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PROOF POSITIVE
Select photographs and illustrations that work compatibly with the paper finish. For example, smooth-finish papers respond well to fine-line reproductions. Felts have absorptive properties that create a softer look. Embossed finishes range from barely perceptible to deep textures.

 

Learn ways to get greener with GUNTENBIRD'S GREEN TIP! New every Tuesday at www.sentinelinnovation.com/Tip

 

September 2010

SGP's First LI Candidate   •   Hold the Elevator   •   Here's Looking At You Kid

Sustainable Green Printing Partnerships's First Candidate In Long Island

Sentinel is proud to be the first company in the New York Metropolitan area to apply for the Sustainable Green Printing Partnership (SGP). Over the past year there has been a number of organizations promoting their green registrations, but there is none more comprehensive for our industry than SGP.

In order to become a certified SGP Printer, our firm must:

• Be in regulatory compliance;
   
• Commit to SGP Guiding Principles; and
   
• Implement a written sustainability policy that is: commits to compliance with environmental health and safety requirements; creates continuous improvement in areas that are not subject to regulation; provides pollution prevention that emphasizes source reduction, reuse and recycling; and shares information on sustainability performance with external stakeholders.

Sustainable Green Printing Partnership focuses on printing; improving print processes and making printers lean manufacturers. SGP provides environmental stewardship and encourages corporate social responsibility within the printing industry through the efficient use of renewable sources, energy, and recycling. It is not simply a chain of custody or sustainable paper solution.

While many chain of custody registrations (FSC, SFI, PEFC) simply relate to the use of paper—and most specifically, pulp origination—SGP requires a company to look at every aspect of the business. It reviews not just the substrate, but the product and the entire process of making the product, as well as all the manufacturing support activities, employee safety and health, energy use, plant maintenance, use of vendors, and even the delivery mechanisms.

Although everyone at Sentinel takes paper creation very seriously, we believe it’s more important to look at an entire process rather than limiting our focus to simply where the pulp comes from for the paper purchased. That is why we have embarked on the challenging process of becoming a registered SGP printer. We will look forward to sharing our improvements and changes at Sentinel as we work towards certification.

 

Hold The Elevator

Quick, you only have a few seconds—be sure you know how to talk about your company in

the time it takes to ride a few floors. Whether you’re at a formal networking event or you run into someone casually, you should have a quick spiel prepared that gives an accurate picture of you and your business.

Creating a great impression can be accomplished in as short of a time as an elevator ride. Your “elevator speech” should be succinct—three or four sentences in all— and take about 30 seconds to deliver. You want to grab your listener’s attention and leave him wanting more. Here are some things to keep in mind.

Practice. Write it out, change it up, say it out loud—the more you practice your speech, the better you’ll be at delivering it.

But be conversational. Your elevator speech shouldn’t sound wooden or rehearsed. The key is to practice, but to avoid memorization so you don’t sound like you’re scripted. Keep an elevator speech as conversational and spontaneous as possible.

Keep it simple. Speak English, not “industry speak.” Stay away from acronyms and terminology that people outside your industry wouldn’t understand.

Think “what” and “why.” Give the basic facts. You should cover what your company does, how you do it and why it’s important.

Tell a story. Once you cover the facts, put a face on your organization by sharing a quick story about the clients you serve. This is a great way to humanize your company.
Project confidence. There are easy things you can do to project confidence, even if you’re not feeling it. Stand tall. Give a good firm handshake. Make eye contact. It’s not just about what you say, but how you say it.

 

Here's Looking At You, Kid

Your company’s website can’t shake hands, but it can still do a bang-up job of introducing you and your staff to your online visitors. And even online, introductions are necessary.
 

One of the best ways to engage with your customers and prospects is through photos. Posting pictures of you and your employees on your website gives your company a face and a personality. This sets you apart from your competitors and shows your customers whom they’re doing business with. Pictured here are our Chief Operations Officer, Stephen Hassett (left) and our Prepress Manager, Peter Molinari (right).

You don’t have to be a professional to snap great pictures of your staff for your website. Follow these suggestions and you’ll have some great photos to upload in no time.

• To get a group shot of everyone with their eyes open, have them close them first. Count to three, and then say “open” as you click the camera.
   
• For groups, arrange people at different levels (some sitting, some standing, etc.), or take the shot from above.
   
• Instead of getting “cheesy,” have your subject say, “milkshake.” It results in a more natural smile.
   
• Schedule your photos at the right time of the day. First thing in the morning, especially before coffee, is not most people’s favorite time for picture taking. Try scheduling a session right after lunch.

One final tip—slow down. It takes most people some time to warm up in front of a camera. If you try to hurry the pictures, your subjects may appear stiff or unnatural. If you want “natural and friendly,” give your staff members some time to relax.

Note:  If you plan to use the photos for print as well as the web, make sure that your camera's resolution while shooting is set high. Afterwards, make a copy and lower the images resolution for the web in a photo editing program. Keeping and using a high resolution image for printing guarantees that when the photos are printed they are not soft or pixelated.