flexibility during the economic downturn, said Debbie Simpson, president of Newport-based Multi-Craft Inc. Multi-Craft is one of the TriState’s largest women-owned business with roughly 50 employees.

“The smaller you are, the more agile you can be” said Simpson, also co-founder of the Women’s Initiative of the Northern Kentucky Chamber of Commerce.

The study also found that 39 percent of women-owned business increased their involvement during the recession in civic, social or school activities as a way to boost exposure for their business while giving back to the community. Simpson said that’s a common – and smart – strategy among the women business owners she knows.

“Involvement in the community is huge,” she said. “Getting business and retaining business is all about getting your name out there and making sure people know who you are and what you do.”

And she knows a bit about that. Simpson will become a volunteer chairwoman of the Northern Kentucky chamber’s board in 2013.