As a new business owner, you may have some questions on how to stay afloat despite the economic crunch we’ve been experiencing as of late. The obvious answer is to cut your costs somehow, but where should you be cutting back?

A lot of small businesses seem to have the answer, which is to reduce the money spent for printing promotional and business documents, but is it really a wise decision? For a lot of small companies, their printed business materials are going to consist of a few invoices each month, paychecks, paper with their letterhead on it, and a small run of business cards – not much really, is it?

That means they could save a few pennies and not have to cut back on the big things that really matter to their business, right? What a lot of these small business owners don’t tend to consider is the fact that some of these ‘cheap’ items are actually representing their company, and they give people an impression of a business long before they ever really get to know what the company’s all about.

Just like with practically anything else in this world, first impressions last. You may be thinking as well of printing and designing your business materials on your own, and with the wealth of software programs available that can help you, you may be wondering whether the extra costs in purchasing a license would save you money, or even help you earn money in the larger scope of things.

This may be a good idea, but what if you don’t know much about design and end up creating a cheap-looking, amateurish letterhead on an antiquated printer? This is not the way you want to promote your business if you want to succeed in it.

Professional printing may not be very cost-effective especially if you’re on a limited budget, but answer us this – do you want to sell your house when the rooms are more disorganized than pig pens?

You may give that a try if you want to waste prospective buyers’ time. It can be the same with your printed business materials. Compare it to selling your car that has thousands of miles on the odometer, the paint cracking and the AC not working – not too many buyers would want a jalopy like that.

If finding a printer who can help you both in the design and printing process, you can submit your design for a lower cost to other printers who can take care of the rest of the process for you. Still, it is important to design your logo or letterhead in a catchy yet professional way.

Compare what you can do on your own with what a professional printer can do before considering doing the work yourself. Think of the big picture, see the forest from the trees, because by doing it yourself you may be losing out on money and clients in the long run. You never get a second chance to make a first impression.

Author bio: William Jones is an expert in cabin living and decorating. Looking for simple cabin beds for the guest bedrooms or a stately Aspen log bedroom suite for the master? These heirloom-quality log cabin furniture comes in many shapes, sizes and styles from simple clean peeled logs to rustic logs full of burls, gnarls and beetle tracks, to match any cabin decor.