A Print Story . . .

Part of the Fundraising Team

National Kidney Foundation Relies on 48HourPrint.com for Convenient, Affordable Quality Printing for its 30 Local Offices Nationwide

‘Printer of Choice' For Busy Creative Services Team

The Creative Services Department of the National Kidney Foundation, led by Sunil Vyas, consists of a team of graphic designers and copywriters who support the Foundation's more than 30 offices nationwide in the design, production and distribution of important marketing, promotional and educational materials. This includes brochures , posters , Save-the-Date and announcement cards , invitations, banners and a wide range of patient educational materials used in the offices and institutions of medical professionals who deliver renal care.

According to Vyas, these materials must accurately reflect the organization's branding and be in compliance with all regulatory requirements.

"48HourPrint.com has the capacity to produce almost all of the materials we require," Vyas says. "We began working with them in 2005 and they have been our printer of choice ever since. For all of our standard materials, if our piece matches an online template, we definitely use 48HourPrint.com, and their prices are outstanding."

Before finding 48HourPrint.com, Vyas says the Foundation was using a different online printing firm but was deeply dissatisfied with its quality and services, and its unwillingness to correct problems. "In one case, they put a UV coating on something and it was flaking off," Vyas says. "We tried to resolve the issue, but they were not responsive. I was pretty upset about that, so I Googled other vendors and compared their prices and offerings. That's how I found 48HourPrint.com. I gave them a shot and the rest is history. They have been great to work with. And their volume discounts are a great incentive, too."

Vyas explained that each of the local offices conducts its own events, including fundraising walk-a-thons and golf tournaments. They rely on the centralized Creative Services Department to provide them with important marketing and promotional materials for these events.

"With the requirement to support 30 plus offices for all of these activities, in addition to the regular marketing and educational materials we produce, it would be virtually impossible for our group to keep up without the services and convenience we receive from 48HourPrint.com," Vyas says.

Vyas says he will often get calls from local offices for special printing needs.

"They might have gotten a quote from a local printer, and they call to check with me to see if they are getting a fair shake," he says. "I can almost always get them a better deal through 48HourPrint.com because of the volumes we print with them."

Worry-Free Convenience: Easy 24/7 Reordering and Instant Invoices

"Our fundraising walk-a-thons and golf tournaments require a multi-touch campaign in order to drive the desired results," Vyas says. This includes an initial Save-the-Date card , individually emailed brochures, reminders and a thank-you follow-up after the event, as well as flyers , banners and other promotional materials required on-site during the event and to promote the event in advance, he says.

"With 48HourPrint.com, I can simply pull up a template from a previous event, make the appropriate changes, immediately approve an online proof, order the materials and provide shipping instructions,"

Vyas says. "The materials are guaranteed to be delivered in time for the event. And I can do this anytime, day or night, at my convenience." Vyas says he is especially delighted that he is able to immediately download a PDF invoice. "I get an instant PDF invoice," he adds, "so while I am in the project and it is on my mind, I can process it through the payment system, giving it a budget code and forwarding it to Accounting. I can also let my customer know the exact cost. It is a great convenience to be able to take care of that right from the beginning rather than waiting to receive an invoice via mail where it might get lost or sidetracked with everything else we have going on. I can also track the project online, as can the regional locations. It makes our workflow extremely efficient in a hectic and complex environment."

"We have so many events going on throughout the year; I need guaranteed turnaround times and consistent quality. That is where 48HourPrint.com really shines," Vyas says. "Once I place the order, I can move on to the next thing with no worries about whether the work will get done, and get done right."

Easy to Customize Templates, ‘Spectacular' Quality and Variety

In addition to instant PDF invoices, Vyas also appreciates the roll-fold 8-panel brochures available as a standard item through 48HourPrint.com.

"It is so expensive to produce this type of piece anywhere else," he says. "I purchase them in relatively small quantities. If I were to go to a traditional printer, I would pay quite a bit more and they would likely print them digitally. With 48HourPrint.com, I can order 500 brochures , with spectacular offset quality, and at a lower price than with digital printing."

According to Vyas, the event banners are also a hit. "These can be 12-foot vinyl banners that we use in the fundraising walk-a-thons, he explains. "I poll all of the offices to see how many are needed, and 48HourPrint.com produces them and drop ships them to the appropriate location. It makes the whole process very easy for us and for our customers, and we can focus on delivering our services and on our fundraising efforts rather than spending a lot of time worrying about each individual print project."

Vyas points out that rack cards are also a popular item, and local offices frequently like to customize them with their own information. "Those are very easy to customize using the 48HourPrint.com templates," he says, "and our customers are always pleased with the results."

The Foundation also hosts fundraising galas four to six times per year. "These are more formal affairs," Vyas says. "For these, we create a high production value invitation on very nice stock, an outer envelope , an RSVP card and a return envelope, so four pieces in the project. For example, we might host a Great Chefs Gala where we invite celebrity chefs and sell tickets to tables. We need a high end look for these important events. We use a script font and black flood coat to give it a very classy look."

Vyas explains that the invitations are a 5.5" x 8.5" folded card, and for the RSVP, they use a 2-sided card .

While much of the work Vyas processes through 48HourPrint.com relies on existing templates, he often has requests from his customers for custom work. "At least 50% of that custom work can be performed by 48HourPrint.com," he says, "which means I get the same great benefits I receive with template work."

Price, Quality, or Service: No Need to Choose

"I have been in the print buying business for more than 20 years," Vyas says. "You always have it drilled into your head that purchasing criteria include price, quality and service, and that you should pick the two that are most important to you. With 48HourPrint.com, I get all three! As a non-profit, price tends to be a driving factor, but it is nice to know that comes with quality and service from 48HourPrint.com. My sales rep bends over backwards to make sure everything moves along without a hitch."

"I have really appreciated working with 48HourPrint all these years," concludes Vyas. "They are a true partner, part of our team, and we feel that they are as dedicated to the success of our efforts as we are. I can't ask for anything more from a business partner, and I look forward to many more years of collaboration with 48HourPrint.com."