Media Services

We provide a range of design and printing services.

Advertising

Whether you are following a corporate style or you need something a bit different, we produce high-impact adverts that help you stand out from the crowd.

Good results don’t just come from good ideas, they also come from working with you and staying focused on objectives to establish a style that grabs your customers’ attention and delivers instant brand recognition.

From concept development to artwork, our aim is to get the right message across to your target audience, ensuring that visual identity is consistent with the University’s key messages and that your advert is produced cost effectively.

Branding

In addition to managing and developing the University's corporate identity Media Services has lots of experience in creating visual identities for a wide range of organisations. We know that it's about so much more than a logo and we will work closely with you to ensure that all of the ingredients are articulated successfully.

With so many different ways to get your message across and the pressures of deadlines and budgets, you can put your trust in us. We know the most competitive design and print processes, can advise you on the best format to suit your audience and your budget.

Design for presentations

Get their attention… and keep it. We will bring your presentation to life and help you communicate your message in the most effective and engaging ways. We're experienced at re-shaping existing presentations or creating new ones completely from scratch.

We will work with you to ensure your message is delivered in the most creative and effective ways. In addition to dynamic graphics you may need audio, video or animation to really bring your presentation to life. We can help with it all.

Presentations are not only for conferences or meetings and we have the expertise to help however you choose to deliver them. We don't mind if it's a webinar, video presentation, or iPad.

Design for print

Creative design plays a vital part in the successful communication of key messages for any organisation. Whether you have a fully formed idea of what you want with images and copy ready to go or would like us to handle everything, our team of award-winning designers will take you from the initial design brief through to perfect print-ready artwork.

We support the University's marketing strategy by using our expertise and knowledge of the corporate guidelines to deliver well-considered innovative design. From concept through to finished artwork, we undertake a wide range of design projects including corporate publications such as the Undergraduate, Postgraduate and international prospectuses, Graduation Ceremonies and Open Day materials to name just a few.

Creativity needn't stop after your project is printed – we can turn printed items into interactive documents for web and off-line use. You may choose to consider:

  • interactive PDF forms with dynamic form fields
  • web-friendly PDFs that provide clickable buttons, video, audio, email and hyperlinks
  • flipbooks with page turning, zooming, bookmarking and search capabilities
  • PowerPoint and Word templates

Design for web

The web and other digital channels are key communication tools for any organisation or business and Media Services can help you in creating an engaging and effective online presence.

We have been designing websites for over ten years and have extensive experience in creating user-friendly websites for different audiences on a variety of platforms. We develop sites from conception to completion that not only look great but also adhere to the latest web standards and use progressive techniques to get your message across as effectively as possible.

We will guide you through the process of website creation and help you construct a logical architecture to ensure your visitors can navigate the site effectively. We can design websites using content management systems to let you take full control and make updates and changes whenever you want. We also have experience in designing for a wide variety of other digital channels including teaching and learning initiatives, e-newsletters, digital signage and mobile devices.

Exhibitions, banners and displays

Make your message loud and clear! Standing out from the crowd to get your message across is challenging – creative, dynamic design can transform your display materials and help you to meet that challenge.

Whether you are involved in a student recruitment drive or showcasing your products and services, we will deliver vigorous design solutions. We can follow the style of your printed materials to enhance your impact at events such as Open Days or we can design something totally new for an event or recruitment drive. We can also create vibrant designs for large-format event banners and advise on University policy for the use of temporary banners.

From standard items to custom-designed exhibition spaces we can help you get the best out of your budget to meet your needs.

Fulfilment services

For a number of years we have provided specialist in-house print fulfilment solutions managing orders from production through pick and pack to despatch.

By working closely with our clients we manage the requirements of each individual customer. These close working relationships are key to your customers receiving what they want, when they want it, and the most cost-effective way without compromising quality.

Media Services' expertise and experience provides advice, support and guidance to let you focus on growing your business within a cost-effective reliable partnership.

High-volume digital printing and copying

We provide a high-volume, fast-turnaround printing and copying service in both mono and colour that delivers short to medium print runs to the highest standards.

There's no pressure to order in bulk – short run digital printing allows you to update details as soon as they change. Simply order the quantity you require at any given time. Work is produced using a variety of materials including standard paper, coloured paper and card (maximum size SRA3 with stock weights from 80gsm to 300gsm).

Whether you have a single or multi-page document, we have a variety of finishing and binding options to enhance your publication including punching, stapling, folding, stitching, scoring, laminating, perforating and wire, comb and perfect binding. Specialist digital services include the production of confidential documents and we can personalise information on every printed page in either full colour or black to create high impact direct mail.

We are happy to advise you on the most suitable print format for your needs and offer solutions to suit all requirements.

Large format printing

We deliver high-quality, large-format printing on a variety of substrates in vibrant colours up to a metre wide and with no limit on the length.

Your prints will have a real sparkle and are perfect for exhibitions, academic posters, announcements and departmental photographs. We also supply low-cost stands for free standing pop-up displays and promoters, hook and loop dots to hold your posters in place and cardboard tubes to keep everything safe.

Print finishing

Our print service is complemented by an extensive range of binding and finishing services including:

  • booklet making
  • wire (black as standard, other options may be available)
  • comb (black as standard)
  • acetate front covers and card back covers
  • fast-back binding (various colours available)
  • creasing
  • perforating
  • laminating up to A3

Offset printing

Our in-house facility offers the very latest in print technology using a Digital Imaging (DI) Offset Press to produce high-quality colour printing.

This environmentally-friendly waterless process prints up to SRA3 with quick turnaround, is especially suitable for short print runs and offers outstanding value and quality. It is ideal for flyers, posters, leaflets, newsletters, brochures and postcards.

We are happy to advise you on the most suitable print format for your needs and offer solutions to suit all requirements.

In addition to our comprehensive in-house services, we are responsible for print procurement through a framework agreement of approved University print suppliers. This service complements in-house print by providing options for specialist and larger volume work and ensures the procurement process achieves value-for-money.

Photo-realistic 3D visuals and animations

Whether you need to communicate a vision, demonstrate an idea or promote a product Media Services has the expertise to create compelling 3D imagery that can really help to explain and promote new concepts and ideas.

We can produce any type of visual, ranging from 2D and 3D technical and product illustration, photo realistic images and 3D animation that includes motion graphics and special effects.

We will work with whatever information is available – whether it is CAD data, engineering drawings, photography, sketches, the product itself or perhaps just an idea – and create stunning images to help you to get the best out of them.

Print procurement

Media Services is responsible for the procurement of all printed materials on behalf of Heriot-Watt University and in doing so, follow approved procedures that are designed to consolidate the University's spend in this commodity, ensure compliance with procurement legislation and provide the means by which the University can ensure that it is achieving value for money.

APUC, on behalf of Scottish HE and FE institutions and affiliated bodies, has created a framework of print suppliers for work that cannot be produced internally due to time constraints, workloads, pricing or type of product. Media Services manage this area of spend and add value to the process through their expertise and knowledge of the industry thus permitting all external print orders to be secured under value for money contracts, with the internal monitoring of suppliers and the production of finished goods.

All external print work is subject to this arrangement, and its use mandatory on all cost centres, regardless of the source of funding.

The APUC contract has been awarded under EC tendering regulations – any leakage outwith that will be deemed as a breach of contract and could result in a legal challenge by the companies affected. Expenditure is closely monitored, both at institutional and consortia level, and any 'off contract' activity is identified, reported and investigated.

Scanning and digitisation

Electronic storage if used as part of an effective records management system, enables you to locate the exact document you need and share it with colleagues anywhere you want, whenever you want.

Our service provides a cost-effective option to transfer your paper records from physical to digital format. We offer an efficient approach - intelligent scanning based on your unique requirements. Whether you need an electronic image of a document for reference, for ease of updating, as evidence of actions and decisions, for permanent archival preservation, or just want to improve efficiency by making documents available at the click of a mouse, we can help.

Our service is flexible - we realise each customer has
 different requirements and budgets, so we tailor our service to be as accommodating as possible to cater to those needs. The pricing structure has been calculated to simply cover 
the costs of delivering the service and demonstrates considerable cost saving over external service providers - 
and, as a University professional service, we don't charge VAT.

Signage

Media Services work continuously on the design and co-ordination of corporate signage, undertake way-finding audits and advise on appropriate solutions for directory, directional and destination signs from the approved corporate signage systems.

Whether you need new door signs, replacement signs or a complete building overhaul, we work closely with colleagues in the Estates Office to ensure that signs are clear, accessible and are aligned with the University's corporate identity.

If you are looking for something a bit different we can also advise on temporary banners, cut vinyl, swing boards, window decals and large format poster printing.

Key information

Media Services