The most effective way to market products and entice new consumers is with visual graphics. Photos and artwork are a profitable business for companies and marketing firms. Using a subscription service software for royalty-free graphics is an innovative way to save money and add value to various marketing materials.

Note that the “free” in the term “royalty-free” refers to the copyright agreements between the purchaser and the supplier, deeming it to be in line with current national and international copyright laws. There are many advantages to choosing royalty-free images.

Thousands upon thousands of images are available and easily accessible royalty-free.

Think of any subject matter and an image will be available to use on your website or print advertisements. These images are high-resolution and continue to be updated each month so there is always something new to add to your collection.

Often, images are grouped together by category and can give your company a consistency in the graphics chosen. While your chosen graphics could be used by another business, using graphics that are a little more unusual will help you differentiate your imagery from other businesses. In most cases, using royalty-free images is unlikely to cause problems like brand confusion.

With a subscription service, you may have an allocation of a certain number of images per week or month. These types of high-resolution photos are perfect for larger-scale projects, vehicle wraps or outlines, and vinyl ready vectors. The sky’s the limit when it comes to professional-grade visual graphics for all types of applications. Each image is released for full commercial use in both online and print promotional advertisements.

Make sure not to be confused by the term “stock” photo versus royalty-free. They are terms often used together but do not mean the same thing.

Stock photos are typically more expensive. Their usage is controlled by the owner of the photo. Royalty-free photos, however, normally cost less than stock photos, but they can be used by anyone.

The main advantage of using royalty-free graphics is that you can take on the job of a graphic designer without doing any designing. Choose the images for your upcoming projects, rotate when needed by selecting from a vast library of files, and keep your website, social media, and marketing current without breaking the bank.

Paper is paper, right? You go to print something off on your printer and you don’t give it a second thought. After all, all paper is basically the same. Right?

If that means that paper is wood pulp that comes from freshly cut trees, then yes, but have you considered what happens to the environment when all those trees are cut down? How is the landscape and wildlife habitats affected?

The next time you go looking for printing paper, make sure it is FSC® certified.

The Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) is a not-for-profit organization whose central aim is to protect the world’s forests. They do this by overseeing and seeking improvements in timber production. The FSC works with those in the timber industry who have great impact on inspecting and tracking pulp and timber through what are known as production chains. Forests must be managed in a sustainable way to be certified through the FSC.

Those who work at setting standards in the timber industry do so because there is so much to consider. This is why recycled paper has become so popular in the last few decades. Wherever possible, isn’t it better to make print paper and other print media from a product made from post-consumer waste rather than through the tearing down of more trees?

Recycling paper has saved countless trees and forests. Trees are needed everywhere and more trees mean less pollution. The positive impact of recycling paper is felt on a global scale.

Why use FSC-certified eco-friendly print media?

Why not! Businesses are catching on to the idea that recycled paper is just as good as traditional paper taken from freshly cut trees. It’s very hard to make a distinction, except that FSC-certified paper is clearly labeled as such.

Also, the FSC is concerned with the ethical treatment of people who are involved in the timber industry. Any company that displaces indigenous people while in the production of their timber will not be considered for FSC certification.

To date, the FSC has certified approximately 429 million acres of timber worldwide.

Don’t be a business that talks about environmentally safe practices. The next time you are in the market for print media, buy recycled and FSC-certified paper. You will be doing your part to save trees, reduce pollution, and decrease carbon emissions.

In recent years, wallcoverings have come back onto the home furnishing market with a real splash of high-resolution color. Before, paint coatings were preferred for their color, cost, and ease of application. Mass-produced wallcoverings were considered dull and unimaginative.

Advances in digital printing technology have turned consumers back on to wallcoverings. Many homeowners want to turn their living space into an imaginative world stamped with their personality. Large format digital printing offers low-cost production of one-off, customizable designs. Unique and creative home decor is now possible. Many wallcoverings are now designed from one image, repeated in rows or diagonals. The consumer may supply this image herself, or it can be sourced from a royalty-free database of images.

1. The first stage in creating a successful wallcovering is to engage the services of a good design team. They will collaborate with the client, drawing up ideas and choosing suitable colors.
   • If the client supplies their own image, the designers will check if the image is of a suitable quality and resolution. Images can be digitally improved, but the quality will always depend on the original photo. Wallcoverings can be huge and if the idea is to cover the wall with one image than it had better contain a lot of pixels. The more pixels an image has, the sharper the image. A blurry image can spoil a wallcovering, as can light balance.
   • The darker an image, the higher the resolution needed.
   • Subjects in motion also need a higher resolution than still subjects. 
   • Often, the client will select a wallcovering based on the design of others. These often draw color and style from many creative sources, including nature, history, and the fashion industry. Sometimes a design will suggest a particular texture, for example, a silk or plaster look.
2. Once the design is complete, it is scanned and the color layers separated digitally. The design is etched onto the print rollers and colorways developed using visual aids and CAD software. Often, around 30 colorways are developed for one pattern.
3. After proofing and quality checks, the design proceeds to production. Masters are created from the first runs to maintain color consistency. Samples and presentation boards are also produced as aids for field sales reps. Bolts of wallcoverings are printed and shipped out upon receipt of an order.

Wallcoverings are easy to put up, almost odorless and need virtually no drying time. For best results, we recommend you ask a qualified professional to install your wallcoverings.