Christmas print timeline – your guide to preparing for the festive season

Christmas seemed like a while off, but suddenly you blinked and there’s twinkling lights, mince pies and mulled wine all around. If you need a little bit of help planning the festive season, then here’s our early gift to you, a handy Christmas print timeline of what print essentials you’ll need and when, stuffed full of creativity and advice for the next five weeks. Whether you’re a seasoned pro or a new business finding your feet, you’ll be organised in no time! Why not download your handy PDF guide to Christmas print while you’re here?

Now

It’s time to hit the books and look at what products sold well in the run up to Christmas last year, as well as what your new big hitters will be. Do a little bit of competitor research to make sure what you are going to offer is still relevant, exciting and on-point.

Start organising your corporate gifts, starting with Calendars. We’ve got some handy tools to help with uploading artwork, so you can gift a lovely Desktop Calendar in time before the Christmas break. Draft up a recipient list you want to send the ultimate classic Christmas product, the humble Greeting Card to, and start thinking about what design you’d like.

This is a great time to also organise your office Christmas party print. Stock up on Invitations and Gift Tags to add a professional panache and real sense of occasion, and look into purchasing Posters and Banners – both of which can be found in our Events Collection, which is really a party organiser’s best friend.

First week of December

It’s a crucial time of the year for sales, so points of sale are vital. Our Retail Collection has Display Boards, Strut Cards, Posters and much more. A pop of personalisation is a great way to promote your business through customer carrier bags, so add a Sticker on the side for a subtle sales technique, or go all out and create customised Wrapping Paper for the gift giver and receiver to revel in.

After Black Friday sending people into a sales frenzy, you need to use social media to create a bit of a buzz for your business, and look at getting Leaflets and Flyers out there to demonstrate your seasonal discounts and deals from now on. You’ll need to give customers enough time to window shop before getting stuck into the sales which traditionally started Boxing Day but seem to be getting earlier and earlier every year!

It’s also the perfect time to turn your artwork into a promotional wall decoration or a feature wall design. With Permanent, Removable and Repositionable Self-Adhesive options, make sure your yuletide message sticks.

Last few weeks of December

Before you kick back in front of a roaring fire with a glass of cheeky sherry, remember that December is still crazy busy for sales throughout, so don’t give up after the first week! Order more Stickers and Labels for last minute discount deals, and don’t forget about Mini Cards. These mighty multifunctional cards can be used as a present tag or to display product details – important when your displays will be constantly changing with products flying out the door!

Make sure all your Christmas Cards and gifts have gone out and been received. Finally, make sure you have all your print needs sorted for what will inevitably be a hectic New Year and January sale, but for now, enjoy some time off – you’ve earned it!

Get set with all your essential Christmas print in one place, by visiting our Christmas Collection. Shop: www.printed.com/christmas-print-collection 

Got any tips to help other creatives and small business owners ace their Christmas print or stay organised? Leave a comment in the box below and share up—it’s the season of giving!