Afraid of using printed communications because of environmental impact? Read on....

An article on printweek.com today, demonstrates that although 46% of marketers feel that print is the most effective medium, there is still a dip in use of print in marketing communications.
The fragmentation of media, without a doubt, offers greater choice to consumers in the way that they digest their media, and it would be foolish to suggest that a mix of channels is not required.

However, the statistics to support the effectiveness of print is being replaced in the decision making process because of a high proportion of users and consumers that feel, the cost to the environment is too high.
But the facts overwhelmingly dispute this, but perhaps as printers, we need to start shouting a little louder?

Richard Edward are 100% committed to reducing our impact to the environment and already hold FSC, carbon smart and green mark certification to support this. 

And as for the raw materials that we use;http://www.richard-edward.com/

• Paper is an incredibly sustainable material, with waste fully recoverable ready for recycling into new paper. 
• Paper fibres can be recycled up to 6 times
• For every tree logged in managed forests, 3 - 4 are replaced
• Reading a newspaper, can consume 20% less carbon than viewing news online

PAPER IS A NATURAL AND RENEWABLE CROP AND AS YOUNG TREES GROW, THEY ABSORB CO2 FROM THE ATMOSPHERE. FURTHERMORE, AS A WOOD PRODUCT,PAPER ALSO CONTINUES TO STORE CARBON THROUGHOUT ITS LIFETIME.

A WELL MANAGED FOREST, USED AND RE PLANTED, ABSORBS MORE CARBON DIOXIDE THAN A MATURE FOREST CONSISTING OF OLDER TREES.

For more information on paper and printing as sustainable marketing communications choices, visit http://www.twosides.info/

Richard Edward Ltd Christmas Operating Times!

Richard Edward will be closing for the festive season on Friday 24^th December at 1pm

Full operations will resume in the New Year from Tuesday 4^th January 2011

May we take this opportunity to wish you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!!

http://www.richard-edward.com/

People In Print - Customer Service Award 2010!

We are extremely proud to announce we are the winners of the People In Print - Customer Service Award 2010!!

Extraordinary customer service is a core value for us at Richard Edward! With our constant monitoring, using a customer satisfaction survey through a month by month routine ensures that commitment to customers remains at the forefront. This covers all areas from administration to quotation, from delivery to levels of service.

Feedback and communication, as well as customer training and information sharing, help us to enhance the print expertise within the company.

http://www.richard-edward.com/

Richard Edward moves up the Print Week Top 500 list of UK Printing companies

Richard Edward is delighted that its performance in 2009, has earned the organisation, a higher ranking in the Top 500 report produced by Print Week.

Richard Edward has increased all financial aspects of its performance, whilst significantly reducing its gearing, and figures highly in the key performance indicators of ROCE and operating profit.

PrintWeek’s seminal report on the fiscal health of the print industry is now in its 18th year, and is the industry’s most eagerly anticipated and oft-quoted report, offering a full breakdown of the financial performance of the UK’s 500 largest print companies, as verified by leading accountancy firm Grant Thornton.

http://www.richard-edward.com/

Richard Edward Exhibition dates and venues

Richard Edward will be exhibiting at the following shows between January to March 2011

London Toy Fair at Olympia - Stand D100 - 25th - 27th January 2011
International Toy Fair - Nuremberg - Stand D22, Hall 10.1, 3rd - 8th February, 2011
Trade Only - Ricoh Arena, Coventry - Stand C16, 26th - 27th January 2011
Spring Fair - NEC Birmingham, Stand H58, Hall 5 - 6th - 10th February, 2011

We will be exhibiting a range of new products that we have manufactured on behalf of games companies and promotional marketing campaigns, as well as launching Redwood Cards new product, Happy Families.
Its also a great chance to look at our recycled playing cards, 'GreenCards'

http://www.richard-edward.com/

ACE - Association for Cultural Enterprise membership

Richard Edward are proud to announce they are now associate members of the Association for Cultural Enterprise!

http://www.richard-edward.com/

Top Trumps Cheestrings for Mr String's World Tour Promotion

 

 

Richard Edward is delighted to be able to reveal, that they were the company behind the recent production of the Cheestrings Top Trumps promotion.
Our unique card production facilities and team, worked in close consultation with both the brand owners of Top Trumps, Kerry Foods and The Marketing Store, to ensure that the 4 million packs of cards, were produced for their ‘back to school promotion’.

 

Louisa Moger, Marketing Director at Richard Edward, said:  “Our relationship with Top Trumps has developed over many years and we have seen the popularity as a game provide a powerful promotional vehicle! Top Trumps have a high perceived value amongst children, because they’re associated with fun, they enable a promoter to cost effectively inject a ‘play theme’ into a campaign. We’re seeing a steady increase in card products including games concepts being used in integrated campaigns.”

 

The Cheestrings Top Trumps are part of a larger campaign called “Mr Strings World Tour”.

 

Ciara O’Connor, brand manager at Kerry Foods, said: “Now that kids are back to school, we wanted to provide them with a reason to get excited about the contents of their lunchbox.”

 

Sales promotion agency, The Marketing Store, was behind the idea. Faye Ferriday, Senior Account Director for The Marketing Store, said: “Top Trumps is an iconic card game that encourages fact sharing and game play among kids. The creative is fun, quirky, and maintains brand affinity with its recognizable colours.”

 

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Playing Cards - The Real Deal for drugs messaging!

Richard Edward Limited has recently worked with the London Drugs Policy Forum to design and produce a pack of playing cards.

The cards featured harm reduction messages for educational purposes, and were aimed at young Londoners aged 13 to 15 years old.

Playing Cards were selected as an innovative educational medium to deliver maximum impact.

In the past, the London Drugs Policy Forum has found that use of leaflets, and seminars, perhaps needed something else to increase the effectiveness, particularly when working with young people.

Playing cards are used by both sexes of all ages, in particular the younger generation, which makes them such a successful product, when either promoting, educating or simply for a games purpose.

Here, you can see the younger generation with their LDPF ‘The Real Deal’ cards at a local event in which the BUBIC attended. They are a front line organisation giving assistance to users and the families of users and advice to young people.

The playing cards were a huge success, David MacKintosh; a policy advisor for LDPF visited a European drugs event and commented that such was their popularity with the target audience, that ‘being mugged for the cards would be an understatement’!

Richard Edward Limited worked with LDPF to develop the imagery and look and feel of the pack to ensure that it was relevant and immediately recognisable amongst its target audience.

Production of packs then commenced at our London based factory.

Louisa Moger, Marketing Director commented ‘We were delighted to work with LDPF again this year, and its fantastic to see playing cards being used for such an important educational communication exercise’

http://www.richard-edward.com/

Playing Cards for Museums and Galleries!

Richard Edward, the UK’s leading manufacturer of Playing Cards, has recently worked with museums and galleries including the Victoria & Albert Museum, British Museum, The National Gallery and The Courtauld Gallery to create unique, exquisite playing cards for their gift shops.

Our studio collaborated with each museum to develop the look and feel of the pack and ensure that the imagery of the collections was captured appropriately.

“Working with Richard Edward is a seamless and smooth process and their reliability to deliver your product is outstanding. With attention to detail and close liaison in developing bespoke items Richard Edward will go the extra distance to make this happen.” – Nigel Dickman, The Courtauld Gallery

“I’m really impressed with all the cards. Will certainly use Richard Edward again.” – Sam Everitt, The National Gallery

“I would highly recommend Richard Edward. A very professional company and I absolutely love the cards, they are a great addition to our other products in the store.” – Alison Acampora, V & A Enterprises

http://www.richard-edward.com/

Richard Edward - FSC accreditation

Richard Edward Limited are delighted to announce that they have successfully received FSC accreditation as part of their on-going commitment to improving the organisations environmental performance.

This accreditation is important for clients working with both of Richard Edward’s product offerings who need

to prove that their supply chain is environmentally sound.

FSC accreditation follows the companies elevation to Green Mark level 2 status and the award of Investors in People earlier this year.

Louisa Moger, Marketing Director said ‘This is a fantastic addition to our raft of accreditations. Our team are fully committed to continuous improvement to ensure that Richard Edward Limited continues to meet and

exceed the needs of our customers across all of the segments within which we work. Consumers are becoming increasingly aware of the environmental impact of the products that they buy.’

Richard Edward Limited are also keen to ensure that their suppliers mirror the environmental commitment, and are pleased that their main paper mill has been particularly innovative in this area. All board products used for creating playing cards and games cards, are purchased from Tullis Russell, a mill in Scotland. This organisation has just announced plans to create a £100million biomass power plant on site to reduce their carbon footprint by 70%, and be responsible for 6%of Scotland’s renewable generation targets.

http://www.richard-edward.com/

Richard Edward become Carbon Smart certified!

Richard Edward Limited has become one of the first UKprinting companies to become Carbon Smart certified.

The Carbon Smart certification feeds into our ongoing environmental effort, and is a practical way to raise our organisations awareness of our current carbon footprint, and how to take steps to reduce this in the future.

Commenting on the achievement, Marketing Director Louisa Moger said ‘This certification is an excellent addition to our environmental achievements to date, and we are now able to advise clients on how to continue to reduce the overall carbon footprint of their products’

Richard Edward Limited specialises in manufacturing games and playing cards in addition to it core activity of fully integrated B1 lithographic production. The company has taken a number of significant steps as part of a holistic business improvement strategy and transformed its position

from a loss making to profitable enterprise.

ww.richard-edward.com

Richard Edward on television!!

How do they do it? – Discovery Channel

Richard Edward, the UK's leading manufacturer of games cards, trading cards and playing cards is delighted to announce, that they will be featured on ‘How do they do it?’ towards the end of the Summer, 2011.

Whilst considering the output of paper mills, the television production company were looking for innovative uses of paper, and discovered Richard Edwards’ niche production capabilities in manufacturing playing cards and games cards.

Filming took place on-site at Richard Edward, with members of our operational team, providing narrative on the processes and skills required, and tracked a specially produced pack of ‘How do they do that?’ branded playing cards from artwork to finished product.

The paper making processes were also filmed, together with coverage of the final product being used in game playing.

Richard Edward Limited will feature in a thirty-minute episode, to be broadcast on the Discovery Channel to a global audience in June and August 2011. 

‘How do they do it?’ is a popular programme that focuses on the most amazing ‘everyday’ objects, and how they are produced. 

The programme regularly records viewer numbers around the world of 150 million.

Louisa Moger, Marketing Director commented ‘We were delighted to be selected for this fabulous opportunity to showcase how we, a British manufacturer, make playing cards and games cards. Playing cards are a timeless product, with universal appeal, and we are so excited to be sharing the passion and skill that goes into the manufacturing processes with such a huge audience’
http://www.richard-edward.com/