Gene Middleton, our senior creative/print project manager since 2001, is a 29-year veteran of the graphic arts and printing business, the last 15 of which have been spent in educational marketing. He manages the creative and production details of print projects for several of our client schools, has extensive client contact, and is also the manager of our client services and production departments. Gene’s knowledge and creativity are in his blood — his parents ran a community newspaper — plus he’s a kind-hearted man with a delightful sense of humor. We wanted to share some of his knowledge and joyful personality …

Q. What are some typical errors that can happen during the production process?

A. Incorrect info — for example typos on a spec sheet where one little incorrect digit can loom large — say 1,000 vs. 10,000 quantity, or PMS 431 vs. PMS 413 — one is a light gray, the other is a dark gray.

Or errors of various types, such as electronic pre-press glitches, for example copy inadvertently getting deleted from a page or re-flowing to another. Or a technical problem with the printing process — maybe a form of smearing that we call offsetting, or a problem with the binding process — maybe inaccurate folding.

Human errors and machinery malfunctions come with the printing territory, but we like to think we’re good at limiting problems at the Stein end of things. We’re “diligent to the point of paranoia” when it comes to checking proofs and writing print specs and shipping instructions.

Q. Can you give a couple of examples of how Stein’s production process improves the quality of a school’s publications?

A. More than once I’ve looked at a school’s publications (not one of ours!) and thought, “if they’d done a better job with photo editing, their pictures would be less muddy, flat, dark, etc., and the school’s campus and people and facilities would look more appealing and inviting.”

A key area of print production for us is photo editing. We have high standards for print quality of images. We’re fortunate to have talented photo editors on staff, and it’s standard operating procedure for them to color correct all of our images for print. Then the designers or project managers review these edits and sometimes we’ll make further color correction or retouching requests. We try to make our schools look “snappy and happy.”

We’re also sticklers for using PMS colors for key theme colors in a campaign and for large solid ink coverage. We prefer not to “build” these colors out of 4-color process screens. This allows the common colors to be more consistent throughout a piece and from piece to piece. It also allows smoother solid coverages of these colors, and prevents “color compromises” in the 4-color process photos on the piece to allow best possible reproduction of the photos. PMS colors cost a little more but are well worth it.

Q. How do we save money for a school in our printing and prepress areas?

A. We get good buys on paper and we try where possible to increase press layout yields to save paper and press time. Sometimes we print several different items on a press sheet if the deadlines for all the pieces allow it and if the quantities and sizes of the pieces lend themselves to it.

We also try to work wisely in design and production art to be efficient with time and keep costs down. But we don’t rush through projects. That’s a good way to make mistakes that we’ll have to go back and fix. Or much worse, it could cause an expensive printing error on our part.

Q. What are some client benefits you especially like that are a result of the Stein creative process?

A. Something I especially like about the way we serve our clients is our commitment to getting specific measurable results for them based on good research and info gathering. I also like our nice knack for creating publications and messaging that attract the kinds of students our schools are looking for. We always love it when we hear apps and accepts are up over the previous year or years a few months after we’ve launched a new campaign.

Q. You are one of the funniest guys I know. Do you use that gift in your work?

A. Levity can be the lubricant for creativity — within reason of course. Sometimes there’s a fine line between constructive and disruptive humor in creative meetings! But a light heart and a light touch really can help people lighten up, and that can help jump-start the idea flow.

Humor can also help us all endure stress and frustration when things get hectic and tense . . . say for example, during the entire month of August!

Q. What do you do better now than you did 10 years ago?

A. I have more experience and because of that I think I have better intuition about how things can go haywire if they get off to the wrong start. I’d like to think over time I’ve gotten better and better at preventing potential problems in quality or schedules. I don’t know if practice makes perfect, but if we’re paying attention it sure does make us get better!

Contributed by: Christina M. Couret
Director of Communications, St. Martin’s Episcopal School

By nature, many independent schools must function on a tight budget. In many cases, school employees are obligated to stretch every dollar to ensure that the maximum funds serve their constituents. Tapping into others’ charitable nature can help to acquire favors or discounts that can go a long way in supporting a marketing plan and allow you to do more with less. Below are some suggestions to help you conserve funds for your school, while at the same time getting maximum impact for your budget.

Don’t be afraid to ask for discounts. Many companies, such as magazines and newspapers, offer discounts to nonprofit organizations. Plead your case as a nonprofit and ask your contact if they have a nonprofit or educational rate. They may offer a three-time rate on a one-time advertisement (or more!) or even a 50 percent discount.

Barter. You may be able to exchange goods or services for promotions. For example, a sign-maker offered my school’s summer camp signage in exchange for free camp tuition for his son.

Remember to get a nonprofit postage permit. You can mail newsletters or other bulk items at a discounted rate simply by completing paperwork with the post office. If you qualify for a nonprofit permit, you can even print the postal insignia on your mailings, saving more time with the actual mailing process. Mailing with a bulk permit will require more time for the post office to process the pieces, but if you plan ahead you can build that time into your schedule.

Maintain relationships. Plan a media campaign well in advance and communicate that plan to your advertising sales contacts. Focus on the long-term goals and specific elements of the campaign. If you are advertising an event that occurs annually, discuss several years’ worth of advertising. More than likely, you will be able to secure a high frequency discount by making a long-term commitment to the publication. If it isn’t offered, make a point of asking for it. Because I had a long-term campaign planned with a particular publication and a good relationship with my sales rep, I lucked into a free ad when my ad rep suddenly lost an advertiser in a publication days away from printing. He called and asked if he could place my ad in that spot, at no charge, just to fill the space.

Use word of mouth. Regardless of all the money spent on advertising by marketers everywhere, the grapevine is still the most effective form of communication in a small market. Keep your current patrons happy and they will promote your business for you. If the message is positive, word of mouth is worth its weight in gold. My school’s current parents are responsible for bringing in hundreds of new applicants who are friends, neighbors, and relatives.

Use the success of one event to promote other events. If your annual golf tournament brings the highest attendance of all your events each year, take a moment to share information about your upcoming gala or silent auction with that already enthusiastic audience. Announce information about other events, or include the details in a program or take-home bag.

Keep sponsors happy. Schools, like all nonprofits, could not function without the help of corporate or individual sponsors. Give them anything you can reasonably afford to give, especially at the actual event they are sponsoring: free tickets, special parking, special seating (the best tables), gift bags with usable items they will appreciate. Also remember to return the favor by offering them as much promotion as you can afford in programs, or on signage, banners, table cards, gift bags, T-shirts, caps and even name tags. Make sure you double- and triple-check proper name spellings and corporate logos. Be sure to greet sponsors at events and thank them personally for their support, and be sure to send a thank- you letter immediately after the event, including any pertinent information for tax deductions. Unhappy sponsors translate to lost dollars. It is much easier to have repeat sponsors for a recurring event each year than to recruit new sponsors.

Express appreciation. In addition to thanking sponsors for their financial support, thank anyone who helped you with anything. Send a thank-you note to a reporter or broadcaster who included your news. They probably won’t respond, but they appreciate being thanked. If a current customer referred someone to you, call or send a thank-you note. That person will be more likely to continue to make referrals if she knows she is appreciated.

Independent schools must focus on the people they serve, and their employees need to be good stewards of their trust and their financial contributions by managing budgets effectively and by maximizing funds. Returning favors when possible and expressing gratitude also will help you to continue the good work of your nonprofit organization and economize in a positive fashion.

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Christina Couret is enjoying her fifth year as director of communications at St. Martin’s Episcopal School in Atlanta. She previously worked for a magazine publishing company as a senior editor. She is a “lifer” in independent school education and attended three independent schools from kindergarten through college.