The Benefits of Engraving – Proven by Studies

Recently, one of our customers, Amy Smith, Marketing Director at Thompson McMullan, shared her thoughts with us on her firm’s decision to use engraved letterhead… Law firms have certainly changed over the past couple decades and while many have gone to printing their own letterhead, the four firms I have worked with have remained true to the high-end engraved letterhead. My attorneys appreciate the quality and elegance the letterhead portrays…When your stationery sets the tone, it is easy for clients to feel assured that their attorneys are top notch. Do you want to learn more about engraving and the impact it can have on your image? Read on…   Introduction to Engraving Engraving brings unparalleled elegance and dimension to everything it touches. Universally regarded as the finest way to set ink on paper, engraving lends a look of prestige to any design. Engraving combines tactile interest with rich opaque colors, and can reproduce fine lines and solids with stunning clarity and consistency.  While engraving may add some time and cost, the results will distinguish your printed materials and your brand with classic quality.     Benefits of Engraving Although engraving has been used for hundreds of years, the process used today blends traditional craftsmanship with state-of-the-art technology to produce optimal quality. The inherent benefits of engraving include: Stay true design – Ability to reproduce fine lines and solids with stunning clarity and consistency ensures that printed images are true to the designer’s intentions. Stay true color – Keeps a uniform PMS color throughout any project. Flexibility – Allows for the placement of light color inks over dark backgrounds to create tactile textures and images. Burnished metallic inks can also be used to add dimension to any design. Compatibility with desktop printers – Engraving inks are environmentally friendly water-based compounds that do not “break down,” melt or smear when subjected to the very high temperatures of modern desktop printers. Environmentally friendliness – Engraving inks are ideally suited for recycling. Built-in security – Creates a superior barrier against unauthorized alterations because no scanner or color copier can duplicate the tactile features of raised ink. These benefits are why engraving remains the universal choice for currency and negotiable instruments, as well as an excellent vehicle for global businesses to employ in combating counterfeit products, packaging, and marketing.   Engraving in the Marketplace – Research Findings Over the past decade, many studies have been conducted to determine who is most likely to use engraving and why.  The three studies that are considered most important are:  The Yankelovich Study, Market Street Research, and The Altman Weil Study. All three are summarized below.   The Yankelovich Study The Yankelovich study surveyed business executives about their attitudes and perceptions of corporate identity materials based on the assumption that one of the most critical issues facing any organization is the ability to successfully create a distinctive and successful image in the minds of current customers, potential customers, trade audiences, investors and suppliers.     The main findings: Nearly 4 out of 5 business executives chose engraving as the best option for their companies. According to business executives, engraved brand image tools would: o    Make them proudest to present them to a client or potential customer o    Impress them most if received from someone else o    Communicate clearly that a company is prestigious Engraving received the highest ratings of all production techniques in providing the attributes most important to business executives. Market Street Research The Market Street Research study surveyed organizations about their attitudes about engraving and the reasons why they choose to use it.   Findings included: 70% believe image is critical and that engraving provides a professional, sophisticated and high quality “look” that will impress clients and increase their business, all for a minimal increase in cost. 85% believe that engraved stationery provides companies with an established and professional image.  Many stated that engraving makes them appear as though they have been in business longer. 92% said engraving produces a more distinctive look. 72% understand that engraving allows them to produce more colorful and complex logos. Altman Weil Study This survey was conducted among in-house Corporate Counsel, who are directly responsible for hiring independent law firms nationwide and examines responses of potential law firm clients to different types of identity materials.   More than half of the respondents said that engraving best conveyed the most important attributes of a law firm’s corporate identity, and provides a positive first impression that is easy to read and conveys a professional, quality image that communicates that the law firm is successful.  Most respondents said that engraved stationery instilled greater confidence in a law firm than materials produced by other methods.   According to the law firm clients, providing a positive first impression, being easy to read at a glance, communicating a quality image and conveying a high degree of professionalism are the most important attributes of law firm stationery. Engraving outscored every other production method tested in each of these categories.   Next Step If you’re considering updating your firm’s stationery, call your ASL account manager today at 800.222.0510.   We offer a full range of processes, papers and expertise to help you identify and purchase the products that will best fit with your firm’s needs.    Take a moment to visit our gallery at www.aslegal.com/gallery to view some of your peers’ identity systems.