Friday 22 April 2022

Today is Earth Day

Earth Day is an annual event first held on April 22, 1970. It now includes a wide range of events coordinated globally by EARTHDAY.ORG including 1 billion people in more than 193 countries. Above all, Earth Day is the "people's day" for doing something to take care of the Earth. That "something" can be local, national or global. It can be a solo action or involve a crowd.

What better day for me to remind you about one of our range of recycled and environmentally friendly text and cover papers...
 
Creative Print is a range of 100% recycled, uncoated text and cover materials. 
The paper has an uncoated, natural surface and is produced on the "Rolls Royce" of papermaking machines - a twin wire machine which ensures even-sidedness which improves printability over other inferior products. The range is available in two shades, Diamond and Champagne and the weight range is 90, 120, 170, 210, 270 and 350gsm.
 
Creative Print is manufactured by Euler in Germany, which is part of the Koehler Paper Group. The range carries the "Blue Angel" certification. Introduced in 1978, the Blue Angel scheme is the oldest ecolabel in the world, and it covers some 10,000 products in some 80 product categories. After the introduction of Germany's Blue Angel in 1978 as the first worldwide environmental label, other European and non-European countries followed this example and introduced their own national and supra-regional environmental labels. The common goal of these labels is to inform consumers about environmentally friendly products thereby giving global support to product-related environmental protection - perfect for highlighting on Earth Day!
 If you would like a swatch of this range, just drop me an email Justin@fennerpaper.co.uk
 
Posted by Justin Hobson 22.04.2022

Wednesday 20 April 2022

Olivia von Halle

Olivia von Halle is a British luxury nightwear brand that launched at London Fashion Week in September 2011. The brand can be found in nearly 100 stores in 20 countries including Harrods, Selfridges, Neiman Marcus, Saks Fifth Avenue and online with Net-a-Porter.com.

Focusing on beautifully cut silk pyjamas in stunning exclusive prints, Olivia von Halle has quickly made a name for itself in the world of high-end nightwear. In 2013 the company was awarded the ‘Blue Butterfly Trust Mark’, which is given to brands and companies that have a positive impact on people and the planet.
This is the lookbook for the Spring Summer "Talisman Collection". The publication is sub A4 - 290x205mm, portrait. It is a 16pp self cover format printed on Omnia 150gsm.
Click on images to enlarge
Unlike many of the fashion lookbooks featured on this blog, which are printed offset litho, this has been digitally printed on an HP Indigo press. The colours are strong and punchy and the whole publication has a matt, tactile look and feel - in fact I can honestly say, every bit as good as litho!
Although Omnia was never originally developed for digital, we now keep it as a stock item with "sapphire treatment". This treatment is often applied to more unusual papers and provides a "key" so that the inks (which are different to litho inks) work on the paper surface. The great thing is the job just doesn't look and feel like a digital job. Below is a detail shot showing the excellent fleshtone reproduction.
A nice touch is the use of the white wire for the saddle stitches
The self cover format means that it flows well with the pages turning nicely.
Graphic design is by Michael Knight, who runs his studio in East London called A New Mark. Print and finishing is by Gavin Martin.

http://oliviavonhalle.com/
http://www.anewmark.com/
https://www.gavinmartin.co.uk/
Posted by Justin Hobson 20.04.2022

Thursday 14 April 2022

Tree Free - Bamboo Paper

Our friends at the Favini paper mill in Italy pioneered the use of alternative fibres. In the 1990's Maggie Philbin on BBC Tomorrow's World (...do you remember that?) introduced the original Favini ecological paper Alga Carta and the mill has continued development of other eco-products over the last thirty years.
Tree Free has been setting the standards for papermaking with zero impact on forestry for more than twenty years. Now with an improved recipe and a refreshed range that includes a new 380 gsm weight ideal for tags, cards and packaging, Tree Free uses 75% Bamboo Fibres with 25% cotton linters. Both are renewable annual crops which yield high quality fibres giving a natural tactile finish to the paper and excellent printability. 
To complete the story of sustainability, Tree Free is recyclable, biodegradable and made using EKOenergy from a hydro electric power station. Tree Free carries the FSC™ certification, even though like the name implies it has no impact on forests.
It is available in two shades, Bamboo Natural and Bamboo Cream. If you would like one of these lovely new swatches, please email me: justin@fennerpaper.co.uk

Posted by Justin Hobson 14.04.2022

Monday 11 April 2022

ZRS Architekten

ZRS Architekten are a Berlin based architecture and engineering practice specialising in the use of natural building materials, especially Earth, Timber and Bamboo. Formerly, Ziegert, Roswag, Seiler Architekten engineers, London based designer, Dan Cottrell created a new visual identity for ZRS, uniting their previously separate offerings and positioning them as a modern, forward-thinking and holistic company. The new logotype, stationery, publications and website were developed to coincide with the company's 15th birthday.
This 16pp broadsheet is one of the publications produced for their anniversary, showing a selection of their projects. 

The finished size is 176x125mm folding out to 500x352mm.
The front side shows individual projects, allowing the space on the inside to be used for a large scale image (below) - showing the interior of Firmengebäude Flexim, Berlin.
The publication is printed offset litho on our Offenbach Bible 60gsm ...and it looks and feels absolutely gorgeous - it flops and folds in a delightful way when handling the publication as I hope these images demonstrate.
The 'birds eye' image, below shows the concertina fold...
Visual Identity and design is by Dan Cottrell.
The reproduction on our Offenbach Bible 60gsm is exceptional. Printing is by Push.

https://zrs-berlin.de/
www.dcottrell.com
Posted by Justin Hobson 11.04.2022

Monday 4 April 2022

Jobs from the past - Number 149

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 and this one is from 2014 (although printed in 2015!)...

Dalziel and Pow - A Year in Review 2014

Every year Dalziel and Pow produce a yearbook to examine and appraise the company's work over the previous year. This would be a big ask for most companies, let alone one that has such a varied and diverse portfolio of work, over just a period of one year. Producing a book like this every year not only shows a commitment to the work that they have produced for clients but is also an historical record, which is an increasingly important factor in these days of electronic on-line impermanence!
This book is just a peerless production. The subject matter and images are superb and the creative direction, design, print production and binding make the publication absolutely superlative. In the beginning is their company statement and you can't get a clearer, or brighter image!
https://www.dalziel-pow.com/news/brand-new-company-book
Size of the book is 305x245mm, portrait, with a limp bound, 4pp cover and a 104pp text. It is printed on our lovely Omnia 320gsm (cover) and 150gsm (text). The pantone special (fluoro) yellow, is flat, matt and tactile just like you would want it and with a real intensity of colour.
Click on images to enlarge

I hope the images will do the talking...

Click on images to enlarge

...and here we go for the plug about the paper!  - As you can see from the images here, there is loads of colour and images with CMYK dark areas - lots of ink going down and it looks great on the Omnia, reproducing bright vibrant colours as well and the lighter more subtle tones as well, whilst retaining all that detail in those dark areas (in my opinion- but I would say that wouldn't I?)

Included within the 104pp page count are the first and last pages which have both been printed in the special pantone yellow which form 'end papers'.

An important feature that makes all the difference to this publication is the binding. It is a square backed limp bound book but the binding type that is used is called OTAbinding. This is a method of bookbinding that offers an elegant binding solution with advantages over conventional soft cover binding. One of the main advantages is that it lays flatter than a conventional section sewn book. It mimics the construction of a case bound book, so the spine of the text is free from the cover (see image below). It is this that results in the text and whole book laying flatter.

You can read more about it here: https://www.diamondprintservices.com/ota-binding/

The only visible difference between conventional binding and Otabound is the second crease (see above). Omnia 150gsm is very bulky paper, so the 104pp text gives the book a spine of 12mm.

Creative direction and design is by Dalziel and Pow. The main designers on the project are Kane Davis and Robin Gillard. One would expect their own book to be excellent and this publication is simply exceptional.
 
The book was printed by Team Impression in Leeds and just from the print point of view alone, it is superlative. The images are strikingly consistent and the finishing and binding are exemplary. A truly outstanding piece of print work. 

...my thanks to Simon Bucktrout at Team Impression for kindly sending me over some file copies.

And some bang up to date news is that Anthony Dearlove has just joined Team Impression, to service clients from his London base - good luck and best wishes to Anthony.

www.dalziel-pow.co.uk
www.team-impression.com

Posted by Justin Hobson 04.04.2022

Tuesday 29 March 2022

The 6th Wayzgoose at the St Bride Foundation

Here's a date for your diary...

After two years of Covid, the Annual St Bride Foundation Wayzgoose is back! ...taking place on Sunday 22nd May. 
The above flyer is printed letterpress by Andrew Long ( ...on our Colorset (100% Recycled) Lemon 270gsm!)

Wayzgoose is a term (unfamiliar to many people) that used to refer to an annual holiday in a printworks and was often an away-day to the coast or some other sort of day out, more often than not, paid for by the firm.

 However, in this instance the St Bride's Wayzgoose is a kind of letterpress 'bring and buy' sale. There are companies selling type, letterpress accessories, ink and lots of letterpress printed books and cards and the proceeds from the event go towards the St Bride Foundation. Why not come along... ? For interest, this is what it was like for the last Wayzgoose back in pre-covid 2019:

Friday 25 March 2022

Boycott Mondi to support Ukraine

I have written on this blog before about the fact that Mondi is still supporting the Russian economy by manufacturing paper in Russia.

Yesterday, I saw an article in the Evening Standard stating that Six in 10 Brits ready to boycott companies operating in Russia...
Click on image to enlarge
This is according to research commissioned by Hanbury Strategy. Six in 10 Brits want firms to cease trading in Russia altogether.

Mondi is one of the largest paper and packaging companies in the world with manufacturing facilities and offices all around the world including facilities in Russia which employ 5,300 people. I have been calling for everyone in the print and design industry to put Mondi under pressure to suspend production in Russia. It is only by large corporates like Mondi (turnover £5.5 Billion!) exerting pressure such as this on the Russian Government that could make a difference. It will affect the Russian economy and also get more people in Russia talking about the situation.

Please email the CEO: andrew.king@mondigroup.com and state...
"as a global leader in paper and packaging we ask you to demonstrate real leadership and suspend production at your sites in Russia" Flood his email box - PLEASE Please use twitter, facebook, instagram and whatever social media you can to get the message across and get everyone you know to email him too.

Secondly you can boycott Mondi products. Stop buying, specifying or using any Mondi products until they suspend their activities in Russia. In printing/graphics you may be familiar with their brands Color Copy, Nautilus Recycled and Pergraphica. Color Copy is the largest brand used in offices and copy shops and seen everywhere.

Posted by Justin Hobson 25.03.2022