J. P. Morgan once said, “Gold is money. Everything else is credit.”
There’s a certain mystique that surrounds gold. Something can be “worth its weight in gold.” We measure things by the “gold standard.”
Gold, because of its scarcity, has always been valued. Images of gold evoke the idea of kings and riches. The color gold in marketing materials is usually reserved for special occasions.
The reason gold is rarely used in marketing materials is due, in large part, to the fact that it’s difficult and expensive to reproduce. You can buy Pantone Aspen Gold, Pantone Honey Gold or Pantone Gold Flame but you can’t mix those colors with CMYK. Those colors are special.
If you want a shiny gold foil on your printed pieces you’ll need to add an extra process to your print job. You’ll need to buy gold foil and a die and have your job printed by letterpress. The press operator will run the paper stock through the press and “kiss” the paper with a heated die to transfer the gold foil to the paper.
Until recently it was difficult and expensive to add gold to your marketing materials but that’s changed.
Advances in Technology Makes Gold Printing More Affordable
Digital print has opened up new channels for marketers. They now have the ability to add variable text and images that result in personalized direct mail and print collateral. Digital print allows marketers to create several short run point-of-purchase (POP) displays that can focus on specific markets. And digital print can now produce all these products using gold ink.
Digital metallic gold offers customers a cost-effective gold metallic solution, especially for lower quantities. Now marketers can use gold more often, or use it in places that might never have considered.
Product Launch Kits
Imagine a client who’s looking to create a unique product launch kit. They’d like to add gold ink to their print materials but they’re leery of the cost. With the ability to print digital metallic gold, inline with CMYK, marketers can now save they clients both time and money.
Direct Mail Campaign
Imagine a direct mail design that incorporates gold highlights. Besides standing out from all of the other mail, this piece will convey the feeling that the product being sold or the event being advertised is something special.
Point of Purchase Display
A POP printed with metallic digital gold will catch the eye of the consumer and suggest that the product is special. A POP with a product information holder may be printed digitally and customized to a specific area or location while the marketing materials in the holder are more generic and can be printed by offset lithography and then used in multiple POPs.
Custom Packaging and Promotional Boxes
Imagine the increased shelf appeal of a package printed with metallic digital gold. It will not just stand out it will also hint to the consumer that this product is unique among the rest on the shelf.
Award Winning Packaging Design
It’s important to understand that the use of digital metallic gold in and of itself will not necessarily make your printed materials stand out. As with all packaging, direct mail and print collateral, it’s extremely important to work with a company that provides quality design and creative services. Their designers need to specialize in designing integrated and holistic campaigns that have a real impact on ROI and your bottom line.
If you’re for a cost effective way to make your unique designs stand out from the rest then take a minute and think how digital metallic gold can work in your design. Whether creating designs for membership drives, non-profit fundraisers, packaging, product launch kits, or any other printed product, digital metallic gold printed inline with CMYK, is a great way differentiate your product. Gold is no longer just for special occasions.