Gary Chmielewski from Northern Ohio Printing provided this great testimonial at Graph Expo 2008, explaining how WebsitesForPrinters.com helped the amount of online business grow 30% in just the first year of using a website from WebsitesForPrinters.com!

Gary is a very smart owner and marketer, WebsitesForPrinters.com is proud to be able to provide his website!

If a picture is worth a thousand words, this “motion picture” is priceless!

Apparently that is the chant being issued by the PrinterPresence staff on the floor of Graph Expo. We overheard a prospect mention that very phrase while holding a PrinterPresence brochure in his hands. I would counter that you don’t get what you pay for with Printer Presence. If they can’t compete on the objective merits of the product then they must resort to competing on subjective items as implied by the “You get what you pay for” comments.

Considering that WebsitesForPrinters.com provides a better product for less money, I’d say that claim is on very shaky ground. Consider this: WebsitesForPrinters.com has sent out over 200 issues of the e-mail newsletter Printer@Work on behalf of our clients. It’s a powerful tool that allows printers to connect with their customers; it’s included with each website at no additional charge. We provide the content, the printer doesn’t have to do a thing … it just works!

Contrast that to the product offered by PrinterPresence … it seems their e-mail tool costs extra and doesn’t include content. That means more work for printers to create content. (edited)

There’s more … but I’d rather rest up for the last big day of Graph Expo. Many more people to meet and more shoulders to rub!!!

WebsitesForPrinters.com is demonstrating three significant enhancements to its product lineup this year at Graph Expo 2008: Private Label Websites, Totally Custom Websites, and a major upgrade to its PDF workflow, PDF Piranha. These enhancements join the turnkey suite of sales, marketing, and print production tools printers need to be able to leverage success on the Internet.

PDF Piranha

Never before has it been so easy for printers’ customers to create ready-to-print files. A one-time download and installation of the PDF Piranha software allows the end user to print from any application directly to the printer’s website. After the file is transferred to the website it is run through a thorough preflight procedure, alerting the customer to items that may need attention (such as low-resolution graphics) and instantly correcting common errors that would otherwise lead to delays in print production. After preflight, the customer immediately is able to view a PDF proof of their order, with clear visual indicators pointing to items that may still need attention.

The customer realizes the benefits of being able to print directly from their native application, and the printer benefits from the automatic error correction provided by the PDF Piranha workflow. All parties benefit from the ease of use and time savings created by PDF Piranha.

Private Label Websites

The Online Print Center is the “nerve center” of a WebsitesForPrinters.com website, allowing customers to initiate estimate requests and place orders, and facilitating the communication between printers and their customers as print orders progress through the website. The Private Label Websites enhancement takes the Online Print Center to a whole new level, providing WebsitesForPrinters.com clients with a way to easily present the business end of their website in a “skin” created to match their customer’s brand.

Private Label Websites allow the printer to maintain full control of the print order process while at the same time allowing the printer’s customers to display their corporate identity. Private Label Websites are typically deployed to organizations where it is desirable to allow the organization’s members or employees to have direct access to the print ordering process, including access to static and variable Document Library items.

Totally Custom Websites

WebsitesForPrinters.com provides clients with eighteen professionally designed websites. For printers desiring to bring their own unique branding to their website, WebsitesForPrinters.com now offers Totally Custom Website design services. Now it is possible to create a unique design and wrap it around all the power and functionality of a WebsitesForPrinters.com website. This allows printers to present themselves to the world in exactly the way they want to be seen.

About WebsitesForPrinters.com

WebsitesForPrinters.com has been helping printers successfully leverage the power of the Internet to create success stories since 2001. Developed by industry veteran Mike Stevens in Fargo, North Dakota, WebsitesForPrinters.com was created for printers by a printer. WebsitesForPrinters.com provides Internet-based sales, marketing, and print production tools which would otherwise be beyond the reach of small and mid-sized commercial printers.

Good news! This morning (not more than a few hours after I posted the last Graph Expo post) I received an e-mail that indicates that the prayer breakfast does indeed appear to be taking shape! I’d be happy to keep anyone updated as to the status of the prayer breakfast as I learn more about the details. If you’d like to be kept in the loop just add a comment to this post or send me a note at Dave@WebsitesForPrinters.com.

WebsitesForPrinters.com and Ink Inc. will be exhibiting at Graph Expo in Chicago’s McCormick Place on October 26 - 29. We’ll be at Booths 5446 and 5448. As usual, there’s all kinds of excitement building as we prepare to show the latest and greatest. There is one event I hope happens - a pre-show prayer breakfast! I guess something like this happened at a show in California and it could happen here too. I’m looking forward to it!

I also learned that the hotel we will be staying at is right across the street … literally footsteps away … from the Apple store. How dangerous is that?!?

Finally, a leader that’s not afraid to show some exuberant emotion! But before anyone reading starts to wonder, I am NOT endorsing Hitler or Nazism in any way shape or form. Now, onto the real reason for the post.

In recent years I have been on a quest to learn more and more about the world’s condition at the time of Hitler. I just couldn’t understand how society could accept and support a movement with such warped ideals. Certainly one of the reasons the Nazi movement survived and thrived is because of the fiery emotions Hitler was able to express. He really believed in his agenda and he had no problem showing it. Case in point:

Now take a look at the speeches we’re being fed in American politics. There’s no one delivering a message with any fire in their gut. So many of the speeches are delivered with a slow, monotone delivery that’s better suited to putting my kids asleep. But then I viewed the end of John McCain’s nomination acceptance speech. I was so incredibly excited to actually see a politician talk like they believed what they were saying and pour some emotion into their presentation! I just haven’t seen that in my lifetime until now.

Take a look at the video below and fast-forward to the 50 minute mark … then give it 30 more seconds.

Finally, a politician that sounds like he believes what he’s saying!

At long last we are now able to experience some tangible progress on our new house project! Last Friday (August 29, 2008) our builder was able to obtain the building permit. This is big, big news as there were any number of small administrative issues that needed to be cleared up at city hall. It appears the people that sold us the land have some other bills to pay, and even though we own our lot free and clear we still ended up getting slowed down as the details were being sorted out. I am quickly learning that there is much more to building a house than just pounding nails.

Then today I was taking the kids to the park and we decided to make a quick run to the lot … just to peek! And there they were. Four small stakes in the ground designating the corners of our lot! Progress! Honest-to-goodness progress!!! So that is hopefully a sign that the hole will be dug this week and the foundation will be established. Weather permitting (it rained pretty hard tonight) and God willing we’ll be able to make some significant progress this week.

Groundbreaking at the Hultin lot

The picture included with this post is pretty fun too! My partner Mike Stevens gave us three small shovels for our kids to use for a groundbreaking ceremony and that was exactly what we did! We went out to our lot, had a quick family prayer, and then let the kids dig in. They had a blast!

And then to bring us back to reality, there’s the special assessment notice we just received in the mail. Oh yeah, we have to pay for this fun project too. Time to get back to work and sell more websites!

The same customer that offered this priceless gem has come up with another goody. As Andy (one of our customer service reps) was preparing for a conference call with her and her customer, she was explaining that her customers are doctors, and “they don’t have a lot of patience!”

The more serious she becomes, the funnier she becomes!

Hello!

Many times we send out an issue of SiteBuilder when we have big news to announce. While we don’t have any single specific “Big News” item to mention this time, we do have a robust collection of updates that will be of interest to existing clients of WebsitesForPrinters.com. If you’re not a client of WebsitesForPrinters.com, you have my permission to skip this issue of SiteBuilder! But before you run off to your next project, I’d like to take a moment to explain one of the greatest benefits WebsitesForPrinters.com provides to its clients: a website that will always be technologically up-to-date.

Are you developing your website on your own? If so, when was the last time it went through a technology makeover? Clients of WebsitesForPrinters.com never have to worry about falling behind the technology curve. The websites we provide are always being updated to stay current with new technology (as evidenced by the changes detailed below), making it easy for you to concentrate on Job #1, selling printing. Do you see the connection? A progressive, always-updated sales-building website allows you to sell more printing … it practically pays for itself!

Here’s a list of what you’ll be reading in this issue of SiteBuilder:

1. Design Tools Monthly Promo Reminder
2. Website Statistics, Now Powered by Google Analytics
3. A New Look for Design 18
4. Public Document Library Items Hidden When Logged In
5. Allowing Reorders on Non-Document Library Items
6. Default Messages for Proofs and Estimate Responses

Now, on to the recent WebsitesForPrinters.com updates … starting with a reminder of a special offer from Design Tools Monthly.

Design Tools Monthly Promo Reminder

You may remember in a recent issue of SiteBuilder we mentioned three special offers provided to SiteBuilder readers by Jay J. Nelson, editor of the Design Tools Monthly newsletter. Jay’s newsletter is an incredibly valuable resource for anyone needing to keep up to date with graphic design news, hardware and software updates, font news, and more. (Visit www.Design-Tools.com to learn more about the Design Tools Monthly newsletter and the “software closet.”)

One of the three special offers is still available! If you’re an existing WebsitesForPrinters.com client, purchase any website add-on (Jaws PDF Courier, uDesignIT!, Instant Online Pricing) and receive a complimentary one-year subscription to Design Tools Monthly (a $229 value). This offer is valid through August 31, 2008. If you’re considering picking up any of these add-ons, now is the time to do so. Questions? Just give us a call at 800-736-0688.

Website Statistics, Now Powered by

From Day One, WebsitesForPrinters.com has provided comprehensive website statistics, allowing you to monitor visitor trends and patterns on your website. It just got better! There is now a setting in the WebsitesForPrinters.com websites allowing you to take advantage of a free service, Google Analytics. The site statistics from WebsitesForPrinters.com are still available, so why would you want to consider using an outside service from a company like Google? Here are a few reasons why:

• Like the original WebsitesForPrinters.com website statistics tool, it’s free!
• We believe the more Google knows about your website, the more relevant your website will be in Google’s search indexes. Using Google Analytics may or may not improve your search engine ranking … but it definitely can’t hurt!
• Google has vast resources to very effectively analyze your website traffic. To put it another way, while we believe the reports generated by WebsitesForPrinters.com are technically accurate, we also believe that the reports may not be capturing the true picture of all website visits in every case. Quite honestly, it doesn’t make sense to reinvent the wheel when such an incredible wheel (provided by Google) is so readily available!

Clients of WebsitesForPrinters.com are able to access the Google Analytics settings by logging in to their website’s Online Print Center and then clicking the Website Statistics link (found in the My Website panel).

A New Look for Design 18

Clients of WebsitesForPrinters.com who use Website Design 18 have likely noticed a small but significant change to the website layout. The design is now centered horizontally in the browser window. We’ll spare you all the geeky details, but the update is simply a way of keeping up with computer display sizes. You are no doubt aware that display sizes have continued to grow larger and larger, so that yesterday’s display, which once neatly contained the contents of Design 18, now has room for much more. The design has been updated to better fit the space available. Look for similar changes to the five other original website designs (designs 13 through 17) in the weeks to come.

On a related note, have you considered switching to a different website design? Clients of WebsitesForPrinters.com may switch to a different website design at any time, as long as the new design is not already in use within your exclusive geographic territory. All you need to do is send us an e-mail or give us a call at 800-736-0688 and we’ll get the switch in motion for you. There’s no cost to switch to a new design, and your customers will love the fresh new look! If you’d like to view the design options available to you, please visit our Sample Websites page.

Public Document Library Items Hidden When Logged In

Due to popular demand, we’ve made an improvement in how Document Library items are viewed on your WebsitesForPrinters.com website. As you know, our Document Library is one of the most powerful benefits you can provide, allowing your customers to easily order their most common items. One of my favorite stories is from a WebsitesForPrinters.com client who had a customer who was a print buyer for a very large organization. This print buyer took some time off for maternity leave, and her replacement needed to reorder a brochure. She was holding one of the last brochures in her hand, and she needed to place the reorder in a hurry. She made one quick trip to the website’s Document Library, where she easily found the brochure, and ordered a new supply of brochures!

Document Library items may be set to be viewed only by specific customers that are logged in to the website, or they may be set to be viewed by everyone, whether or not they are logged in to the website’s Online Print Center. In response to client requests, there is now a new optional setting which prevents public Document Library items from being displayed when customers with private Document Library items are logged in to the Online Print Center. This will alleviate any confusion caused by the publicly available Document Library items being mixed in with private Document Library items. This new setting may be found in the Preferences panel at any level of customer settings (Default Customer Settings, Company, Branch, or Contact). In the Preferences panel, look for the setting with the label “Allow viewing of public forms when logged in” and set the preference as desired.

Allowing Reorders on Non-Document Library Items

Here’s another change to the website’s ordering system. In the past, only Document Library items had an easy Reorder button, allowing customers to place exact reorders. That Reorder button is now no longer limited to Document Library items. The Reorder button is now available to your customers on any completed job, including jobs originating from the website’s Place an Order forms.

Default Messages for Proofs and Estimate Responses

Finally, we have two more changes resulting from the “by popular request” voices of WebsitesForPrinters.com clients. When you use the website to send a proof to customers, you are provided with an area where you can send a personal message. Do you find yourself typing in the same message each time, possibly with only slight variations? Save the keystrokes! Set that message as the default Send a Proof Message, and it will automatically fill in for you each time you prepare to send a proof! (You’ll still have the opportunity to modify the message if you wish before sending the proof.)

How about responding to estimate requests through your website? WebsitesForPrinters.com provides a space for you to present your estimate terms to your customers on each estimate response. It’s common to present a message with information like “This estimate is valid for 30 days.” You are now able to define that message to automatically fill in each time you present an estimate to your customers. (Like the proof message, you’ll still have the opportunity to modify the message before responding to the request for an estimate.)

Both of these default messages are set in the website’s Online Print Center settings (look for the link in the Products, Forms, and People panel). When you’re in the Online Print Center settings page, look for the Default Send a Proof Message panel and the Default Estimate Terms panel.

That’s a lot of progress! With these changes, we trust you’ll realize that we listen to our clients and make the changes that are important to our clients. Additionally, you know you can count on WebsitesForPrinters.com to keep the website’s technology up-to-date. When talking with potential WebsitesForPrinters.com clients, I’m quick to remind them that an up-to-date website is one of the easiest ways to stay a step ahead of the competition. Clients of WebsitesForPrinters.com already know this … do you? If you’re ready to find out more, we’d like to encourage you to set up a personal demo website (no strings attached, no obligation) at the WebsitesForPrinters.com Free Trial page.

Until next time,

Happy Printing!

–
Dave Hultin, Managing Partner
Dave@WebsitesForPrinters.com
www.WebsitesForPrinters.com
800-736-0688 x 130

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