LCBA talks: The Nuances of Production by Darryl Lim

Lithographic printing and its processes in a nineteenth-century Muslim-Malay world.

The London Centre for Book Arts is very happy to host a talk by book and print historian, and friend of the studio, Darryl Lim whose research focuses on regional histories of the book in Southeast Asia in relation to the global histories of printing and examines technical aspects of print technologies.

Singapore-lithographed Qur'an from Pakualaman Mosque, Yogyakarta

This presentation will introduce some aspects of Malay lithographic print production in the 19th century, gathered from close observations of printed marginalia and marks left during the printing process. The talk will examine localised innovations developed in the unique environs of the Malay world; discuss the presence of anonymous individuals that laboured in the making of these printed objects, and highlight how Muslim-Malay manuscript practices dovetailed with Western book production techniques and Islamicate bookmaking traditions. 

The date is Friday, November 1st and the event is free to attend. Everyone is welcome. Drinks will be served and the LCBA shop will be open late alongside our current Library Show: 

Dr Wei Jin Darryl Lim is an independent book and print historian from Singapore. His research focuses on regional histories of the book in Southeast Asia in relation to the global histories of printing, and examines technical aspects of print technologies. His doctoral research (completed at the University of Reading) on the history of lithography in the Malay world is published in journals such as Indonesia and the Malay World, and a forthcoming special issue of Contextual Alternate. He was previously the American Printing History Association’s Mark Samuels Lasner Fellow (2019), and a Early Career Research Fellow at the Institute of English Studies, University of London (2022–23).

You can book your ticket here...

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/lcba-talks-the-nuances-of-production-by-darryl-lim-tickets-1053794811649?aff=oddtdtcreator

Posted by Justin Hobson 24.10.2024

Wembley Park by Quintain

Quintain are creating a new 85-acre neighbourhood, offering 8.8 million sq ft of mixed-use development, including over 500,000 sq ft of retail and leisure space. When finished, Wembley Park will get over 20 million visitors a year and have an annual retail spend comparable to Ealing Broadway, Camden Town and Victoria.

This stunning brochure is 290x230mm. Printed on Omnia throughout, the solid flat colours and images have reproduced beautifully.

The publication has a 4pp cover and a 40pp text, both on our Omnia, chosen because it would beautifully reproduce the photography with the retail images superbly - without forgetting the fleshtones and of course the solid areas of flat colour ...and it looks wonderful!

The spine is about 10mm and for those reading this who are thinking, that's awfully thick for a 40pp text, you'd be right, but read on...

Yes, it does only have 40pp, but it is lay-flat bound, which as you can see from the below image, lays completely open and totally flat...

So, how does it work? Sheets that have been printed on one side are folded and collated into their book form, which are mounted (glued) back to back to form a book block. The text pages are using Omnia 150gsm which makes each 'page' 370mics thick. The book block has then been bound into the pre-creased cover which forms an open V as there is no glue in the spine, as you can see in the images below...

...and the final spread is this amazingly bright fluorescent orange (printed a special)

The publication is printed offset litho in CMYK plus a special. Print is by Identity Print, based in Paddock Wood with Paul Martin handling the project.

https://wembleypark.com/shops-markets/
https://www.identityprint.co.uk/

Posted by Justin Hobson 15.10.2024

Crush - a truly sustainable paper

Many of you will know about our lovely range called CRUSH made by Favini in Italy. The paper is made partly using the residue from the industrial processing of crushed citrus fruit, coffee, nuts, olives, kiwi, corn, lavender cherries and grapes, these agro-industrial "end of life" products replacing up to 15% of conventional tree pulp. The range is available in 100, 120, 200, 250 and 350gsm and the shades are natural, earthy tones and the feel of the paper is natural and tactile.

The 15% process residues are combined with 40% recycled fibres (post consumer waste) and the remainder is FSC virgin pulp and the product is FSC certified. The range is produced using green energy and is carbon balanced at the mill gate (we can also supply the paper in the UK, certified as carbon balanced)

This is the current swatch which shows the colours and range of weights...

Below are more detailed images and hopefully you can see the small specs and inclusions in the paper. Corn, Citrus, Cocoa and Grape, pictured below, are totally natural shades produced without the use of any dies, which can result in an amount of shade variation from batch to batch.

Click on images to enlarge

The deeper shades are produced with the addition of environmentally friendly vegetable dies which ensure greater colour consistency...

...and the latest addition to the range is Crush Coconut, which is a lovely shade of black

Design and art direction is by Silk Pearce.

If you would like a copy of the current swatch, just ask me for one! Email justin@fennerpaper.co.uk

https://www.favini.com/gs/en/products/crush/

Posted by Justin Hobson 10.10.2024

Jobs from the past - Number 179

Regular followers of this blog will know that my first post of every month is a "job from the past" so that I can show some of the really good work from years gone by - this project is from 2017

Jimmy Choo - Cruise 2017

Founded in 1996, Jimmy Choo is now an iconic luxury fashion brand defined by an empowered sense of glamour and a confident sense of style.

The size is 210x148mm (A5) portrait and is saddle stitched. The publication has a 8pp cover with a 28pp text.

The 8pp cover is printed on our Omnia 280gsm. Both the cover and text are printed CMYK plus a metallic gold pantone as a special. The front cover has a raised, embossed foil for the Jimmy Choo brandmark - which I hope I have managed to capture in the image below. Omnia is a very bulky sheet, so it embosses superbly, taking a deep embossing superbly.

Click on images to enlarge

It is printed offset litho in four colour process throughout. As always (...this is the plug for the paper!) the images look superb on the Omnia; the fleshtones in particular look absolutely stunning and the reproduction of the jewels and metallic images is great - keeping all the detail in those heavy areas of CMYK together with uncoated paper tactility which would be lost on other papers.

Click on images to enlarge

The detail on the handbags in the below image is stunning...

The size and combination of weights is just right and the book flows superbly in the hand. The text is printed on Omnia 150gsm.

The book is section sewn, with a nice flat spine which is also hot foil blocked.

Art direction and design is by the design studio at Jimmy Choo. The peerless print and print production is by Gavin Martin.
https://www.jimmychoo.com/
https://www.gavinmartin.co.uk/

Posted by Justin Hobson 03.10.2024