Wedding Invitations Poplar BluffIf you are looking for assistance with designing your wedding invitations then you will want to read this article. Wedding invitations are a very important part of your wedding. It is the means that you initially inform many family and friends that you are getting married. It also gives those family and friends permission to be part of your big day. In this article we will discuss the brief history of invitations and your options today, local versus online printers, and some frequently asked questions.  After reading this article you should be more prepared to for the questions you will have to answer when placing an order for invitations.

Wedding stationary is traditionally formal in nature. However, over the past several years it has become less formal. This trend has been driven by the advancement in home printing equipment. Many homes have desktop printers that are capable of producing a decent quality piece. Many brides have pulled out their creativity license and designed invitations to match their budget. As a result, many printers now offer full customizable invitations, thank you cards, programs, RSVP cards, menus and much more!  One of the more current popular designs is a vertical tri-fold with a detachable RSVP Card. The invitation folds up to approximately post card size and already has a return address printed on it. This allows the couple to quickly mail out their invitations without the traditional hassle of stuffing and addressing envelopes. The trend in affordable printing has given couples an extensive amount of choices when it comes to selecting their invitations and other wedding stationary.

The other result of affordable printing is the rapid growth of online printers. Online printers offer very affordable printing and the convenience of being able to order 24 hours a day. While this may initially seem like a benefit, I will say be careful before selecting this option. This is your big day and you want everything to be perfect. A local printer can offer many benefits that an online printer cannot. The first benefit is you can actually walk in and see examples of past work from a printer. You can first hand inspect the quality. The second benefit is that you can talk to someone face to face and they understand what you want. Many times online retailers offer templates that you can “customize,” but if you want something outside of that template then either your price goes up or your out of luck. The third benefit is speed. Online printers can take weeks to produce and ship your invitations to you. If you are that busy bride who needs invitations tomorrow, a local printer can be a life saver. Local printers have the ability to shift production to meet your needs. While they can’t always drop a “big” job, they will work to make sure you get what you need ontime!

There are several frequently asked questions that couples have when ordering invitations. While I cannot answer them all in this article, I will attempt to answer a few common questions.

  • When should I mail out my invitations?
    • You want to give your guest plenty of time make arrangements such as airfare and hotel accommodations. The general rule of thumb is to mail your invitations out 6 to 8 weeks before your wedding.  It is appropriate to use a Save The Date card if you wish to give notice before that.
  • What information do I need for my invitations?
    • It is very common for couples planning a wedding to get overwhelmed. When it comes time to order your invitations you will need the following information:
      • Names of Bride and Groom
      • Names of Bride and Groom’s Parents
      • Date, Time, and Location of Ceremony
      • Date, Time, and Location of Reception
      • Where the invitee needs to reply to (RSVP address)
      • Whether you want formal or informal wording
  • Then leave the rest up to your printer. They have produced thousands of invites and they know what they are doing.

Now that you know about the brief history of wedding invitations it is time for you to decide whether you want a formal or informal invitation. Once you decide that and you know the answers to the frequently asked questions above, proceed down to your local printer and see what they have to offer. If you are in the Southeast Missouri Area, call Minit Print at 573-785-0931. We would be happy to help make your day special.

You are doing it wrong!!!

Facebook is a powerful platform for small businesses to reach potential and current customers. The problem is that to many small business owners are to busy to capitalize on it or they don’t know how to properly use Social Media. I have been reviewing local business pages here in Poplar Bluff and I was shocked to see how many business are doing it wrong!

Facebook recently made several of major changes to the business pages that make it a superb platform for branding your business, but that also came with a new set of rules. Business now can a large image at the top of the page (Cover Image) to use to establish a brand. Milestones can be added to a business timeline to signify major events in the businesses history. These milestones can be text or photo based. Custom tabs can be added to feature menus, products, and much more. Posts can be highlighted and pinned in order to stand out on the timeline. It amazes me how many businesses are not taking advantage of these new features and how many businesses are violating Facebook’s Terms of Service by utilizing these features in the wrong way.

While looking at local business pages I noticed a couple of major trends. First, businesses don’t have cover images. Second, many businesses had Facebook Personal Profiles and not Fan Pages. Third, cover images violated Facebook’s Terms of Service.

What this means for these businesses is that Facebook can shutdown their page without any warning. Would this be the end of the world for most businesses in Poplar Bluff? No, it would not. However, it takes away a powerful outlet to customers in this day and age of mobile devices.

Be sure you page is compliant with Facebook’s Terms of Service and that you utilize the new features to benefit your business.

Go like our Facebook Fan Page and discover how to better utilize yours!

It seems that the new Facebook format, Timeline, really has people in arms.  But don’t people always complain any time Facebook makes format changes?  The truth is, Facebook Timeline has some great new features that truly broaden the Facebook user experience . . . and Timeline is not going anywhere.  Pretty soon, Facebook users will have no choice but to convert to Timeline (or else be converted), so it’s a good idea to get ahead of the pack by learning how to use Timeline’s features and adapt your Facebook use accordingly.  One great thing you can do with your Timeline is to make your most important posts (of your choosing, of course) stand out amongst the rest of your posts.  How do you accomplish this?  Read on for step by step instructions:

Timeline Highlight.  The new feature that allows you showcase any and every post you want to call special attention to is called “Highlight.”  Highlight is super easy to access and use, as you will see in this breakdown.  (Side note: the Highlight feature applies to Facebook fan pages only.  The same feature is actually called “Feature” on standard profile pages.  However, both Highlight and Feature work the same way.) [click to continue…]

Picking the right wedding photographer is an important decision for anyone who is getting married. You must find someone that you trust to capture the moments that you will want to have for a lifetime. The folks over at Cool Daily Infographics featured this great reference! [click to continue…]

Printing History Infographic

Enjoy a very brief bit of printing history in graphical form. This infographic is brought to you by: Cool Daily Infographics

Printing Infographic

 

The month of April is  half gone, leaving only weeks until that all important date in every high school senior’s life. Graduation is the close of a segment in life, but the beginning to a great adventure. At Minit Print, we want to congratulate every senior for this great accomplishment.

Here is a list of High School Graduations dates and times (please check with your school to confirm this information):

  • Neeylville – May 5, 2012 6:00pm, High School Gymnasium
  • Doniphan – May 5, 2012 7:00pm, High School Gymnasium
  • East Carter – May 11, 2012 7:00pm, High School Gymnasium
  • Van Buren – May 11, 2012 7:30pm, High School Gymnasium
  • Poplar Bluff – May 17, 2012 7:00pm, Black River Coliseum

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Many of those who are new to Timeline are quick to question the need for yet another new Facebook makeover.  After all, didn’t we just recover from the last one?  The thing is, Facebook’s Timeline is really cool, and it has some great new features that can really improve your business’s online credentials, as long as you know how to use it to its full potential.  Need convincing?  Here are five ways the new Facebook Timeline will help your business:

Your cover art.  Perhaps the first thing people notice about Timeline is the huge, banner-style cover photo that frames the top of the page.  This eye-catching space is a great way to really showcase your business’s logo, your team, and other business-related images in a creative way, and is a marked improvement over the previous Facebook format. [click to continue…]