Category Archives: Print Services

5 Amazing 3D Printed House Projects!

A French family just became the first to permanently live in a 3D-printed home

At 350 square feet, the house was far cheaper than the average tiny home, which has a price tag hovering at around $25,000, but can often reach six figures. Before using 3D-printing technology, it took New Story eight months to build 100 homes, each costing about $6,000.

While the prototype was being developed, Icon’s printer, known as the Vulcan, was running at only 25% speed. That gave the companies confidence that they could build a 600- to 800-square-foot home in just 24 hours for $4,000 or less.

When it comes to producing an average-sized home — around 2,000 square feet — the savings aren’t quite as stark. A year after releasing its $10,000 prototype in Austin, Texas, Icon told the Wall Street Journal that printing a 2,000-square-foot home would cost around $20,000.

More remarkable is the fact that the company’s upgraded printer, the Vulcan II, is now available for purchase, and could soon be used to produce affordable homes in places like Austin and Latin America.

Icon’s first 3D model offers a glimpse of what the machine could produce in the future. Take a look.

The Vulcan II can produce a home seamlessly onsite, without having to piece together individual units. The Vulcan II can produce a home seamlessly onsite, without having to piece together individual units. The printer churns out layers of cement, which amass to form the walls of the home. Non-printed fixtures like doors and windows are installed later.

The Vulcan II is capable of producing walls that are up to eight-and-a-half feet tall and up to 28 feet wide.

The printer is designed to be mobile and weighs about 3,800 pounds. The Vulcan II is operated by a tablet, which means only a few workers are required to produce a 3D home.

Why & How You Should Integrate Online & Offline Marketing

Use online marketing to improve the effectiveness of offline ads. by Peter Roseler

It’s important for business owners and marketers to avoid the trap of binary thinking. Often, advice to business owners is given in black and white terms. For example, some study will show that email marketing is better than direct mail marketing or a business guru will write about why business owners should only use internet marketing. However, reality is rarely so simple. The truth is, most businesses will need a combination of multiple marketing strategies and tactics to maximize the potential of their advertising and marketing. This article will show why and how business owners should integrate their online and offline marketing campaigns.

Internet Marketing and Television
Though television advertising and marketing were unrivaled ways to reach consumers for decades, the growth of internet video demands a change in tactics from marketers. A business owner that only uses TV ads to reach their target audience may be surprised to learn that many members of their target audience watch far less TV than they think.

According to some estimates, 84 percent of internet users worldwide watch videos online. More than half of millennials watch TV shows on a tablet, desktop computer, or smartphone. Recently, comScore reported that nearly half of households with three or more people subscribe to Netflix. The report also found that 17 percent of millennials watch no original TV series on traditional TV sets. And that Americans aged 18-34 are 77 percent more likely than average to live in households that have never had pay TV.

These statistics show marketers can’t depend on TV ads to be catch all advertising channel it was in the past. In fact, no form of advertising medium is anymore. In order to reach modern audiences, need to integrate internet marketing tactics to reach more of their target audience. For example, millennials watch more YouTube than any network or cable channel. So using banner or video ads on YouTube is an effective way to reach people who don’t watch as much TV programming as others. Similarly, advertising on social media can help business owners reach targeted audiences with their marketing message.

Internet Marketing and Radio
Though it’s one of the oldest forms of mass media still in use, radio remains a useful and profitable tool for marketers. According to a recent study from Nielsen, 59 percent of US music listeners listen to traditional or online radio. Even in the digital age, there are advantages radio gives that are difficult to duplicate digitally. For example, radio remains the best way to reach consumers as they commute. Which makes radio marketing a great way to reach local consumers with relevant ads. This has been borne out by recent data. In a different study, Nielsen reported that radio ads drive 5.8 percent of US retail sales. Keep in mind that more ad dollars are spent on TV, internet, and print ads than on radio ads, so 5.8 percent represents a pretty good return on investment. Put another way, each dollar of radio ad spend generates an average sales return of $6.

Internet radio exists, but it’s not as widely used as traditional radio. Even among millennials, traditional radio is extremely popular. According to one report, 70 percent of Americans ages 18-34 listen to network radio each week. Additionally, about 71 percent of them have annual household incomes over $75,000. Internet radio apps are used a lot, but they aren’t pulling these kinds of number yet. This gap will likely shrink with time and it illustrates why marketers need to integrate their campaigns.

Running ads entirely on radio will give marketers a good portion of the local commuter audience, but a growing number of people will get their morning music and news from an app. Using banner ads that are available on generic apps or the specific audio and visual apps possible on internet radio apps helps to ensure that marketers reach a larger percentage of their target audience. .

Internet Marketing and Print Media
Newspaper and magazines have suffered a lot due to rise of internet technology. While some commentators are quick to declare print media dead and that our grandkids will consider a physical newspaper as strange as a scroll of papyrus, the truth is that there remains a value to print media that digital sources can’t completely replace. According to Harris Interactive, 69 percent of US adults trust their local newspapers. This trust in the medium can translate into action. According to Nielsen, 54 percent of consumers are more likely to buy a new product when learning about it from a newspaper or magazine ad. Even national businesses recognize the usefulness of print media for local advertising. About 43 percent of national businesses use newspapers for local promotions.

Integrating internet marketing with print media is relatively simple. This can be as simple as including websites and email addresses in print ads or including print coupons for specials that are available online. Just because people use the internet doesn’t mean they don’t use of the sources for infromation A study from Shop.org also found that 63 percent of US internet users have used a coupon from a newspaper or magazine. It also helps to include traditional media sources when distributing press releases, instead of solely relying on online distribution. Though it’s easy to get a press released published somewhere online, if the intended audience is local, it’s beneficial to get the news, product, or event covered by the local news media as well. As the Nielsen study showed, people would be more receptive of the information, which can help when introducing a new product line or brand.

The growth of various forms of media have created an environment where there is no longer a catchall form of marketing that will reach every audience, not even the internet. In order for business owners to get the maximum reach and effectiveness of their marketing tactics, they will need to use an integrated campaign. Merging online and offline marketing strategies in the ways mentioned above, is a good way for businesses to increase revenue.

Welcome Our New Affiliation!

Take a look at BostonMobileWebsite.com affiliated with Kelsey Media Productions creative marketing group. Marketing strategies and digital media services for small and large businesses – call 781.365.4800 for a free consultation.

Using QR Codes – The Complete Guide!

Kelsey Media Productions found this article to be very useful. We have clients who have had great success using QR codes for product brochures, business cards and at Trade Shows.

Scan this code to be directed to our mobile site:

Although many marketing gurus disagree on the efficacy and efficiency of QR (quick response) codes, consumer data from Europe and Japan prove otherwise. QR codes are quick to implement and cost virtually nothing, especially to the seasoned marketer. In fact, all they demand are a few design changes and a dedicated mobile webpage or site. And they have the potential to deliver some great returns.

While QR codes may not have caught on like wild fire in North America, it’s only a matter of time. In this article, we’ll help you understand and adapt your marketing campaign to the vagaries and many benefits of QR codes.

Defining Your Objective

The idea behind a QR code is to deliver additional value with a product or an advertisement. That makes it necessary to be highly relevant with the information that you decide to link to. So the first step in QR code marketing is to define the purpose behind your campaign. Some methods to use QR technology include,

Drive visitors to your mobile site or towards your social marketing pages. Boost brand awareness and add value by giving users information or tips via multimedia. Deliver discounts or coupons or implement brand loyalty and reward point programs. Organically grow a mailing list by asking users to opt-ín.

Whatever your objective, make sure to state it clearly and concisely next to your QR code. A code without any information next to it is going to look like a bland pattern and can even be mistaken for a part of the overall material design by customers who aren’t very tech-savvy. Try using a single sentence to describe the value your QR code offers and the action that needs to be taken. “Scan this code to like us on FB” or “Scan to receive a discount” are great calls to action because they ensure that the technology is clearly mentioned while the link destination comes up in the form a kicker.

Sourcing Your Code!

If you’re going to use a free QR code generator, do a little research and find quality software that has the least number of error rates. Code generators are only as good as the programmers that develop them, so be wary of new programs and test extensively.

Placing Your Codes

One of the greatest things about QR codes is that they can be placed anywhere! On advertising billboards, signage, printed material, websites, the sidewalk, buildings, vehicles and virtually any conceivable public space. There’s even a QR code that’s been embedded into a gravestone that leads to a memorial site! You are only limited by your imagination, so try to think up novel ways to leverage QR technology in the interests of your brand.

Understand that a QR code is a form of physical hyper-linking and that means in order for it to deliver results it must be scanned in an area that offers wireless connectivity, i.e. mobile sígnal reception. Underground mass rapid transit systems, some auditoriums and halls and airplanes do not have this prerequisite and should be added to the list of places that DO NOT support a QR code campaign.

Metrics!

QR codes are dynamic and you can redirect them. This makes a single permanent QR code in a prominent location, a constant source of customer interaction. That’s why metrics are important.

Keep measuring the success (or failure) or your campaign. The key thing to worry about is how long people are spending on the landing page that your QR code leads to and the number of visitors to the page. If you find that results are unsatisfactory, tweak you materials accordingly.

Design Vs. Scannability: A Fine Line

A huge challenge with QR codes is to balance out design with scannability. Here are some tips to help keep your code on the level.

Building Design

We’ve covered quite a distance from the time when QR codes needed to be monochrome with a distinctly checker box look. Today’s QR codes can be designed to fit the theme of virtually every marketing campaign. This is made possible by the fact that modern codes can have up to 30% of their pattern obstructed and still be scanned successfully.

To take advantage of this, you’ll want to find a reliable code generator that creates codes with a 30%, 20% or 10% error correction rate. This will allow you to integrate your graphics into your code or even to superimpose an image over part of the code box.

The higher the level of superfluous graphics (from the scanner’s point of view) the higher your error correction percentages will have to be. Keep in mind that adding graphics to a QR code with 0% error correction rates will result in a completely unscannable code.

However, remember that a high level of graphical addition and improper placement can reduce the readability of your code. To solve this problem, keep testing your code and move the graphics around it until you achieve optimum scannabilty while retaining a great looking QR code.

Scan Testing!

Test your QR codes with multiple readers and devices. QR codes are still a relatively emerging technology and, before you start printing them on everything conceivable make sure you test the scannability of your code on multiple mobile operating systems, most importantly (Apple, Android and Blackberry). In fact, test out several different code scanning apps as well. This is especially important when using highly stylized custom codes.

Contrast Matters!

While designer codes can look great on your brand materials make sure to use colors that create an effective contrast. Too little contrast can make the code indistinguishable from the background and will lead to poor scannability and reduced scan rates.

Be Size-Wise

QR codes need to be large enough to be registered by mobile scanners and a code that’s too small can have a serious impact on your campaign. If you’re using Microsoft Tags try to ensure that your code is at least 1 sq. inch in size, although 1.5 sq. inches is a far more readable option when using standard codes.

The Quiet Zone

When it comes to brand packaging, every available space tends to be filled with marketing material or general information. In order to make sure that your codes are scannable, you’re going to have to leave a margin of uncluttered space around it that’s devoid of text or graphics.

For mobile web design services or to setup a mobile page contact: Kelsey Media Productions 781.365.4800 or visit us at http://www.kelseypro.com

Newspaper Websites Pull In 70 Million Visitors In June

By Mike Sachoff – Fri, 08/07/2009 – 06:31
Reach 36% of Internet users

Newspaper websites attracted more than 70.3 million unique visitors in June, reaching 35.9 percent of all Internet users, according to a custom report by Nielsen Online for the Newspaper Association of America.

News paper website visitors viewed 3.5 billion page views during the month, spending 2.7 billion minutes browsing the sites in more than 597 million sessions.

“The newspaper audience continues to expand as publishers aggressively capitalize on their investments in digital properties, adding robust features and launching new products to attract a highly valuable consumer audience,” said NAA President and CEO John F. Sturm.

Click Image to Enlarge
“Advertisers who want to reach consumers ready to make purchasing decisions continue to use the trusted newspaper brand to ensure their messages are heard through the crowd.”

The Nielsen numbers come as early data from a MORI Research survey of 3,000 adults, indicates that newspaper advertising remains the leading medium cite by consumers in planning, shopping and making purchasing decisions. More than half (59%) report newspaper advertising helps them plan purchasing decisions.

The majority (82%) of newspaper readers took some action as a result of a print newspaper ad in the past 30 days: 61 percent clipped a coupon, 50 percent bought something advertised and 52 visited a store.

While the number are impressive, it’s no secret the newspaper industry as a whole continues to struggle. In March the Hearst Corporation announced it was ending the print edition of the Seattle Post-Intelligencer and going to an online-only publication. In February, E.W. Scripps announced it was shuttering the entire 150 year-old Rocky Mountain News.

Kelsey Media – New Print Projects

KMP Print Services July/August 2009

Produced a tri-fold brochure for Kanu Hair Products for promotional use at hair salons and trade shows. Captured still images from Code51 Band video we produced that was used for their online banner and brochure.

KanuBrochmain

We specialize in print marketing collateral and signage that can provide impact and bring awareness to your event, product or business. We also specialize in Product Brand Design for all industries, which includes concept, creative design and product label requirements. We have an extensive background in design for the Food Service, Healthcare and Pharmaceutical industries. Visit and see some of our work

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Kelsey Media Blog

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