By Lara Copeland, writer, PostPress
Performing print finishing services, Feiereisen, Inc., is a family-owned business with headquarters in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. In business since 1933, the nationwide provider recently created a custom-designed, diecut pocket folder with a series of single, two-sided inserts, titled Finish With Style, to promote itself as a graphic arts finisher. Touching on some of the more traditional finishing techniques, like diecutting and laminating, this piece also “stresses one of Feiereisen’s newest available services, which is an extremely high-end digital enhancement press that prints inline digital spot UV and digital foils,” Feiereisen’s President Greg Ortmann commented.
The Konica Minolta MGI JETvarnish 3DS with iFoil was used to create the a unique product. This digital decorative solution is the only print enrichment process to utilize three inline methods of curing: IR is for low-level, flat 2D spot coats and rounded, domed smooth effects; the LED is for freezing and pinning high-build 3D textures and sculpted image effects; and the full-powered UV is for final curing of all clear ink (varnish polymer) treatments. Additionally, the UV lamp system provides the final curing method for embossed foil applications where a hyper-sensitive foil roller is calibrated with pixel-to-micron inkjet management. Knowing what the JETvarnish can do, Ortmann said Feiereisen decided to use this equipment to showcase the company’s capabilities.
“With this product, we simply wanted to show off what the press is capable of doing,” Ortmann said. “The incredible high-end finishing of UV and foil now is available in a streamlined digital process that not only is fast but delivers incredible flexibility for custom-designed finishes without the cost of traditional dies, plates, screens and foil stamp setup.” The machine also opens the opportunity to do limited runs of any size, large or small, all while keeping the costs affordable and much lower than traditional processes.
Finish With Style features a tactile design, “begging the viewer to pick up the pieces one-by-one and touch them, feeling the difference in variable depth foils and UV,” Ortmann said. The piece also highlights the way light affects the finishes. “Watch it electrify the foils,” he continued, “making them pop off the page, and see how the light truly enhances the 3D qualities of the depth of the UV in key areas.”
The secondary focus of this design was to convey the overall power, speed, style and the limitless capabilities of the press, “not to mention the finishes that could be added to virtually any printed piece.” Feiereisen’s customer base is wide, and Ortmann said the design team planned to make the pocket folder project relatable to them all on a personal level, which was key in the process. “This subtly shows what could be done for their particular industry or market segments.”
When it came time to create this intricate piece with five inserts, the team was challenged to find the best process for the multiple layers and effects. “We tested various processes to figure out how to make each image come to life,” Ortmann said. “How do we make chrome pop, or paint colors look like they are shimmering in the sunlight?” Feiereisen worked to add depth and dimension to each image, making the viewer want to touch the piece, “as if it were the real thing,” he said, “not simply a photo.” Ultimately, the team labored to figure out how many layers could be built on top of one another. Ortmann said this “really pushed the limits of the digital press – using multiple layers of foil and variable depth layers of spot UV.”
Cedar Graphics, Hiawatha, Iowa, printed the folders and inserts, and both were produced on 14pt Carolina C2S. Each piece was laminated with a matte finish on a GBC Genesis. They then were moved to the new digital foil and UV press, where each insert had its multiple layers of foil from Crown Roll Leaf and UV applied.
The project earned a Gold Leaf award for Best Use of Digital Inkjet-Coating from the Foil and Specialty Effects Association (FSEA).