The Platform

Vector Art

Here is the definition of Vector Art (using guidelines from Promotional Products Industry SmartCodes, Smart Code #1).

VECTOR ARTWORK - definition from Promotional Products Industry Smart Codes

• Must be saved in the Postscript Format and contain no Postscript errors, stray points or colors assigned inconsistently to the type of imprinting -- specifically --
  
  • if your order will be screened or embossed; then all colors must be 100% of a PANTONE COLOR, no half-tones of a color
  • if your order will be digitally (vignette) printed - colors must be set as CMYK, half-tones OK
  • if your order will be offset printed, colors must set as CMYK or PANTONE, half-tones OK
• All type that has been set must be converted to curves (outlines). If future changes to the text will be necessary, the original font file must be supplied with the art file (we support both MAC and PC)
• All design elements in the file must meet our minimum standards (recommended minimum size if 0.125" of any element)
• If the vector file contains any linked (placed) raster images, these images must be a minimum of 300 dpi at 100% of the print size, must be set in CMYK and must be submitted with the original vector file.
• PDF Files created from vector files must retain the editing capabilities of the program that was used to create them (e.g. Illustrator or Freehand).
• PDF Files that contain raster elements must meet the standards from above for raster images (CMYK, 300 dpi at 100% of size)
• PDF Files that contain vector elements must meet the standards from above for vector art
• No matter what the format or transfer method, artwork should never be submitted without either a hard copy proof or electronic equivalent (properly prepared PDF files are suitable as proofs)
• Any fonts used in the product of art files should be converted to curves (outlines) prior to submission.
• ONLY PROFESSIONAL SOFTWARE packages may be used to produce artwork.  Although programs like Microsoft Word and Publisher are useful tools, they are NOT capable of producing art files of a quality necessary for imprinting purposes.

galleryboard Packaging now listed on PromoMart.com and Brandiatric.com

galleryboard packaging - made from 100% recycled content fiberboard and colored with chlorine-free dyes is now available in the PromoMart.com and Brandiatrics.com product listings.

You can find the galleryboard line in these sites by searching on keywords like press kits, binders, gift boxes, and/or by searching for environmentally friendly items.

PromoMart and Brandiatric are sites that list thousands of promotional items for advertising programs and is used by businesses small, medium and large to find the right items to promote their products, services & events.

galleryboard Packaging featured in PPB Product Showcase

The Platform Group Gallery's galleryboard packaging line is featured in the June PPB Product Showcase. 

galleryboard packaging is ecologically friendly & sustainable (designed for re-use).  Every item in the line is made from 100% recycled content fiberboard and chlorine-free dyes.  The line features over 300 stock press kits, gift boxes, binders, mailers and desk accessories. 

Every item can be imprinted up to 6 colors, via screen print (great for pantone colors), digital vignette (great for cmyk and low-runs), offset print (great for cmyk and half-tones), and blind deboss (a subtle indentation).

The Platform Group Gallery has been a supplier to the advertising specialty industry for 10 years (asi 78708 and PPAI 216134, upic platform).  galleryboard packaging is made in the United States from U.S. sourced materials.

Learn more about the galleryboard packaging line at www.ThePlatformGroupGallery.com

Virtual Samples - Custom Designs: a How-To

Take advantage of GalleryBoard (ecologically friendly) Packaging's spectacular design services.  Here is a How-To Guide:

Virtual Samples:

Create your own virtual sample with any GalleryBoard Packaging item, 24/7 using our on-demand service.  You choose the item on our web-site, choose the base color & upload art.

cost & timing:
No-charge. Immediate.  For extra assistance, please e: Artwork@ThePlatformGroupGallery(dot)com

Custom Structural Designs:

Choose an item that you like, and ask us to make some adjustments to the structure so that it fits your collateral / program exactly.  Our Customer Service team will gather information from you, (for example; we may ask for the items that will go inside, or any illustrations that your artist has done) and then we will re-design the best base item to create a NEW item for you. 

We provide a die-line (for future artwork placement) and a table-cut sample for your review and approval. 

cost & timing:
$350 (includes table sample and die-line; P). Charge is 100% applied to a future order of this same new item (credited). Allow 2-3 business days.

Renderings:

For when you need a more full-service design, we offer 3D Renderings of an item (blank or with graphics if available). Renderings will be done prior to a structural design.

cost & timing:
Renderings are quoted per project, with a minimum charge of $200 P, and minimum 2-3 business day turn-time.  The charge will not be credited to a production order.

Lead through Listening - Promotional Consultant Today

The Platform Group Gallery - featuring ecologically friendly GalleryBoard Packaging is a proud sponsor of PPAI's Promotional Consultant newsletter. 

Today's issue  - Lead through Listening - outlines how to be more effective in your business dealings by truly listening to your customers, suppliers and employees.

Dad was waiting in the parking lot at the usual time. As the basketball players left the gym, he noticed his 10-year-old's head hanging low. When his son jumped in the car, and slammed the door, the father asked, "How was practice?" The boy replied, "I hate my coach."

This kind of response did not sit well with Dad. Three thoughts rushed to his head, all fighting to be delivered in a correcting tone. First, "I've taught you not to speak so disrespectfully about any coach or adult."  Second, "Are you kidding? This guy is a great coach -- one of the best."  Third, "Do you have any idea how hard I worked to make sure you were placed on this guy's team?" 
     For some reason, Dad chose not to speak any of those condemning thoughts, and instead three words came out of his mouth, perhaps three of the best words he'd ever accidentally said: "Tell me more." 
     His son went on to explain the events that took place during practice. Dad knew he wasn't getting the whole story yet, so he added, "What else happened?" Eventually -- and it took a little while -- the son admitted getting side-tracked during practice, and getting caught goofing off during one of the drills and was reprimanded for it.
     In the final analysis, his young son was so embarrassed by the coach's reprimand in front of the other players that it led him to declare, "I hate my coach."

Missing The Mark
    Dad's first, second and third thoughts -- if delivered immediately -- would have missed the mark by a mile. They were totally irrelevant in view of the facts, which would never have been revealed if he'd blurted out his all-knowing speech.
     He had been guilty more than once of jumping the gun with a quick response, but he learned so much more on this occasion with just three little words: "Tell me more." 
     The complete story gave him much more insight into his son, how he thinks and how he reacts.
    As a business leader, you have the same responsibility a dad has to his son -- listen, get the facts, determine the problem, and help resolve the situation.
     Today and tomorrow Promotional Consultant Today will look at the art of listening. When it comes to sharing thoughts, feelings and advice about an event or business problem, there are two very different types of personalities. Today we'll explore how to deal with the Fast-Twitch Responder. 

The Fast-Twitch Responder
    Some people tend to think their thoughts out loud for everyone to hear -- often in a very blunt fashion -- then they do the editing in public, too. They may say, "Here's what I really mean", or, "Let me rephrase that."  They might revise their initial version of the facts several times.
     Typically, the fast-twitch responder quickly offers the information you're seeking so it may seem as though very little patience is required on your part.
     They don't make you wait very long, yet if you immediately jump in with your assumptions drawn and conclusions blazing, you will be making a mistake. This conversation is a work-in-progress for this quick responder, and it's far more prudent for you to deliver a well-timed, "Tell me more" or "---and then what?" 
     The additional information you receive next will be worth the wait, as feelings and thoughts become clearer in the mind of this type of personality.
     Tomorrow we'll look at the Slow-Twitch Responder.

     Source: David Benzel is an author and speaker in leadership and creating peak performance. As the founder of Winning Ways, he has worked with organizations including Allstate Insurance, Sprint/Nextel and The Villages. He is the author of the upcoming, Chump to Champ: How Individuals Go From Good to Great.

On-Demand Virtual Samples on ThePlatformGroupGallery.com

Announcing -- 24/7, On-Demand Virtual Samples -- available at ThePlatformGroupGallery.com

1. Choose the item
2. Click the item detail page by clicking on the thumbnail image
3. Choose the green virtual sample rectangle button

A new window will open and you will be prompted to choose colors & upload art.  You can save jpg's to forward. 

Let me know what you think! 

                                           

 

A word about Rosalie Marcus and The Promo Biz Coach

Those who know me know that I became a word-of-mouth marketing evangelist a couple of years ago when my company became one of the leading member of the then brand-new WOMMA organization. At the very first WOMMA conference I attended, Seth Godin was a keynote speaker and he said something that rocked my world.  He said --

To be successful, you must become 'remarkable' - and that means making your product (service....self...) worth REMARKING UPON....

Common sense right?  Yes - - but how powerful if you can actually do it.  Make your product, yourself, your site, your line, your service so great that someone (a customer perhaps?) goes out of his or her way to talk about you to someone else - to make a remark about you.

Rosalie Marcus and her Promo Biz Coach service network is remarkable. She provides a network of support and advice and just plain common-sense to a host of professionals who are looking to take it to the next level.  She works honestly with suppliers and associations throughout the industry guiding them to provide better services for her client-base and beyond and she helps us all take it up a notch.   

As an industry supplier [The Platform Group Gallery 78708 / 216134 / platform] I have found my relationship with Rosalie Marcus, the Promo Biz Coach network and her other ventures to be remarkable.

After participating in Rosalie's workshop and her marketing programs my company received DOZENS of inquiries and many orders from promotional products distributors who did not previously know of The Platform Group Gallery.  And those folks told others & they told more!  We continually hear 'I heard of you from Rosalie!".

Rosalie Marcus delivers a spectacular, interested and motivated audience and provides insight, knowledge and advise that has grown my business in 2007 and will continue to contribute to its success in 2008 and beyond. 

Get to know her.

Rosalie Marcus The Promo Biz Coach(tm)
The better, faster and easier way
to boost your promotional products business!
Get a free special report: How To Attract
Promotional Products Business in 30 Seconds or Less at...
http://www.promobizcoach.com
Rosalie@promobizcoach.com
215-572-6766/877-570-6766

All About The Platform Group Gallery

The Platform Group Gallery makes spectacular, environmentally-friendly packaging specifically designed for advertising and promotional programs. Our line, GalleryBoard Packaging features over 300 Press Kits, Binders, Folders, Mailers, Gift Boxes and Desk Accessories. 

Every item in the GalleryBoard Packaging line is GREEN; made from 100% recycled content fiberboard and chlorine-free top-sheets.

We manufacture GalleryBoard Packaging in our own facility in Houston, source the majority of our raw material inputs from the U.S., have our own employees and provide better than market benefits and wages.

The Platform Group Gallery markets GalleryBoard Packaging to promotional product professionals. We  aggressively protect and support our Resellers with spectacular sales tools.  The tools include -

• Referral Program which matches ALL end-user and agency leads to a participating professional products distributor
• End-user advertising via Google AdWords and other programs to generate end-user / agency interest and grow revenue for referral resellers
• Self Promotion programs for accredited resellers
• Distributor Branded GalleryBoard Packaging printed catalogs for accredited resellers
• Distributor Branded GalleryBoard Packaging web-site catalog for accredited resellers
• ON-Demand no charge virtual sample service -- online, 24/7 ability to choose an item, upload art and save a jpg for your client's review  [NEW in March 2008!) **

You can find information about The Platform Group Gallery in trade publications for promotional products professionals, (including ASI Central, SAGE, PPB and Promotional Consultant magazines and newsletters), at industry service provider forums (like Rosalie Marcus' PromoBiz coach blog), at promotional products trade-shows (including the PPAI Expo and New Product Resource Directories), in industry networking groups like ASI Social Networking and in popular networking forums like FaceBook and Linked In.

The Platform Group Gallery was founded in 1997 as 101 Products LLC and was initially intended to supply stylish home-office organization products to retailers across the U.S.  The co-founders, Allison Gower (President) and Jeremy Konko (Vice President) saw an opportunity to build a line that paired 'European style' with U.S. functionality and cost-effectiveness and had spent months researching home-office storage across England, France, Italy, Germany and beyond. In the 1997 Back-To-School Season Allison and Jeremy launched the d1mensions line (featuring Hanging File Boxes, Magazine Files, CD Storage and more office accessories) at retail trade-shows.  Within months the d1mensions line was being shipped to College Bookstores, Art & Specialty stores, and most amazingly had won full-door distributor from Target.  The founders built inventory and warehouse space to support the Target orders that averaged upwards of $1,500,000 annually and the line performed well in that retailer for most than two years.  Unfortunately after four successful seasons and after proving the revenue potential of a stylish home-office line, Target decided to source like products from Asia and dropped the U.S. made d1mensions line.  Not only were the founders left with hundreds of thousands of dollars of inventory made specifically for Target, but they also faced a space lease way beyond what they would need to service the remaining customer base.

Allison and Jeremy quickly redesigned their manufacturing, design and marketing operations to join the quickly growing promotional products industry.  They re-purposed d1mensions into GalleryBoard Packaging and created items to support corporate and agency marketing and promotional programs.  The Platform Group Gallery became accredited by both ASI and PPAI in 1999.  Allison lived on the promotional road, exhibiting at (almost) every national and regional ASI and PPAI shows as well as traveling mini-regional shows.  Jeremy burned the midnight oil configuring operational processes to meet and exceed the timeline demands of the promotional industry.

Today, The Platform Group Gallery is a trusted supplier, renowned for customer service and spectacular support programs.  The company offers over 300 items that are specifically designed for Advertising programs, offers (4) different imprint methods, drop-ships to clients across the U.S. and the World and is 100% configured to aggressively support professional products resellers and their corporate clients.

In 2007, The Platform Group Gallery was named to the Houston Fast 100.  We work everyday to provide better service to our resellers and their clients, to expand our line to reflect new marketing approaches and to integrate state of the art technology into our service, marketing and support systems.

Our team of employes loves working with you and thanks you for your business & support.

How to market Environmentally Friendly Packaging

Marty Laroff of A Complete Source is letting his clients know that he specializes in ecologically friendly promotional packaging by emailing his GalleryBoard Site link & using it as a signature file. 

His GalleryBoard site presents all of our 300+ stock items, featuring Press Kits, Binders, Gift Boxes, Mailers and Portfolios  - and by providing the site link to his clients, A Complete Source becomes an instant expert in ecologically friendly packaging solutions.

You can get your own GalleryBoard branded site instantly - read more here about how to get that done now.

HPPA Plant Tour - The Platform Group Gallery

Dear HPPA Distributors:

Welcome to The Platform Group Gallery's March 5th Plant Tour

On the tour we will to introduce you to GalleryBoard Packaging, an ecologically friendly line of Press Kits, Binders, Gift Boxes, Mailers and Storage Accessories.  Below please find an executive summary of the day's tour agenda as well as contact information and references.

Who is The Platform Group Gallery?
We design, manufacture, ship and service our line of promotional packaging from our plant in Houston (google maps link - in the Garden Oaks area, just North of the 610 Loop), and use our own employees and supplies sourced from the U.S.

The company's two owners and founders, Allison Gower & Jeremy Konko work full-time in the company alongside a core staff of highly trained service and operations professionals.  Most of us have been with The Platform Group Gallery since it's founding in 1997.

The Platform Group Gallery is a supplier dedicated to the advertising specialty industry and has been a member of PPAI (216134 Upic: platform), ASI (78708) and Sage since 1998.

What is GalleryBoard Packaging?
GalleryBoard Packaging is a line of over 300 stock items, including Press Kits, Binders, Mailers, Desk Accessories and Gift Boxes.  The entire line is ecologically friendly, made from 100% recycled fiberboard and chlorine-free top sheets.

In addition to providing over 300 stock choices, we also offer a custom-design service. We can design a package specific to your program, providing you with a prototype for review, and optional pre-production samples. 

We ship quickly, stock items ship within 7 business days of artwork approval, and custom project generally ship within 10 business days of artwork approval.

How does a Promotional Distributor professional work with The Platform Group Gallery?

We offer spectacular support tools for professionals in the advertising industry. 

• Welcome Kit: this is a how-to / get started primer and provides basic information on all the services, the primary contacts and provides 1-2-3 steps on how to get show-room or drop-ship samples as well as how to customize your packaging with die-cut foam inserts.

• Distributor Branded Catalogs: these cute spiral bound catalogs feature the 'best-sellers' in the GalleryBoard Packaging line and are provided with your contact information (company name, telephone number and web-site). 

• Distributor Branded GalleryBoard Packaging Web-Site:  Our www.ThePlatformGroupGallery.com web-site is a great place to shop for samples, search for packages by size and style number as well as view case studies.  All of our more than 300+ items are available on the site - and pricing shown is Industry P.  We offer this site, but branded with a distributor's specific logo and contact information to all professionals in the industry.

• Self Promotional Program: 50 pieces of any TriBeCa priced item with either a 1 color screen or CMYK Vignette.
  

• Referral Program: We refer 100% of our enduser inquires / leads to participating professionals in our Referral Program.  All of the advertising spent in Google Ads and other end-user oriented 'demand creation' is done to benefit professional distributors. 

• Virtual Samples on Demand: a new feature just added to our web-site is the ability to create virtual samples on-demand, 24/7, on any item.  We'll demonstrate this at the tour!

How is GalleryBoard Packaging Made?

In this section of the tour, we'll walk you through our production facility, making you an 'expert' on all the basics so you can be a great resource for your client.  The overview will include -

• Materials review -- 100% Recycled Content Fiberboard, Non-chlorine textured top-sheets
• Laminating & Die-cutting -- illustrating our 300+ stock shapes and how to modify for custom projects
• Printing -- 4 Methods

1. Screen Printing: great for spot (pantone) colors, solids, low-to-medium registration
2. Vignette: CMYK digital (great for low or high-runs), half-tones and any kind of registration
3. Offset: CMYK or Pantone Spot, higher runs only, supports half-tones and any kind of registration
4. Blind Deboss (indentation) made with metal tooling in-line with die-cutting

• Assembly & Casing -- with illustration of specialty acessories

What are Foam-Inserts?

In this section we'll review how we can create a custom die-cut foam insert for any packaging item to house your program's collateral.  This is a spectacular, quick & easy way to add value to your client's program.

In-Depth Review of Tools On Web-Site:

In this section we'll spend time with our spectacular customer service group and review in-depth the tools that we offer on our site and via the service department.  There will be a special focus on -

• Ordering no-charge samples - for your showroom or drop-ship
• Virtual Samples On Demand
• Artwork Information
• Order Sequence / Process

Questions before-hand?  Contact me -- Allison Gower with anything you need!
Look forward to seeing you on March 5th.