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Rex 3 has nearly 60 years in the printing business. That's nearly two and a half generations, and a whole lot of change to go along with it.
But we'll tell you one thing: if you want to know your customers intimately, six decades will show you that and more. That’s why we’re compelled to should share how we help our customers stay in touch with their audience- even in today’s digital era.
First off, we should start by saying that we’re not just a South Florida commerical printer because we’ve done so much more in the last 20 years through recent technology advancements in the software and printing industry.
- But despite all of the innovation and change, we’ve realized that we’re really good at giving our customers a voice on paper.
That is the reason for our existence. And since we’ve helped so many brands and touched so many products over the years, we decided to outline what makes us a great business communications partner. So we broke it down into the following categories:
- PLANNING A PRINT OR MAILING PROJECT
- PRINTING SHORT RUNS QUICKLY USING DIGITAL PRINTING
- PRESERVING QUALITY WITH OFFSET SHEETFED PRINTING SERVICES
- INCREASING THE ROI OF DIRECT MAIL CAMPAIGNS
- SOLVING COMPLEX SHIPPING AND DISTRIBUTION PROBLEMS
- PROVIDING FULFILLMENT SUPPORT WHEN NEEDED
- IMPROVING WORKFLOWS & PROCESSES TO SAVE MONEY
- CREATING GREAT PACKAGING, PRODUCTS & POINT OF SALE DISPLAYS
SOLVING PROBLEMS STARTS WITH THE RIGHT MINDSET
When companies come to us to print or mail something, we look at it as how can we can help them communicate. This is how we’ve been able to serve and grow our business. At the end of the day, every company is trying to say something to an audience that matters to them. Regardless if you’re trying to sell something or get a donation, you need to say something important to get a desired action.
That’s where Rex comes in.
- There are plenty of factors you must consider before sending your message: design, paper selection, prepress, estimating, list targeting, proof approvals, and so much more.
For most people, the variables can actually be confusing depending on the business environment, so we strive to make it easy for our customers by advising methods that make most sense in every scenario. This means we answer tough questions and figure out the most cost effective way to touch your audience.
Planning a print or mailing project can pay huge dividends when done correctly. Not only will it save you time and money; in many cases, it’ll save you headaches, stress, and sometimes, even your job.
The truth is most companies don’t know where to start. Luckily, our 60 years of experience in print and mail make it easy for you to send your message in a way that makes sense. This is the value we bring to the table.
The planning phase is really an art form, especially when it comes to coordinating print and mail communications across many different markets and customer segments. And if you don’t approach every project as a problem solver, inefficiencies will abound and you won’t be able to add the most value as a professional. Our involvement in this stage is one of the reasons why large companies turn to Rex again and again.
PRINTING SHORT RUNS QUICKLY USING DIGITAL PRINTING
Digital printing opens the door for many opportunities. Communications that are more personalized and relevant is a product of digital printing. Companies can now send direct mail messages that include personalized offers with references to store locations, maps, phone numbers, and pretty much any form of data that is specific to a customer. All of this can be done under quick turnarounds with thelatest in digital printing technology, the HP Indigo 7900 at Rex 3. Unfortunately though, most companies are confused or simply don’t know how digital printing works, especially when it comes to creating direct mail that is truly personalized and targeted.
(Note: Digital printing department at Rex 3 uses a Kodak Nexpress which uses CMYK not PMS or Pantone colors.)
- There are limitations to digital printing and you have to consider all options, including when offset printing will really make a better business decision. Knowing which printing option, digital or offset, is something that comes with experience to get the most impact.
For example, if you’re working on a large direct mail campaign, offset (sheet-fed) printing is going to be a better option for you in terms of lowering your per piece cost. There are still many facets of personalization that can be included when printing offset, such as printing addresses and recipient names to parts of a direct mail piece by using shells or printed templates. The logistics of how this is managed requires a conversation around your company's needs.
But if you’re doing a smaller direct mail campaign, digital printing is really the best way to go. One of the benefits of digital printing is that it offers quick turnaround on printing projects. We’ve worked on some amazing projects using digital printing under a short amount of time and an intense amount of pressure, so digital printing should never be undermined. Digital printing has its place; just like offset printing does too.
(Note: Rex 3's digital printing division in Sunrise can produce personalized mailers like these, and tie them to landing pages too.)
Rex has used our digital printing capabilities to create personalized direct mail campaigns for large cruise clients, and personalized mailings that are tied to dynamic landing pages so they can be tracked as well. The fact is digital printing can be extremely personal, but it requires a conversation around what you want to achieve. Another thing that’s important to note is that digital printing that’s personalized is not expensive to do. This is a misconception that’s important to address. To read a case study on how we helped Oceania Cruises print personalized direct mail campaigns using digital printing, click here.
PRESERVING PRINT QUALITY WITH OFFSET SHEETFED PRINTING SERVICES
Offset printing is one way to produce really great print quality for your brand. Using a GRACoL certified G7 printer, for instance, ensures that your printed materials look superb and consistent all the time. If color is a concern, especially if you’re printing a big project on a nicer stock, you’re going to want to quote your printing project using a press that’s offset. Using an offset press ensures that your brand colors appear the way they should.
(Note: Did you know that we have our own Superior Ink consultants in-house to ensure custom colors/ ink print correctly on paper?)
There rarely is any variation of color using offset printers. We pay close attention to that. This is one of the main advantages of printing on offset with Rex, especially if your brand colors must remain consistent on large print runs. We’re talking about print runs with greater than 3,000 quantities. Not all projects merit offset printing though, and you shouldn’t be pressed to print offset all the time. It’s important to listen to your print consultant on what is going to be the best option for you to minimize printing expenses.
INCREASING YOUR ROI OF DIRECT MAIL CAMPAIGNS
Rex 3’s mailing facility is very special. It’s located inside our printing facility in Sunrise, FL. We consider it a sweet spot for us because it evolved into a division that makes mailing logistics so easy for our customers.
- It’s not just about printing a message. Again, it’s about sending your message in a way that makes sense. Our mailing department solves this problem for our clients every day.
We handle small to large direct mail campaigns for local or national companies. Mailing costs can range and it depends heavily on the needs of each client. There are times when we advise on how to design something for mail well before planning a direct mail campaign to save our customers money from the very beginning. One of the ways we help companies get a higher than average ROI on their direct mail campaigns is by using a mailing list that is accurate from the start. Our mailing software and services help clean and thoroughly scrub any mailing list, so you’re not throwing money away on a direct mail campaign that will simply generate undeliverable mail. In addition, we take the time to give you advice on how to lower your postage costs. Lowering your postage cost is another tactic we use to increase the ROI of your direct mail campaign, so we like to comment on your design ideas well before you get started on your project. Your design has a lot to do with how expensive your postage costs can be.
SOLVING COMPLEX SHIPPING AND DISTRIBUTION PROBLEMS
Shipping can be a monster task if you’re sending a message to various parts of the country or even around the world. When it comes to shipping or distribution of your message, Rex thinks like a logistics company analyzing every detail to answer how we’re going to automate deliveries to make sure everything is on time. In some cases, we have tackled large projects that require us to automate print, mail and distribution services using our own custom online solutions. This really gives companies an edge.
For a large cruise line we did exactly that (view case study here). We were able to streamline entirely how they managed all of the onboard printed collateral and marketing materials across all of their ships worldwide. It wasn’t an easy task, but we were able to save them a significant amount of money using our technology. Not just that, we were able to reduce waste and printing errors significantly. This was really important for their procurement staff.
PROVIDING FULFILLMENT SUPPORT WHEN NEEDED
Putting a project together is one thing, but doing it right over and over again is another. Our fulfillment department is another division that gets things done right, making it simple for our clients to communicate their message consistently and quickly.
- Most people don’t realize how much work and time goes into a project until it’s time to put the project together after it has printed. The Rex 3 fulfillment team does a great job with all kinds of variations because they know that no project is one-dimensional.
Typically every project requires several unique steps till its completed. And when you need something finished for an event, grand opening or seminar quickly, you need a fulfillment team that can put things together without making silly errors. Here’s what we mean: folding, stuffing, sorting, gluing, inserting, organizing, and everything else that will complete your message. When you’re putting together a brand kit, for instance, the fulfillment operations on the backend can really become overwhelming, especially if you’re talking about large quantities. Rex 3’s fulfillment services are also located in our printing and mailing center in Fort Lauderdale, FL.
IMPROVING WORKFLOWS & PROCESSES TO SAVE MONEY
Process is everything when it comes to print manufacturing. Combining our printing experience and love for technology has given us the ability to streamline the printing operations for many large organizations. Getting involved at this capacity allows us to find opportunities to tell our customers where money is leaking and how to fix it fast. But because this requires a keen set of eyes, we don’t ever blame anyone. Knowing how to improve the way companies print, requires an honest and transparent conversation about how printing and mailing is currently handled.
The outcome can lead to tremendous cost savings that impresses even top-level executives. We’ve found that companies that trust us to look at their internal processes with honesty benefit the most from working with us at this capacity. Here's another case study on how we helped improve prepress processes for Topps Trading Cards- a leading brand that creates the world's most famous trading cards.
PACKAGING, PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT & POINT OF SALE
We’re one of the very few printing and mailing companies in Florida that also specializes in packaging. We do packaging very well. In fact, we have our own packaging design division in our Fort Lauderdale location, which has worked on household brands and products that sell at a national level. What’s nice about having a packaging division is that ideas can turn into prototypes very quickly to allow you to consider design and function.
This is how our structural designer is able to brainstorm with you to solve packaging problems and save money on packaging costs. This is really valuable when you’re working on something very custom such as a retail point of sale display or a media kit that needs to grab people’s attention. When it comes to printing packaging designs, what you don’t know can really limit your creativity. And in some cases, how much you end you paying. Working with our packaging team will give you a sense of confidence that your ideas are well represented in the marketplace using packaging best practices and proven techniques. We have plenty of packaging samples to show, and our own die cutting department in-house to make projects as custom and unique as they need to be.
REX 3 IS MORE THAN PRINTING AND MAILING, WE HELP YOU COMMUNICATE IN A WAY THAT MAKES SENSE
When working with Rex 3’s commercial print and mailing facility, you’ll find we’re about solving problems. We take great pride in knowing how to work with process in order to advise which printing or mailing option is going to be best for your message. As the world changes and more companies rely on digital marketing, we’re finding that more companies will need more help communicating offline using traditional methods like brochures, direct mail, catalogs, etc. Printing is a trade that requires specialists, and since our company has more then 60 years in the trade, it’s important to take advantage of our expertise. If you'd like to talk more about how our print, mail, and packaging expertise can help you save money, please click here to speak to one of our print specialists.