For years, companies have battled between quantity and quality in everything they do. From marketing and prints to employees and products, companies can never determine which option garners the most results. 

However, quality is shown to bring in results that matter, leading to profits and business connections over time. Many companies use ROI to justify purchasing higher-cost prints that show results. The question is, what pieces deserve to cost more? What’s the point of higher-cost print pieces? How do you measure your ROI accordingly? 

What print features make it cost more?

Wide-format printing, embellishments, embossing, paper thickness, and personalization often include higher costs. To better understand why these print elements are more expensive, and how they can be used to benefit your business, let’s examine each element individually and how it fits into a successful company’s branding and marketing campaigns. 

Wide-Format Printing

Although we have discussed wide-format printing before, let’s review the definition. Wide-format printing allows you to print on a wide variety of materials up to two inches thick, including wood, metal, cardboard, plastic, glass, and paper.

Wide-format printing is terrific for a wide variety of companies and all kinds of print projects, from brand consistent packaging and clothing items to unique business cards and event freebies. Although these print items may be more expensive, they lead to more client engagement and new sales over time.

Embellishments

Adding embellishment also provides companies with print products that stand out from the crowd. Embellishments are perfect for brochures, company pamphlets, and convention materials. 

The most popular embellishments include digital foil, embossing, debossing, laser cutting, and spot UV. Each of these embellishments adds a semblance of additional pizzazz that is sure to set your company apart from the rest. Think of these additions as the eye-catching, higher-cost print elements that will get you more views and increase your profits over time. 

One of the most popular embellishment formats is embossing. Embossed print pieces may cost more, but the tactile sensation of touching embossed logos or designs makes them worthwhile. 

Paper Thickness

When it comes to tactile sensation, the thickness of your paper is essential. Although thick paper isn’t necessary for all projects, having higher quality and more established paper options taps into the tactile sensation triggers in the average consumer.

According to Sciencing, “Some areas of the body are more sensitive than others because they have more nerve endings. For example, a fingertip, one of the most sensitive parts of the body, has about 100 nerve endings.”

In fact, the fingertips are so sensitive that feeling a piece of thick or high-quality paper actually triggers positive parts of our brain to elicit happiness and intrigue. Although thicker and higher quality paper options may cost more, the outcome and benefits are worth the additional cost. 

Personalization

Personalization is one of the most unique higher-cost print options out there. Through personalized print pieces, you can raise engagement, boost sales, and create new clients.

Personalization focuses on creating pieces that are unique to each individual. Using data to do this makes it more expensive than standard print options. However, studies show that the benefits outweigh the additional cost exponentially.

What Is the Point in Purchasing Higher Cost Print Pieces?

As with anything in business, quality leaves the best impression in consumer’s minds. This includes print elements. Just as a nice suit and an expensive car suggest that an individual is rich and powerful, higher-cost print pieces suggest that you take your company seriously and always seek the best for your business and clients.

This also indicates that your brand respects quality and seeks it out. To other companies, this suggests that working with you leads to quality products and services on their end as well. 

In addition, because digital marketing still needs print, high-quality print pieces should be considered as important as your digital projects.

Finally, the tactile aspects associated with high-quality paper will leave a lasting impression of your company in people’s minds. But how do you measure the ROI of these higher-cost print items? To answer this, let’s take a look at the various aspects which determine printed content ROI.

How to Measure the ROI of Higher Cost Print Items

When making major monetary decisions in a business, measuring your ROI is essential. Think of it as buying a new car, and consider the money you will make from driving to work the ROI. The best way to measure your ROI, in association with higher-cost print items, is to analyze your sales, engagement, and client retention.

If your printed products lead to more sales, this means that you are making money off of your investment and, after a certain point, it will simply pay for itself. If you are engaging with clients more and retaining them longer, this could be because of personalized print pieces with increased quality.

Just as some people collect unique business cards, having printed pieces that are worthy of keeping and remembering is a great way to increase sales. If you see an increase in engagement or returning clients, this can also showcase the power and ROI of your printed items. 

Higher-cost print pieces are more effective and professional. Because of this, using them will yield a higher return on your investment. The only question left is how you will use this information to your benefit in the future, and what these superior print pieces can truly do for you.

Talk to one of our experts to keep up to date with the new and exciting things in the print world.

Lynne Kingsley
Lynne Kingsley
Lynne Kingsley oversees the digital marketing client services team as well as the marketing strategy division for the company. Since joining the company in 2016, she has increased Ironmark's digital presence by over 700%, establishing a new lead generation mechanism for the sales team. A certified inbound marketing professional and HubSpot agency partner, Kingsley has been helping companies transform their marketing function into fully diverse and streamlined growth engines since 2003. With agency and client-side work under her belt, Kingsley's strategic experience spans both the B2B and B2C sectors. Prior to joining the Ironmark team, she served as in-house marketing director for several non-profit organizations. Kingsley is an honors graduate of the S. I. Newhouse School of Public Communication at Syracuse University.

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