It is well known that handing out a promotional calendar to your customers is a great way to keep your brand out in front of people for an entire year. After all, everyone needs a calendar. In fact, most people need more than one (one for the kitchen, one for the bedroom, one for the office, etc.). And people consult their calendars repeatedly throughout the year. Compare that with the exposure you might get with more typical advertising that is read once and then thrown away!

As a designer with focus on calendars, I've helped hundreds of clients produce calendars and seen first hand what a great marketing piece a well-produced, custom calendar can be. I've also seen how it pays to plan ahead and find a printer early in the process.

Customize it for Greater Impact

While there are many promotional product suppliers that will sell you a pre-printed calendar with your logo over-printed at the bottom, you should also consider creating your own completely customized calendar. A custom printed calendar will cost a little more than its pre-printed cousin, but you can make it appeal much more directly to your customers. You can choose calendar images that highlight your products, your local area, or your customers' interests. A calendar that tells a story about your company, that shows off the personality of your employees, or that depicts your company's involvement in the community will hold much more intrinsic appeal for your customers than a generic calendar with pretty pictures.

I recently worked with a local credit union in the Pacific Northwest to help them produce a customized calendar. They decided that while a customer might appreciate a pre-printed calendar with scenic photos, they would have no special reason to remember or think about who gave it to them. Instead the credit union held a photo contest among their members with the theme of scenery in the Pacific Northwest. They publicized the contest early in the year and generated considerable enthusiasm for the project long before the calendar was even printed. They received a large number of entries, and we produced an absolutely stunning calendar that made both the credit union and its customers feel proud. From both an aesthetic and a marketing standpoint, the project was a total win-win.

Don't Forget those Dates!

The credit union example also highlights another custom calendar printing advantage. Because every part of the calendar can be customized, they were able to include within the calendar dates not only standard holidays but also every aspect of the credit union's and the local community's schedule. Credit union holidays and early closings as well as local events were all marked throughout the year. This makes the calendar not only an attractive marketing piece but also a tremendously useful tool for the customers, giving them one more reason to put it on the wall.

Three Steps to a Successful Calendar Printing Project

While it is certainly possible to start a calendar project December 1st and receive the finished product before Christmas, unless you happen to have a stack of images all ready to go to the printer, you are probably going to need more time than that. Depending on when you need to have calendars in hand and on your process for collecting images, you may need to start worrying as early as February or March.

Step One: Find a Calendar Printer

Yes, even before you talk to your boss, it makes sense to look for a good calendar printer. You may be able to work with your local print shop on this project, but chances are you will be better off finding a printer that specializes in high-quality, full-color calendars. Make sure you find a printer who you can call on the phone and actually speak to! Will the printer be able to answer questions and guide you through the project from start to finish? If not, then keep looking. A good calendar printer will make sure that you understand all the steps that are involved in the project so that there are no surprises along the way.

Be sure to interrogate prospective printers thoroughly. Ask for prices and turn-around times. What is included in the price? Are there any artwork, set-up, or finishing charges that are not included in the quoted price? Is the printer expecting finished, print-ready artwork, or will they handle the design for you? Can they customize their calendar designs to suit your needs? If so, is there an additional cost? Most importantly, ask to receive sample calendars so that you can judge for yourself the quality of the printing, the paper stock and the design.

Step Two: Assemble your In-House Resources

By now, you should have a good idea of the parameters for your project. It is now time to get management on board and map out the details. Figure out how many calendars you need and establish a budget. The biggest question is what will you use for artwork? What will be the theme of the calendar? Do you need to plan a photo or art contest? (Kids' drawings make a popular calendar theme.) Will you be using product photos? If so, you may have an internal art department that can help to repurpose existing photos. Perhaps you need to hire a photographer (or partner with one in exchange for advertising in the calendar)?

Don't forget the other parts of the calendar. Are you planning to highlight special events or dates throughout the year? Will there be a logo or other information printed on the calendar page? Does the calendar include any extra pages (apart from the 12 months) for which you need to provide text or images? Front and back covers? Your printer should already have let you know what is required.

You will also need to establish a timeline. When do you need the calendars? How are the calendars being distributed? At a conference or other special event? Or maybe in the mail in time for Christmas? Make sure you know when you need to deliver artwork to the printer in order to get your calendars back in time.

Step Three: Collect Images and Date Information

Hopefully, in step one, your printer filled you in on the file formats and resolutions needed for photos, logos and other information. If not, get that information and make sure that everyone who is providing artwork or any other information to you is clear on what is expected. The last thing you want is to hand everything to the printer just in time to meet your deadline and then wind up with a delay because half the images are too low in resolution. If you do not know how to judge the resolution, talk to your printer. As you get close to the point where you have everything you need, you may want to talk to your printer again, just to make sure you are not leaving anything out. Once you hand everything over to the printer, they should be able to take over from there and deliver a great, all-year marketing piece to you.