Where do I get my customers from?

A frequently asked question. Well, most people start with friends and acquaintances. Its important to remind people to keep referring you on.

Advertising in papers and magazines is also a good way, orders though may not start flowing right away as people need to see your advert often. Use publications where you have an interest, and use them for mail order.

We also have found advertising on Local Radio very profitable and believe you an me its not as expensive as you may think. Advertising in the Yellow pages takes time to get results but it will also provide you with some rewards, however don't take a linage insertion, be bold and go for a larger advert. It may cost a little more (approximately £350) but it will get you noticed.

Another great way to start and it will keep you busy in the early days is mailshots. Now don't just send a letter and hope for the best. Target organisations, again with which you have an interest, such as golf clubs, tennis clubs or charities. Target particular trades maybe electricians or plumbers, the list is endless. However it is vital that you include samples relevant to the people who will receive the letter. For example the car dealership will be interested in key fobs or tax disc holders. Florists may be interested in a card printed with a bouquet of flowers on it. The thing about the mailshot is that it must be followed up not only with a telephone call but with another letter a few weeks later, and even a few weeks after that maybe offering a discount or a special offer of some description. Remember the idea here is to keep your services foremost in their minds. Gradually the business will come its just a case of persevering.

Wedding fairs can be a major tool in your marketing strategy some stands at these fairs can be expensive, but check with your local hotels or banqueting suites to see if if they are organising a fair. In the same vane, craft fairs are those occasions where you can take your machine along and print personalised items such as key fobs, bookmarks, decks of playing cards, cheque book holders, pens and pencils the list is endless. Just to give you an idea, printing a key fob with someone's name on it will cost a total of about 15p and can be sold for £1.50. 100 keyfobs are sold at a craft fair you receive £135 profit. Its with this one off form of printing that Type comes into its own.

High street printers such as litho or full colour printers should also be on your list of contacts. The majority do not do foil printing. They are more interested in the longer runs using inks, so you can pass work onto them and visa versa.

We also actively advertise on local radio. We have our advert played 5 times daily and we regularly sponsor some of the stations shows. Local radio is not as expensive as you may think and in our first every series of adverts we picked up over £2000 on new business for a 4 week advertising campaign that cost just over £250

We are very keen supporters of our local football club who play in the Coca Cola football league and 2 to 3 times a year we sponsor the matches being played and have adverts in match day programmes whenever we sponsor these games. We also sponsor several youth sides with their football strips.

Having such local links as those above have given us an edge over other local hot foil and general printers and the benefits to our business have proved to be excellent in raising our local profile.

We are not suggesting for one minute that everyone should run out and start sponsoring local football teams but maybe look at getting involved with the higher profile local companies, its not the cheapest form of advertising but its certainly not the most expensive and the returns can be impressive.

These are just a few ideas. We cannot find customers for you but can provide all the sales presentation folders, swatches of cards and marketing leaflets to help promote your business. There are so many ideas we can tell you about, your only limited by your own imagination.

How much will it cost to purchase a foil printing package from the Quill Press?

Foil printing machines can either be purchased individually or as a larger package from the Quill Press. The decision is entirely yours, a lot will depend on your budget and whether you have experience in foil printing.

Many used foil printing machines advertised in local papers and magazines are being sold by individuals who in most cases are just looking to get rid of the printer. It has often been quoted to us that people have seen such machines at very little cost, just a few hundred pounds. Experience has taught us the the prospective purchaser of such machines will have absolutely no warranty and can expect little or no tuition. So they then have to self teach and have very little success, and therefore find that they have wasted their money and / or have to pay for very expensive training courses which can cost up to £400. Suddenly the cost of starting escalates.

Another point to remember is that there are many makes of foil printing machine, some good, some bad and some just plain indifferent. You pay for what you get. If foil printers have not been used for some time their condition will deteriorate, especially if the machine has been kept in damp conditions i.e. a garage or garden shed.

We can also provide a package that includes a 7 X 4, a new plate making system, and a package of stock as listed below for just £1800-£2000

All of our machines and Plate makers now have training videos/DVDs along with our instruction manuals.

We 100% Guarantee that every machine sold by us will be in excellent condition and will come complete with a full, written 1 year warranty on parts and labour. Training and ongoing support for an unlimited period and for the 1st year our free artwork service for any hot foil task. We strongly believe we have the best used machines on the market. Don't take our word for it, come and see for yourself.

New Improved Packages
Our new package kit list supersedes the one published in our information brochure. Whilst we are happy to provide a package as listed below we can also supply just the individual machines and the suppliers list so that you can put together your own kit once you have the equipment.

A very recent addition to our package is our fantastic training video. Working together with Polydiam we have produced the video as part of the most important back up and support that is vital to your success. We are also pleased to be able to now offer printing for litho and full colour printing.

Last year we ran an offer on a brilliant small A4 creasing machine, ideal for homemade greeting cards and wedding stationery as well as leaflets and indeed more elaborate business cards. For 2006 this machine has now become a standard part of our packages and is listed in the kit below.

What items are included when I purchase the complete printing package for £2999?

1. New HF-85 Digital hot foil printer (new mark 5 version)
2. Chase with handle
3. Clip a block die holding system (8"x 5")
4. pen / pencil jig
5. Book match jig
6. Universal box holding jig
7. Tool kit
8. Furniture for holding type and cutting dies
9. Small 2"x3.5" polymer holding block (ideal when printing keyfobs etc with polymer plates)
10. 7"x 3" polymer plate holding block
11. Die holding tape
12. A4 Extension plate for holding larger pieces of paper and card
13. Book and diary holding jig
14. 5000 business card blanks (various colours and sizes)
15. 10 rolls of printing foil in various colours including matt, gloss, metallic
16. 250 plastic business cards
17. 50 bonded leather Key fobs
18. 50 bonded leather book marks
19. 50 bonded leather coasters
20. 50 tax disc holders
21. 100 book matches
22. 100 pencils
23. 100 pens
24. Magnetic strips (for lining up work)
25. 400ml density toner spray (for producing quality black artwork)
26. Presspahn (quality make ready to ensure a good quality print)
27. Blue Lablay (ideal for work with unifraction embossing dies)
28. Pertinax (ideal for producing a good quality finish when printing letterheads and die cutting)
29. 250 sheets of high quality text and graphics artwork paper
30. 20 plastic presentation boxes for business cards
31. Hot foil printing instruction manual
32. Samples presentation folder full of printed samples
33. Comprehensive foil colour charts and technical guide
34. Comprehensive list of suppliers of stock and plate makers
35. PSE1 A4 Plate making system
36. 10 polymer plates
37. Vellum artwork sheets
38. Negative film
39. Negative developer
40. Negative fixer
41. Washout brush
42. Washout containers
43. Tongs
44. Plate making instruction manual
45. Full and complete training and delivery on the machinery at your home or office
46. 3 year parts and labour guarantee on the HF-85 Digital and 1 year for the plate makers (1 year for a refurbished machine)
47. Full on going training support and telephone helpline
48. Artwork service for you first year (You can turn to us for an unlimited amount of artwork requests during your first year)
49. Your own personal metal printing plates for business cards and letterheads. (We will also print your first 100 cards for you)
50. Full and complete training video of both plate makers and the HF-85 Digital
51. Your first 10 metal printing plates supplied by C.S. Concord (worth over £120)
52. Discounted prices for other forms of printing such as Litho and Full colour printing
53. Partners catalogue full of items suitable for hot foil printing.
54. One pair of heat resistant gloves
55. Tin cutters for the easy trim of your polymer plate and prevent the plate from bending
56. A4 Creaser ideal for creasing all types of paper and card

For those just wishing to purchase our plate maker at £699 the following items are included

• Polymer plate making system.
• Negative film and artwork sheets.
• Negative developer and negative fixer.
• Polymer plates.
• Washout and finishing brush.
• Tongs
• Wash-out containers.
• Instruction manual

Our package has been put together having had over 12 years experience in establishing people with their own printing business. If you wish to put together your own package then we will be pleased to advise you of where to get stock from.

Pound for pound this is without doubt the best value for money hot foil printing package on the market. In our experience to many companies inflate the prices of the machines to then be able to bring the prices down in what appear to be fantastic reductions. The prices you will see from us are less than the manufacturers suggested retail price (including delivery and training).