Book of I

The Book of I is a notebook style publication produced for Accenture. It is an internal publication for employees to note their personal development. Size is 210x137mm portrait with a 4pp cover and 128pp text and is section sewn, the spine is 10mm thick. On the outside cover it is simply printed and blind embossed on an embossed cover from that well known "Hull-based" paper merchant!

Being an internal publication, it isn't appropriate to show you the inside text pages, suffice it to say the job is printed offset litho in just one colour with the majority of pages are just printed as lines...

...or squares

...or dots

 [Please excuse my fingers appearing]

The below image shows the very neatly sewn sections.

The 128pp text is printed on Shiro Echo, Bright White 120gsm, which is our 100% recycled paper with FSC accreditation.

Print and hot foiling is by Identity Print, based in Paddock Wood with Paul Martin handling the project.

https://www.identityprint.co.uk/

Posted by Justin Hobson 24.10.2023

Happy Valentines Day!

What better day than to look at this superbly produced book, titled 'Arrows of Love'...  This superb book was originally published to accompany the Quentin Blake exhibition titled Arrows of Love which took place in 2018 at the House of Illustration. This was an exhibition of Quentin Blake’s rarely-seen nudes consisting of 18 exuberant pencil drawings depicting women avoiding or embracing Cupid’s arrow. The original works are pencil on paper and were drawn circa 1974.

Having opened on Valentine’s Day, this exhibition reveals Quentin Blake's personal reflections on the joy, folly and sorrow of love with his characteristic humour. You can read about the exhibition here.

The size of the book is 265x220mm, portrait and comprises of 64pp plus endpapers. The text pages are printed on our Omnia, Natural 120gsm which gives the book a 'toned' look but which sympathetically reproduces the pencil illustrations.

The books starts with arrows...

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Birds eye view showing the sewn sections and the 'quarter bound' binding. Spine is 7mm

Detail showing reproduction of the pencil illustration....

This is a beautifully produced publication, which you can buy here. Printing is by Jigsaw Colour, who sadly are no longer trading but Paul Martin handled the project, who is now at Identity Printers.

https://www.quentinblake.com/
http://www.houseofillustration.org.uk/home

Posted by Justin Hobson 14.02.2022

Rathfinny Map

Husband and wife, Mark and Sarah Driver, established the Rathfinny Wine Estate in 2010 on a working arable farm with the express intention of producing some of the world’s finest quality sparkling wines. Today, the vines cover 600-acres of the Sussex South Downs and is set to become one of the largest single vineyards in Europe. Pentagram devised the brand strategy and visual identity.

Visitors to the estate are supplied with this map, which gives directions and points of interest about the vineyard and countryside. This publication is designed by London based studio UTILE.

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The finished size is A6 (148x105mm) folding out to A3 (297x420mm) and is printed offset litho in four colour process.

Above and below images show the map-fold...

The choice of paper for this project is an interesting one! The original choice was to use a synthetic paper as typically, with the British weather, paper maps get wet and the paper falls apart. However, synthetic papers are basically plastic and it does not fit with the vineyard's environmental policy. The solution is a clever one! It is produced on a 100% recycled (post consumer waste) label paper called Trevi manufactured by the Reflex Paper Mill in Germany. So, I hear you ask, why is that so clever? Well, this label paper is manufactured with what is described as 'Wet Strength' (WS) and is manufactured with the addition of chemicals which improve the tensile properties of the paper both in wet and dry state by crosslinking the cellulose fibres with covalent bonds that do not break upon wetting. It basically mens that it doesn't fall apart when it gets wet. These papers are generally used for label papers where the label is required to come off in one piece in the recycling process. It is also the same technique that is used in facial tissues, which stops them falling apart when you blow your nose, unlike toilet paper, which falls apart. This looks and feels like a totally normal sheet of paper but when it gets wet it will hold together, much better than a normal sheet of paper - it's the perfect choice! 

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Above and below images show both sides 

The design incorporates these superb woodcuts, which look perfect on the neutral white shade of the paper.

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The paper is called Trevi Recycled 80gsm which is manufactured by the Reflex paper mill in Germany and we are pleased to be their UK stockist and distributor.

Below image showing front and back covers.

Design is by UTILE. Creative Director on the project is Nicholas Duggins and the designer is Sammy Taylor. Printing is by Identity Printers with Paul Martin handling the project.

...and just in case, I gave the map a total soaking in the sink and it holds together perfectly, just as promised!

https://rathfinnyestate.com/

https://utile.studio/

http://www.identityprint.co.uk/

Zollanvari Catalogue

Zollanvari carpets embody the spirit of carpet design and weaving – an extraordinary art form that has been treasured across the world for more than 2,000 years. The story of Zollanvari began in 1947, when Gholamreza Zollanvari joined his father’s carpet business, a legacy that had been handed down from his great grandfather. In 1985 Gholamreza’s son Reza established the company in Zurich to directly access the European market and established the Zollanvari name as a global trail-blazer in creating carpet art.

This wonderful catalogue tells the story, explains the types of carpet showing the range and possibilities.

Size of the catalogue is 274x173mm, portrait and is 'singer sewn'. There is a 4pp cover and a 36pp text. It is printed throughout on Omnia 280gsm and 150gsm which gives the publication a tactile uncoated feel but with a great print result.

The publication is digitally printed by Identity Print. It was printed on their Ricoh digital press (dry toner) and the result is exceptional. The great thing is the job just doesn't look and feel like a digital job, which is mainly down to the choice of substrate.

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The images have reproduced superbly and are totally lush and even the flat solid grey/brown looks flat and even, which can sometimes be a problem printing digitally.

The colour is so vibrant and works brilliantly on the Omnia as you can see in the detail image below...

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Above is the centre spread. This catalogue is singer sewn, so you can see the way the thread runs along the inside of the spine - see detail image below...

...and on the outside of the spine below.

Printing is by Identity Print with Paul Martin handling the project. Finishing and singer sewing is by Wayte Binding in Tunbridge Wells who are part of the Identity Print group, so they are are one of the few print companies with their own bindery.  

https://zollanvari.com/

http://www.identityprint.co.uk/

Posted by Justin Hobson 30.09.2020

The Medium's Medium

The Gallery of Everything is London's first and only commercial space dedicated to non-academic and private art-making. The gallery's roster includes major historical master artists and newly discovered authors and creators. A British non-profit organisation, committed to the advancement, integration and celebration of artists and makers beyond the cultural mainstream.

Last year they presented an exhibition titled 'The Medium's Medium' a two part exploration into spiritualist and mediumistic art practices from the 19th century to the present day.

This is the catalogue which accompanied the exhibition and features drawings and paintings by a diverse range of authors, from established names to newer (re)discoveries. The catalogue is produced in the style of a 19th century pamphlet or chapbook as they are sometimes called.

Size is 210x165mm, portrait and is a 60pp 'self cover' which is saddle stitched. It is printed on our Redeem 100% Recycled 60gsm, which is a neutral white shade, which has the perfect tone for a 19th century publication and the 60gsm weight means it flows and flops perfectly...

It is printed offset litho throughout and the majority of pages are just printed in black only.

However, towards the middle of the publication, the drawings and paintings are reproduced with amazing clarity...

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Centre spread, below

A lovely feature is the use of copper wire for the saddle stitches:

The 60gsm weight is just perfect for the publication.

...and even though this is a 60pp, the thickness is only 2mm! and it doesn't 'gape' in the spine as a heavier paper would, as you can see in the below image.

Print is by Identity Print, based in Paddock Wood with Paul Martin handling the project. You can read more about the exhibition here.

https://www.gallevery.com/
http://www.identityprint.co.uk

Posted by Justin Hobson 24.07.2020

Fault Lines

Freelands Foundation was founded by Elisabeth Murdoch and is based in Camden, London. The Foundation is run by Managing Director, Melanie Cassoff and Creative Director, Henry Ward. The Foundation’s mission is to support artists and cultural institutions, to broaden audiences for the visual arts and to enable all young people to engage actively with the creation and enjoyment of art.

Fault Lines is the title of the exhibition held at the foundation last year. Curated by Freelands Artist Programme Curator, Edward Ball, the show connected work from four UK-based artists whose sculptural works, and the material processes that underpin them, suggest a ripple of instability in their very foundations.

This is the literature produced to support the exhibition. The portrait format publication which consists of a 16pp outer text (186x124mm) on Offenbach Bible 60gsm and you can see the show through working positively with the word 'Lines' showing through...

The 12pp inner section is A5 (210x148mm) and is used to shows the work. The birdseye view below, shows the smaller outside text with the A5 inner.

The binding is saddle stitched, so it opens nice and flat. The outer text section on Offenbach Bible is printed in just one colour, which is a pantone special, in green.

The inner text section is printed offset litho in CMYK plus a special pantone (green) on our StarFine White 170gsm, an uncoated text paper which has printed beautifully, with the solid and the images looking brilliant.

The below image shows the superbly finished saddle stitching, nice neat and flat...

There are many posts on this blog, showing work printed on Offenbach Bible 60gsm which has lots of four colour, solid colours and really demanding printing. Arguably, this job, with just one colour type printed both sides, demonstrates more what Offenbach Bible is produced for. Genuine bible papers, are produced with exceptional opacity, good strength and archival quality. This publication shows just how good the opacity is and is just as demanding as many jobs which are covered in colour and images. The type looks exquisite - surely the combination of the typeface, the printing and the paper.

The whole publication flows beautifully - an inside out job in may ways with the heavier material on the inside and the lighter material on the outside.

The publication is designed by Utile. Creative Director is Nicholas Duggins and designer is William Lyall. Print is by Identity Print, based in Paddock Wood with Paul Martin handling the project.

You can read more about the exhibition here.

https://www.freelandsfoundation.co.uk/
https://utile.studio/
http://www.identityprint.co.uk/

Posted by Justin Hobson 21.04.2020