Get to know Paula Bell Sellers:

Nickname and/or battle cry: Get ‘er done!

Year started at CPC Solutions: 2010

First job ever: Cafeteria Server at a retirement center when I was 15.

Current position: Sales & Marketing Goddess for Colorado and California

What she likes most about what she does:
It’s most satisfying to be surrounded by creativity. Being in marketing and print embeds me in creativity brought to life. It’s an aspect of marketing that I find beautiful… probably from my years of sewing and crafting.

A funny story related to your position or a past position:
At my first job, there was an old fella named Ivan, who always liked dark bread in his basket of bread. It all came from the same loaves, so I was told to just give him the end pieces since those were darker. I remember bringing that basket out to him and he threw it at me because it wasn’t dark enough and then laughed. Thus ensued a cat and mouse game that lasted the duration of that job. I think bread delivery was hit favorite time of day!

How she would prepare for an imminent natural disaster:
You mean how am I prepared? I’ve got a go box with all the necessities to clean water, start fires and protect myself. Maybe that book by Cody Lundin “When All Hell Breaks Loose” wasn’t such a good idea.

Favorite hobbies: Volleyball, sewing, cooking, rafting and crafting… haha. It rhymes.

Favorite all-time TV show:
All time? Wow… that’s hard. I would say that Charlie’s Angels had some kind of effect on me when I was young. What girl wouldn’t want to carry a gun, chase bad guys around, and always win. They would fly a helicopter, chase down the bad guy by horse or racecar and then end the day sitting on the beach with a cocktail. Sounds amazing! Although I’m really digging Master Chef for the past few years.

A G-rated secret about you that nobody else would know:
When my husband and I played hockey on the same team years ago, I saw him get slashed on the wrist by the opposing team. I pitched such a fit to the refs, I was thrown in the box… from the BENCH! HAHAHA.

Mobile action codes have been increasing in popularity over the past several years, with QR codes being one of the most popular and recognizable. However, many advertisers hesitate to place what may appear to be an unsightly square code within their beautiful artwork. The effort also requires some planning as the QR code must be created using a relevant link before being printed.

Image recognition software has made substantial strides in the last two years and will become even more prevalent as mobile devices become faster and faster. Image recognition platforms, such as Aurasma or Kooaba, allow you to essentially create a “QR code” out of any image, leaving the artwork as intended. From there, you may link a web page, video or create an augmented reality experience, such as a lifelike 3D animated character.

Even companies such as Chick Fil A have used augmented reality in their kid’s meal comic books. So, if you think you are a savvier marketer than Chick Fil A, perhaps it is time to discover what this technology can do for your printed materials.

Image provided by printinthemix.com

The Super-cool Fold Factory Video:
Source - foldfactory.com

Featured: #91 Interactive Envelope Solutions for Direct Mail

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Awesome App:

The Aurasma app provides a platform to create augmented reality experiences used by such companies as Outside Magazine and the automaker Infiniti.

Tips from the Trenches:

You can use Aurasma’s “skin” as is or, as a partner, you may develop your own “skin” with the same app functions. Essentially, the app could have the look and feel of your company.

Interesting Integers:
Source: PrintInTheMix.com

8,448 – The number of mobile action codes printed in 2012 among advertisers in the top 100 U.S. national magazines.

Almost Famous Quote:

Don’t be afraid of the space between your dreams and reality. If you can dream it, you can make it so.
- Ralph Waldo Emerson

Proofs are critical with any project, and there are many from which to choose. Below are the proofs we offer at CPC Solutions.

•  Soft Proof – This proof is posted and viewed online, which provides a great way to share a proof with multiple locations at the same time. Soft proofs are typically the least expensive. Although they are not accurate for color, they do provide a fast and easy way to proof your file after it has been preflighted and “ripped.”

•  Plotter Proof – These cost effective, low-end printed proofs are best for proofing trim lines, positioning, and pagination.

•  Oris Proof – These high quality proofs are calibrated to our presses and offer the best shot at accurate color. These should be used if your project is color critical. A plotter proof will always accompany an Oris proof.

•  Digital Proof – These proofs are essentially press proofs since they are printed on our Indigo 5600 digital press.

•  Variable Data Proof – It is essential to proof a variable data printed project with the actual data being used. We typically do this by showing several variants via soft proof, but it could also be done using several digital proofs.

•  Packaging Comps – For any die cut or packaging project, we create a comp using our new die less cutting table to give you a near exact representation of the final product, on the actual stock. We may also print the artwork on the comp by applying a thin film for ink adhesion.

The Super-cool Fold Factory Video:
Source - foldfactory.com

Featured: #94 Right Angle Accordion Mailer

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Awesome App:

The ParkMe App does exactly what it says. However, better results are found in larger cities, which will certainly cut down the amount of time you spend driving in circles.

Tips from the Trenches:

Proofs are not perfect. Most proofs are made on different machines using different inks using different substrates, compared to the intended final product. They may be very close, sometimes scary close, but never perfect.

Interesting Integers:

10 to the 26th power per second (100 million billion billion calculations per second) – The projected speed of a $1,000 computer around the year 2048, provided that Moore’s law holds true. This is the equivalent to all the brains of the entire human race. That’s when things get interesting! From the book Abundance; The Future is Better than You Think by Peter H. Diamandis & Steven Kotler

Almost Famous Quote:

You can choose to be extraordinary. - Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla Motors and SpaceX, Chairman of SolarCity

Whether we think so or not, at one point or another, we are all involved in the selling process. Therefore, it is useful to understand how to persuade a prospect, a client, or a colleague that meeting with you is important. When doing so, keep the acronym SALES in mind.

The Super-cool Fold Factory Video:
Source - foldfactory.com

Featured: #190 Awesome Spiral Accordion Mailer

Tips from the Trenches:

Tips from the Trenches:

Use these techniques to eliminate banding in gradients:

• Use a gradient that changes at least 50% between two or more process components.
• Increase the percentage of change in the gradient.
• Add a Gaussian blur or Noise filter in Adobe Photoshop.
• Avoid creating gradients that blend from a very dark color to white.

Awesome App:

Timbre automatically lists the bands playing in your area and plays their music. Its user interface is clean and easy to use featuring classic black and white styling.

Interesting Integers:
Source: Print in the Mix

$43.9 billion – Amount spent on custom content spending on production and distribution, according to Characteristics Study: A Look at the Volume and Type of Content Marketing in America for 2013. All forms — print, electronic and other — experienced growth; a 9.2% rise over last year's $40.2 billion.

Almost Famous Quote:

An invaluable step in character training is to put responsibility on the individual.
    - Robert Baden-Powell, Founder of Scouting

Even though many organizations are differentiating themselves again with printed materials, email still serves a purpose if you can manage to get through the clutter of SPAM. This detailed report from Experian Marketing Services is a quick read full of charts and graphs. Click on the image below to view the full report.

The Super-cool Fold Factory Video:
Source - foldfactory.com

#96 Accordion "Carrier" with Interchangeable Inserts

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Awesome App:

The Craigslist App is a great tool for selling or buying stuff on Craigslist with many features that help manage the process. Click here for IOS website and for Android website.

Tips from the Trenches:

Apply our ICC Profiles when converting from RGB to CMYK. We have a profile for Gloss (use for dull too), Matte and Uncoated papers. They can be found here.

Interesting Integers:
Source: Print in the Mix 

$246 - The average order resulting from a promotional email sent between the hours of 8pm and midnight. The second highest average order amount was $188 for those orders placed between noon and 4pm.

Almost Famous Quote:

We’ll have paperless offices when we have paperless bathrooms.  -Unknown