Spring is back and with it comes the season of christenings, first communions, weddings and other family oriented gatherings. Every person in your family raves about the announcements that so- and-so had prepared for such an occasions, stating that these are so incredible that they have kept them posted on their fridge door. And of course, you feel that you will never be able to live up to such expectations despite all your good will to make everything picture perfect for that special day..

Don’t underestimate yourself. Sit down and take a couple of minutes to think what would make your invitations the talk of the family. OK, you’re no artist but you have an idea of what you like and what you don’t, and what your  family and friends will appreciate. Just upload your own baby’s picture for the christening announcement. Try out several background colours and fonts to see which ones will look the best on paper for the first communion lunch invitation. Imagine the future bride and groom’s names in bold and colorful fonts or make it really traditional and upload pictures of gold wedding bands. The choice is yours. The time you spend on these will be rewarded with compliments! Be creative! Be inspired!

Feel completely overwhelmed by events? That 24 hours in a day just aren’t enough to do all you have to do?

We all have days when we think we will never make it through the list of things that we have to do. Things just seem to pile up in a weird way and when you think that you can finally sit down and have a cup of coffee, one of the kids coming running in reminding you that it is time for her soccer practice that you had completely forgotten about despite all the post-it notes that decorate your fridge door. So, you decide that enough is enough, and that you need to be better organized and so does your family.

Creating your agenda on your phone or blackberry will not be useful as it will be seen only by you. So why not choose among our 2010 calendars and create a calendar that you can post on the fridge for all to see? You can be creative and upload pictures, or choose from already-made ones. Don’t worry about the starting date; you can choose the month that you want. Tailor it to your needs and have it delivered to your doorstep. It will take only a few minutes to fill in and your life will change for the better!

You have prepped your sales force, told them how to dress, and made them learn all the characteristics of your products. Your sales crew seems to be ready to go market your products. Yet, one last touch is missing to give them the cutting edge, the accessory that will make a difference between your team and the competition’s:  customized business card holders! Avoid your team giving a bad first impression of themselves and of your company by pulling out wrinkled business cards from their wallets or pockets.  Using a neat and custom-designed business card holder can make a big difference. Believe me, your company’s image will benefit from such an accessory!

When you want to personally thank friends or customers, you almost never find the perfect card to illustrate the message you want to get across. Did you know that you could design this perfect card? All it takes is a computer connection and you can create the thank you cards you have always wished you could find on the market!  Afraid not to make the right choices? Don’t worry! There are hundreds of templates from which to choose from. You can test different colours, fonts, upload logos and pictures… Have fun and unleash the creative that is in you!

For months now, you have been working to prepare your big company event. Everything has been planned down to the smallest detail. You and your team have done your best so that your customers will feel like they will be getting all the attention they deserve. But have you thought about the impact the invitation you are sending them will have?

Your customers, when reading it, need to feel that they are ‘the‘ person that you are waiting for. Get your message across by creating your own  custom invitations online. You can personalize them by determining what type of paper they will be printed on as well as pick out the matching envelopes. You can also choose from hundreds of models, colours, and fonts as well as upload your logo or/and pictures of your products. A few minutes of your time will enable you to really make your invitations stand out. The turnout at your event will be the proof that custom invitations really make a difference.

People have a tendency to store important information by sticking it upon their fridge’s door. If there is a special event that you want people to know about or a special date that you want people to remember, then save the date magnets are perfect. Every time they reach for something in the fridge, they’ll see your save the date. You can create them in a few minutes using your computer and personalize them by uploading your pictures and choosing the colours and text that you want.

Hate being stuck in traffic? Think that commuting by car is a huge waste of time? Ever thought that it would be great if you could do something else than just stare at the bumper of the car in front of you while listening to your car stereo and waiting for time to go by? Well, you are wrong! Sitting in your car can actually save you lots of money!

Your car can be the most economical marketing tool your company owns.  People’s eyes often wander around neighbouring cars. Design your photo magnets online and place it on your car. This will create more visibility for your company without spending a lot of money on advertising campaigns. Clearly state your company name, logo, and make your telephone number and e-mail available to all those commuters that surround you.

We generally all hate receiving plain, white window envelopes… they always seem to announce bills to be paid or other unpleasant correspondence. If you are using mail as a way to communicate with your customers or friends, and you don’t want them to open your envelopes with apprehension, or worse, put them aside, try placing mailing labels on them. Receiving mail that is personalized is morale boosting for the receiver. In turn, he or she will be much more likely to have a positive response. For a business, this can be the difference between the message being in the trash or carefully read.

Business cards are intrinsically linked to networking in today’s economy. Every person that you meet is another chance for you to expand your social network, and as a result, expand your business. You never know who might be the key to that extraordinary business contract. When you meet someone, at a business meeting, social gathering, or on the street, never hesitate to offer your business card. If you can, ask them for their business card too. People are always eager to hand them to you.

The beauty of networking is that it’s free since all you need is a smile, a firm handshake and a business card. Take a few minutes to design free business cards and you’ll be ready to network.

One of the best things you can do to market a business is give people an item of clothing with your company name and info on it. When you do this you are not only advertising to them, but to all the people that they come into contact with on a daily basis. When they have your shirt or hat on–you are selling your company.

Doing this can mean anything from investing in employee uniforms that feature custom designed t-shirts to creating a custom hat that you use as a giveaway item for your clients. Most businesses won’t want to go through the actual process of printing these items themselves, so it makes sense to order them from a place with experience.

At Vistaprint, you can easily create a custom t-shirt or hat by following our simple instructions. We use 100% cotton shirts, and they are pre-shrunk as well. You can get both short and long sleeve varieties, and we can print in small quantities without charging you huge prices. This is good news for smaller businesses, but also for anyone who is looking for a cost-effective solution to a uniform issue.

Our hats are high-quality cotton twill and they feature an adjustable strap. Available in a variety of colors, we offer printing on both the front and the back sides for maximum exposure. Choose a design template to help guide you through the process or upload your finished design with our easy system and you’ll have your finished product back quickly. Another option for shirts and hats is a photograph. Think about doing a company picture and featuring it as a design with your logo, or using the outside of your building as the basis for a shirt concept.

If you have an idea that you’d like to try out, you can also talk to our creative services team and let them do the work for you. They are also great to use if you aren’t sure what type of design you would like to have on your clothing. Let them talk you through the process and make things even easier. We offer you a one-week turnaround on your project when you let us help you with the work, so you don’t need to worry about us slowing you down. Custom shirt printing is something we are very familiar with.

Shirts and hats make terrific marketing items, regardless of whether you use them as “freebies” or as uniforms for your employees. You can create your own design easily or work with creative design professionals to customize the look of your clothing items. The process is simple and the results are terrific!