The Role of Print in Building Trust for Financial Institutions: Annual Reports, Brochures and Beyond

Information isn’t judged on its content alone. Form matters. High-quality materials and meticulous design can help an annual report with middling numbers seem rosier to investors. On the other hand, a shoddily printed investor presentation that’s corner-stapled together can leave stakeholders feeling skeptical, no matter how good the numbers really are.

Fortunately, [an experienced commercial printer can help your financial institution elevate its print products], building a better reputation in the process. To illustrate, let's look at three of the most important document types used in the financial world, and how top-quality printing can improve them.

Annual Reports: A Pillar of Transparency 

Annual reports tell the story of your organization from the past 12 months and boldly announce what the future may hold. While doing so, they also need to be meticulously detailed and precise. Oh, and they should be easy-to-understand and scan, too. One document meant to do it all, and notoriously difficult to execute as a result.

Luckily, enlisting a premier commercial printer can make it much easier to perfect these publications. It starts with top-quality paper that feels good and holds up to repeated use. Print experts can also help you review and finesse your design file, ensuring the placement of critical information is optimized. Finally, you get access to premium finishing options, like spot gloss or metallic foil, enhancing the story your report is telling. Just like that, even an underwhelming report becomes polished and compelling, capable of reassuring investors and building trust in your brand.

Brochures and Marketing Collateral 

Financial marketing collateral is critical to business growth and brand recognition. It must be attention-grabbing, informative, and consistent with your brand standards. A top-quality printer can help with all this, providing design advice and material recommendations to ensure clear communication of your most compelling points.

A versatile print partner can also help you create a wider variety of marketing collateral materials, potentially connecting with new audiences. For example, here are just a few of the marketing collateral types produced by Wallace Carlson:

• Brochures
• Booklets
• Flyers
• Promotional Gifts
• Postcards
• Posters
• Signs

Engaging Stakeholders Through Print 

Print products meant to engage and persuade stakeholders, such as investor presentations, may just benefit the most from a commercial printer’s touch. These materials need to be as attention-grabbing as marketing materials and as informative as annual reports, all while being extremely succinct. There’s little room for unnecessary text or visuals, making the materials, print quality, and finishes all the more critical.

Say you’re printing a sustainability report. A well-resourced printer can access premium-quality recycled paper and use ink-conserving print techniques, turning the report itself into a compelling talking point. Or, say you’re trying to call out key metrics in your investor presentation, but can’t afford cluttering the design with additional copy, callouts, fonts, etc. A skilled printer can print those details in metallic foil that matches your brand colors, making them literally shine on the page.

Even if you’re dreaming of something without precedent, a great commercial printer like Wallace Carlson can work with you to explore new and innovative solutions to help realize your vision. Whatever it takes to win the hearts and minds of your audience, a top-quality printer will do what they can to make it happen.

Print as a Branding Tool

Commercial printing benefits financial institutions in many scenarios, not just when [secure printing is required]. It unlocks a level of design creativity and versatility that’s simply impossible with DIY or basic consumer print services. So when compelling investors, building your brand, or sharing your story needs to be done with polish and aplomb, trust in Wallace Carlson to get the job done.

With nearly a century of delivering print excellence and a passion for innovation, financial institutions can expect more from a partnership with us. Discover what it means to get Michelin-star service from your commercial print partner. Reach out to us at Wallace Carlson about your next critical print project, today.