Month: April 2021

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Putting The Top Houston Commercial Printing Company To Work For Your Trial Preparation

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The Document Group is focused on helping all of our clients win their cases. We are a Houston printing company that provides a full range of legal document services with a strong focus on trial preparation. While some Houston commercial printing companies only provide services outside of the courtroom, the Document Group works with our clients in the courtroom to achieve the best outcome possible.

On Your Side – Trial Preparation Focused On Achieving Positive Results

While we offer a full range of litigation support services before the trial, what makes us unique is our expert trial preparation and in the courtroom services. Before you go to trial, our certified trial consultants will work with you to create a plan to utilize all of our technology resources to bolster your case, and present complex information clearly and effectively. We help select software for trial use, organize information, and create presentations that have an impact.

Trial Presentations Designed To Make Your Case Crystal Clear

As a Houston printing service provider, our experts have decades of experience putting together presentations that make all of the relevant facts in a case crystal clear. Since judges and juries don’t have the benefit of pouring over case materials for hours like your lawyers have, your trial graphics and presentation have to be custom tailored. We deliver presentations on every medium, from poster boards to multimedia A/V presentations that are ideal for use in hearings, arbitration, and trial.

Flawless Execution – On-Site Setup And Technical Support

There is nothing worse than a piece of information technology equipment that doesn’t want to work the morning of a trial. We don’t just put together a presentation on a CD and hand it off to you, we send our technical gurus with you to the courtroom to make sure all of your presentations are set-up and optimized for display. We will stay with you up to the last minute to ensure you have all the tools necessary to win your case.

Our support services are also great for your war room. We can set up computers, projectors, scanners, printers and copiers so you can focus on the case. We even have mobile scanning equipment for instant document scanning and imaging.

At The Document Group, we are more than a commercial Houston printing company. We help our clients get the most out of their printed materials, to put them to good use at trial. Contact us today for a free quote!

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Why Printed Materials Still Play An Important Role In Your Marketing Strategy

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Why Printed Materials Still Play An Important Role in Your Marketing Strategy.

As any marketing manager, who needs to get the word out for their brand will tell you, the Internet has changed advertising for magazines, newspapers, and home circular mail publishing forever. These days your potential customers come to your website at their leisure.  They may look at the pretty graphics, read (skim) your basic copy, and maybe, review a more in-depth brochure you have been smart enough to have online.  Perhaps they put you into consideration as a vendor, maybe they don’t. 

Depending on what you are selling, your website may be just one stop in a consumer’s greater research effort to gain knowledge of a product category, or it may be the place that triggers a buying decision.  As a business, you have no control over a potential clients’ clicks.  For paper printing, this is a disaster!

Don't Count Out Print!

Does this mean that print is dead? To paraphrase Mark Twain, reports of its death are highly exaggerated. According to PrintIsBig.com, an investment of $167 per person on printed direct mail earned $2,095 in product sales, a 1,300% return on investment. What is responsible for the enduring success of print ads? At a time when people are besieged with email advertisements, social media, and even website content, print stands out in several ways:

  • – The ability to hold paper in your hand, or placed in the physical world for longtime viewing
  • – Your message then becomes more credible to whoever sees it in that world
  • – Branding is an important part of your business and print gets noticed
  • – With a longer shelf life than an online appeal or email blast, eyes see it until it comes down

You can make your company stand out at a time when so many companies use online techniques that their message can get lost in the shuffle.

Welcome To The Age of Multi-Faceted Marketing

As many studies indicate, print and online advertising are not engaged in a duel to the death. In fact, some of the most successful marketing these days uses a blend of online and physical print sources to get the message across. This approach is backed up by educational research that substantiates the idea that people learn in different ways.

So what appeals to one customer may differ from what grabs someone else. In addition, a print ad can reinforce an online message or vice-versa. Some industry experts maintain that the results of a mixed print and electronic marketing campaign could produce a 30% response, in contrast to a 1% response with a static email campaign.

This realization has led to a multi-faceted approach to advertising that includes both print media and Internet-based tactics such as email, websites, and social media. While print offers substance and credibility, the use of online techniques implies that a company is modern, forward-thinking, and willing to engage their customers.

Mixing It Up

This means that a company might use a mix of print and online materials. For example, they might use direct mail, send printed trifold brochures to their customers upon initial inquiries, and have more detailed product information available online.

Smart businesses are also likely to maintain a website that encourages people to click different areas on the website that reflect their interest.  This allows users to compare and contrast different items in their product line.  Really smart businesses often show comparisons with those of their competitors.  Print also has the ability to utilize new techniques, such as QR codes, that encourage readers to aim a QR reader app on their smart phone toward the printed page and be directed back toward the website.  Using technology can still apply to print.

If you’re designing a marketing strategy, you are making a mistake if you do not include both print and online techniques in the mix. In these times where computer graphics offer amazing color and dimension, you need quality print materials when you choose to provide them. This means you need a source that provides high-quality output and variety to provide the stationery, envelopes, letters, postcards, brochures, reports, etc.

Make The Document Group Your Go To Source For Printing

When you’re looking for a quality commercial printer in the Houston, Texas, area, look no further than The Document Group. Offering a full range of black and white, color digital, large format, and offset printing, we offer other services such as binding and lamination to make your materials stand out.

Don’t make the mistake of putting all your marketing eggs in the digital basket. Contact the document group today for a quote on materials for the print side of your multifaceted campaign. We will not only offer you a free estimate, but we will also consult with you about your needs and offer free pickup and delivery in the Houston area. Call us today at 888-316-4670.

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What Tradeshow Giveaways Are Attendee Favorites?

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Promotional products can cost less than a dollar, yet they are workhorses of the trade show and event marketing industry. By building brand recognition and planting seeds in people’s minds that come to fruition when they need to make a purchase, giveaways can generate thousands of dollars of revenue in return. Like everything else in the advertising world, the most popular giveaways are trendy for a while, until the next big thing hits the trade show floor. So what products are attendee favorites in 2014?

The Trendy – Giveaways Attendees Love Best In 2014

  • – Hand sanitizer is the perfect giveaway in an environment where strangers are shaking hands. A small imprinted bottle should last beyond the show.
  • – Touchscreen cleaning clothes are handy for cleaning phone and tablet screens. When made of indestructible microfiber and marked with your logo, they will last long after the show.
  • – Lip balm is an unusual giveaway that can come in handy on the show floor and at other times during the attendee’s trip. Long after the event, it may be in the attendee’s purse, pocket, or desk drawer.
  • – A car USB charger, a useful gift in the age of electronics, will still stick with attendees long after the show and is something virtually everyone can use.
  • – USB drives can pack a double whammy if you both imprint the outside and include a file with company information on the drive itself. Even if the attendee removes the file after viewing, your imprinting remains.
  • – Since few people use mice with roller balls anymore, mouse pads have limited appeal these days. However, other tech gifts such as power banks, phone stands, or styli have universal appeal.

The Tried And True

  • – Reusable bags or totes are immediately useful for holding literature and other goodies. With a logo and tagline imprinted on one side or both, they make others aware of your corporate name and serve as a long-term reminder to the trade show attendee.
  • – Pens, the ubiquitous tradeshow giveaway, are available at all price points. Cheap ones, even if branded, tend to be tossed out or left unused, while better quality ones have the potential of daily use. A twist on this classic, such as a pen and highlighter combo, might be more memorable.
  • – Flashlights, especially flat, colorful branded ones that can go on a keychain are practical items that people will actually use.

The Appreciated, But Short-Lived

  • – Mints and gum imprinted with the company name are a useful gesture, particularly at an all day event full of personal interaction. But these items obviously have a short shelf life, so they are generally considered an “add on” item.
  • – Disposable water bottles recognize the reality that walking a trade show is thirsty work. Attendees regard water as a thoughtful gesture, but discard or recycle the bottle when it is gone. Crafty marketers might extend the impact of bottles by putting a code under the label that attendees would check on their website for a chance to win a better prize.  

Your Source For Gifts Event Attendees Will Love

When considering promotional items your audience will love, choose The Document Group. Long viewed as a high-quality source for printing, copying, and scanning in Houston, TDG can also supply your tradeshow and event items. Contact us today or check our website and start shopping!

Risk Management Scanning

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Does your company have paper files located in cabinets in the workspace or boxes of old documents warehoused in a storage area? This plan usually works well unless an accident or natural disaster disrupts your facility. Assuming your files even survive the incident, recovery can be slow as you try to keep your business afloat and piece together customer and product information. To avert this business interruption, having paper files scanned and kept in a secure off-site location is the smart solution for businesses today.

Devastation In West, TX

In April 2013, a terrible explosion rocked a fertilizer plant in West, Texas. This tragic event, which claimed 17 lives including 11 first responders, and injured over 160 people, also destroyed or heavily damaged 150 buildings onsite and in the surrounding area.  Amidst the devastating damage, the fertilizer plant as well as many businesses, schools, and homeowners lost years of paper records.

Risk Management Scanning Protects Your Business

Events like this explosion, as well as events such as fires, hurricanes, floods and tornados, and even intentional acts of burglary and terrorism, spotlight the need to have a thorough risk management plan in place to allow your business to resume operations as soon as possible. As a crucial part of risk management, scanning current and archived files and storing them in a secure facility can help you rebuild your files quickly and continue operating your business.

Onsite Scanning Protects Your Documents And Makes Them More Accessible

Having a company like The Document Group convert your files from hardcopy to versatile electronic images and maintain the copies allows you to minimize loss and downtime. Whether you want us to pick up the records and do the scanning at our facility or provide onsite mobile document scanning at your location, we can help you prepare for the unexpected – and the routine.

Studies show that archiving scanning makes files more accessible for everyday use, improves customer service, and assures privacy. When accessing records online, your staff spends less time shuffling and deciphering aging paper documents and more time serving your clients. Bottom line: scanned files require no storage space and improve efficiency while protecting you in case of disaster.

Arrange For Document Scanning Today

With such a high volume of petrochemical facilities in and around the Houston area, it simply makes smart business sense to protect your valuable documents with risk management scanning. Don’t be caught off-guard by what you can’t control. Click here for a free quote for document scanning, or call us today at 713-343-4000.

If you’d like to find out more information about the fertilizer plant explosion or help in the rebuilding of homes and lives in West, Texas,

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Wearable Devices Pose New Challenges For eDiscovery

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Wearable Devices Pose New Challenges For eDiscovery

The rising popularity of wearable devices with internet access has changed the way people access that information.  The processing of eDiscovery is no exception to this impact. According to Futuresource Consulting, a market analysis firm, 12.4 million wearable devices were shipped in Q3 of 2014, which is an increase of 40% from Q3 2013. This means that a new wave of smart watches, fitness bands, Google glasses, chip implants, smart devices, and more have emerged that eDiscovery services can now use to possibly collect information. With so many devices now accessing the internet, legal professionals and eDiscovery companies may now face new barriers to collecting data relevant to the litigation process.

wearable device on man's wrist

Barriers To eDiscovery

Collecting and protecting information for legal purposes is already a challenge, especially in large companies where it’s difficult to get employees to keep and share relevant information through the correct channels (e.g, using company email instead of private email). Wearable tech makes it so that it’s possible to record a person’s entire day, and courts are likely to deem this information discoverable.

However, matters become more complicated when you add syncing and cloud storage. If, for example, there is any discrepancy between files on a wearable device and the smartphone it’s synced to, it may indicate spoliation. Litigating lawyers must be savvy to these technical details when dealing with ESI collection.

Find Out How eDiscovery Can Help

With The Document Group's eDiscovery services, you can be assured that over 20 years of experience is on YOUR case.

Find Out How eDiscovery Can Help

To contact The Document Group and get your project quote, click the link below...
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In addition, the rapid advancement of internet technology has outpaced laws that haven’t kept up with these advancements. Legal issues such as the ownership and security of this information are considerations that must be dealt with. Michele C.S Lange, director of Kroll Ontrack, said in an interview with Inside Counsel that the eDiscovery process is always trying to catch up with new technology developments. “For example,” she said, “eDiscovery professionals are just now working to develop collection protocols for data contained in social media platforms like SnapChat.” When eDiscovery services finally catch up to devices from the IoT (Internet of Things), some issues to consider will include:

  • – Who is in control of the device?
  • – What format is the data being generated in?
  • – How can eDiscovery companies cost effectively gather and review data from these devices?

Solutions To eDiscovery In The Internet Of Things

In the Inside Counsel interview, Lange suggests that a “bring your own device” policy is essential for companies. She says, “What if an employee who is driving a company vehicle, and is wearing Google Glasses, causes a car accident? How should companies guarantee their intellectual property and trade secrets are safe when an employee can record everything he looks at through smartglasses? The potential implications of the proliferation of wearable technologies expand to every segment of litigation.”

Ms. Lange also emphasizes that putting in place an effective legal hold is critical to accurate and comprehensive collection. It’s also essential to make employees aware of the implications of gathering and storing data like videos, pictures, and documents on wearable devices. As time goes on, the legal system will adapt to the changes in the internet atmosphere, and eDiscovery services will also put more concrete guidelines in place.

To learn more about eDiscovery services from The Document Group in Houston, Texas, contact us at (888)316-4670 or reach out through our quote form!

The New Age of Electronic Discovery

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The New Age of Electronic Discovery

Electronic Discovery News – Court cases are won and lost based on evidence, but the nature of evidence has changed in the electronic age. Evidence is no longer confined to paper documents. It now includes a broad spectrum of electronic materials.  Emails, voicemail, instant message chats, website visits, scanned documents, word-processor documents and spreadsheets, databases, audio, videos, photos, and social media posts now count as evidence.

The U.S. Supreme Court acknowledged the role of electronic material in court cases in a 2006 ruling that changed the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure. As soon as an action is filed, attorneys must begin to compile relevant electronic evidence.  Legal holds are now the tune of the day.  This can present it’s own set of problems though.  Remember, criminals do not always follow the law concerning document preservation.

cellphone with earphones connected electronic discovery

Modern Electronic Discovery Services

Litigation support, which used to mean amassing and preparing copies of physical documents and preparing trial graphics, now encompasses electronic discovery, or eDiscovery, which refers to locating electronically stored information (ESI). The need for harvesting and maintaining ESI has expanded the role of firms who provide eDiscovery services. Detecting electronic evidence, protecting it from illegal deletion or destruction, and analyzing it is a full-time job that attorneys, legal services, and corporations turn over to litigation specialists.

Handling this type of evidence is tricky. Even paperwork can be lost, but ESI poses special risks for spoliation, which means destroying, altering, hiding, or withholding of data needed in the case. Data can be maliciously tampered with or destroyed accidentally in the normal housekeeping processes performed by a company’s IT department. To preserve the integrity of the files, the attorney and a competent eDiscovery firm should quickly formulate and activate a plan for managing materials.

Find Out How eDiscovery Can Help

With The Document Group's eDiscovery services, you can be assured that over 20 years of experience is on YOUR case.

Find Out How eDiscovery Can Help

To contact The Document Group and get your project quote, click the link below...
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Developing An Litigation Support Plan

The plan should encompass six areas:                    

  1. Investigation: Using mapping techniques to identify who created the data and for what purpose, the investigative process identifies data that is relevant to the case.
  2. Preservation: Material considered relevant is placed in a legal hold to prevent destruction.
  3. Collection: Protected files are transferred to legal counsel to determine the next step.
  4. Processing: Files in their “native format,” or the original program used to create it, is loaded into a data review platform, where it is reviewed and prepared for the extraction of text and metadata — technical information about the file’s creation date, how it was created, authorship, network location, and more.
  5. Review: Documents are examined to narrow down what is relevant, based on criteria such as data range, authorship, creation date, etc.
  6. Production: Once reviewed, documents that meet agreed-upon criteria are given to opposing counsel with the metadata in either their native format or a “petrified format” such as a PDF or TIFF.

Finding The Right eDiscovery Support

A good litigation support company such as The Document Group of Houston has the software, the experienced technical experts, and the experience to progress through the necessary steps of data management. By using the services of a savvy eDiscovery company, a law firm can obtain the high-quality materials necessary to investigate evidence, withstand challenges, and win cases at a reasonable price.

In addition to data recovery and processing, The Document Group can also provide litigation copying, scanning, and graphics needed to round out a presentation. For more information about how we can help with electronic discovery and other litigation support services, contact us today for a consultation or a quote.