Oak Creek Printworks

Young Wellesley entrepreneurs to sell greeting cardsPosted by Nancy Haberman on November 11th, 2011

While some store fronts stand empty in town center, a new cottage industry has sprung up in Wellesley this fall, and it’s run by sixth-grade social entrepreneurs.   Their product is recyclable greeting cards, and their manufacturing center is a couple of classrooms in Wellesley Middle School that constitute “House R.” Read more:

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.

Giveaway Ends with a Bang!Posted by Admin on July 5th, 2011

Several days ago we challenged our customers to rack up a $100 order, and if their sales receipt displayed #10,000, we promised to refund the full amount of the order, up to $100.

Today we’re happy to announce that we gave away $67.43 to one lucky customer. It’s only fitting that yesterday, as the United States of America celebrated its independence with fireworks, Oak Creek Printworks hit order #10,000 goal, ending our giveaway with a bang!

Congratulations, C.G., South Lion, Michigan.

Order Number 10,000 – Compliments of the HousePosted by Admin on June 13th, 2011

As we at Oak Creek Printworks celebrate our eighth year in business, we are quickly approaching order number 10,000!† It’s truly an exciting milestone for us, and we want to thank each and every one of our customers for your support in our efforts to supply printing, packaging, presentation and display products for artists selling prints and greeting cards.

*Because we want to include our customers in our celebration of this achievement, we’re awarding the lucky customer who “scores” sales order #10,000 with a refund of $100 on orders over $100. If sales order #10,000 is under $100, it will be refunded in full. We’re not too fond of rules, so we only have this one: orders placed by the same customer within 48 hrs. of another order are ineligible for this offer, and the next eligible order will qualify for the award. Customer’s name, image and website link will be published in our blog only if requested.

As our gift to the recipient of order number 10,000, we can hardly wait to give $100 back to you!

†NOTE: Order #10,000 was placed on July 4th and Oak Creek Printworks awarded the customer a total of $67.43, officially ending the promotion.

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.

Call for photographers & digital artistsPosted by Stephanie Ferguson on January 20th, 2011

2011 WIDE OPEN Photography & Digital Open Juried Art Show

Open to all photographers and artists who create works derived from photographic processes, the third annual Conejo Valley WIDE OPEN Photography & Digital Art Show will be held during the month of June at the Thousand Oaks Community Gallery, 2331-A Borchard Road, Newbury Park, CA 91320.

Entry forms are available at www.wideopenphotoshow.com and at the Thousand Oaks Community Gallery. Entry fees are dependent upon entry date. Applications postmarked by February 28 will enjoy the lowest entry fees. Postmark deadline for entry is April 15, 2011 with acceptance notifications announced on or before May 1, 2011. Take-in of accepted works will be June 1, 2011.

As a juried show, only the strongest entries, as determined by the jury based upon digital images submitted, will be invited to hang at the Thousand Oaks Community Gallery in June 2011. At that time, the Show will be judged and the Reception and Awards Ceremony will be held on Sunday, June 12, 2011.

This Show is made possible by the cooperative efforts of representatives from the Ventura County Camera Club, the TOPCC – Photo SIG, and the Westlake Village Art Guild. For more information, visit the Show’s website www.wideopenphotoshow.com or contact Craig Morton, Show Coordinator, at (818) 991-6158 or E-Mail to craignmorton@sbcglobal.net.

Display greeting cards on 3-tier rackPosted by Stephanie Ferguson on December 9th, 2010

More card and print displays are arriving here at Oak Creek Printworks weekly. We recently added a 3-tier clear acrylic card rack to our existing displays in order to provide an alternative to the larger, more expensive greeting card spinners. The 3-tier rack provides pockets that measure 5-5/8″ wide, and are 1-1/2″ deep.

If you want to display standard A7 greeting cards and an A7 envelope packaged in a clear plastic sleeve, each pocket comfortably holds 18 individually packaged cards, for a total of 54 cards in the entire rack. With an outside dimension of only 10-3/4″ high, 6-5/8″ deep and 5-3/4″ wide, the card display occupies only a small area of counter or table space. Its modular shape invites a companion rack. Place two, three or more racks side by side for more display space. Because of its versatile sizing, the display works equally well for 5″ x 7″ or 5-1/2″ x 8-1/2″ postcards, booklet, books, brochures, DVDs and more.

During this holiday season, artists and crafters are preparing greeting cards, note cards and a wide range of stationery items for boutiques, craft fairs and art shows.  Selling small prints, greeting cards and bookmarks gives artists and crafters a way to market their work and provide visibility to a select audience of people, and a lightweight, compact display is a great way to show your cards.