Newspaper Club
Heidi: Why do you specialize in newspaper?
Newspaper Club: Newspaper is really versatile and great for all kinds of storytelling, but historically it’s only been available to massive publishers printing thousands of copies. We want everyone to be able to share their ideas quickly and easily with newsprint, even if they just need one copy.
It’s been interesting to see the reaction to newsprint in a technology-focused world. Digital products tend to be sleek and flawless, and we’ve found people welcome a format that’s tangible and imperfect, and that doesn’t take itself too seriously.
Are you a global company?
Yes. Our newspapers are all printed in the UK, but our business is totally online and we can deliver just about anywhere. So far we’ve sent newspapers to 22 different countries!
How many clients do you service in the US and what are the shipping costs (average)?
About 20% of our orders come from the US. Prices start at $36 and larger runs can cost as little as $0.24 per copy. Shipping is included in the price, so there are no hidden fees.
Do you have designers to help the clients?
We don’t have designers, but we do have templates, guides and our free layout tool, ARTHR.
When you upload a file, our system automatically checks that it’s set up correctly and will flag up issues like low resolution or spot colors. We also have a friendly support team ready to answer any questions along the way.
What is the largest segment of your client base?
That’s hard to say! We work with some big companies likes MailChimp and Spotify, but most of our customers are creative individuals – art students, graphic designers, illustrators and definitely lots of photographers.
We try to share a good overview of what we’re printing on our blog, and our monthly roundups show what a mix it can be. Last month we printed Handsome Frank’s annual promo, a catalogue for an architecture exhibition and a set of posters for a furniture studio – to name just a few!
What has been a unique application of the service?
We’re surprised all the time by the ways people think to use newsprint! A few examples that come to mind: Fresh Flowers offers an alternative to short-lived bouquets, Eye of the Beholder has 25 animal eyeballs printed at life size (the giant squid’s just fit across a tabloid spread!) and a few years ago Canadian band The Famines released a “newsprint single” – a really cool poster that has a link to download the music.
We’ve printed newspapers for every part of life’s cycle – from birth announcements to birthdays, weddings, anniversaries and funerals. A couple weeks ago a customer tweeted us a photo of his proposal – he hid behind a broadsheet on one knee! That made our day.
Tell us about your tag line, “Print’s not dead” where does the love of print come from?
It’s very special to hold something you’ve made in your hands, and we don’t think people will ever get tired of that.
Newsprint is an effective medium that still has a lot of life in it. You don’t need batteries to read a newspaper and everyone knows how to use one. We love flipping through newspapers our customers have made and hanging favorites up in the office.
It’s not about print vs. digital, but rather the two working together to change how people can share ideas. Now, you can upload a file from your computer on a Sunday night, from just about anywhere in the world, and find your newspapers on the doorstep a few days later. That’s a great feeling.
