Please note: Videos are at the end of this article. This article is a few years old and the system has changed a little, and they may not have the free offer, but the material following should be useful.
Most of the printed publications we do in the church are done with either the copier or a digital duplicator. Sometimes we use color if we have a good color copier. These machines work for most of the products we create, but sometimes we long for full-color or glossy printing on our church business and invitation cards or church outreach postcards.
Many churches justify the cost of special projects for major holidays, but most wouldn't think of doing a full-color business or invitation card for a Sunday School class, children's or women's ministry event in the church because of the short run and the cost. But you might think about doing it--if the price was FREE. FREE or almost (there are a few little charges I explain later) is what is honestly available through Vista Print. Remember what follows is my experience and opinion, only, not anything from the company, but I trust will be useful to you. What prompted me to do this article and the associated videos is that I wanted to get some full-color, glossy business/invitation cards done for the Sunday School class my husband and I teach. There is no way I could go to my local printer and afford to get that done, but then I got one of the special discount emails from Vista Print. As I was putting together my order, I realized I could share it with all of you.
About Vista Print
Vista Print (www.vistaprint.com) is an online printing company. There are a number of them out there today and many churches use them successfully to create high quality print items at a low-cost. They are in NO WAY a substitute for your copier or digital duplicator, but when you want 100 business cards or a vinyl banner or a couple of full-color yard signs they are great.
Vista Print has been around a long time and they do a reliable job. I've used them for church and business jobs and have been happy with all the results.
You don't have to use Photoshop to get professional results!
Many of the online print companies (Vista Print does this also) recommend that you use Adobe Photoshop or Illustrator to create your products. At first look, it seems like if you don't use these products you won't get quality results. But that is not true! As the video below will show you can easily create a publication using MS Publisher that is extremely simple to load up and have created with Vista Print--and the results are great!
Below the video is a step-by-step sheet that will remind you of the steps to take to create a successful publication.
A few warnings, cautions when using Vista Print
Free doesn't mean totally without cost--you still have to pay for postage and handling and a few other charges.
In addition, if you want extras like special coating or color printing on the second side, you have to pay a few dollars extra. They also charge a couple of dollars to upload your design. These little charges can vary tremendously, but are very reasonable. For example in the video below, to have the second side of a full-color business card done in black and white for 250 cards, the cost was $3.49.
The biggest frustration factor, though entirely manageable, is all the extras they offer you. They need to make money, so if you are easily distracted, be warned. They have a multitude of extra options or additional products or all sorts of things that pop up as you are completing your order. Do not let yourself be distracted. This can be very irritating, but those of us who work in ministry know how to FOCUS....... and the second video below shows you how to deal with ordering multiple products, how to avoid all the extras screens and complete your order.
To make it all practical
Below are:
- A video that shows How to create products for Vista Print using MS Publisher
- A video that shows How to finish an Order and avoid the junk
- A PDF Handout for the first video
- A PDF sheet that summarizes the steps to take to create a publication in MS Publisher to be printed at VistaPrint
VIDEOS and handouts that go with them:
VIDEO: How to Create Free Publications With Vista Print
PDF notes from the Video
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VIDEO: How to finish a Vista Print Order
Please share your thoughts, comments, questions!