Send2Press Newswire

Card Cafe Promotes Kira Case to Vice President and General Manager

Thu, 04 Sep 2008 17:48:46 GMT

OREM, Utah, Sept. 4 (SEND2PRESS NEWSWIRE) -- Card Cafe, a global technology provider, today announced the promotion of Kira Case to Vice President and General Manager. She will oversee and manage all operating aspects of the company. "Kira has been with Card Cafe since the inception and has been a key part of our success. She has more than earned this promotion. I am excited to see where she takes this company," said Teague Bengtzen, President of Card Cafe.

Mrs. Case has been instrumental in the start up and dramatic growth of Card Cafe. She has served as Operations Manager for the last three years. Mrs. Case was previously with Rocky Mountain Printing in various positions.

Card Cafe was founded in 2005 as an easy way to keep in touch with people through online ordering of printed greeting cards. It quickly developed into a leading technology provider. Card Cafe produces more than one million cards each year through www.CardCafe.com.

In 2008 Card Cafe launched a commercial division known as 1:1 Specialists (www.1to1Specialists.com). 1:1 Specialists focuses on providing Web-to-print technology to many different industries.

All trademarks acknowledged.

Solar Communications Invests More Than $10 Million in New Equipment and Capabilities

Wed, 29 Aug 2007 17:27:00 GMT

Clients can take advantage of innovative, cost-efficient mail formats

NAPERVILLE, Ill. - Aug. 29 (SEND2PRESS NEWSWIRE) -- Solar Communications, a full-service print and production provider, has completed its capabilities expansion begun in 2006, with more than $10 million in capital investments over the past few months. These latest acquisitions further support the company's refined focus as a complete marketing services partner.

Of the new equipment recently deployed, the three most significant additions include:

"We've made some very strategic investments," says Frank Hudetz, Solar Communications president and CEO, "all calculated to offer our customers capabilities they didn't have before, while building-in cost-efficiency, postal automation and time-saving advantages. At the same time, it's inspiring us to invent products consumers haven't seen before - materials and formats that are destined to increase attention and response."

The additional equipment will allow Solar to produce and finish unique and personalized direct mail packages, quickly and cost-effectively, including:

To ensure the greatest utilization of this new equipment, each piece is operated independently. "This follows a more European production model," explains Hudetz, "in which the offline finishing system is separate from the press. That allows us to optimize each piece of equipment, leading to shorter turnaround times, reduced waste and potentially greater savings for our clients." Because each piece of equipment is run individually, projects can be printed, for example, before mailing lists are delivered. In a traditional model, all components - data, inserts, tip-ons, etc., must be on-site before production can begin. The whole process is more efficient, in terms of waste and run speeds and the make-ready times are significantly shorter.

As part of their long-term, customer-focused strategy, Solar Communications has been developing innovative direct marketing approaches to support marketers' acquisition and retention strategies. "We've been exploring new formats, add-ons and techniques that make the most of nearly five decades of experience as a packaging and printing specialist, as well as our expertise in working with the U.S. Postal Service, integrating with online channels and more," offers John Thompson, Solar Communications' Senior VP, Sales and Marketing.

"What really excites us," adds Thompson, "are the possibilities and applications we haven't thought of yet. We're unveiling the first few big ideas at the DMA in October, but the sky's the limit. If our customers' marketing teams can imagine it, we can create it."

About Solar Communications
Solar Communications(R) (www.solarcommunications.com) combines the insight of a marketing partner with the production capabilities of an experienced printing, packaging, mailing and fulfillment specialist. A full-service direct mail provider, we understand the need to break through the clutter, and have designed innovative solutions to meet our clients' marketing objectives.

Solar Communications has more than 45 years of experience creating and executing successful campaigns and is an ESOP (employee stock ownership plan) corporation.

Copyright © 2007 Send2Press® Newswire, a unit of Neotrope®
TAGS: Send2Press Newswire, Solar Communications, print and production provider

Interactive Design Web Site Provides Customers with Tools to Customize and Create Items Online

Wed, 18 Oct 2006 21:32:00 GMT

ARCHIVAL CONTENT

OWENSBORO, Ky. - Oct. 18 (SEND2PRESS NEWSWIRE) -- A new, cutting-edge Web site - www.sbgsigns.com - recently launched by "Signs by Gina," provides customers with design elements and tools to create items online such as t-shirts, magnets, signs, banners, decals, lettering, and more.

"Our unique, online design features allow customers to design, preview and purchase a variety of products from the comfort of their home," Bobby Taylor, president, Sbgsigns.com said. "The exact sign customers want, when they want it, is our business philosophy."

The Web site offers many design choices and includes templates for cars, trucks, boats, windows, license plates, aluminum signs, bumper stickers, banners, and even custom clothing and accessory designs.

Sbgsigns.com is a spin-off of "Signs by Gina," and with its launch, moves a local sign shop into the world-wide Web. Customers from all over can now easily design, proof, and order through a series of user-friendly steps.

"Our 'no surprises policy,' guarantees that customers receive the exact design they want, because they do it themselves," Taylor, explained.

In addition, as a personal thank you from Sbgsigns.com, customers will receive 10 percent off their first order.

Customers can upload personal logos and photos to be added to any of the products that the site has to offer. There is also an extensive library of clip art and fonts. Graphics and lettering can be placed on the design object and changed at any point during the proofing process.

The sky is the limit when it comes to various items that can be customized and personalized. Items include: coffee mugs, mouse pads, golf bags, picture frames, awards and trophies, luggage tags and much more.

These personally-designed items can also be used for an array of gift-giving occasions such as birthdays, anniversaries, weddings, baby showers and graduations.

According to a California-based customer, the whole process was quick and easy, and the materials were first-rate.

Sbgsigns.com also works closely with trucking companies to design truck logos and lettering kits with company approved art, as well as sports memorabilia companies to design customized-gift items.

"We are so happy that we have been able to consistently grow our business," Taylor said. "We are adding new products and services all the time."

For more information, visit: www.sbgsigns.com.

Copyright © 2006 Send2Press® Newswire, a unit of Neotrope®
TAGS: Send2Press Newswire, Signs by Gina, personalized products

Cprint(TM) Affiliate Press Tech Chooses BRANDCONTROL.NET's BigCabinet 3.0(TM)

Fri, 16 Sep 2005 11:21:00 GMT

ELMHURST, Ill. - September 16 (SEND2PRESS NEWSWIRE) -- BRANDCONTROL.NET(TM), a Marketing Resource Management Systems developer and maker of patent pending software BigCabinet 3.0(TM), today announced that CPrint affiliate Press Tech, a Des Plaines, Illinois-based printer has signed up to use BigCabinet 3.0(TM) for online dynamic publishing of customer documents.

The software will help Press Tech cost-effectively generate print-ready documents online, while streamlining the overall production and ordering of marketing materials. Clients have already created dynamic documents solutions by integrating BigCabinet 3.0's detachable Wizard technology with their Web sites.

Bob Soske, general manager of Press Tech, researched many different options before deciding on BigCabinet 3.0. He sums up BigCabinet's advantages: "For us, it's BigCabinet's ability to upload original QuarkXPress jobs and turn them into dynamic documents in minutes. With BigCabinet there is no need for Web programming or using complex XML code to get jobs online; it's very easy to use. For our customers, it's the fact that BigCabinet integrates so easily with their existing Web site. Users of BigCabinet really enjoy using the simple interface; they compare it to using a standard word-processing application with Wizards."

About BigCabinet 3.0(TM)

BigCabinet 3.0(TM) is a turnkey browser-based solution that uses industry standard desktop publishing files and allows authorized users to repurpose the original documents without breaking brand or design rules. Everything from product information to editorial copy and images can be easily updated and customized through BigCabinet's easy-to-use Wizards. BRANDCONTROL.NET offers the application as an ASP, OEM, or server-installed solution that is customizable, extensible, and e-commerce ready.

About Press Tech and CPrint

Press Tech, a Des Plaines, Illinois-based CPrint(TM) affiliate, offers the latest in offset and digital printing technology. CPrint(TM) (Certified Printers International) has become the newest franchise in the printing industry. More than 100 independently owned printing companies from throughout North America are in the process of affiliating with the new organization.

CPrint(TM) companies will continue to use their own individual identities, but they will have the joint use of certain trademarks, brands, marketing materials, training, buying group, management services and other CPrint(TM) services to help increase sales and profits. www.inkpaperpride.com/index.html
www.cprint.org

About BRANDCONTROL.NET

The Elmhurst, Illinois-based organization founded by Chris J. Parker provides dynamic publishing solutions through its BigCabinet 3.0 application. The application is a culmination of Parker's design, print production, document delivery, and marketing automation expertise. As a former agency owner, print production consultant, marketing communications manager, and IBM world-wide business line manager, Parker founded BRANDCONTROL.NET with developing new technology that meets customer needs as the primary goal.

No other product has merged the needs of these disciplines into a turnkey browser-based application that is simple to use and completely customizable to meet your business needs.

For more information, visit the company's Web site at www.BRANDCONTROL.NET.

BRANDCONTROL.NET, 310 W. Lake Street, Elmhurst, IL 60126, 630.782.9400, 877.706.7795, info@brandcontrol.net.

BRANDCONTROL.NET(TM) Develops Integrated Preflight System in Response to Customer Demand

Mon, 12 Sep 2005 18:13:00 GMT

ELMHURST, IL -- September 12 (SEND2PRESS NEWSWIRE) -- BRANDCONTROL.NET, a Marketing Resource Management Systems developer and maker of BigCabinet 3.0, a turnkey browser-based solution that uses industry standard desktop publishing files and allows authorized users to repurpose original documents, announced today that it has released an Integrated Preflight system to help print professionals and system administrators keep tabs on the quality of files checked into BigCabinet 3.0.

When uploading QuarkXPress files and Graphics/Images, BigCabinet 3.0 will now preflight the file for you, giving you valuable data about colors, dots per inch, size, and versioning. "Our customers have told us how much money is lost when there are errors in preflight," says Chris Parker, president of BRANDCONTROL.NET. "We developed this feature because we understand how valuable it is to know before you print that an image in your collect for output is RGB, for example, or that a font is missing from the zip."

Specifically, BigCabinet 3.0 will indicate the following:

For Quark Xpress files:

* General Data: Page count, document width/height, date last modified, version of Quark used, file size (in kb)

* Publishing Data: All fonts in the document, all graphics in the document (type of graphic, DPI, RGB/CMYK), style sheets, H&Js, colors defined in document (e.g., CMYK, Pantone), trapping information, and list of color plates.

Graphic/Image

* Type of image (RBG/CMYK), DPI, width and height in pixels, color profile, color depth

About BigCabinet 3.0

BigCabinet 3.0 helps printers, print distributors, and their customers easily and cost-effectively generate print-ready documents online, while streamlining the overall production and ordering of marketing materials.

BigCabinet 3.0 is a turnkey browser-based solution that uses industry standard desktop publishing files and allows authorized users to repurpose the original documents without breaking brand or design rules. Everything from product information to editorial copy and images can be easily updated and customized through BigCabinet's easy-to-use Wizards. BRANDCONTROL.NET offers the application as an ASP, OEM, or server-installed solution that is customizable, extensible, and e-commerce ready.

About BRANDCONTROL.NET

The Elmhurst, Illinois-based organization founded by Chris J. Parker provides dynamic publishing solutions through its BigCabinet 3.0 application. As a former agency owner, print production consultant, marketing communications manager, and IBM world-wide business line manager, Parker founded BRANDCONTROL.NET with developing new technology that meets customer needs as the primary goal. No other product has merged the needs of these disciplines into a turnkey browser-based application that is simple to use and completely customizable to meet your business needs.

For more information, visit the company's Web site at www.BRANDCONTROL.NET.

BRANDCONTROL.NET(TM), 310 W. Lake Street, Elmhurst, IL 60126, 630.782.9400 or 877.706.7795, info @ brandcontrol.net.

Company Offers Animal-Friendly Alternative to Wisconsin Proposed Feral Cat Hunting

Fri, 24 Jun 2005 19:06:00 GMT

MADISON, WI - June 24 (SEND2PRESS NEWSWIRE) -- Before you decide to cast your vote for the inhumane killing of feral cats, consider your alternatives. Large Format Digital's CollidEscape (www.lfdcollidescape.com) perforated window treatment is the safe, effective means to bolster our state's bird population without the unnecessary killing of cats.

Current legislation is unfairly targeting "feral" or "wild" cats as the sole cause of premature death to our state's songbirds. Research by Daniel Klem Jr., a biologist at Muhlenberg College in Pennsylvania, conservatively estimates that every year over 100 million birds die as a result of hitting glass in the United States alone. Klem's studies show that glass in any form - large windows or small, in tall buildings or modest homes, even a car windshield - is a potential killer. More of these beautiful songbirds die each year from colliding with residential and commercial windows than die from cat attacks.

Klem, who has monitored various types of buildings in different settings, and conducted field and laboratory experiments to better understand the problem, believes that the much-publicized loss of birds to cats, oil spills and pesticide poisonings accounts for considerably fewer deaths than windows and glass walls.

Seemingly innocuous structures such as houses take a considerable toll on birds. Add to that the fact that more and more buildings are constructed using reflective materials and you see why this becomes a serious concern.

Based on this research, a group of animal lovers with the cooperation of F.L.A.P (Fatal Light Awareness Program) devised an inexpensive, highly-effective and aesthetically pleasing method of saving these birds from harmful collisions. The latest innovations in digital-printing combined with great advancement in digital print materials has allowed CollidEscape to provide animal-lovers a low cost and stylish means to combat fatal bird collisions.

Through our patented process, any image can be printed on our perforated materials and then easily applied to the outside of any home or commercial window. This provides a decorative look from the outside while covering clear glass that causes bird injuries. This same material is see-through from the inside and acts as a privacy shade from the outside.

This film adheres to the exterior surface of a window. Thousands of small perforations in this covering allow ample light to pass through the window to the interior, while substantially reducing the window's exterior reflectivity and transparency, the two characteristics that cause birds to collide with windows.

Other advantages include solar reflective features, a decrease in ultraviolet radiation, and the opportunity to observe nature up close (such as birds at a feeding station) without being noticed and disturbing the animal's activities. CollidEscape can also be used as a substitute for window blinds which will provide privacy during the day, or as a canvas for bright images or advertising messages.

For information: www.lfdcollidescape.com or 608-241-9533