We all love a good cuppa so who better to give us an insight in to a good brew than our chums at Brew Tea. Marketing Whizz (official title) Holly Bowden spends some time telling us all about it. 

So, why tea?

Why not?! We wanted to plot the demise of rip off dusty tea and put a stop to the term “just a cup of tea”. All in all, because tea deserves better!
 

What was the light bulb moment to move from your shop to an online store?

Our first ever stockist - the Museums of Liverpool - asked us to help them with their tea range a long time ago and we realised then that by doing this, we could focus on tea instead of cakes, rotas, keeping track of loo roll holders and all the other trappings of a high street store. So we started there - and the irony is, since we do all of the manufacturing ourselves, Tea HQ is packed full of people needing rotas, timesheets and loo roll. Luckily, we only have to think about the cake we’re eating ourselves now. 

As one of those talentless people who would really love to dance but can mess up the hokey cokey I am in awe of anyone who can not only make dancing look fun, easy and achievable, but who also takes on the challenge of teaching us ordinary folk how to swing like winners.

At A Local Printer we have had the pleasure of working with Swing Patrol since the early days of their quest to teach the world to dance right through to the stardom of world record holding, dance teaching, exhibition giving all round hopping and swinging success! Read on for more toe-tapping insights in to this energetic company.

One of the very best things about having an on-line business is that you get to 'know' your customers and take an interest in what they are doing and how they are progressing with their own business. From the first orders placed as a' toe in the water' through to regular repeat orders as their business grows and prospers; I have had the pleasure of watching some of my favourite customers flourish to become successful ventures.

So I decided it was about time I got down to the nitty gritty with a handful of them and found out what makes them tick. First up, our Q&A with unique map makers Herb Lester.

With Christmas only weeks away, the time to start planning your company’s promotions is right now! Christmas is a great time to woo – and wow - your customers with thoughtful gifts. The best Christmas gifts to give are ones which can be branded with your company message, get maximum exposure, and are used all year round. There are a plethora of gifts to choose from, and getting it right can be a tricky business.

What are the best gifts to give to your customers?

Calendars –The obvious choice for corporate Christmas gifts is to embark upon your own Calendar Printing as they are something that all businesses need and they are right on time for the New Year. Your calendar will be jostling for space with those of your competitors, so make yours better – nicer photos, and with a nice big date panel. Make it serve its purpose as somewhere to write down important events and appointments, and give your clients something nice to look at every month, and you’ll have provided them with a useful and attractive product they’ll appreciate all year.

Diaries – Who doesn’t need a diary? Everyone uses a diary no matter what business they’re in. From recording appointments and deadlines to finding special days and important information, diaries can range from off-the-shelf with a bit of company branding right through to custom made with industry-specific days and hints and tips. Start planning yours as soon as possible as lead times for diaries can get longer toward the end of the year.

Desk Pads – I love desk pads. Workers in a busy office will appreciate somewhere to write things down where they’re always in view. For desk pads, the bigger the better! If it has useful information such as a calendar, or conversion charts then I’m sold. Don’t forget to add your company message and logo, and lots of blank space for writing, and you have your brand under your client’s nose well into the New Year.

Treats! – You can’t go wrong with drinks and chocolate. If your client has numerous employees, they may appreciate having something to share fairly among them, and a variety of alcoholic drinks and sweeties can be shared out to everyone’s taste. You can print custom wine labels and chocolate packaging for added impact. Your clients will remember you when enjoying their Christmas break.

Wall Planners – A must for every busy workplace, wall planner printing gets pride of place. With lots of designs available, planners can be personalised to suit, and are more economical than a calendar. Wall planners are used for a variety of things including employees planning their annual leave, special offer days, transport planning, and office birthdays.

Whatever you are planning to give as promotional gifts this Christmas, think useful or fun, or both! Christmas is a good excuse for getting your company name positioned for the year but if your gifts are not useful or fun, they won’t find their way to where you want them – on the desk or office wall of the people in charge of sending business your way.

Can I Recycle My HP Ink Cartridges?
Yes! It is indeed great news that HP has developed a standard for managing hardware that has reached the end of its useful life. In this way, the company is ensuring that hardware is responsibly recovered, reused and recycled. HP collects its used products for both recycling and resale in over sixty countries worldwide. This initiative makes it even easier for loyal users of their products to do their part in saving the planet through recycling.

While it is possible to simply throw away your used ink cartridges, there are other attractive options available. For instance, one option would be to return your empty cartridges to wholesale and office supply stores, which helps the environment as well as enabling you to benefit from in-store discounts. From here, the stores will return the ink cartridges to HP which operates a number of global recycling plants. At these plants, empty ink cartridges are torn down into the component pieces which may then be used in the construction of new ones. This helps to solve the problem of waste ink cartridges that could pollute the environment.

During the recycling process, your ink cartridge will undergo 3 stages during which they are de-transformed into raw materials that are useful. While humans are involved at every step of the process, most of it is highly automated.

Receiving Your Ink Cartridge
The first step is for HP to actually receive your cartridge in house from the office supply store or wholesale shop that you handed it over to. HP will then perform advanced sorting on the cartridges once they arrive at their receiving area.

Sorting Your Ink Cartridges
While some of the sorting can be performed by employees working in receiving, most may be carried out through elaborate automatic or semi-manual methods. After the preliminary sorting, all eligible cartridges will be sent directly to the automatic sorting machine which can sort tens of thousands of cartridges every hour.

Recycling
There are 3 different methods that are used to take the ink cartridges apart. The first is shredding using a conveyer to mechanically separate the components and then rip them apart. More complex cartridges will go through a more complicated disassembly process that recovers 50% more plastic than the shredding process. Ink cartridges which have a more unusual, oblong-shaped design and large labels are unable to undergo the above disassembly procedures and are therefore manually “demanufactured” by an assembly worker.

For over 30 years, HP has been recycling hardware and has recovered billions of pounds of products both for recycling and reuse. The company recycles products that are no longer suitable for reuse, thereby producing raw materials that may be used in the manufacture of new cartridges and other plastic and metal products. HP’s remanufacturing programs are designed to reduce environmental impact, as well as make IT equipment accessible to more people. HP’s Planet Partners Recycling Program provides HP customers with all the information they require in recycling their computer hardware or HP printing supplies.

For more information about plotters and its ink cartridges please visit http://www.hpplotter.co.uk