It has been proved in the advertising world that an advertisement in color produces 25 to 50 percent more business than one with no color. Why, then, do we not use color in our advertising efforts to bring people out to hear our message? Well-planned layouts and good printing set off to advantage what would otherwise be shoddy work with no attraction. I am sorry to say that among smaller printers there is lack of knowledge of how to turn out good work. It is therefore necessary that our evangelists have some knowledge of the essentials of good printing.
Let us think first of the paper. I would advise not using the cheaper newsprints, that is, those that have gone through a mechanical process in producing paper from wood to get the finished product. They contain such foreign matter as hard pieces of pulp, gum, and resin, which causes them to fade quickly, and they do not take a clear ink impression.
The best paper to use for handbills is a pure supercalendered paper which has passed through a mechanical process for purifying. and is calendered afterwards to give a good printing surface. Such paper is reasonably cheap and can be used with good results. There are better papers, of course, but the prices are generally prohibitive.
A printer has to cut handbills from stock sizes, and therefore the size of the bill required should be studied so that it will cut out of the sheet without waste. One standard size of stock is 17 x 22 inches, which cuts to advantage to 82 x 5%2-inch handbills. Another size is 30 x 40 inches, out of which bills 7 1/2 x 5 or 8 x 6 inches may be cut.
Not only does the paper vary in size, but it also varies in weight. In size 30 x 40 inches, the lightest weight made is fifty-two pounds, and it ranges up to sixty, seventy-two, eighty, and ninety-six pounds. The paper is bought by the pound; so, as you increase the weight of paper, you increase the cost of your printing.
The handbills we print for our evangelists have usually been printed on a 30 x 40 inch paper, 52-pound weight, and this has proved satisfactory in the majority of cases. A iodine screen is most suitable for handbill work on super-calendered papers ; for newspapers and posters, 6o-8o screen. We printed a million and a half handbills last year for our evangelists in the British Isles.
Posters should be printed on what is known as M. G. (machine-glazed) Poster. Some sizes for posters are 15 x 20 inches, 22 X 28, 20 X 30, 232 X 30, and 30 x 40.
When having a block or cut made from a photograph, give the printer a good blackand-white print to work from. The result will be much better than if a sepia or brown print were used, and there is no extra charge. There are two kinds of cuts—half tones made from photographs, and line cuts made from drawings.
Above all, go to a good printer!
