Queensland Printing

The Passion of Community Publications

2008-02-05T12:47:00.000+10:00

Misty Mountain - Stanthorpe through time.

Last week I loaded six pallets of books into the truck and drove off into the distance.
To make the agreed timeline and make sure their books arrived in good shape we decided to drive Rod Adam's latest book 'Misty Mountain' - Stanthorpe through Time to Stanthorpe ourselves.
We have known Rod & Ruth Adams for many years (since 1999) having helped them produce two previous historical volumes on Noosa and the Gubbi Gubbi people and Noosa Horizons, when they resided on the Sunshine Coast until 2004.
I enjoyed the 4 hour drive. It was a beautiful trip up through Cunningham's Gap with bellbirds in full voice. With the rain that has recently fallen over much of Queensland much of the countryside looked fresh and rejuvenated.
The Warwick district looked particularly alive. I did my business management degree at Gatton College and I was very much reminded of the good years in the Lockyer Valley.
Stanthorpe has certainly matured as a horticultural, wine and beef cattle region since my previous visits in transit to the NSW snowfields in the late 1970s. The energy of the area was obvious.
Helping people and organisations self publish is great fun. People only make the effort and take the risk of self publishing when they are passionate about their topic. Whilst we have become accomplished at taking the stress out of the practical process of print production we are rewarded with sharing the author's journey and their unbridled passion.
Misty Mountain is launched this weekend 8th February. Good luck Rod & Ruth.
Don

EcoBiz our Eco way forward

2008-01-23T13:56:00.000+10:00

Environmental Sustainability @ Qld Printing
In the second half of 2007 we became frustrated with the progress of the Queensland Printing Industry in getting a useable environment policy and procedures together. After considerable we believed that the Queensland Government Environment Protection Authority's EcoBiz program best suited our needs. http://www.epa.qld.gov.au/environmental_management/sustainability/ecobiz_queensland/

We are working on the EcoBiz Six Step process
Application form (done & accepted), Baseline assessment - assess
our resource consumption (underway), Site survey - conduct a ‘walk through’ of our business to identify opportunities for improvement, Action Plan - shows the eco-efficiency improvements to be made, Implementation - of ActionPlan items, Re-assessment - re-assess our resource consumption to demonstrate savings.

Whilst we took out the 2007 (Inaugural) Queensland Printing Industry's Environment Award we don't want to sit on our eco backsides in fact we are keener than ever to improve (reduce) our environmental footprint.

More on our website www.qprint.com.au

Environmental Awards

2007-11-27T09:29:00.000+10:00

On Friday night 23rd November the Queensland Printing Industry Awards were held at the Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre in Southbank, Brisbane.

One of the special moments of the night was to be the announcement of the winner of the Queensland Printing Industry's Environment Award. As this was the first time the environment had been recognised as an important part of the future of the printing industry here in Queensland it was to be a landmark moment.

We (Queensland Complete Printing Services) had entered this award having no idea how we might go. It had not been clear on what criteria the award would be judged. It was a bit like enter and hope.

Over the last 12 months we had placed a real emphasis on improving our environmental credentials including signed up for the Queensland Government EPA's Eco Biz program, substantially improved our recycling effort, commenced our 1000 trees project, begun developing our Environmental Management System and a whole of business Sustainability Report. We had also started talking to other green printers around Australia about forming a Green Printer's Alliance.

The announcement came - we had won this prestigious award.

We now look forward to reducing our environmental footprint even further and becoming a mentor to other manufacturers who want to make a real enviro effort.

Visit Us at www.qprint.com.au

Total E-Marketing

2007-09-27T15:23:00.000+10:00

E Marketing is a strategy and not a website
These days it seems almost compulsory that any business or community organisation must have a website. Having a website without an E marketing strategy is like having a Yellow Pages ad and placing it in the wrong category or leaving off the phone number.
Websites are essentially passive. They invisibly sit out in cyberspace hoping that someone will find them. They are like the genie in the bottle - invisible until rubbed but with incredible unleashed potential.

Unless websites are optimized (the highly skilled process of getting a website to climb the search engine ladder) and integrated into a broader marketing strategy, they are essentially a waste of resources.

E newsletters targeted to existing clients (and their needs) may well have much greater return than a website.

Blogs can bring people to a website.

These days most of us are time poor. We don't go wandering around cyberspace seeing who has updated their website and if by some stroke of luck this does happen unless the site has good functionality and speed the random visitor won't stay long enough to buy.

www.qprint.com.au

Enviro Update

2007-09-25T15:29:00.000+10:00

It’s not easy being green (In Queensland)
Funny Environmental Video

.......but nevertheless we give it a really good go.

We have a long term working relationship with the Sunshine Coast Environment Council and have recently become involved with the Sustainable Business Alliance, our local Shire Council’s Environment Department and have initiated communications with leading green printers around Australia to share ideas and build alliances so as to offer environmentally smart solutions to businesses and government departments who are planning major campaigns.

Don Parry, as the Communications and Planning Manager, attends appropriate conferences and forums, e.g. Global Warming Conference earlier this year. It is also his responsibility to keep up with magazines, E publications and websites in this area whether this is from the printing industry inc. paper manufacturers and suppliers and from the environment movement and government.

This month Don has been asked by the Sunshine Coast Environment Council, to be a judge for their2007 Sunshine Coast Environment (Frog) Awards in the area of environmental publications inc. content.

In the absence of a industry specific environmental program in Queensland we have signed up to the Queensland Government Environmental Protection Authority’s Eco Biz program. We have completed the application, been inspected by the local council’s environment officer and have a baseline assessment booked.

For more www.qprint.com.au

You can't judge a book by its cover

2007-09-06T09:04:00.000+10:00

We are often asked by potential self publishers how important is the cover design to the success of my book. It seems to me a terrible thing to have to say to an authors but in certain circumstances the cover is critical to the sales of a book.If your book is going to be sold through book shops, retail outlets or even on a multi listing format website it needs to stand out in the crowd. It needs to be noticed. Unless the cover grabs the potential buyer your contents will not be discovered.There are many components to cover design and these don’t stop with layout or printing. Covers can also be embossed, foiled eg. metalic gold or silver, uv varnished, as well as covered with a celloglaze (similar to laminating) that gives the cover a gloss and protects it against scuffing & marking.There are a number of factors that influence how much the potential buyer perceives a book is worth. Some of these factors are about perceptions of the content but others include the binding method (hard or case bound books are worth more than soft cover or paperbacks), the number of pages or thickness of the book and last but not least, how the cover looks.Our in house graphic artists have designed hundreds of covers. They also understand the practical aspects of cover design like spine width and positioning of barcode.We are happy to help you design a great looking cover for your book.

Q Print helps out Lions Emergency Accommodation

2007-08-22T15:21:00.000+10:00

We believe it is our responsibility as a successful business, to be a good community citizen.

A few weeks ago the opportunity arose to help out and we received a letter of appreciation today that said in part "Your donation has enabled our new Keys To Early Intervention in Homeless Services (KEIHS) to establish a computer network. This will assist staff to effect positive changes for people at risk of homelessness" Deborah Spanner, Co-ordinator.

We have recently installed a new (network) hub and by donating our old one we allowed an important community group to install a network.

New Website for Q Print

2007-08-22T14:48:00.000+10:00

With the arrival of young graphic designer, Steve Malcolmson, we have finally had the time resource within our design department to create a new, client focused website.

Steve is a graduate of Design College Australia www.designcollege.com.au

Please have a look at the website www.qprint.com.au and give some feedback via this site or his email address steve@qprint.com.au if you prefer.

Steve is now working on a great 2008 Calendar project and funky new website for Igniteqp.

Your feedback would be very valuable.

All that is old is new again in Marketing

2007-08-02T10:15:00.000+10:00

In the late 1970s I did Marketing as part of a business management degree. Some of my recollections include:- Sell the Sizzle not the Steak (a reference to telling the reader what is in it for them rather than the product details), Attention Interest Desire & Action (the order in which a sales message is written), the best advertising is Word of Mouth (now called viral marketing), Write your Sales Message as if you are writing to one person.

Over the last month I have attended a great Direct Mail seminar hosted by Australia Post and an equally enlightening E Newsletter seminar hosted by State Development www.sdi.qld.gov.au The workshop/seminar was conducted by Derek Brown. Derek operate a Maroochydore based E Newsletter business with clients across Australia. www.usingthenet.com.au

A lot of the messages about the process were the same as in the 1970s. What had changed was the mediums eg. email, e newsletter, website, sms, blog and the ability to track the results using these new electronic marketing mediums. There is a place for mass mail, direct mail and personalized mail. In these time poor, electronic times it is about a well branded integrated marketing strategy.

Don Parry
www.qprint.com.au

Saying Thank You

2007-07-24T08:21:00.000+10:00

Sometimes it is as simple as saying "Thank you"

This week saw a great example of saying Thank You.

We have recently taken on a new client who had a massive challenge of puting together all the components for a government project on time and to budget.

You know the type - presentation folder with pockets for brochures, facts sheets, booklet and CD.
Whilst our digital press was ideal for many components we needed the help of two larger Brisbane based printers to do components that were too big for us (sheet size).

The deadline was yesterday afternoon. Both Brisbane printers rang early in the morning to say that the job was ready - some 6 hours ahead of the deadline. We perceived this as a special effort on their behalf so on my way to pick the jobs up I called into Bakers Delight and bought both businesses a few buns and scones for their morning tea accompanied by a thank you card.
Both businesses sent emails back to work expressing their appreciation. It showes that such a small thing (a few buns and scones) can mean so much.

If you are looking to build better relationships within your supply chain; with suppliers, staff and sub contractors may I suggest the answer may be as simple as saying Thank You.

For more customer testimonials go to www.qprint.com.au

Community Printing

2007-07-24T07:51:00.000+10:00

WE REALLY WANT TO HELP YOUR CLUB, SCHOOL, CHURCH OR COMMUNITY ORGANISATION
We could tell you that we have been printing on the Sunshine Coast in Queensland for 24 years,
OR
that we have taken out many state and national awards for our printing including the most prestigious Judges' Choice at the Queensland Printing Awards for the last two years in a row.
OR
that we have received the Queensland Government's Business Excellence & Innovation Award for our size printing business for the last three years in a row
OR
that we are a 2007 state finalist in this year's Telstra Business awards (judged in August)
when all we really want to let you know is that we care about our local community and the community organisations that make such a contribution to the quality of life of all locals. Charities, churches, sporting, environmental, business and special interest groups all make up the fabric of our society and so do responsible businesses.
We have already helped hundreds of community organisations over the years to produce their newsletters, raffle tickets, posters, programs, brochures, team books, annual reports, commemorative history books etc etc.
We work hard to minimize the fuss for you and deliver (on time) a quality job at a price far less than you might think.

Don Parry
PS Most of our staff are very involved in community organisations. We understand what it is to be a volunteer.

For more information about our business go to www.qprint.com.au

The Facts on Recycled paper - What are they

2007-07-23T09:02:00.000+10:00

The answer seems to be getting ever more complex.

More and more government departments, businesses, community groups and the general public are wanting to either 'do the right thing' or be seen to be 'doing the right thing' by the environment and heading towards recycled paper as the simple solution. Unfortunately it is just not that simple anymore.

Kristina Holdorf (an advocate for environmental innovations within the print and paper industry with an indepth understanding of certification systems, corporate social responsibility and green procurement) writes in this month's Print 21 magazine "Over the past couple of months I've had a number of 'independent reports' from paper mills come across my desk, all trying to outdo themselves in the environmental arena................I must admit that in most conversations with print/paper buyers their view is that recycled is best. I'll let you in on a trade secret...it depends." www.urbanfreshservices.com

The truth seems to lie within a complex maze of questions about bleaching, water use, energy use, de-inking and the energy to collect, sort & transport post consumer waste to and from the recycling process." David Peck (Managing Director of Tasmanian print firm Sprinta) in the same edition suggests that it is clean and not green that people are really looking for. "Unfortunately customers are being blinded by marketing hype now known as 'green washing' - companies and products stating they are 'green' with no reality behind the claim."..... "Clean as opposed to the marketing term 'green' is what they should be looking for." David argues if we look for clean rather than green we will get a better environmental outcome.

In the article 'Clearing the Air' - Print 21 magazine article Simon Entickap states"It's a mess, isn't it? With so many claims and counter-claims, knowing what to think, who to believe and, most importantly, what to do in order to be environmentally responsible seems ever more complex and confusing. Well, there are good reasons for this state of affairs but they shouldn't be used as an excuse for inaction" before going on to talk about carbon issues.

I now believe, after reading all the information I can lay my hands on, that recycling is still important and has its place in a balanced environmental solution but it is not the simple solution as it isn't always the most environmentally friendly way to go.

At the most basic level - if it is white, premium grade paper that is required then recycled is not the answer.

Most recycled papers are used in packaging grades, newsprint and tissue products and that seems a good environmental choice. We all want to reduce landfill but not create a new monster.
The three natural resources that need to be factored into the equation are
AIR, WATER & TREES

Very little paper comes from old growth forests these days. Plantations specifically grown for paper production are in themselves a positive contributor to carbon sequestration.
Insisting on recycled paper for white or premium quality print jobs makes no environmental sense. Do we ask for recycled wood for housing construction? We probably hope it is plantation timber and not old growth forest timber but we have no expectation that the timber is recycled. Around 75% of all plantations are grown for timber products not pulp so why do we impose a different set of criteria?

There appears a desperate need to inform consumers of white and premium quality papers to focus their environmental focus towards clean, sustainable, environmentally certified processes. It could be argued the process of manufacture is far more important to the environmental outcome than the source of the pulp and to consider the environment just in terms of trees without the AIR & WATER implications is at best naive.

Don Parry
Communications & Planning
www.qprint.com.au

Queensland Complete Printing Services is a Queensland finalist in the Telstra Business Awards

2007-06-29T10:35:00.001+10:00

We have been officially notified that Queensland Complete Printing Services is a Queensland finalist in the Telstra Business Awards.

The Telstra Business Awards program was introduced by Telstra in 1992 to recognise the achievements and enterprising spirit of small businesses across Australia. Formerly known as the Telstra Small Business Awards, the program was developed to help profile Australian businesses.

In 2006, the name of the program changed to the Telstra Business Awards (formerly the Telstra Small Business Awards). Through market research Telstra identified that customers do not want to be perceived as ‘small’ businesses. In addition, with award categories catering for businesses with up to 100 employees, the new name better represents the nature of the program and its evolution over the past 15 years.

The Telstra Business Awards are organised on business size (based on number of employees), making it easy to choose the appropriate category for each entrant.

The winner of each of the five categories is eligible to be named the State or Territory Telstra Business of the Year (except for the AMP Innovation Award Winners). The state winners in all categories will be named at an Awards Dinner at the Hilton Hotel in Brisbane on 7th August.

The Telstra Australian Business of the Year Award will be awarded to one of the eight State or Territory winners.

We are entered in the 6-20 employee category which is sponsored by MYOB.

Whilst we have won many state and national awards for the printing industry this is the first time we have entered a competition where we are up against businesses outside the printing industry.

We are excited to have made it this far and have our fingers crossed at progressing further.
Visit www.qprint.com.au for more info

Community Colour

2007-06-29T10:26:00.000+10:00

We can offer you high quality colour printing at very affordable prices.

I don't wish to bore you with the technical details but with advances in technology we have never been in a better position to offer local community organisations (schools, churches, sporting clubs, special interest groups and community organisations) real colour printing at rates previously only available through a lesser quality colour copying process.

Not only is it now possible to give you quality printing at affordable prices we can also provide surprisingly short turnaround times.

We have been printing on the Sunshine Coast since 1983 and whilst we have received many state and national awards for business excellence, innovation, printing craftsmanship and the environment we haven't forgotten where we come from. We care about the community and want to be good community citizens.

If you have a project coming up from a brochure to attract new members or promote an event, an annual report or a sponsorship proposal give us a call on 5441 7775 or email me don@qprint.com.au and I will do my best to help you out.
www.qprint.com.au

Launch of Warm 07'

2007-06-04T09:25:00.000+10:00

On Friday night 1st June Queensland Complete Printing Services created a display of books and personalised boxes for the launch of Warm (Writers, Artists & Readers Month) 07 held at Sajun Legal in Maroochydore.

Over the last few years we have been recognised by the Queensland printing industry as a leader in book printing and this will be a fun way to show the Sunshine Coast literary community what we are capable of producing. We will showcase the books that have taken out the prestigious Judge's Choice at the last two Queensland printing industry awards nights.

"We are pleased to be able to support this great new community event and local writers. Without writers and publicity for their work there is no book printing industry. We are very proud of what we have been able to achieve and it will be fun to show this to our fellow Sunshine Coasters." Anne Blacklaw, Managing Director.

What is WARM?

WARM07, Writers, Artists, Readers Month, is a festival of events being organised by the Sunshine Coast Literary Association Inc throughout June 2007. The events are planned to complement and enhance the Noosa Long Weekend and Voices on the Coast Festival.

What are WARM’s Missions and Objectives?

The Writers, Artists and Readers Month - WARM 2007 - is a literary festival to nurture, showcase and celebrate talent, particularly on the Sunshine Coast.

During the month a large number of events will be held that provide:

• skills development to nurture talent

• events and activities to showcase talent

• ceremonies and awards to celebrate talent.

More information & Bookings

For more information, visit www.warmwriting.org

For bookings visit www.theeventscentre.com.au or phone 5491 4240

Five return from PrintEx 07 with Fresh New Ideas.

2007-06-04T09:09:00.000+10:00

On the 24th, 25th and 26th, five staff from Queensland Printing attended the national printing industry exhibition (PrintEx 07') in Darling Harbour, Sydney to keep in touch with the future directions of the printing industry.

Don attended two of the forums Control your Future which looked at insights and strategies for survival and success in an increasingly complex printing industry and Digital Dilemmas which looked at making sense of the array of impacts, technologies and issues caused by living in and supplying to a digital world.

Anne and our IT Industry Placement student Cameron searched through the maze of new software available to the graphic design and printing industry before meeting up with Don for a trip to a spectacular new technology park for a guided tour and lunch with Fuji Xerox.

"We are particularly interested in a piece of personalisation software that Fuji Xerox have. It will change the printing industry as we now know it and we want to be one of the first on this new wave of digital transformation" said Managing Director, Anne Blacklaw.

On Friday night Anne attended the National Print Awards before meeting up with Steve and Jason on Saturday morning to look over all the big boys toys.

"To stay in front as an industry innovator we just have to attend these events. To not know what is happening and more importantly what will happen in our industry is to be left behind" said Don Parry.

Visit www.qprint.com.au for more info

Local Partnership a Case study in Sustainable Business best practice.

2007-06-04T08:46:00.000+10:00

The environmental impact of Small to Medium Enterprises and their capability to drive sustainability is often underestimated. It is interesting to note that an estimated 99% of companies in Australia employ under 100 people and that these enterprises are responsible for 60% of employment. While we are still researching their exact contribution to GDP , it is clear that the cumulative impact of small business is significant both in terms of wealth generation and environmental degradation.

Research conducted in 1999 demonstrated that 65 % of operators in the retail and service sectors believed sustainability was either important or vital to their business. This attitude was closely linked to their day to day hands on experience with consumers. Several years later and after the unhappy consequences of Climate Change related impacts, such as water scarcity and increased power costs, we are finding SME’s are becoming more aggressive in their pursuit of sustainability.

The Environmental issues most important to SME’s tend to be Waste management, Water efficiency and Energy efficiency. Most SME’s attempt to address these in their business through their own personal drive and using their own time and funds. This is a significant drain on already strained resources and many times cannot be maintained.

To improve their capability to implement sustainability, the SME simply requires access to the right knowledge and financial assistance. The SME does not wan’t newsletters, web sites, or consultations which cost money or waste time. They do want fast and effective ways of innovating their business to enhance their environmental performance and their bottom line.

The SBA has been formed to deliver this. It provides

1. the networks, partnerships and information needed to innovate.

2. the links to financial assistance (tax concessions, subsidies or direct financial incentives) and

3. the sustainability branding and media exposure to ensure their hard work and commitment is known to the consumer.

The benefits of the SBA for our local business community were underlined when Justin met with Don Parry of Queensland Complete Printing services to discuss business sustainability.

QCP is typical of SME’s in that they have invested a significant amount of their own time and resources to learn about Climate change, global warming, carbon sequestration, carbon trading, carbon taxes and carbon emissions targets.

QCP managing director Anne Backlaw was not satisfied with what she found. "It will be months or years before local, state and the federal government come up with carbon trading schemes and the like. We don't want to wait for governments to lead the way.

Armed with the facts QCP then implemented a plan and created a partnership with a local community group Florabunda Bushcare to demonstrate how an SME in Nambour can do its bit to reduce Carbon emissions.

It is a simple and effective plan whereby the QCP fund the planting of 1000 trees in the local area. The trees will be propagated at the Florabunda Bushcare nursery and then gifted to organisations such as schools and not for profit groups to assist local creek revegetation, landcare and community planting projects. Florabunda will assist community organisations in selecting appropriate species as well as information about planting, ongoing maintenance and care. All that community organisations have to do is visit the Florabunda nursery at the end of Laidlaw Road at Woombye and they can get the trees and advice they need.

Justin Holbrook estimates that the successful implementation of the project has the potential to deliver upto 1,000,000 tonnes of Carbon dioxide sequestration over the life of the scheme. Clearly the Queensland Complete Printing Services will be making a significant and demonstrable contribution to both its environmental and community goals. Not only that, QCP will be supporting a community tree planting organisation and maximizing the environmental return to the local area.

But the story doesn’t end there. The carbon sequestration scheme is part of bigger environmental policy being implemented by the company. Plans are underway now to reduce the organisations waste generation and also its energy and water consumption.

Queensland Complete Printing service is defining itself as a clear leader in sustainable business ethics and practices. They are pragmatic, highly informed and taking action. The Sustainable Business Alliance is looking forward to working with the QCP team to implement their next generation of Sustainable Business practices.

To find out more about Queensland Complete Printing's Environmental printing go to www.qprint.com.au or email us at enquiries@qprint.com.au

Family at Work

2007-05-09T09:13:00.000+10:00

We have often spoken of the relationships at Queensland Printing being more like a family than work relationships.

This week we have had a few major events to celebrate.

Firstly, production coordinator and long term employee Steve Pitcher and his wife Sam have a healthy baby boy. Jacob Steven Pitcher was born on 3rd May in the Nambour General Hospital. His birth weight was 8lb 14oz (4025g). Our congratulations to Sam & Steve.

Secondly, our relatively new graphic designer, Warwick Bentley leaves today to have a few weeks off to get married and enjoy his honeymoon. All the best to Warwick and his bride Ammi. Everyone at Qld Printing wishes you both a very special wedding day.

Find out more about us visit www.qprint.com.au

Environmental Perspective

2007-04-10T11:49:00.000+10:00

I found this quote the other day. Tt really hit a cord with me and I wanted to share it.

Queensland Printing has always been an environmentally conscious printer but lately we have been working on some really innovative initiatives that will go very close to making our print manufacturing operation carbon neutral.

"Think of the climate as a small boat on a rather choppy ocean. Under normal circumstances the boat will rock to and fro, and there is a finite risk that the boat could be overturned by a rogue wave. But now one of the passengers has decided to stand up and is deliberately rocking the boat ever more violently. Someone suggests that this is likely to increase the chances of the boat capsizing. Another passenger then proposes that with his knowledge of chaotic dynamics he can counterbalance the first passenger and indeed, counter the natural rocking caused by the waves. But to do so he needs a huge array of sensors and enormous computational resources to be ready to react efficiently but still wouldn't be able to guarantee absolute stability, and indeed, since the system is untested it might make things worse. So is the answer to a known and increasing human influence on climate an ever more elaborate system to control the climate? Or should the person rocking the boat just sit down?"

— Gavin Schmidt, NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies,

To learn more on our environmental perspective visit www.qprint.com.au or email us at enquiries@qprint.com.au

Self Publishers Online

2007-04-04T10:16:00.000+10:00

Great news for the writers and readers of books!!!!

This week, award winning Sunshine Coast printer, Queensland Complete Printing Services, has launched a website to assist Australian self publishers promote and sell their books.

Managing Director, Anne Blacklaw said " We have been helping people print their books for almost 20 years now and whilst we have been recognised as an industry leader in book printing we identified the final area self publishers needed help was in how to sell their books. We see www.selfpublishersonline.com.au as playing a significant role in putting writers and readers together. We have been working on this website for almost a year and it is great to finally have it out there".

These days traditional publishers seem to only want to back bestsellers yet technology allows shorter and shorter runs of books to be financially viable. Worldwide self publishing is taking off. More titles are being printed via self publishing than ever before.

Self published books are about passion. They express the passion of the writer which is often the culmination of a long love affair with their chosen area of interest. From cooking to health, humour to history, science to sport.... more and more people are expressing their love for a specific topic via the medium of self publishing and are enthusiastic about sharing their stories with people who share their passion.

If you love books as either a reader or writer then this website is worth a look.

Email us on enquiries@qprint.com.au or visit our website at www.qprint.com.au

Branding

2007-03-12T11:13:00.000+10:00

Over the past couple of weeks Kane (one of our Igniteqp graphic designers) did a series of logos for the Queensland Junior Rugby Union State Championships. The QJRU were looking to give their state championships a more professional image so they could go out into the marketplace and attract corporate sponsorship to support the ever increasing costs of running the event and in getting the participants from north Queensland to the event.

After initially having the logo designs approved Kane produced a mock up of a colour poster promoting the event (which included actual sponsor logos) and using our digital printing technology we produced personalised sponsorship proposals for each potential corporate partner.

Last week the QJRU sponsorship person had a meeting with the first of their identified potential corporate partners and received a very favourable hearing from this multi-national corporation. She has told us that the words THE BEST PRESENTATION were used in the conversation.

I believe that this is an excellent example for sporting, community, charity and faith based organisations. There is some serious competition out there for the business sponsorship dollar and just asking for a hand out doesn't cut it anymore. A well written, professional presentation is essential. Sponsors want outcomes both for themselves and for the organisation they are potentially supporting. In other words they want to see a return on their investment both for themselves (measured by sales, brand loyalty, brand positioning, public relations) and a benefit to the organisation greater than just the dollars they have supplied. How will the sponsorship be invested to gain long term benefits to the organisation? They also want to be confident their brand won't be damaged by the association.

Branding is not just a logo. It is how an organisation is seen each and every time they go out into their community and the general public. Stationery, email, website, staff clothing, vehicle & building signage, publicity, advertising etc are all part of an organisation's brand. It is essential to have a recogniseable brand and then absolutely essential to protect it.

If community organisations are not getting the results they want then I suggest spending some time on their strategic planning and brand development. These two steps are actually really interesting and often re-invigorate an organisation. In essence they help you see what you want to achieve and how to get there.
Learn more visit www.qprint.com.au or email us on don@qprint.com.au

Brad does really well at college

2007-02-26T10:24:00.000+10:00

We have just received Brad's report card from his first block apprenticeship training towards becoming a tradesman printer. It was no surprise to us that he received an outstanding assessment. He was rated as having an excellent attitude and this was only the start of the story. He also received Honours standards in the subjects of Underpinning Knowledge and Practical Applications.

Brad is the youngest member of our production team and is our first ever apprentice printer. In the work environment Brad operates our two colour/perfecting printing press and is under the supervision of both Jason and Paul who are our state & national recognised award winning tradesman printers. Brad has been challenged by them to be commercially productive and produce the highest standard of work from very early in his training and he has responded well to their challenge.

We searched long and hard to find just the right person when selecting an apprentice printer and we were generally disappointed in the people who were sent to attend interviews. Brad came in the front door unsolicited. He had already decided he wanted to be a tradesman printer and was determined to achieve his goal. Brad comes from a family where other members have worked in the printing industry. His positive attitude was just what we were looking for and we are pleased his training is working out so well.

Don't tell him but we are very proud of his progress and achievements to date.

Learn more visit www.qprint.com.au or email us on enquiries@qprint.com.au

Benchmarking

2007-02-15T09:40:00.000+10:00

Last week six members of the Queensland Printing staff sat down for several hours with Scott Breust, who is a senior State Development Officer with the (Queensland) Department of State Development, to go through the Manufacturing Microscope benchmarking tool. This allows us to benchmark our business against 2000 other progressive printers from around Australia and the world. This process measures the performance and practices of our business, then compares the results with other participants within our market. The data obtained from these benchmarks provides us with a great insight into our relative strengths and weaknesses and will allow us to be at the forefront of continuous improvement within the Australian printing industry.

It was interesting to see that none of the 2000 printers worldwide were considered to operate their businesses within world's best practice compared to manufacturers generally. Our results were very encouraging. We were on the top end of the graph and less than 10% away from world's best practice. Our goal will now be that last 9%.

We are now looking at some new print production technology and looking to work with a Queensland based company QMI on a manufacturer's evaluation process called Value Stream Mapping.

Over the last four years our business has gone from strength to strength by working on the business rather than in the business. Our goal of being the best has helped us provide better service and services to our clients as well as drastically increase our productivity whilst improving our quality and reducing our costs.
Learn more visit www.qprint.com.au or email us on enquiries@qprint.com.au

Have you thought about writing a book?

2007-02-15T09:16:00.003+10:00

Sadly very, very few aspiring authors and particulary those with books that publishing houses perceive have limited potential, or only a niche market to sell to, will be able to get a contract from a publishing house. Publishing houses in Australia have become incredibly economically conservative and seldom take a risk on an unproven author. Publishers may reject hundreds of books for every manuscript they show interest in. Seldom are mainstream publishing houses the answer for aspiring authors.

Up until some relatively recent breakthroughs in technology and niche quality book printers like ourselves the unknown author was faced with only a few daunting options:

Doing it yourself by yourself including ISBN, copyright, barcode, editing, layout, designing a cover, finding a printer; arranging storage, arranging marketing, publicity and distribution; creating a website, arranging electronic payment, receiving orders, packaging and postage, invoicing, collecting accounts etc. etc. or give up.

We can now offer Australian self publishers a number of printing options and all the help you need with design, distribution and some innovative selling ideas.

It has been almost 20 years since we helped our first author/self publisher and it was quite a task back then. It wasn't until the arrival of the personal computer that self publishing really became viable. Now with more powerful computers, better software, the internet, email, direct to plate and digital printing technologies self publishing is a much faster process and far cheaper.

As you can see on our home page - you can now print your book for an investment of under $1500. (Conditions Apply) Send me an email asking anything at don@qprint.com.au you might like to know about printing your book. www.qprint.com.au

What digtal printing can mean for self publishers

2007-02-15T09:16:00.001+10:00

On our home page you may have noticed our offer of being able to publish your own book for under $1500 (Conditions Apply).

Up until the arrival of digital technology book runs probably weren't really viable until a minimum run of 500 books which meant a probable investment of over $5000. With our recent investment into a high quality HP Indigo digital printer we can now do print runs as low as one book. Books on family history or on a town or region's history, that had only limited appeal outside the family or region were either too expensive to produce or had to be done using substandard technologies eg. photocopying and/or substandard binding methods eg. stapling.

It is now an exciting new world for people who wish to print a book. Never before has it been so possible to print your own book. Send me an email, give Anne or I a phone call or drop in if you are in the neighbourhood. This is really exciting stuff. Visit our website at www.qprint.com.au

As A Self Publisher

2007-02-15T09:14:00.000+10:00

You stay in control of your book’s copyright, content, appearance and selling price. This is not the case if you go through a publisher.You own & retain 100% of the copyright of your book. By self publishing you keep your options open. You can take your book to a publisher after you have proven its potential which puts you in a much stronger bargaining position. Even better still publishers may approach you when they notice your impact in the market. Other possibilities like movie rights, translation rights, serialization in newspapers are still open and yours to control and retain the income that might come from these sales. ‘Selling’ the rights to a publisher early removes control and a significant percentage of the income from all these options. "Your book, your way." You decide on the text, images, layout, cover design, size and retail price. You retain control over marketing and the marketing message. Whilst we, as experienced printers for self publishers, can help and guide you through the (self) publishing journey and whilst we can even help you with marketing, public relations, publicity and distribution ideas you always have the final say.Self publishing is usually about passion and by self publishing you keep your flame burning brightly.
Find our more options by visiting us at www.qprint.com.au
or emailing us at enquiries@qprint.com.au

You can’t judge a book by its cover

2007-02-15T09:12:00.000+10:00

We are often asked by potential self publishers how important is the cover design to the success of my book. It seems to me a terrible thing to have to say to an authors but in certain circumstances the cover is critical to the sales of a book.

If your book is going to be sold through book shops, retail outlets or even on a multi listing format website it needs to stand out in the crowd. It needs to be noticed. Unless the cover grabs the potential buyer your contents will not be discovered.

There are many components to cover design and these don’t stop with layout or printing. Covers can also be embossed, foiled eg. metalic gold or silver, uv varnished, as well as covered with a celloglaze (similar to laminating) that gives the cover a gloss and protects it against scuffing & marking.

There are a number of factors that influence how much the potential buyer perceives a book is worth. Some of these factors are about perceptions of the content but others include the binding method (hard or case bound books are worth more than soft cover or paperbacks), the number of pages or thickness of the book and last but not least, how the cover looks.

Our in house graphic artists have designed hundreds of covers. They also understand the practical aspects of cover design like spine width and positioning of barcode.

We are happy to help you design a great looking cover for your book.

Email us on enquiries@qprint.com.au or visit our website at www.qprint.com.au

Self-publishing journey starts in Long Tan

2007-02-15T09:11:00.000+10:00

Lieutenant Colonel Charles Mollison has achieved a lot since he led his men home from Vietnam in 1967, but the men and memories from the 12-months spent there still inspire him today. Part of that inspiration has been channelled into a book, Long Tan and beyond: Alpha Company 6 RAR in Vietnam 1996-67.
Charles spent four-and-a-half years writing the memoir, which he describes as a labour of love. He also took charge of the end product by self-publishing.
Charles admits the self-publishing journey has been a steep learning curve. He’s had to learn how to market and promote the book, and become skilled at posting and packaging.

“Printing the book was easy. I was fortunate to find a local company who specialised in book printing. The people at Queensland Complete Printing gave me great advice on what to do and what not to do,” he said.
“Self-publishing gave me the freedom to choose the paper quality, cover design and the overall look and feel of the book, and I’ve had a lot of positive feedback on it,” he said.
Recently, Charles enlisted the help of a distributor, a decision which saw the book’s sales double to more than 8,500 copies sold.
Charles regularly gets phone calls from people who are thinking about self-publishing and want a few guidelines. His advice is to have a firm idea of how you want the book to look.
“In the very early stages you need to think about how you want the book marketed because that governs the quality of the production and the price,” Charles said. “You also need a very clear idea of who your market is and how big it is.”
Recent changes in digital printing technology means self-publishers no longer need to print a thousand copies to make it economical. Queensland Complete Printing recently installed a digital printer that allows printing of just one book, or ten, or whatever quantity is required at a fraction of the pre-digital cost.
For those budding writers out here, Charles highly recommends self-publishing, and for those interested in reading an authentic account of young Australians involved in one of modern history’s most controversial conflicts, this writer highly recommends ‘Long Tan and beyond’.
Find out more email us on enquiries@qprint.com.au or visit our website at www.qprint.com.au

Excellence in Printing...Again!

2007-02-15T09:10:00.000+10:00

At Friday night’s Queensland Printing Industries Craftsmanship Awards, held at the Sofitel in Brisbane, Queensland Complete Printing Services (QPrint) demonstrated yet again that the highest levels of printing expertise can be found right here on the Sunshine Coast.

Taking a standout total of 9 Awards, including the two most prestigious awards for the night, saw QPrint continue to establish themselves amongst the printing elite in Queensland. A right usually reserved for large print houses located in Brisbane.
For the Third consecutive year, QPrint has won the outstanding Queensland State Government’s Business Excellence and Innovation award, whilst again winning the most prestigious award of the night, Judges’ Choice. The Business Excellence and Innovation award recognises contributions made by the company to the industry overall, whilst the Judges’ choice award recognises the best printing work submitted in Queensland. The remainder of the total saw 3 gold, 1 silver and 3 bronze.

Find out more at www.qprint.com.au

or email us on enquiries@qprint.com.au

When asked about the Business Excellence and Innovation award Director Anne Blacklaw said “It’s an honour to receive this award. We’ve previously won this award in the category for businesses with ten employees or less, twice! This year we were competing with businesses that employ up to thirty people.”
“These awards aren’t about me,” said Anne. “The awards are about our staff. Without the staff ? their team spirit and their high standards, we’d be nowhere. Near enough is never good enough for them ? they aim for perfection every time.”

Both the Judges’ Choice award and gold medal for book printing were awarded for a book titled ‘Kids of Tasmania’ which a special leather bound version was presented to Prince Fredrick & Princess Mary of Denmark.

Innovations at Queensland Printing within the past twelve months include the addition of the Indigo HP digital printing facility, enabling personalized printing of anything from posters to books within minutes. The added benefit of this service is the ability to do small print runs, allowing authors to test their market before investing large sums of money into their project.

Taking Marketing to New Levels

2007-02-15T09:07:00.000+10:00

Queensland Complete Printing Services and two of its long term clients, High Tech Health www.hightechhealth.com.au and Biolytix www.biolytix.com, are about to embark on a program of testing the boundaries of personalisation. Using our HP Indigo digital press, XMPie personalisation software & InDesign software we will explore the boundaries of modern personalisation. Our goal is to significantly increase the response rate and sales generated from their newsletters and other printed material. This is a really exciting piece of research & development. As we learn what we can do by marrying High Tech's database to their message we should be able to achieve some outstanding results that will reaffirm High Tech as market leaders.

This research project will be overseen by final year Information Technology student Cameron Parry. Cameron is doing the Industry Placement component of his Information Technology degree from Griffith University with us.

This project is a great example of engaging in cooperation to achieve a significant result. From what we learn we can help many clients take on the brave new world of marketing.
Learn more visit www.qprint.com.au or email us on enquiries@qprint.com.au

Customer sends thanks

2007-02-15T09:04:00.000+10:00

Family Challenge recently thanked Queensland Printing for its ongoing service to its organization. Family Challenge presented Queensland Printing with these flowers thanking them for constant great service & delivery whenever it was required.
For more information go to Queensland Printing website or email us on enquiries@qprint.com.au
or you may like to look at Family Challenge website