When Printed Documents Are Still Better Than Digital

It’s not a secret that digital files have replaced printed documents in many instances. But there are still times where you still need an ink-on-paper record of a transaction, official form, or other experience.

So where does it still make sense to use print?  Here are some examples:

1. Official documents. These are things like vehicle titles, birth certificates, or other items that need exclusive endorsement or limited access. Many of these documents have special security features like watermarks, security papers, borders, or embossing to identify them as authentic. Paper documents like these are difficult to replicate as digital documents, or to forge.
2. Chain of custody documents. King Printing Solutions used to make millions upon millions of multi-part printed forms every year, often for situations where several people or locations needed a copy as proof that a transaction had occurred. This is still the case in some instances, like drug testing, traffic tickets, or other documents.
3. Keepsakes. Because of security, most concert or game tickets today are electronic, with codes that must be scanned. It’s not the same as a paper ticket that was torn in half, and you kept something that you could save. But there are still many occasions and events where a paper souvenir is something that you’d want to hang on to for years to come. Which brings us to one additional point:
4. Permanence. Technology moves fast, and many of the high-tech storage systems we used even a few years ago are outdated. And if an electronic record fails, it’s typically lost forever. Paper documents are stable. Books last for hundreds of years. If something should be kept and held, then print is still the obvious choice.
5. Impact. Print documents, done properly, can make a more memorable, lasting impact than electronic documents, especially in a world where you’re exposed to thousands of images on a screen daily.

For nearly 50 years, King Printing Solutions has helped companies create documents that are memorable, impactful, and effective. Many of the items we printed years ago are still relevant and in use today.

Learn more about how we can help you use print by starting a conversation here.

Managing Your Company’s Printed Materials Inventory? Here are Some Hacks to Save Money and Improve Efficiency

An important position at any organization is managing inventories of printed materials. In some cases, if you don’t have the right printed items in inventory, everything stops. Print inventory management is critical to keep your business running smoothly and provide the right materials at the right time.

Printed product use directions? Printed legal documents? Printed promotional materials? They’re all critical to the operations of many businesses.

Print Inventory Management

So what’s the best way to keep your printed materials at the ready, while keeping your costs down. Here are some ideas:

1. Think six months in advance. While prep work for printing is much faster nowadays, it still takes some time to get paper through the press. If you are looking at what you need in printed materials over the next half of the year, chances are good that you’ll always be alerted to short supplies and place orders for replacements before it becomes critical. Six months is typically a good time frame even for businesses with seasonal cycles (where you need more inventory at certain times of the year).
2. Do yearly inventory audits. An audit helps you determine if you still need every SKU, or if you can discontinue some and save money. An audit can also clue you in if you have extra expenses for printing or shipping that can be reduced.
3. Involve your printing supplier during these reviews. Most printers are delighted to help, and can provide you with details on how often you should order, quantities, and potential savings you might earn by increasing quantities, changing designs, or using different paper. Your printer can also show you how to enhance the quality of your printed materials so your brand can make a better impression with your customers.

Want to know more? Our professionals at King Printing Solutions would welcome your questions and can provide you with quotes on all your printing, so you can see if there are ways to save. Call, email, text, or fax us.

Looking for a Career? Don’t Count Out the Printing Industry.

You might not think it, but a career in the printing industry may be for you. It could be the lasting, rewarding job you’ve been looking for.

“But, wait,” you say, “isn’t everything going digital?” While it’s certainly true that many things that used to be on paper are now in pixels on our computers and phones, there are still plenty of printed-on-paper items out in the real world.

In fact, the commercial printing industry is growing, with it expected to increase by more than 20% a year by 2030. What’s driving the growth? Commercial and office printing, for the most part.

On top of that, many people in the printing industry are reaching retirement age, so like many skilled trades, there is great demand for people with the proper training. You don’t have to go to college to make in excess of $100,000 a year in a skilled position in a printing plant.

Career in Printing Industry

King Printing Solutions is actively searching for people who are hard-working and who would like to make a career in the printing industry. We offer positions for experienced pressmen, along with jobs that provide you with training so you can advance quickly.  If you live in Claiborne County, Union County, Hamblen County, Jefferson County, or the surrounding area, you might consider King Printing Solutions.

The work requires some lifting and physical activity, but our printing plant is air conditioned. (In fact, air conditioning was invented for the printing industry, to control humidity so paper sizes stayed consistent to run through the presses.)

Benefits include:

• 401(K) Retirement Plan
• 125(K) Cafeteria Plan
• Health Insurance
• Dental Insurance
• Vision Insurance
• Allstate Supplemental Insurance
• Life Insurance
• Vacation Time
• Competitive Wages

If you’d like to know more about careers in the printing industry at King Printing Solutions, look at our Employment Page. Submit a resume for consideration. We’re actively looking for good people, and you will hear from us.

How Does a Company Stay in Business for More than 50 Years?

By Changing When The Market Demands.

King Printing Solutions evolved. Founded in 1972, 51 years ago, technology has demanded we not only keep up with, but set standards too.

Originally called King Business Forms, the company originally focused on printing multi-part forms and other documents necessary in the days before computers became part of our everyday lives.

The company was very successful, running multiple shifts. King printed millions upon millions of forms for companies across the East Coast.

But times change. As we entered the digital age, there was less and less demand for business forms. So, Jim King, founder of King Business Forms, started looking ahead. He began investing in other technologies that would replace the diminishing forms business. The company’s 10-color presses could be used for a spectrum of printed materials, including direct mail, packaging, and more.

King Business Forms became King Printing Solutions.

In addition, the company began researching ways to improve the special co-adhesive used for pressure seal products. Ultimately, King Printing Solutions evolved again and developed a proprietary technology, KingSeal™, recognized as the industry standard. King Printing Solutions also became known for its twin-web printing capabilities, used for pharmacy forms. Twin-web printing combines a paper document with adhesive labels.

King Printing Solutions has also expanded into a variety of other areas, including manuals, wide-format printing, security documents, and many other hard-to-find technologies. The company often partners with printers and brokers to provide specialized printing services they don’t offer.

The printing industry continues to change, and King continues to invest in equipment and expertise to provide services that today’s marketplace needs for the print medium.

As the printing industry continues to evolve, King Printing Solutions will continue to adapt along with it. That’s how the company has been able to stay relevant over the course of five decades, and how it will be ready to provide customers with quality printing for many more years.

Need a quote for a printing project, or want to know more about our capabilities? Or contact us.