International Print Day 2022

International Print Day provides education and creative inspiration via 24 hours of open knowledge sharing on social media. The day provides participants with access to a wealth of information on global companies, products, and services from the print and marketing community, and serves as a platform for global networking opportunities. Its aim is to get print trending worldwide through 24 hours of social media by using the hashtag #IPD22. 

This year’s theme is #PrintSmart, which represents working with the right tools and partners to maximise creative, marketing, and business results through print. Below is the IPD poster produced by Craig Bower at Design That Rocks

 Last year’s event generated more than 14.6 million impressions, with more than 100 million impressions for International Print Day recorded to date. 

https://internationalprintday.org/

Posted by Justin Hobson 26.10.2022

ISTD this Wednesday

This Wednesday there is an ISTD online talk, which will be worth watching. Astrid Stavro introduces Brian Collins, co-founder of COLLINS

COLLINS is a brand experience design company based in New York and San Francisco Known for their stellar work for clients such as CNET and San Francisco Symphony, they have recently moved to a new studio in Williamsburg, Brooklyn.

Astrid is now President of the ISTD and I'm sure this will be a very interesting talk...

You can watch it live on Wednesday at 6.30pm HERE: www.istd.org.uk/live

Posted by Justin Hobson 24.10.2022

SWD - Design for the Arts

SWD is a graphic design company based in London. They have a wide and varied client base and their work covers an extensive range of disciplines. This piece of literature is one of a series of promotional pieces - and this one is particularly aimed at 'Design for the Arts' where they have  broad experience.

Printed offset Litho in CMYK plus a special pale green. It's printed on Omnia 120gsm, which gives it a lovely tactile feel but the images have reproduced superbly. Finished size of the piece is 140mm square.

Folding out to 420mm...

and out again...

to reveal the centre spread - an image promoting The Rabbit Hole at the Hampstead Theatre.

Below image shows the reverse of the mailer.

Design is of course by SWD, Creative Director is Shaun Webb. Printing is by Chadbon Printing.

https://www.swd.uk.com/

https://chrischadbonprinting.com/

Posted by Justin Hobson 21.10.2022

Arjowiggins Update

Jo Francis from Printweek reported the following yesterday...

Administrators from Interpath Advisory were appointed at ten Arjowiggins Group UK subsidiary businesses four weeks ago, including its Stoneywood paper mill near Aberdeen and the Chartham mill in Kent. 

The closing date for indicative offers in the sale of the businesses passed at the end of last week. A spokesperson for joint administrators Blair Nimmo and Alistair McAlinden told Printweek: “The initial sale of business deadline passed without identifying any immediately deliverable transactions to secure the sale of either UK mill as an operational facility.” 

While the joint administrators will continue to look for buyers, “this will now be alongside the site wind-down strategy and the sale of assets on a piecemeal basis”. The spokesperson added: “If any party has a genuine interest in acquiring both or either mill as an operational facility, then they should contact the joint administrators immediately.” 

Unite Scotland regional industrial officer Shauna Wright said she was saddened at the situation.

Arjowiggins swatches

You can read the full article here: https://www.printweek.com/news/article/end-of-the-line-looms-for-arjowiggins-mills

Zeta - Stationery Papers

The ZETA range of business papers has been around for decades and should need no introduction. For many years it has been the gold standard for stationery papers in Europe, with it's excellent availability in all European countries and Fenner Paper became the UK stockist in 2015. The range has now been refreshed with the addition of a new Laid finish and new shades, including Diamond White, which is now presented in a new swatch designed by Wolfgang Forsch, who has handled the re-brand.

The new swatch is DIN A4 size, portrait format and is a 6pp gatefold. The cover is printed on Zeta Linen, Brilliant 350gsm and is printed in black plus a fluorescent orange.

The swatch shows the new stock range together with all the weights, surfaces and colours...

These fine papers are manufactured at the Reflex Paper mill in the town of Düren in Germany, which was founded in 1857 and the mill also produces transparent papers, label papers and artists papers. All ZETA products are made from Chlorine Free pulp (ECF) and carry the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certification.

If you would like one of the new swatches, please email me: justin@fennerpaper.co.uk

http://zetapaper.co.uk/

Posted by Justin Hobson on 17.10.2022

The Wei Ligang Collection

Michael Goedhuis specialises in the best contemporary Asian and Western art. Their collection includes painting, sculpture, ink painting, bronzes and antiquities. They also represent contemporary artists and this brochure is for one such Chinese artist - Wei Ligang.

The size of the publication is 265x216mm, portrait with three hole sewn binding. It has a 4pp cover with 120mm flaps printed on our Colorset (100% Recycled) Dark Grey 270gsm and a 28pp text printed on Gardapat 13 Bianka 150gsm.

Click on images to enlarge

For readers not familiar with GardaPat 13, it's a fully coated paper but it really does have a dead flat MATT surface. There are many papers on the market which profess to be matt - some which incorporate the word matt in the name, but aren't! Apart from the high quality matt surface, this paper has an extraordinarily high bulk - this 150gsm text with a thickness of nearly 200mics. If you would like to read more about the bulk, you can read it here.


Centre spread...

Detail image showing the exceptional reproduction and three hole sewing...

The text is digitally printed using an HP Indigo digital press and the results are superb, beautifully showing the artworks. As many readers will know, many materials have to be "Sapphire Treated" to work successfully on HP Indigo presses, however this project has been printed without sapphire treatment.

Click on images to enlarge

The 28pp text flows nicely in the hand, feeling substantial but not overly heavy.

Detail of the three hole sewing on the spine......

Detail of the hot foil blocking on the outside front cover.

Design and Art Direction is by Ornan Rotem at Sylph Editions.

Printing and the terrific finishing - which was all achieved in house is by Identity Printers, based in Paddock Wood in Kent.

https://www.michaelgoedhuis.com/
http://www.sylpheditions.com/

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

Posted by Justin Hobson 13.10.2022

Print companies insolvencies on the increase...

This report has appeared in Printweek today:

Jo Francis at Printweek reports...

"The latest information on company insolvencies in England and Wales from the Office of National Statistics (ONS) showed that, during a time of persistently high energy prices, more than one in ten businesses overall reported a “moderate-to-severe risk of insolvency” in August. The number of insolvencies has been on the rise since last year. During 2020 and in Q1 2021 many firms that would otherwise have failed were kept afloat by government support measures such as the furlough scheme. In Q2 2022 the total number of insolvent companies was 5,629, the highest level since Q3 2009. The category of ‘printing and reproduction of recorded media, accounted for around 10% of insolvencies in the manufacturing industry in H1. In Q2 49 printing firms went bust, the highest level since Q3 2013."

You can read the full article here:

https://www.printweek.com/news/article/print-insolvencies-on-the-rise

Posted by Justin Hobson 10.10.2022