by Lara Copeland, contributing editor, PostPress

The idiomatic expression “opening doors” means to create opportunities for advancement, whether in one’s career, education or other aspirations. At Belmont University, a private Christian university located next to what’s been dubbed Music Row in Nashville, Tennessee, “opening doors” is the phrase the university used to title its softcover President’s Report. This annual publication offered a quick glance at the school’s key initiatives and featured statistics and photographs from the year.

To create an unforgettable cover for the “Opening Doors” report, Belmont called on McGraphics, Inc., a full-service graphic finisher – also based in Nashville – to accomplish the unique design.

“The biggest challenge with this job was positioning the stamping, embossing and diecutting so that the stamped and embossed key on the cover was centered inside of the diecut and stamped wrap keyhole, considering the capacity of the book,” McGraphics’ CFO Brian Clements said.

The first portion of the project was a wrap around the cover of the report. Using a light-colored tan recycled cover stock, the headline “Opening Doors” and the outline of the diecut keyhole was flat foil stamped with a copper die from Universal Engraving, Inc., using a copper metallic foil from Kurz Transfer Products. It was stamped on McGraphics’ Kluge EGH. The keyhole then was diecut on a Thomson diecutting press with steel rule dies produced in-house by McGraphics. The diecut keyhole was designed to show through where the key is foil stamped/embossed on the cover of the President’s Report.

The diecut steel rule die also included rounding the edges of the wrap on the front side and the scoring of the stock where it wrapped. “We received a prototype of the finished book prior to scoring the wrap to make sure it was in perfect register,” stated McGraphics Account Representative Fred Weisbrodt. “It was critical that the scores were perfect because the diecut keyhole had to be centered perfectly over the foil stamped embossed key on the cover.”

The cover of the report was fashioned from a bright blue 100# cover stock with a soft linen pattern. The cover included a foil stamped and multi-level embossed key centered on the page and perfectly centered to show through the diecut keyhole on the wrap. The key first was foil stamped with copper dies using the same copper Kurz foil as was used on the wrap. Then, a second pass included a multi-level embossing of the key to create a 3D effect on the cover. Both dies were supplied by Universal Engraving, Inc.

The unique aspect of the emboss was a pattern within the key that matched the linen pattern in the paper itself. “Because the run of the book was relatively small, we chose to foil stamp and then register emboss the key,” continued Weisbrodt. “This helped provide the best quality emboss and is just as fast to complete as a combination foil and emboss in many cases – especially for smaller quantities.”

With the embossing pass of the key, a single-level blind emboss of the President’s Report seal was performed at the same time on the cover on a Brausse 402F press. Using the Brausse for the embossing helped guarantee the right pressure that was needed to “bottom out” the embossing die and get the most out of the multi-level embossing of the key.

Once the covers and wrap were complete, they were sent back to the printer, where the inside pages were perfect bound to the special cover. There were 60 pages, printed 4 over 4. The first page, a translucent Vellum sheet, added another touch of class to the report. The last page of the report also included the same translucent Vellum sheet with a quote from Belmont President Dr. Bob Fisher.

Once the book was bound with the foil stamped and embossed cover, the wrap with the foil and diecut keyhole was then put in place around the open side of the report. The wrap was glued on the backside of the report to keep it in place and to make sure the keyhole stayed centered over the foil and embossed key.

The unique Belmont University President’s Report took home the Gold for Best Use of Foil/Embossing – soft and hardback book cover (creative design) in the 26^th annual FSEA Gold Leaf Awards. “The finished report ended up being exactly what the customer was looking for,” commented Clements. “It always is satisfying to meet or exceed the customer’s expectations.”

by Lara Copeland, contributing editor, PostPress

While war was raging across much of Europe in 1915, work on Fair Lane – Henry and Clara Ford’s 15th and final home, spanning 31,000 sq. ft on 1,300 acres – was completed. Credited with revolutionizing American manufacturing, Henry Ford often was quoted as saying, “Competition is the lifeblood of industry.” The visionary sought to create a sanctuary for his family following the success of Ford Motor Company and the Model T, which led to a skyrocketing climb to fame.

The Fords frequently invited friends like Thomas Edison, Harvey Firestone and John Burrows to their retreat. Featuring a private laboratory space for Henry to tinker and Clara’s beloved gardens, the home was enjoyed by the Fords for more than 30 years. As one of the first historic sites to be designated a National Historic Landmark, the home highlights a mix of European grandeur and Midwestern charm with grounds and gardens designed by the well-regarded landscape architect Jens Jensen.

Just over a century old, the ownership of Fair Lane recently was transferred to a newly established 501(c)(3) entity. The Henry Ford Estate – Fair Lane Board of Trustees launched a multi-year undertaking to bring the Ford family story to the public by restoring the estate. In order to fix leaky roofs and collapsing foundations – in addition to shoring up the riverbank that runs along the property – the estate’s board of trustees has been busy raising funds. One of its efforts, an annual affair named the Fair Lane Dinner Dance, is the elite fundraiser for the estate.

For more than 10 years, Behrmann Printing Company, Inc., Southfield, Michigan, has been selected to produce the invitation for the distinguished occasion. Behrmann – a specialty printing operation offering small-format litho with foil stamping, embossing, diecutting and other finishing processes – has considered the project a creative challenge each year and produces the invitation with great pride that is shared with the owners (third-generation Behrmanns – Ivan, Steven and Scott) and their entire team of employees.

“What makes this piece interesting is that it’s a very short run to a very targeted audience of high-contributing benefactors for an exclusive fundraising event,” said Steven Behrmann, who is in charge of sales and management at the company. When tables of 10 can run up to $50,000, fashioning the invitation can seem a daunting task; however, Behrmann said that “good old-fashioned craftsmanship, skill and experienced operators were key” to their success. The 2019 project from Behrmann Printing received high praise, although the project initially did present several challenges.

Behrmann noted experiencing “the age-old production challenges, such as being squeezed on time to get the job done and making sure that perfection was the yardstick in every step.” He specifically discussed the intricate details required by the task.

“The sheer number of pieces associated with this job, all of equal complexity that required completion for the event, was a challenge,” he noted. “We worked on the solicitation brochure and envelope, commitment card, custom multi-process letterhead and custom converted envelope, save-the-date card… and the list goes on, totaling about 15 different pieces in all.”

Just for an exterior envelope, the following steps were required: Foil stamp the body of the envelope, custom convert a special size of 7 3/8 x 5 3/8″ envelope, foil stamp the liner, diecut the liner, and insert and affix the liner. The invitation also had to be assembled, with multiple pieces inserted and glued in. Once inserted into the exterior envelope, the printed and foil stamped bellyband had to be wrapped and affixed.

Each year, the invitation’s theme reflects a different detail of the estate – perhaps a pattern within the wallpaper or a design seen in its china. Behrmann acknowledged, “There is no expense held back in the details surrounding the production, from the custom envelope liners to the full-bleed clear foil.” It’s easy to see why this invitation won the FSEA Gold Leaf Award for Best Use of Foil/Embossing – Announcement/Invitation for technical difficulty.

The elaborate graphics were created and conceived by GTB agency out of Dearborn, Michigan. Printing was completed in-house on Behrmann’s Ryobi 9985 2-color small-format offset press. The printing is one PMS match color with hairline registration to the foil stamping.

“We used Mohawk Keaykolour 100# cover Racing Green for the invitation holder/pocket folder,” Behrmann said. “The insert cards and bellyband used Classic Crest 80# cover Eggshell finish Classic Natural White.”

Each piece requiring foil stamping and diecutting was run after the pieces were printed. The clear gloss foil stamping was produced on a Saroglia FUB due to the large area and impression required.

The gold foil stamping was done on a Kluge EHD with the two insert cards and bellyband on one form. Both the metallic gold and the clear gloss were supplied by Infinity Foils, and the foils were selected by the customer. The foil stamping dies, which included relatively large dies for several passes, were supplied by Owosso Graphic Arts.

With a foundation of attention to detail in workmanship and in customer relations, Steven Behrmann’s grandfather, Jack Behrmann, opened his small letterpress shop about a decade after the Fords settled into their Fair Lane estate. More than 90 years later, the company still is guided by the same founding principles – perhaps one of the main reasons Behrmann has been selected to produce the invitation for many years.

by Brittany Willes, contributing writer, PostPress

Christmas is all about traditions – the decorations, the carols and, of course, the advent calendars. This past Christmas, specialty finisher MCD, Inc., Madison, Wisconsin, opted to take the traditional advent calendar and give it a modern twist.

“We always look for something new or unique – as do our clients,” remarked Brad Peterson, sales and marketing coordinator for MCD. Thus, the Twelve Days of MCD Christmas card was created, combining elements of the classic advent calendar with interactive features to surprise and delight recipients.

“Every year, we create a truly unique MCD marketing piece to feature our diverse value-added services,” Peterson explained. “Our team loves challenges. This project was all about combining some of our most interesting services into a single piece.”

Combining several finishing processes into the Twelve Days card required a great deal of coordination between MCD’s design and production teams as they worked to create a truly unique piece. Loosely themed on the concept of a lottery ticket, the card itself was printed on 12 pt. C1S cover with 4-color and spot varnish on one side.

A combination of black, green and red inks added an appropriate holiday feel, in addition to images of classic holiday decorations. The finished card boasted red, gold and clear rainbow holographic foil stamping to create a shimmering, eye-catching effect.

Once the overall design was in place, MCD’s production team worked to make sure every element came together as efficiently as possible. “We set up three Kluges to run embossing and all foil passes in one pass,” said Peterson.  Foil dies were provided by Metal Magic while the foil was provided by Kurz.

The clear, rainbow holographic foil featured a register emboss, while the double-etched red foil stamping added further detail to the foil-stamped holiday decorations. As soon as the embossing and foil stamping were complete, the card was diecut to create the interactive pull tabs. Those processes were followed by gluing, folding and assembly.

Given the number of elements combined into a single piece, the production process easily could have been a challenging one. However, the design and production teams were able to come together in a relatively smooth process. “Designing with many different elements has its challenges,” remarked Peterson. “But overall, this process came with very minor setbacks. We knew from the start that we created a quality design, and the production
team developed a plan to knock it out quickly and efficiently.”

While the physical card was impressive on its own, the interactive elements took the piece to a whole new level of fun and excitement for recipients. As with a traditional advent calendar, the diecut tabs could be pulled back to reveal a surprise – a chance to win prizes in MCD’s Twelve Days of MCD holiday contest. Recipients were invited to follow along via email or through MCD’s website each business day from December 2 through  17. If the symbol revealed by their card matched the corresponding one on the website for that day, that recipient was a winner!

“Our first thought was ‘How do we create a marketing piece to feature an interactive contest?’” said Peterson. “The pull-tab pop-ups highlighted by foil stamping and embossing were a showstopper. From planning to design, production and marketing, our team accomplished something special.”

The card and the contest were an overwhelming success for MCD. According to Peterson, the reception to both was “Out of this world! We exceeded even our highest expectations, with over 50% read rates on our daily emails and over 30 prize winners. Even those who didn’t win prizes found the contest engaging and had a lot of fun playing.”