Zero Waste Invitation
Last modified: March 22, 2019


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[Zero Waste Invitation. 81/2" x 11" paper, two sided, folded in half. One color (PMS #513) plus black, printed on "Zero Waste" paper: 15% hemp, 85% sugar cane pulp … recyclable paper made from renewable resources.]

WHAT YOU'LL NEED

  1. Artwork from EcoCycle
  2. A layout artist
  3. A printer to print your invite
  4. A mailing list

NOTE: This mailing could also be modified to create a flyer or a poster. The newspaper ads could also be modified for this purpose. In your invitation, keep the details of your event to the essentials, but make sure you mention that food and drink will be served!

Objective

To get folks to come to your event by mailing directly to supporters/interested parties. The mailer may also serve a dual purpose of letting your supporters know that you are working on this new and progressive concept, even if they do not come to the event.

How To Do It

Step 1 (5 weeks before event): Contact EcoCycle to negotiate a use agreement for their artwork. Please note that EcoCycle artwork is copyrighted. Call Marti Matsch at 303-444-6634 or email her at marti@ecocycle.org. She will ask you for:

  1. Brief information on your organization
  2. The nature of your event
  3. The timeline for your event
  4. The contact information and email address for the layout artist you hire

Step 2 (5 Weeks in Advance) Contact a layout artist who can take the EcoCycle invitation layout and modify it by putting in your organization's event information. Let the artist know this is a two-sided job that is two color -- black plus "PMS #513." (PMS is lingo for "color" in the printing/layout world, this is a burgundy color). We will be sending the graphic to you on a CD. Please be sure that your artist can work with a Quark file developed on a Mac.

Step 3 (5 weeks before event): Call the printer to get a price estimate and to get on their schedule. (You may want to get bids from two or three printers.) Be sure to have figured out in advance how many invitations you want to send out. You'll want to discuss the following with the printer:
a.) You need an 8 ½ x 11", two-sided job, folded in half (it will not need to be "scored," as this will be printed on relatively low-weight paper). You're printing with one PMS (one color), plus black. You may want to have little tab closures applied to keep it closed.
b.) You'd like to either print on paper that contains 100% post-consumer content or consider using an alternative-fiber paper. See TIPS below for information on buying enviro-friendly paper, and details as to what paper EcoCycle used for their invitations.
c.) You'll need the job back in time to mail it out about 14 days prior to the event (see Step 7).

Step 4 (4-5 Weeks in Advance) Write the copy appropriate for your invitation. (You may want to use wording similar to EcoCycle's).

Step 5 (4-5 weeks before event): Work with your layout artist to modify the ad with your information.

Step 6 (3-4 weeks before event -- approximately 7-10 days prior to your MAILING date, depending on what your printer told you): Deliver print job in whatever format the printer requested. If your artist is emailing the piece, call to confirm its arrival at the printer's. Double check that the appropriate paper arrived and that they have you scheduled to receive the final copies by your deadline. Ask them about checking a proof before it goes to print to verify that the final product looks like it should. (Sometimes fonts get messed up in transfer, so this is important.) When a printer calls for a proof, it's important to get there right away to see it. Holding up a proof check holds up your whole job.

Step 7 (12-14 days before event): Mail your invitations.
Plan to have invitations ARRIVE in mailboxes about 10 days before your event - enough time for recipients to plan ahead and to RSVP, but not so much time that they forget about it. Remember that bulk mail can take a little longer than direct mail.

Tips (on choosing papers)

· EcoCycle used a tree-free paper, to serve as an example of Zero Waste in practice. The invitations were printed on "Domtar weeds," a paper available through Nationwide Papers. The color chosen was "Moss."
· Some other good, recycled papers are Quest, a 100% post-consumer paper available through Simpson. With a little more time, you can ask for Sandpiper (cheaper than Quest, but allow a few more days as it needs to be shipped from Albuquerque, NM), a 100% post-consumer recycled paper available from Nationwide Papers.
· A 70lb. text-weight paper is fine. You will not need the heavier card stock.
· Printers, despite their constant use of papers, are typically not very knowledgeable when it comes to recycled paper, much less tree-free papers. It's important to be familiar with some papers yourself. If they are helping you find a paper, and you are choosing to use recycled content, be sure to emphasize that you are looking for 100% POST-CONSUMER content. They will be quick to tell you a paper is 100% recycled, when, in fact, it's only 20% post-consumer and 80% pre-consumer. You'll need to be the expert since these terms are unfamiliar to printers.

 
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