TODAY'S TOPIC:  Tight Budget? Consider These Four-Color Alternatives

At Sentinel Printing, we understand that not every customer has the budget to create a printed piece with all the "bells and whistles" they want. That doesn't mean, however, that you can't achieve the look you desire. Saving money begins with eye-catching design, plenty of communication and a willingness to consider a variety of options. Here are a few creative ways to get four-color pizzazz - without actually using four colors:

Use a Colored or Tint-Matched Paper
Colored paper is a great way to effectively achieve three colors with only two-color printing. If you don't have the budget for a colored stock, specify a tint match, which uses one color on the press to color the paper.

Consider Duotones
When used effectively, duotones offer enhanced imaging that can be an attractive substitute for four color printing on some applications. Ask Sentinel Printing for some samples of duotones to learn more about these techniques.

Economical solutions don’t end at the press! We also offer perfect binding, plastic coil binding and saddle stitching to give you plenty of design flexibility.

Make Effective Use of Varnish
Press-applied varnishes are both economical and attractive. They can also be used as a substitute for color. For example, dull and gloss varnishes applied to two- or even single-color printing can give pieces a tasteful, understated appearance that's sure to get noticed.

Expand the Use of a Spot Color
Many projects call for the use of a spot or PMS (Pantone Matching System) color on a logo or title. To mitigate the cost of spot colors, consider expanding their placement to several areas of the piece. An author's name on a book cover or highlight graphic on a direct mail piece may be ideal uses for a spot color if these items would otherwise be printed in black only.

The Sentinel Printing Advantage
At Sentinel Printing, we've been helping customers get more for their printing dollar for more than 150 years. We offer a full range of prepress, printing and binding solutions, including both sheetfed and coldset web press solutions, perfect binding, saddle stitching and more. Give us a call and let us know how we can help you plan your next project.