Oak Creek Printworks

Customer gets free packagingPosted by Admin on July 28th, 2011

“I actually did not know that this contest was going on but I am thrilled that I won!  That is huge!” said Christina Groat, owner and operator of Jillian by Design.

A2 Hanging Note card bag.

A2-1 note card boxes.

Jillian by Design, baby and toddler boutique, features handcrafted baby items and is named for Christina’s daughter, Jillian.

Christina was Oak Creek Printworks’ 10,000th online customer, and, in order to recognize this achievement, we announced we would give the 10,000th customer their order for free, up to $100, including shipping.

Christina’s order totaled $67.43. She used  the A2 Hanging note card bag to package her hand made “onsie stickers.” Thank you cards were packaged in A2-1 note card boxes.

A2 is standard industry-speak for an “announcement” style (square flap) envelope and note card. The A2 card measures 4.25 inches by 5.5 inches when folded. The A2 announcement envelope is slightly larger, measuring 4.375 inches by 5.75 inches, with the A2 card box topping out at 4.5 inches by 5.785 inches.

A2 boxes come in a range of depths from .25 inches, holding two to five cards and envelopes, up to two inches, holding anywhere from 18 to 30 card and envelopes, depending on their thickness.

Christina recently displayed her handcrafted baby-themed products at craft fair near her home in South Lyon, Michigan. You can see all of Christina’s handiwork which is available for purchase at her website, Jillian by Design.

Michelle Luft
Jillian by Design

Christina Groat Jillian by Design

Free Decorative Elastic Stretch Loop with A2-1/2 Box PurchasePosted by Admin on July 6th, 2011

Photography and note card design by Jon Seyster, Just Heavenly

Purchase any quantity A2-1/2 note card sized box and get a 10-inch elastic stretch loop absolutely free. For example: if you were to purchase 100 boxes, you would get 100 stretch loops in any of eleven different colors absolutely free, a $21 value. For the widest choice of 10-inch elastic stretch loop colors anywhere, choose from a metallic finish in Gold, Silver, Copper, Red, Green, Blue, and Purple. Elastic stretch loops also come in matte colors, Pink, Blue, Black and White.

A2-1/2 boxes are designed for note cards measuring 4.25 inches by 5.5 inches when folded and hold four to 10 note cards and matching A2 envelopes, which measure 4.375 inches by 5.75 inches.

Elastic stretch loops add a decorative element to dress up the greeting card box, and turn an ordinary box into a beautiful gift package. Stretch loops are an attractive marketing device that adds perceived value to the box of cards.

To get A2-1/2 boxes with free stretch loops, add the number of boxes you want to your shopping cart. Using the pop-up menu next to “Free Stretch Loops:”, choose any one of our eleven colors of the 10-inch loops. If you want multiple colors, say 50 silver and 50 gold, add 50 boxes choosing silver, continue shopping and choose another 50 boxes with gold stretch loops. Continue shopping to add any other products you want, and proceed to check out.

This valuable offer is good for a limited time only, while supplies last.

Oswald introduces the characters at Oak Creek ComicsPosted by Admin on April 5th, 2011

Oak Creek Comics is all about encouraging individuals to follow their passion, whether that passion happens to be creating or collecting art.

Comics, graphic novels, newspapers, magazines, Anime, note cards, greeting cards, baseball cards, Magic The Gathering® cards, etc. all have something in common. Artists want to preserve and protect their artwork, either for storage or for sale. Collectors want to protect their paper collectibles.

To that end, the characters at Oak Creek are following their passion by introducing Oak Creek Comics. From time to time, the Oak Creek Comics characters will appear in strips published on the Oak Creek Printworks blog, introducing you to the land, art and artists of Oak Creek.

And don’t forget, we’re always interested in helping artists follow their passion, so tell us what your passion is. Maybe we’ll feature your artwork and your story on our blog, and maybe you’ll be our next “featured artist.”

As always, we’re standing by to help you protect and display your artwork. Visit the Oak Creek Printworks Store to view the wide range of products for packaging and presenting artwork in any format.

If you’d like to see more Oak Creek Comics, then let’s go visit Oswald and the gang.

Clear bags protect greeting cards and morePosted by Nancy Haberman on March 18th, 2011

Clear bags aren’t just for greeting cards and note cards. These crystal clear sleeves have all the benefits of double-sided full color envelopes at a fraction of the cost. Clear bags are suitable to send through the U.S. postal service,  provided you follow a few simple rules.

A clean, white label area on the inside or outside of the package, preferably, but not necessarily, with a bar code. Bulk postage, bar code and address information can be printed directly on the the mailer, while postage stamps must be canceled; therefore they must be affixed to the outside of the sleeve in the proper position. It’s always best to check your design, printing and mailing plans with your local post office to confirm current postal regulations.

Benefits of clear mailers are huge. There’s no question that we’re hooked and will open “The Printer’s Glove of Choice!”. There’s some depth to the package, so surely there are samples inside, and the Golden Arches help seal the deal. The Aflac mailer, like all of Kaplan Thaler’s (Aflac’s ad agency), advertising, is enticing and clever. Because the envelope is see-through, the duck’s layered feathers reveal a unique die cut brochure, different enough to catch anyone’s eye and encourage them to open the envelope.  Aflac’s mailer does not disappoint, unless, of course, you were expecting sound effects.

You can find clear mailing envelopes in a variety of size and seal styles by clicking on this link on the clear bags page.

Pantone’s spring fashion colors fill out new tassel setPosted by Nancy Haberman on March 7th, 2011

Bookmark enthusiasts will find 10 each of 10 new spring fashion colors in this brand new tassel set. Save 20% by buying tassels in sets and be prepared to display your artwork or photos on bookmarks complemented by trendy colors.

In addition to artists, photographers and printers, bookmarks are an inexpensive and useful marketing tool for all sorts of businesses.

The designer has complete control over what’s printed or crafted on the fronts and back of the bookmarks. Customize or decorate the bookmark to make a great gift, a gift adornment, or a stocking stuffer.

Both the small and large vinyl bookmark sleeves are sold in the Oak Creek Printworks store, and have a hole punched at the end to string an adornment of beads, charms, or, to keep the price down, a 4-in chainette bookmark tassel.

Must-have business card sleeves for smart networkersPosted by Nancy Haberman on February 23rd, 2011

I’d been looking for an inexpensive giveaway to market my business at chamber and networking events, so when I ran across these clear vinyl business cards sleeves I realized that they are a ready-made promotional item for anyone who carries or collects business cards.

Not only will the holders help me promote my business, but they really are useful for the recipient, as well. I appreciate the fact that the card cases are inexpensive, and the more you buy, the less they cost. Because the vinyl is crystal clear, you can see easily see the card through the plastic so four faces are visible. The carrying case is sturdy, yet flexible enough to pack up to a couple of dozen cards, and folds to easily carry in a wallet, purse or pocket.

As it turned out, I wasn’t the only person who thought this was the best marketing tool for networking to come along since the calendar pen (I’ll save that one for another post). Now my fellow networkers are ordering these business card cases by the hundreds, so they can fill them with their cards to pass out to people they meet that might require their products or services. And, they especially love the fact that they can fill the case with any cards or message since no imprinting is required, making them extremely versatile when it comes to personalization. This card case is an inexpensive business marketing tool.

Photo mount bags put business cards in their placePosted by Nancy Haberman on February 14th, 2011

The business card-sized photo mount sleeve displays a business card or any other removable message. A card slides in easily and can be removed for safe keeping.

I’m always looking for inventive ways to attach and include a business card in business marketing and correspondence materials. As the designer for a local fitness training and dance studio, I was, once again, confronted with a problem.  I needed to design and print a door hanger on a limited budget. The specifications were precise: full color both sides, printed on 16 pt. card stock, include business card—no budget for a plastic bag, die cuts or perforated tear-off.

Peel the strips to reveal adhesive. Mount to door hangers, flyers, posters and more to include business card sized message.

Problem solved. This Business Card Crystal Clear Photo Mount stays securely mounted to paper and other surfaces. The sleeves are sealed on 3 sides and have an adhesive mounting strip on two ends. This is an inexpensive alternative to adding a custom die cut to the door hanger, folder, poster or flyer.

These tiny business card plastic bags turned out to be an elegant, yet inexpensive solution to another design problem.

School fundraisers feature student artworkPosted by Stephanie Ferguson on May 6th, 2010

OLMCS - Student art cards for sale in 2010 fundraiser

Our clients have great ideas. The mom’s at Our Lady of Malibu Catholic School decided to sell the children’s artwork as card sets for this year’s fundraiser. They printed up the cards, but were not sure how to package them. Following a little internet research, one of the moms visited us, wanting to see our clear plastic boxes. After trying a few different sizes to fit both the envelopes and cards in the same package, the result was a professional product for sale, worthy of any store or boutique. And economic too! In addition, the clear packaging allowed them to print a page to insert in the bottom of the box, profiling the artist and showing the prints enclosed.

Congratulations to all the budding artists at OLMCS, who now have the distinction of having sold their artwork. They are off to a great start.

Past clients include public and private schools, and Sister Cities International, which features artwork from children around the world. Take a look at some of their artwork. Perhaps it will inspire you. To check out packaging options, see recent blog article “Greeting card sets – a great marketing idea!” by David Heyman.

"Great Harvest" - ©2008, Sister Cities

"Quilt" - Weathersfield School

"Lions" - Montgomery High School

Greeting card sets – a great marketing idea!Posted by david on May 6th, 2010

By David Heyman

Often times when making your own greeting cards by hand, you may come up with several designs that naturally work well together. While you can sell each card individually, an interesting marketing strategy is packaging them together for a card set.

Whether tied in by theme, color, style or subject, you need to have a Read the rest of this entry »

Get your business card noticedPosted by david on April 29th, 2010

By David Heyman

Business cards are such a common marketing tool that many times they lose impact, are easily lost or put in a drawer and the design of many of them is quite forgettable.

Take this under-utilized advertisement of your business to the next level with some simple tips to make sure that no one ever tosses away your business card again:

• Put your cards into a clear business card sleeve. When sealed, this will protect your card from dirt and fingerprints, and ensure that your smooth, plastic coated card stands out in a pile of business cards.

Unsealed and sealed bags with business card

• To make an even bigger impact, use a piece of foam core to back your business card inside a sleeve. This adds depth, and such an inherent value to your card, that no one will think of throwing it away! Read the rest of this entry »