Artwork Preparation for Screen Printing & Embroidery Production

May 6th, 2010

Prepare Your Artwork for Production

Our artwork department is more than happy to rework your artwork based on our hourly graphic design rate to get it ready for the embroidery or screen printing process. If you already have artwork you would like to submit to us please read the below information to get you started in the right direction.

There is no substitute for quality. Top notch artwork is critical to get “top notch” results. When a Printer is producing your design they have to be able to recreate the detail necessary for crisp clean results. If your artwork does not have enough resolution, then seeing any detail up close becomes difficult if not impossible (example below).

This is an example of what happens when you try to increase the size of a poor quality image. You need to be able to make a single letter the size of the screen (much bigger than shown) and yet even at the size shown below there is not enough detail to be able to see the letters clearly.

Below is an example of what kind of resolution is necessary to be able to recreate a great design. With resolution like this every detail can be accurate and the design has its best chance at being standout!

We accept the following formats for artwork : JPG, TIF, BMP, PSD, CDR, AI, and EPS.

JPEG: Quality with these files are not great but widely used for web pages or sample images (We would need a very high resolution version of this file 300dpi).

TIFF or TIF: For Tagged Image File Format (tiff), (We would need a very high resolution version of this file 300dpi)

BMP: For Bitmapped file (bmp) (We would need a very high resolution version of this file 300dpi)

PSD- Photoshop file. Also a bitmapped type of file. (We would need a very high resolution version of this file 300dpi)

EPS – Encapsulated Postscript (EPS) Is actually Postscript file with a preview. It is used for storing both object oriented artwork and bitmapped artwork. If an object-oriented image is saved in the EPS format, it will retain its resolution-independent printing quality. It can be resized, distorted, or cropped. (This is the BEST type of file to send us)

Corel Draw .CDR / Illustrator .AI: These types of files do not use pixels or grid like tiles to create an image. The images are composed of objects and lines that are defined mathematically, which means you can enlarge, reduce, rotate, reshape, and refill without losing the quality. These graphics are resolution-independent and are a great choice. NOTE! Please read below if you are going to use these files.

Create Outlines for Adobe Illustrator or Convert to Curves for Corel Draw
Your fonts do not travel with your file, with .cdr and .ai files, and will be replaced by whatever our default font is when we open it. When we read the design, our system replaces the font that you sent to us with a default font. Example: You used “Times new Roman” in your logo but our system defaulted to “Arial black”. Quite a difference! To avoid errors please “convert all text to curves” (in Corel) or “create outlines”(in Illustrator) before sending files to us.

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Posted in Custom Embroidery, Graphic Art Design, Screen Printing | No Comments »

Screen Printing that looks great!

May 1st, 2010

Screen Printing that looks great!

Giving out your custom screen printed T-shirts is like having hundreds of walking billboards out there!

It just makes sense! People love wearing cool screen printed t-shirts! We can turn your logo or design into one of those screen printed shirts that is an instant favorite! Does your logo need work? No problem! Our art department specializes in making screen printed apparel look great! We can incorporate your logo into a custom screen print design that grabs everyone attention! From one color screen prints to process screenprint colors we will make it look great!

Made in America!

PR-PROS has a full screen printing shop on site! We offer high quality custom screen printing on just about any product. Our in house artists can take care of your artwork, set up top quality screens and our screenprinting department will apply years of experience to make sure your screen printed apparel comes out top notch! If what you want is a durable high quality screen printed t-shirt that is artistic and has everyone asking for one then Sierra Stitch is the place! We want you to look good!

4 Simple Screen Printing Price costs that make for easy quoting!

1. The cost of apparel – depends on the quality of garments you want
2. Per color per print cost – That’s it!
3. Screen charge per color – That’s it!
4. Set up charge per color – This pays for set up and clean up afterwards.

Add the four costs up and you have your total screen printing costs! Nice and easy.

Quality Screen Printing begins with Quality Artwork

Artwork charge per hour – Essentially if your art is not high quality and ready for color separation you will need your artwork edited and prepared for screen printing. We are more than happy to help you create your artwork or edit your existing artwork for the absolute best screen printing results possible. Our art department is experienced at creating and editing the kind of artwork that minimizes cost by using half tones and process color separations.

Not the cheapest screen printing or free screen printing but quality work at good prices.

There are alot of screen printing shops competing for price and offering really cheap screen printing or even free screen printing with the purchase of apparel. We are not the cheapest around but then again we are not trying to be either. We believe “You get what you pay for!”

Professional Screen Printing with no hassles!

Above all we are here to help you through the process of turning your ideas in to apparel you can be proud of! Isn’t that what it is all about? From the smallest order to large quantity bulk orders our screen printing team is here to make sure you don’t have to worry at all. Let the pros take care of it and count on the fact that your screen printed order is taken care of.

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Posted in Screen Printing | 1 Comment »

Embroidery, Embroidered Apparel and Embroidery Designs

May 1st, 2010


We have over 12 years experience in the embroidery industry and our staff of embroidery operators are trained from day one to keep the quality of your final embroidered apparel in mind. We realize that you are placing trust in us to make sure that your embroidery order is the best that it can be. Every item stitched here gets complete attention as it is being processed. Every detail is noticed and all of our finished embroidered products have top quality, crisp, clean embroidery. Because Isn’t that really what counts?

Your Companies image is one of the most important assets you have!custom embroidery and embroidered apparel

Looking professional is half the battle. Having your team proudly wearing high quality apparel with your logo embroidered on it makes a positive statement to every one who sees them. Why not go with an embroidery service company you can trust.

We will listen to your needs, search for the apparel that best suits your logo embroidery and make sure that the final product is top notch. Many customers come to us with requests for the complete job!


Everything including embroidered hats, shirts and jackets. We proudly develop their custom embroidery designs for each type of apparel without them having to pay additional fees for each embroidery design. We sell the whole job at one time. Quality with reasonable rates.

Embroidered Apparel is a great promotional product!
Everywhere you look people are wearing embroidered hats, embroidered shirts, embroidered jackets, embroidered beanies and just about anything else you can think of. Why not have them wearing YOUR embroidered goods? Creating a clean sharp embroidery logo to put on quality clothing and hats makes your company gear more desirable to wear.

Your brand deserves the attention from someone who knows the business and cares about how you look. Leave it to the pros to make sure your promotional embroidered product look the best they can. We will apply all of our experience and knowledge to your order to ensure top quality results.

Employees are proud to wear company gear!
Employee pride is a powerful thing! It helps team morale, impresses your customers and even increases the overall work ethic in your company. Looking good is a great way to start feeling good. We want to help you and your employees have embroidered apparel that anyone would be proud to wear.

Company giveaways and rewards for good effort a re a great tool to help motivate your team. Food and embroidered items are two of the most popular methods for a reason. Everyone loves to eat and everyone loves to look good!

At PR-PROS we are committed to making your Embroidery Experience a smooth and pleasant memory. No hassles, no problems and nothing but the highest quality embroidery and embroidered apparel.


Steps to ordering your Embroidered Products:
1. Select your apparel – Use our catalog or supply your own NEW garments.
2. Do you have high quality artwork (actual size in 100dpi resolution – all major
formats accepted) If you don’t then we need to create your artwork. Cost is $75
per hour. The better the existing artwork you supply the less time it takes.
3. Choose the size and placement of your designs
4. Choose your thread colors
5. Pay 50% deposit prior to order and the remainder at pick up.
6. Most orders are completed in 2 weeks.


We used the highest quality materials and are proud to use Isacord Embroidery Thread. Are you interested in picking out your own thread colors for your job? Click on the icon above to view our Isacord Thread Chart and make your selections now.

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Posted in Custom Embroidery | 1 Comment »

Results Based Website Design – What does that mean?

April 17th, 2010

website-design-results
One of the things we often tell our customers is that we believe in “Results Based Website Design”. As good as that sounds some customers ask “what do we really mean by results?” The quick answer is “measurable results that positively benefit your set of needs as a business” however to really explain this we should start with actual scenarios based on customers needs. To do this I have outlined a few basic and common needs that we hear all the time.

call
Customer wants to get more new solid sales leads
“We just need more business” is a common enough statement and in this economy who doesn’t need more business. If you want to have qualified customers contact you need to focus on two main areas. Specifically targeting the RIGHT customer with deep keyword research and making it very compelling and easy for the customer to contact you. A website of this nature will be very simple, to the point and all about sending one clear message “You need to contact us right now because…”. Getting the customer to contact you WHILE they are on your site is half the battle. Additionally taking into account the kind of customer that gives you your BEST jobs and focusing on them will help you cull you customer base and bring you more qualified leads. At the end of the day you should see more call volume and more business.

ONLINE-SALES
Customer wants to actually make money with website
What are you selling? Why should your customer buy it? Why should they buy it right now and why from you? What type of customer is most likely to purchase this item online? What are your most successful online competitors doing? Selling on a website uses many of the exact same methods as selling in a retail environment. First the customer MUST trust you and your store! Having broken links, poor images and minimal descriptions is not good for building trust. Additionally your product needs to be presented in a way that induces your customers desire to buy it. Professional site structure and ease of navigation is also a must. Don’t forget add ons, upsells and sales. At the end of the day your results should be sales, plain and simple.

TOOLS
Customer wants use website as a sales tool
While this is not as common I usually urge my clients to consider this. Think about the efforts that go into marketing materials, sales books, catalogs, spec sheets and all the other reference books that you would need to take to a sales call. Now, imagine that all of this information was at the fingertips of your customers AND sales force. The critical part here is organization, ability to update items easily and ease of use for the viewer. If the navigation and structure are not easy or intuitive then people will hate the site instead of love it. At the end of the day you are looking for more closed deals, informed customers and efficient sales teams.

EXPERIENCE
Customer wants to establish themselves as a resource in their industry
A quality website can sure achieve this are but there are specific concepts you need to embrace to do this most effectively. Provide valuable content on a consistent basis, realize the value is in the information you are giving out and the perception you receive by being the source of it. Don’t include very many plugs for your business and do the best you can to include facts as well as some personality. People like reading other peoples perceptions not just raw data. At the end of the day your looking for increased recognition and perception of your place in your marketplace.

Each of those are valid areas of focus and we believe strongly that if you are going to put forth a real effort to have a quality website designed you should have an area of focus and measurable goals. That being said we find that the most effective websites are one that use some of each of the above needs and blends them together while still identifying the separate efforts and, you guessed it, results!

Effectively blending these together is a topic for another post on another day.

prpros-sm
PR-PROS is a complete Marketing Solutions Company
Sacramento Website Design

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5 Facebook Tips you should follow

February 6th, 2010

5 Quick Facebook Tips you should follow

1. Post good content daily. This is the No.1 one thing that I see agents NOT doing. They spend time calling or e-mailing clients, but they drop the ball on their Facebook page. You should be posting two to three times a day. A good formula for Realtors on Facebook is: two parts personal and one part business.

2. Have a plan and stick to it. Make a list of the top 10 sites you like to visit — include news sites, recreational sites (gardening, travel, etc.), and, of course, your Web site or blog. Visit this list daily. This makes it very easy for you to link to interesting stories and post good and relevant content daily.

3. Do it yourself. As a Realtor you can’t hire out someone to manage your Facebook account for you. You have to make time — every morning and every evening — to manage your account. You can, however, hire someone to enhance your page and make custom tabs with HTML.

4. Comment on what others post. This is KEY! It is not all about YOU! Take five minutes out of your Facebook time each day to comment on what some of your friends or fans have said.

5. Be engaging. Ask questions, post photos, be a part of the conversation. Remember: Facebook is like the ultimate dinner party. At a dinner party you wouldn’t sit in the corner and not talk to anyone right? Nor would you JUST talk about real estate. By Katie Lance

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The Power of Web IM

February 4th, 2010

The Power of website IM

Reading Inman News today I glanced over an article about Instant messaging. (http://www.inman.com/opinion/letter-to-editor/2010/02/3/the-power-im)
Barrett Powell makes a really strong point here that I feel warrants a commentary on my part. I am a strong advocate for bringing true value to my clients businesses.
Whether that be through creating a solid brand or even a quick marketing tip that helps you utilize a free tool or idea in your business.

People are social creatures. Let’s face it, the great majority of us love to interact with others.

Am I the only one who wants to pull my hair out whenever I pick up the phone to call my service provider and it takes 5 minutes of navigating through an endless cue of automated choices just to get someone on the line? I think not.

Your website should be a tool for you to generate leads. End of story. It is your 24 hour a day, 7 day a week sales executive. Imagine not only being able to get information from people who sign up on your site, but making a chat option available to interact with them live. I think it’s brilliant and it works. 58% of visitors on average will gravitate towards using chat before emailing. Perhaps it’s because we’ve become instant gratification based? Perhaps our time is so valuable that we want answers now so we can move on to the next thing? Take your pick. Bottom line is the facts are the facts. Let’s pay attention to modern human behavior for a change and adjust our marketing plans accordingly.

Put yourself in your web visitors shoes. Your users want to get in touch with you now, not tomorrow. Where you miss an opportunity, another professional will take the initiative. Provide them with that option. It allows you an opportunity to increase your value to that potential client and make a great first impression. A great first impression can lead to a sale, and more importantly a fantastic relationship. We all know that fantastic business relationships equal referrals right?

So, Website online chat? SOLD.

YOU can IM ME with any questions about integrating a chat option into your current website. My AIM/gTalk is tschuettdesigns.

I hope you found this useful. Until next time.

Posted in Social Media | 2 Comments »

8 Cool Craigslist Tools YOU need to know

January 28th, 2010

Craigslist.org is a very popular Web site for real estate classified ads — be it a home for sale, apartment for rent, or office to lease. And it’s a place where real estate agents and owners alike can advertise properties.

The following are some tools to reach Craigslist searchers:
GoGoPin lets you easily create eye-catching graphic ads. You can include photos, clipart, graphs, speech bubbles and much more. You can even add photos taken with your cell phone. What makes GoGoPin a favorite of mine is the ability to export the graphic ad to Craigslist. Simply copy and paste the HTML code in your ad. GoGoPin ads are free. Tip: You can hyperlink your ad to any Web page by simply adding a URL when you save the ad. Now, if a Craigslist reader clicks your ad, they are sent to a more detailed page, or your Web site. http://ad.gogopin.com/

Postlets lets you create graphic classified ads that you can display on Craigslist simply by copying and pasting the HTML code. http://www.postlets.com/home.php

CraigsToolBox is an amazing Firefox and Internet Explorer add-on that automatically reveals images and other features in your Craigslist search results. Beside images, you can see the map location and text preview without having to click each ad. You can also request notification, via text message, of all new ads. The tool is available for a free trial and the annual cost is $9.99. CraigsToolbox also works for non-real estate ads. http://www.craigstoolbox.com/

PadMapper allows users to search for apartment and house rentals on Craigslist (as well as Oodle and Apartments.com) and displays the properties on a map with details, including the date the ad was placed. The mapped listings can be shared via e-mail, link or embeddable code. PadMapper has good search filters, such as sliders for rental cost and number of bedrooms, listings less than seven days old, sublets, no-fee apartments (in New York City and Boston), pets, photos, and proximity to subways, etc. Tip: Set up e-mail alerts on PadMapper to receive new listings that meet your search criteria. http://www.padmapper.com/

MapThatPad is another rental search tool. When searching for apartments, use MapThatPad to map the properties you find, add notes, save the map and then send it to clients (or their parents). A “bookmarklet” (a small program contained in a bookmark) makes the tool easy to use. The tool currently only works for apartments but it may be expanded to include homes. A great feature, and time saver, is the ability to contact all apartment listings with one e-mail. http://www.mapthatpad.com/

SearchTempest lets you do a proximity search of Craigslist, based on distance from a specified ZIP code area or in many selected states and cities, thereby saving you the time of searching each area separately. What’s nice is that CraigsToolbox works on SearchTempest, allowing you to see images in the results. SearchTempest also has a forum to help you get advice and help. You can get an RSS feed for any search you do on SearchTempest, to keep up to date on new listings. http://www.searchtempest.com/

CraigslistChecker is one of many ways to set up and receive alerts about new Craigslist ads, and its beauty is its simplicity. Just enter the URL of your search results and every hour you will be notified by e-mail about new listings that meet your search criteria. End the updates by simply clicking the cancel link in your e-mail. Simple. http://www.craigslistchecker.com/

Craigly is a mobile Craigslist app for iPhones. Among its neat features is a multiple-location search by city, state or distance from your location, image preview, and portrait/landscape views. You can also post ads with photos. The current cost of the Craigly app is 99 cents. http://www.apptism.com/apps/craigly
Article by, Joseph Ferrara

Hope one or more of these tools are useful to you.
What Craigslist-related tools do you use?

Posted in Craigslist Marketing | 2 Comments »

It’s a new year. Is your Web site up to the job in 2010?

January 21st, 2010

Most agents have a Web site, but few regularly generate leads from their site. If you want to make sure that you have optimized your site for 2010, evaluate your site using the checklist below.

1. Do you have a personal Web site with your own URL?
Many agents have only a page on their broker’s site. The result is the Web traffic goes to your broker, not to you. Not having your own site greatly reduces the number of leads you can generate from the Web. Make setting up your own site a top priority for 2010.

2. Is your picture on the front page of your site?
If so, move it to the “About Us” page. Leaving it on the front page causes up to 50 percent of your visitors to surf away.

3. Does your home page list your city, state, phone number and e-mail address?
A high percentage of agent Web sites fail to include this important information on their home page. Check your site to make sure this information is displayed on your home page.

4. Is all of your personal listing information on your site up-to-date?
Many agents forget to post price changes to their listings, including noting when a property has sold. Make sure the information on your site is current.

5. Does your site link to all listings on your local multiple listing service?
The primary reason people visit real estate Web sites is to obtain access to listing information. The second most important requested information is access to sales prices. If possible, make sure the appropriate links are on your home page.

6. Do you have a URL (Web site address) that references the area where you work, the specific niche(s) you serve, and that includes a reference to real estate?
If not, purchase a new URL and create a new page designed specifically for the niche(s) you serve — for example, “LiveatLakeTravis78733.com” or “BostonProbateSellers.com.” Whatever you choose, make sure that you select a URL where you can obtain the dot-com address. You can set this up as a separate site or incorporate it into your existing site. If you choose to incorporate it into your current site, set up the new URL page as if it is a home page. (In other words, anyone clicking on this URL would go to this new page on your main site.)

7. Does your site have landing pages for lead capture?
A major challenge with most agent Web sites is that they are advertising-based rather than marketing-based. In other words, the sites describe the agent’s services, but there is no mechanism to motivate the Web visitor to contact the agent. Update your site by offering a “free CMA” or “free reports” on topics such as “How to Save Thousands on Your Next Mortgage,” “Options for Avoiding Foreclosure,” or “Are You Eligible for a Property Tax Reduction?” You could also offer coupons for local visitors or any other item that would motivate Web visitors to contact you. Have your Web designer build a landing page on your current site where visitors can order these items.

8. How many pictures have you posted for each of your listings?
Whenever possible, post at least 20 pictures, as this maximizes the number of leads that you will receive on your site.

9. Is your Web site linked to your blog and your social media?
Ideally, your blog should be integrated into your Web site. If not, make sure that you have links on your blog to your site and vice versa. If you are active on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn, does your site link to them? If not, have your Web designer add the appropriate links using the icons provided by each site.

10. Are their links to videos of your listings?
According to the National Association of Realtors, only 1 percent of agents are using video and yet 73 percent of sellers would hire an agent who uses video. Currently, Google and other search engines appear to give sites with video a higher ranking than those who lack video. Set up a button on your home page that takes visitors to a page called “Videos of my listings.”

11. Does your site link to important community information?
Consumers want lifestyle data, videos that illustrate what it’s like to live in your area, Chamber of Commerce information, school data, crime statistics, etc. You can link to sites such as Walkscore.com to determine the “walkability” of nearby amenities, Eventful.com for a calendar of local events, or Gasbuddy.com to locate the best gas prices in your area. These tools keep visitors returning to your site regularly.

12. Does your site have a mortgage calculator?
People want to know how much they can afford. It’s also smart to include a “rent vs. buy” calculator as well.

13. Does your site have a privacy policy?
Many people are reluctant to fill out online forms with their data. A privacy policy can change this. Your policy should include a statement that explains: “We respect your privacy and will not share your information with anyone. We understand that you may just be looking at this time and are not yet ready to be contacted by an agent. Filling out the form below is optional.” This approach actually yields more correct information than forcing visitors to complete a mandatory form.

14. Does your site have testimonials from past clients?
If not, start gathering these right away. Testimonials, especially if they are on video, help your site achieve higher search-engine ranking.
Most real estate Web site providers already provide most of these features. The key to Web success in 2010 is taking your site and making it entirely about the specific customer you serve. This is how to differentiate yourself from the competition and drive more deals to your business in 2010. Article by Bernice Ross

If you have any questions or would like to sit down and talk about putting together a new website, let’s make an appointment. You can check out our web work at www.PR-Pros.com. Let’s get your business on the right track for 2010!

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Internet Marketing – Everyone is Jumping on board!

June 6th, 2009

In today’s age the idea of finding ways to make money via advertising is a strong draw for popular websites and social media Platforms. It is more and more critical for us to create a complete marketing strategy using all the mediums available to get the best bang for our buck. Where as smaller Sites and Social media Outlets might not have the “click rate” that we are used to using Google, Yahoo and MSN, they do offer a very specific audience and of course lower costs per click. Staying on top of all the outlets is the challenge. Knowing which ones have a good return on investment and ultimately which ones bring results.

Social Media Giants like Facebook , My Space and YouTube already have healthy internet marketing programs and more and more of the smaller sites are getting in the game. Now Social Bookmarking leader Digg has announced that they too are embracing their own sponsored Ad program. See article below:

From www.searchenginewatch.com is this article

June 5, 2009
Digg to Launch In-House Advertising Platform

In April, Digg pulled out of its advertising contract with Microsoft. There was speculation at the time that Digg would launch its own advertising platform. This week the social bookmarking site announced that rumor will indeed come to fruition.

Digg Ads will launch as a pilot program in a few months. Ads will be in the form of content you would normally see on Digg, but clearly labeled as “sponsored.”

Digg members can vote on sponsored content just like they vote on submitted stories. Digg says the more an Ad is Dugg, the less an advertiser will have to pay for it. The more it is buried, the more an advertiser will pay, effectively pricing it out of play.

The platform is in early stages of development. Digg will be working with advertisers and the Digg community to perfect the system.

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