Questions and Answers

1) What is The Iris Group, and what do we do?

The Iris Group produces custom postcards and brochures for high-end real estate, builders and architectural designers. We handle the entire brochure from start to finish. Our basic package includes photography (taken) exclusively for your order (where available), design, 4-color separations, 4-color printing, bindery and shipping & handling.

2) How long does a brochure take to complete?

Once we have your photography, copy, payment and signed purchase order, you will receive a layout proof via email within 1-2 business days. After approval, we will ship your brochures within 4 business days.

3) Can I send in my digital images?

We do accept digital images, but there are some rules to comply with in order to receive a high quality product. Please read over our Digital Specifications and follow them carefully.

4) What paper stock do you print on?

Modern’s primary stock is the PEFC certified 14pt Premium Card Stock, heavy-duty paper designed to withstand the rigors of mailing. Other stocks that are available by request include our 14pt Recycled Card Stock and 100lb Premium Text.

5) What kind of press do you use?

We use a Komori Lithrone S840SP, Komori Lithrone S640P or the HP 7500 presses with an aqueous coater.

6) What kind of inks do you use?

All of our products are printed with petroleum and 10-20% soy-based 4-color CMYK (Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, & Black) inks for color printing, petroleum/soy-based black ink on the backside of 4/1 cards.

7) Can I request custom (spot) inks?

No. We print using the 4-color process, meaning that all of our products are printed with Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, and Black inks. We do not use any inks other than CMYK. If you need to have a particular spot color, we can most likely come close to matching it with our process colors.

8) What line screen do you print with?

We print with a 240 line screen (lines per inch) on the 4 color process side, and a 175 line screen on the black and white side.

9) How much should I spend on a brochure?

You can use this formula as a guide: a brochure should generally cost 1/10th of one percent of the selling price of the listing. Therefore, a $350,000 home would deserve a $350 brochure, a $650,000 home would deserve a $650 brochure, and so on. Of course, this is only a guideline.

10) How is my payment made?

The best way is to pay our staff photographer at the time of the shoot. The Iris Group accepts checks, VISA, MasterCard or American Express.

11) How should I distribute my brochures?

A high quality brochure builds an impressive image for the property, for you and for your company. Focus your distribution on people who will either be interested in the property or interested in you as their sales agent.

• Use our in-house Mailing Services. It takes almost no effort on your part to launch fast, accurate and effective direct mail campaigns. By using state-of-the-art software, we prepare your mailing in accordance with the latest U.S. Postal Service requirements, which allows us to pass deep postage discounts directly to you.
• Leave a stack at your Board of Realtor meetings for other agents to take to their buyers.
• Leave some at the listing for tours and open houses. It is important that interested buyers have something of quality to take back with them.
• Homeowners in the area of the listing should be contacted, too. A sizeable percentage of home buyers actually come from the immediate area of a listing (this is a great way to pick up additional listings as well).
• Send samples to personnel offices of relocation companies.
  Include the statement “Brochure Available Upon Request” in all your newspaper advertising.
• Mail copies to clients on your mailing list as an impressive public relations approach. It not only promotes your listing to your clients and their friends, it also promotes you.
• Mail to other Realtors locally and out-of-town.

12) Are there additional terms and conditions?

Yes. The following are our terms and conditions for each order.

• No cancellation of brochure once the photography has been started. No partial refunds for work not completed.
• Quoted turnaround times start when we receive approved photos, approved copy, payment and a signed purchase order.
• Please designate a single individual to communicate changes or approvals to our production staff. This individual is 100% responsible for accurately proofreading any retyped information. Copy/Layout changes may cost extra and will delay the delivery date.
• Our expected delivery date is NOT guaranteed. Your brochure may arrive late due to unforeseen delays in delivery service, equipment breakdown, illness, etc.
• All photographic and lithographic materials used in producing your brochure are the property of The Iris Group, Inc. This includes transparencies and other materials.
• The Iris Group, Inc. reserves the right to print a brochure credit tag line. Removing this tag line incurs a fee of 10% of the brochure cost.
• The Iris Group, Inc. will print to reflect submitted digital images, transparencies, slides or prints as closely as possible (within the limits of the printing process).

Do you have any other questions we did not cover?

Please feel free to email us at mp4090@modernpostcard.com, or give us a call at 800.959.8365 and we’ll be happy to answer your questions.