It’s OK to Give Printing and Marketing Services Away -Carl Gerhardt

By Carl Gerhardt

I am getting a little tired of hearing apologies for “giving away” what we used to call prepress or typesetting and, now with the advent of becoming marketing service providers, using marketing plans and campaigns as a sales tool falls into the same category. We complain that printers never charge what they should for everything, from designing marketing materials to fixing files. Moreover, they often give “it” away as a tool to attract new business just to get the printing (which has become a commodity.

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Companies:
Allegra Network

Carl Gerhardt Author's page Carl Gerhardt is the chairman of Alliance Franchise Brands LLC, the parent company of Allegra Network LLC and Sign & Graphics Operations LCC, and a world leader in marketing, visual and graphics communications, linking more than 600 locations in the United States, Canada and United Kingdom. The company’s Marketing & Print Division, headquartered in Plymouth, MI, is comprised of Allegra, American Speedy Printing, Insty-Prints, Speedy Printing and Zippy Print brands of marketing, printing, mailing and Web services providers. Its Sign & Graphics Division, headquartered in Columbia, MD, is comprised of Image360, Signs By Tomorrow and Signs Now brands of sign and graphics communications providers.

Carl and his wife, Judy, owned and operated their own successful Allegra franchise for nearly 20 years before selling the $2.3 million operation in 2003. He is a PrintImage International/NAQP Honorary Lifetime Member and was inducted into NAPL’s prestigious Soderstrom Society in 2010 in recognition of his contribution to the industry.

It’s OK to Give It Away