About Us
Since our doors first opened in 1987, our customer-oriented print house has provided full-service commercial printing for businesses & non-profits throughout the Bay Area. We delight in working with local organizations to realize their full potential in print. We seek to offer exceptional products that are environmentally conscious; utilizing & recycling chemical-free plates, no VOC & low VOC vegetable-based inks, & FSC & Rainforest Alliance certified papers. At Excel Graphics, quality is not a marketing buzzword; consistent quality is both our practice, & our goal. From proof to press, we take every step to ensure you receive excellent results. We love what we do & we are proud to continue serving our community.
The products and services we offer
Recommendations Received (17)
"Jane and the team at Excel Graphics are true professionals. I highly recommend them for any..."
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"Jane and the team at Excel Graphics are true professionals. I highly recommend them for any printing needs in the East Bay."
"They are fast and extremely efficient. They always provide the best product for a great price. "
Products & Services
Full Color (4 color process) and/or Spot or Metallic Inks, Aqueous Coatings (Gloss, Matte, SoftTouch®), Options for Additional Inline or Post-Pres...
Direct Mail Marketing,, Every Door Direct Mail (EDDM), Informed Delivery & more! Learn more @ https://excelgraphics.ink/f...
Gallery
Recommendations Given (12)
"Derek and company offer tiered services with a number of well-thought out options, including the..."
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"Derek and company offer tiered services with a number of well-thought out options, including the support of a dedicated strategist to research (so important!) your business, your industry, and your target audience; no one-size-fits-all plans. Derek is patient, professional, and authoritative; happy to answer questions thoroughly and great at following up."
"Jessica is a genuine pleasure to work with. Warm personality, great communicator, organized,..."
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"Jessica is a genuine pleasure to work with. Warm personality, great communicator, organized, knowledgeable, and impeccable designs & design files. "
Recent Activity
Never.
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Never.
Excel Graphics has been providing high quality commercial printing for almost 35 years. While we do offer digital short runs, we specialize in offset printing, including plenty of branding/spot color work.
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Excel Graphics has been providing high quality commercial printing for almost 35 years. While we do offer digital short runs, we specialize in offset printing, including plenty of branding/spot color work.
School reopened. In my office! Fortunately, I have a good-sized and secluded office, and a wonderful employer.
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School reopened. In my office! Fortunately, I have a good-sized and secluded office, and a wonderful employer.
Keeping in touch via email & social media is definitely important. Depending on the nature of your service/product and the audience you are looking to reach, adding a direct mail program can also help as direct mail generally has a higher response rate than other forms of marketing.
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Keeping in touch via email & social media is definitely important. Depending on the nature of your service/product and the audience you are looking to reach, adding a direct mail program can also help as direct mail generally has a higher response rate than other forms of marketing.
1 Reply
Many years ago, when I started my own business for the first time, I made the big mistake of trusting my clients. That's not to say that clients are untrustworthy; it's a blanket statement that covers a broad range. Most clients, you can trust to pay of course; but, I learned the hard way that...
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Many years ago, when I started my own business for the first time, I made the big mistake of trusting my clients. That's not to say that clients are untrustworthy; it's a blanket statement that covers a broad range. Most clients, you can trust to pay of course; but, I learned the hard way that you can't trust a client to; understand what they are paying for, commit to paying at a specific time, understand what information and materials are needed from them to complete their project and when and why, understand your policy for requiring and/or handling deposits; if it hasn't been spelled out for them. They are hiring you to be the expert, and you have to spell it out for them so that they understand what is involved, why it is needed, and what the cost will be. And that can be its own challenge, because even when clients want to understand the basics as to what they are paying for, some don't want to take time understanding the details! (And some prospects/clients do--unfortunately--end up being manipulative and dishonest; and you can read and post about them here: https://clientsfromhell.net/)
Did you have a detailed contract in place; hopefully outlining milestones and dues for each part of the projects? If you can demonstrate that the fees/services were outlined for them and that they are choosing not to pay, resend them a complete invoice. Indicate that all services are ceasing as of such-and-such a date that reflects the last payment period due, and give them a date that payment must be received by before you file small claims. And, if you don't already do so, make sure your future contracts are very detailed--outlining client responsibilities as well as your own--and don't work outside of a signed contract. If a prospect balks or walks away because you actually require them to commit to you working for them, and to commit a reasonable project timeline and timely payment for services etc., consider it a dodged bullet!
I feel that it depends on the nature/purpose of the photography. Phones have come a long way when it comes to camera quality, but they are no replacement for professional cameras/equipment. Phone cameras for social media quickies are great. But, if it is a...
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I feel that it depends on the nature/purpose of the photography. Phones have come a long way when it comes to camera quality, but they are no replacement for professional cameras/equipment. Phone cameras for social media quickies are great. But, if it is a headshot/portrait/lifestyle/product/event/property/service-related photo to be used across multiple pieces and platforms etc., or to be used for any printing, I would recommend working with a professional photographer (one that will allow you to pay to have original files!).
When clients send me files to work with, I can discern pretty quickly whether it came from a cell phone or drone, or whether it came from a camera. While the RAW file extension coming from a camera (e.g. .CRW, .DCR, .NEF) can be a dead-giveaway, most files I receive have already been converted/saved as .JPG. I can still tell! Unless a camera photo has been over-optimized, the pixel quality is usually very different. Even with over optimized photos, I can often still tell by the pixel quality along transitional edges within the image. Depending on how your photo is being used, and what size it is being used at, it can make a significant difference in quality and perception.
Regardless of which you choose, keep in mind that editing for web/screen is quite different than editing for print quality. Always save the original file without edits, and be sure to provide your graphic designer (or prepress tech!) with original, unedited files to work with for best results. Once a file has been optimized, the optimized version has been saved with LOSS that cannot be undone.
Absolutely.
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Absolutely.
Most folks I know have made that mistake once. Self included.
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Most folks I know have made that mistake once. Self included.
Quality. Flexibility. Accessibility.
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Quality. Flexibility. Accessibility.
Social media marketing is an excellent tool, but not an end all be all for marketing. Open rates for promotional emails are low, click/conversion rates lower still, and "banner blindness" is definitely an issue with social media marketing and online marketing in general. Social media also...
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Social media marketing is an excellent tool, but not an end all be all for marketing. Open rates for promotional emails are low, click/conversion rates lower still, and "banner blindness" is definitely an issue with social media marketing and online marketing in general. Social media also requires a significant investment in content development, responding, and moderating. Providing your audience with a tangible piece (printed collateral or mailer, soft touch item, etc.) and following up on it (phone call, in person, email) in tandem with a solid social media campaign to keep some noise going and invite them to connect yields better ROI. Depending on the nature of your business and scope of your campaign, purchasing air time might also be appropriate/productive. We tactile humans recall and respond much better if more senses are engaged. You won't get that by depending on social media alone.
