Posts Tagged ‘templates’
Corporate Print Buying – Online Solutions
January 29th, 2010 | 
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Compared to traditional methods, using ’simple to use’ internet applications can deliver cost savings, reduce human error and enable faster delivery of products and services to all parties in the supply chain. For enterprises, marketing agencies and printing companies who need to streamline the print ordering process, web to print solutions are available on every level. In today’s market place, you can choose from fully managed on-line print procurement systems to self hosted solutions that will enable total control of print procurement and application management. For the corporate print buyer, the first step in moving your print procurement on-line is to list the requirements for your individual business needs. Your existing print suppliers should provide help with identifying these requirements. It is in everyone’s interests to end up with a seamless print procurement process. One of the biggest obstacles to implementation is the printer’s desire to lock in a customer to their own on-line system, with the customer having the opposing view. It is vital for the print supplier to recognise this fact. Equally, the customer needs to recognise the value that a totally integrated print ordering solution will provide. The advantage to both is that it can cement a relationship for a period of years, leading to stability for the supplier and enhanced service for the customer. Another challenge is introduced when more than one print supplier is involved. One answer for the corporate would be then to use a print management company or agency. If you’re superhuman and know your printers will collaborate well, you might be able to manage this yourself. The above statements will apply. Another option is to bring the whole thing in-house. Whether ordering stationery or managing constantly changing marketing collateral, the fundamental benefit is being able to enforce brands and manage document print and distribution. Sometimes, the corporate is the best placed to manage this. Whatever route you choose, successful print ordering implementations are those that involve all people. Those who will be touched by any new processes – internal employees or suppliers – should be part of the planning process. It’s better to do this in the beginning when you are listing your requirements. People’s fears can be addressed as well as outlining the benefits of change. What’s Possible? Ordering Versioned Print. Typically, versioned printing is referred to when there is more than one copy of a version of a document or item. But, there may be any number of variations of that document or item. For example, a sales leaflet for a holiday company may have a design which it uses to advertise a range of holidays. However, even though the design and layout is the same, the content could be different for each type of holiday. There may be changes to text, pictures and colours specific for each offer. However, the print quantity for each offer will be more than 1 copy. Ordering Personalised Print. Personalised printing is referred to when each print copy is unique to the recipient. The individual difference of each one might only be a change of name and mailing address. Or, if it is for 1-to-1 marketing, personalisation could be a complex combination of different text and images. An example might be a postcard advertising a car with an offer personalised to fit the recipient’s profile. Printing Versioned and Personalised Items. With the very latest Digital Presses, quality is very close to that of Litho. Using real inks, immediate drying and fast delivery of finished personalised print, it isn’t difficult to see why this sector of print is growing. Many organisations are enjoying reduced costs and business growth as a result of implementing targeted print campaigns as part of their overall sales and customer service strategy. Modern Digital Presses are capable of producing quantities as low as 1. Although technically there isn’t an upper limit on quantity, runs up to about 2000 will remain competitively priced. At this point the higher speeds of Litho Presses will make Litho Printing a more cost effective option. Combining the latest on-line technology with variable print solutions provide print buyers with maximum advantage. Being able to manage marketing campaigns and short run variable printing from the desktop has never been easier. With the right solution, it is possible to order print 24/7 from anywhere in the world, send files direct to press and have jobs delivered within hours. Stock Management. For printing where larger quantities are needed, e.g. 10s of 1000s, storage, call-off from stock and re-orders need to be managed in an efficient and cost effective way. The best way to achieve this is by implementing a stock management system, with ordering and administration available via the desktop.
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Posted in About Internet | 
Tags: catalogs, catalogues, consultan, management, online, print, printing, shop, shopping, templates, web-to-print | 
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1, 2, 3… You’re done! Website Design Made Easy
Designing a website may not seem like the easiest of tasks, but with the help of some new web building conveniences that have entered the market in the past few years it is possible to create a professional website for your business with only a small investment of your time and money. In fact, with the advent of greater choice in web design such as ready-made website templates, logos and other corporate necessities, you can build a website in three easy steps. Step One: Plan Ahead Before you delve into the world of web design and start looking for a suitable template, it’s important to plan ahead. You need to clearly define your company’s objectives beforehand so that the design selection process goes more quickly and you choose the right template. For instance, who is your target audience? You must know your customer inside and out in order to choose the best site design for bringing in business. For instance, if most of your business comes from corporations and professionals you will need to choose a template that caters to that group of people – one that gives the right first impression and shows you are a serious business that can handle top-notch clients. In this case, a simple, efficient design will be your top preference. If, however, you are building an ecommerce website selling a range of goods, a template that can be customized for online shopping will probably be your design of choice. Perhaps you require a more “flashy” website? Flash templates are also an option and suit many different types of websites that rely on more than just text and a logo to make money. Ensure that the template you eventually purchase is easy to customize and update. That’s the whole point of buying a template in the first place – to make both the building of the website and its maintenance stress-free, affordable and fast. You will need to add your own content to the template and work with the overall theme once it is downloaded. Also, most businesses will want to add fresh content, site updates, links etc. as time goes by so keep this in mind when searching for that perfect template. If you plan to incorporate interactive features into your site, such as forms and chat areas, the template you choose should be able to handle this as well. Step Two: Choose a Template Now that you are prepared, you can begin shopping for a website template that will work best for your business. Start by researching the many website template companies on the market that offer professional designs for reasonable prices ($20-$40). Most companies offer the choice between copyrighted and non-copyrighted material as well, so if you want to be the only one using the template design spend a little more money to receive exclusive usage. One such website template company I found that offers reasonably priced templates is TemplateDogma(see the link in Resource Box). Once you purchase a copyrighted template it is taken off the market. If you don’t find a template that fits your business precisely, investigate which companies offer to design custom-made templates for your usage. This will cost more but prices are kept lower than hiring a designer and the results are just as good – if not better. When you find the right template after reviewing the available designs, the rest is simple. All you have to do is purchase the template and download it to your hard drive in seconds. Step Three: Customize With the template all ready to go, all you have to do is add your own content, graphics, images – anything you need to make the site your own. If you can use a simple editor such as DreamWeaver or FrontPage, this can be done in a few days or less. If you are inexperienced when it comes to any aspect of web design you can hire someone to do the editing for you for a very small fee – much smaller than what you would pay a designer to create the whole site from scratch. When adding content, if you only require a few simple words, consider writing the text yourself. If you need a lot more information, such as product descriptions, articles or sales content, consider hiring a writer to create unique, high-quality content. Because you saved so much money purchasing a ready-made website template, you can spend a little more hiring a great writer! If you write the material on your own, remember to keep it short. Keep paragraphs short and don’t bog the reader down with unnecessary information. People are in a hurry and don’t want to spend a lot of time reading pages and pages of writing. Let your visitors get the information they need so they can move on and buy your product or service, but also make sure the information you provide is actually helpful and written without grammar or spelling mistakes. The overall design should be kept simple, but that doesn’t mean you can’t add graphics, pictures or even video. As long as you keep it uncomplicated visitors will not regret visiting your site and learning more about your business. Not everyone has high-speed Internet yet, so fast loading pages are still a consideration. Other additions include tables, forms and quizzes. Tables specifically are an easy way to organize text on a web page and they load very quickly. Most HTML editors make it easy to generate tables on your website. Website templates have brought web design out of its infancy and into the 21st century, catering to the unique needs of the online business owner, so don’t be afraid to take advantage of the convenience – you won’t regret the decision.
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Posted in web design |
Tags: template, templates, web design, web site design, website, website template, website templates design |
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Create a Professional Website Using Ready-Made Templates
If you are a business owner and want to expand your clientele and market-share, and create a place where potential and current customers can go to learn more about your company and easily find contact information, what you need is a website. If you are a small start-up looking to begin an online venture, you need a website. And most likely, you want to achieve your business goals within a reasonable timeframe and for a reasonable price, without skimping on quality. After all, you need more than just visitors to your website. A successful business requires visitors who turn into paying, repeat customers and trust your company. The best way to do this (in addition to offering a quality product or service) is by producing a professional website. In the past, online businesses were given little choice when it came to creating a high quality website. You could either hire an expensive professional web designer or web design company to make the entire site for you or you could produce the website on your own. The first choice would cost you big bucks – anywhere between $50 and $200 for only one web page! The second option required at least a small knowledge of HTML and design elements as well as a large chunk of your time – something most business owners don’t have. Luckily the times have changed and web entrepreneurs have a lot more choice when it comes to creating a professional website with or without all the bells and whistles (depending on the type of site you plan on having). In fact, a growing trend in website design is the use of ready-made website templates. What exactly is a template? Website templates are basically ready-made web pages that you can download from a template design company. The HTML code is ready to go – all you have to do is choose a template that suits your business and customer base, download it and then edit according to your specifications. Most companies showcase all the available designs on their site for you to preview before downloading, so you’ll know exactly what you are buying beforehand. A website template is almost like a hybrid creation, perfect for online businesses because it is so flexible. With a template you have the best of both worlds – the professional image and functionality that normally come from a website designed by a hired designer coupled with the affordability and flexibility of a DIY web design project. One such website template company I found that offers reasonably priced, quality templates is TemplateDogma (see the link in Resource Box). Once you have the basic design in your hands, editing is a cinch. Editing involves adding your own content, logos, pictures, graphics and more to the template to make it unique. Keep in mind that a template will not usually come with ready-made content or other features, as this is something that must be created afterwards. Good website templates can be edited with a variety of popular HTML editors, so make sure you purchase website templates that mention the editing programs with which the templates are compatible. Search for website templates that can be edited using software such as DreamWeaver, FrontPage, GoLive and Photoshop. Most people either already know how to use these simple, user-friendly editors or can learn very quickly. Another option is to have someone edit the template for you. If you really have no clue when it comes to web design, even with a prepared template, most website template companies also offer a custom design service. This keeps the cost down, which is the main benefit of utilizing a template in the first place, while still letting you enjoy the perk of having someone else do the editing. The Price is Nice Arguably, the most popular selling point of website templates is the price. For as low as $20-$40 you can purchase a template that looks just as good or better than a “professionally” designed site costing you much more. Many web designers charge thousands of dollars for website creation that simply isn’t that good. And working with a designer takes a lot more time – hence the hefty price tag. You have to work back and forth over a period of several weeks just to come up with a design that works best for your company. Website templates are much more cost-effective to produce, which is how the prices are kept so low. And of course, you save time as well as money. You can literally have a website up and running – earning you revenue – within a few days or less. Website templates make setting up your online business as easy and efficient as possible. Flash Websites What if you require more than a simple, straightforward website? Perhaps you want a flash-based design for your site? No problem – flash website templates can also be purchased for a decent price without sacrificing quality, simplicity and usability. Many template designers offer a wide range of template styles, so don’t fret if you require something a little more complicated than the average website. Website template designers offer the consumer a lot of choice, making it easy to create a website that will work for your business. In addition, businesses that want to buy a template no other website will use in the future (a unique site) should purchase a copyrighted template. When you opt for a copyrighted template you receive all rights to the site design and can be sure it will not be re-sold to another business. On the other hand, the rights of non-copyrighted templates remain with the template company, and as a result, anyone can buy the same one. If this won’t interfere with your business buy non-copyrighted templates and save some money, but if you want an entirely unique site, spend a little more for a copyrighted site that won’t be found anywhere else on the web. Whatever you decide to choose, website templates are the future of web design. You can’t go wrong – nothing could be more cost-effective or simple.
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Posted in web design |
Tags: template, templates, web design, web site design, website, website template, website templates design |
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How To Get Free Business Card Templates
Many people already know about all of the free business card offers from Vistaprint. What many people don’t know is that you pay a little for shipping, but then they add their logo and text to the back of your business card! So instead of promoting you and your business through your business cards, you’re promoting Vistaprint as well! There is a better way. Instead of getting free business cards, check out websites that offer free business card templates. You can download these free templates, change the name, address and other details then send them to your favorite printer to have them printed. Not only are you getting custom business cards, but you don’t have to advertise for anyone but yourself. What makes this deal worthwhile is that, while Vistaprint claims “free business cards” you’re actually still paying for shipping. With free business card templates, you download the templates and do whatever you would like with them. That means that they’re actually free. Another wonderful thing about free business card templates is that many sites will even customize these free templates for you. Sometimes they will charge a small fee, but other times they will edit their free business card templates to fit your needs at no charge to you. Websites offer free business card templates so they can spread the word about their website and designing. Many people often have paid business card templates for sell along with their free business card templates. Some people just enjoy designing business cards and have no great reason for giving them away. These are the people you want to look for. Someone who gives everything away at no charge. You’ll be able to spot these websites because they don’t have a shopping cart built into their site. Next time you’re ready to buy business cards remember to browse for free business card templates and see if you can’t find something that matches what you need, and for free!
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Create a High-Quality Website – Quickly!
For any business, big or small, a high-quality website is the key to success. But what if you are strapped for time (or money) and need to build a website that will attract customers to your site, keep them there, and have them coming back for more? You might think your only option is to invest a good amount of money into hiring a professional web designer to create that perfect website – but what if there was another way? Luckily there is an easier, more affordable way to make a professional website without the professional price tag. Forget the designer, and forget spending endless hours struggling to learn HTML or trying to make that WYSIWYG application do what you want. Instead, take advantage of the resources that are out there for businesses just like you. First, look for a company that sells inexpensive website templates. You should be able to find professionally designed templates in the range of $20-$40 for non-copyrighted templates (copyrighted templates that won’t be resold to anyone else after you make the purchase are slightly more expensive, but still cost much less than hiring a web designer). This is the most important initial step to take because the template will be the backbone of your new website. Essentially, a template is a ready-to-go designed site that you can download to your computer and use for your professional purposes. You can choose from many different designs, no matter where you decide to purchase a template, and can view all the choices in a gallery displaying the different template designs. This is the quickest, easiest, most inexpensive way to get started. One such website template company I found that offers reasonably priced, quality templates is TemplateDogma (see the link in Resource Box). Now that you have the basis for your site, you need to make it unique. You have to inject the template with content, a logo, graphics, animation and pictures – whatever you think necessary to create a professional-looking website. With the template ready at hand, this next step in the process is made much easier. Website templates are wonderful to work with because your site is kept consistent. This means that every page will have a matching header, graphics and theme. And as time goes by, it is just as easy to update the site as it is to create it in the first place. If you need to add more content, or fresh text, change your contact information or anything else that isn’t static, a simple HTML editor will do the trick. Getting Started Now that you have the template and customized it with your company’s unique content and imagery, it’s time to set up everything else you need to get your site online and bringing in paying customers. Domain name: Most people are already aware that you need a unique domain name where people can find your site. Your domain name might be the name of your company – nameofcompany.com – or it might be something easy to remember related to your business. Whatever you choose, make the title of your site match the domain name. This is how visitors will easily remember the address of your site even if they forget to bookmark it. If you have conducted keyword research, many experts recommend that you use the most profitable keyword as your domain name as this will help you rank higher in the search engines for that particular keyword. A well-chosen domain name does not take a long time to envision, and is a relatively easy procedure, but it is well worth the small amount of effort required. If you choose a domain name that clearly states the purpose of your site people will know exactly what they can expect when they visit. Domain names can be up to 63 characters, but as with everything on the web, shorter is better. When you write content keep the text short, sweet and to the point – when you come up with a domain name, do the same thing. If your domain name is available (this must be checked because someone might have already come up with the same brilliant idea as you!) all you have to do at this point is purchase the domain name. It’s easy to find a company that sells inexpensive domain names – competition is fierce and as a result domain prices are extremely low. Hosting: You must do more than just register a domain name to finish building your site – you must also choose a hosting company. A hosting company is the entity that holds your website on its servers and keeps it running 24/7 online. You have to pay a monthly hosting fee for this service, but again, competition between providers is stiff so it is possible to find a reliable hosting service with tons of features, benefits and a responsive customer service team for a decent price. And of course, a good web hosting company will make it simple for you to upload and update your site, no matter what type of business you have set up. When choosing a specific hosting package, choose one that suits the needs of your website best. Ensure that an adequate amount of disk space is available for your exclusive usage and the bandwidth provided will be enough to handle the amount of traffic you expect your site to generate. If you purchase a hosting package that includes FTP access (File Transfer Protocol) it can’t get any easier to transfer documents from your hard drive to the hosting server. It’s easy to see that if you start with a website template and go from there, building a high-quality website in a short amount of time is quite an easy task. Templates allow you to cut down the time it normally takes to begin creating a website without cutting corners.
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Posted in web design |
Tags: template, templates, web design, web site design, website, website template, website templates design |
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Open Source Web Design
Every once in a while I run across a site that makes me say, “WOW, what a useful resource!” Open Source Web Design (OSWD) is one of those sites. As you can probably tell by the articles I’ve featured on MyWebResource, I’m a strong advocate for using templates to streamline website development. As a designer, I produce free templates to give back to the Internet community, and I really enjoy doing so, but occassionally, the idea machine comes to a screeching halt. That’s where sites like OSWD prove to be invaluable. I found OSWD by chance one day when I was searching the net for template sites. I was looking for some fresh ideas to help me get out of a slump I was sliding into. You can only do the standard 3 column layout so many times before you really get bored. When I started browsing the OSWD directory of templates, I was impressed with the overall layout and design of the site, but was a little disappointed in the lack of features. I quickly got over my disappointment after looking at a couple hundred of some of the best website designs I’ve laid eyes upon. I consider myself a reasonably good designer, but many of the designs at OSWD really stand out from the crowd. What impressed me more than anything else about OSWD and the hundreds of templates you’ll find there is that most of the designs are, at minimum, W3C XHTML 1.0 Transitional and CSS 2.0 compliant. Many are XHTML Strict! In the years that I’ve been on the web and browsed thousands of template sites, I can tell you from experience, to offer so many high quality, standards compliant templates is rare, very rare! I like the OSWD site and community so much, I’ve even started working on traditional “static” designs again after spending the last two years doing XOOPS themes almost exclusively. To the Administrator and community of OSWD, my hat is off to you. You’ve produced a resource that is by far one of my favorites, and I strongly feel that every webmaster should have your site bookmarked. If for no other reason than to keep their finger on the pulse of what is new and hot in standards compliant design.
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Tags: mywebresource, open source, templates, themes, w3c compliance, web design |
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Benefits of Web Site Templates
Okay, you are ready to join the masses and put up a web site. You’ve put a lot of thought into the design and are ready to go. Perhaps you should give more thought to using a web site template. Web Site Templates For many people, it makes more sense to use a pre-designed web template instead of creating a site from scratch. Using a pre-designed site template allows you to get a professional design at a fraction of the price a custom design would cost. A good template is automated or has HTML tags to show you exactly where to put your text. This saves you precious time. Also, a web page designed by someone just learning HTML is more likely to have mistakes than one designed and tested by professionals. Mistakes in web site code can prevent some users from being able to see a web page or can even cause lower search engine rankings. There are millions of web sites on the Internet and there are more being born every second. Even though there may be more than one web site using the pre-designed site template you choose, the likelihood of a visitor seeing both sites is not great. Every site is unique in the data it presents. Web templates present data quickly and professionally without the hassle of designing anything. Being that many web templates are under $50 and many custom site designs are well over $5000, it is easy to see how web templates can save money and time. Web templates are a good way for someone to learn HTML. By becoming familiar with code that has been written professionally, a webmaster can pick up on things along the way. Instead of having an amateur web site at the start, an HTML novice can have a professional site from the beginning with a pre-designed site template. Search Engines also play a factor in choosing web templates. Sites with HTML mistakes do not fair well in search engines. Particularly in older versions of Netscape, forgetting one “table” tag can mean the whole page won’t show. A good web template has been designed and tested in many environments, to W3C standards, for maximum compatibility. Instead of thrashing your way through mistakes, take advantage of competent template designs. If you are just starting out, a web site template is almost always the way to go. There are thousands of sites offering them for sale for very low prices. Why waste your time when you can use a template to get off to a quick, professional start?