Embossing

PDP Creates Dazzling Self-Promotion Piece

March 18, 2025

By Liz Stevens, writer, PostPress

Precise Digital Printing, Inc. (PDP), of Bensenville, Illinois, is a leading wholesale supplier for the Chicagoland area of signs, banners, graphics, point-of-purchase displays and other printed and embellished materials. It offers an array of full-color print options from large-format flatbed printing to 10-foot roll-to-roll photographic quality signage and graphics. The company offers digital printing, installation, product development, quality assurance, lamination, banner finishing, fulfillment and kitting. About two and a half years ago, PDP decided to add digital print embellishments to its line of services and offer added value to the printed materials it provides with the addition of a Scodix Ultra 2000 digital embellishment press.

To showcase PDP’s embellishment offerings, the company recently created an impressive self-promotion piece for display at tradeshows, providing customers and potential customers with an example of what is possible. The self-promotion is a large two-piece box, including base and lid. The box is black with blue text, with a concentric 8-point chevron star design on the top of the lid, which is overlaid with the PDP logo. The lid’s front features panels of colorful geometric stained-glass designs with the PDP logo overlaid. The short sides of the lid display the company’s slogan in blue text. Joe Koritko, digital manager, gave PostPress more details on the making of the piece.

“The impetus for this piece,” Koritko explained, “was that we needed a promotional box for a tradeshow coming up. I wanted to make the box as large as possible, so the engineering team at PDP came up with the two-piece box style. They produced a dieline to the maximum size of the Scodix digital embellishment press, which is approximately 20″ x 30″.

Koritko took the project from there with the goal of producing a box that would catch the attention of passersby and stand out at a show. “I went through various samples that I had made before and incorporated some of them into the design for this box,” said Koritko. He also included two original samples of a stained-glass design. “The stained-glass samples were printed on decal material,” he said, “and mounted to 3/16″ foamboard. We wanted to show customers that a wide variety of substrates can have embellishments, and that they are not limited to only thin stocks. The stained-glass rainbow pattern looked really nice on this substrate.”

For this piece, Koritko used vinyl decal material, which was mounted to e-flute cardboard after the embellishments were applied on the Scodix machine. “To design the graphics,” said Koritko, “I ran various samples of optical illusions. I chose one – the star pattern – and modified it to fit the top of the box. Then I incorporated our logo into it. For the sides of the box, I took a stained-glass image and modified it in Photoshop. I separated the frame for the holographic foil and pulled the texture from the image for the spot UV.”

The specialty effects on this project included spot UV, textured spot UV, metallic foil, holographic foil and glitter foil. “The top of the box is a holographic rainbow foil with the PDP logo in blue metallic foil, along with spot UV over the logo to make it stand out,” said Koritko. “The sides are a light screen of blue foil over the letters with spot UV.”

The front of the box includes the unique stained-glass design created by Koritko, which first was digitally printed in 4-color to showcase the stained-glass panes in different colors. Then a pass of holographic diffuser foil was added to outline the panes and foil the PDP logo. The fill of the PDP logo is made using glitter foil. A final pass of spot UV using a diamond-like pattern was used to help make it glisten.

Production of the piece was all digitally done. “I used a HP R2000 for the decal print with latex ink,” Koritko explained, “and a Scodix Ultra 2000 for the embellishment of the decal.” Koritko used a Vanguard 300D-HS direct print to cardboard for the bottom of the box with UV ink and then used a Zund cutting machine to cut the box shape. “The box design was unique,” Koritko explained. “It was created to fold and hold its shape without tape or glue.”

The project presented a few design and production challenges for PDP but nothing that Koritko could not overcome. “There was a lot of trial and error,” he said. “In many jobs, I need to make adjustments after the first run. A piece may need more spot UV in some areas, or we may need to screen it back. Another common challenge is the number of times a piece will need to be put through the machine. This design had to go through a handful of times.”

Koritko’s hard work to design and produce the box handsomely paid off. “People loved the box!” he said. “It drew many people to visit our booth to see it. They picked it up, touched it and were able to feel the quality of the product. And it made for a great conversation piece.”

For more information, visit www.precisedigitalprinting.com.

Q&A on Foil Stamping and Embossing Engravings

September 16, 2024

*Photo courtesy of Datron Dynamics – www.datron.com*

By Jeff Peterson, editor-in-chief, PostPress

Foil stamping and embossing engravings are the tools that drive the design and look of a final piece. The importance of engravings sometimes is forgotten – all foil stamped or embossed projects start with how the artwork is prepared for the final die. At FSEA’s Print Embellishment Conference in April 2024, a panel of engraving manufacturers shared information on the latest technologies and uses for foil stamping and embossing engravings. The panel included Daniel Rivera, H+M USA; Ross Hutchison, Universal Engraving, Inc.; and Mark Schumacher, Metal Magic.

What new technologies has your company introduced in recent years in the development and manufacturing of foil stamping and embossing engravings?

Schumacher: One of the newer additions that we have added to Metal Magic is our 3D simulations. These allow customers to have a vision of what the emboss will look like before the project begins. Once the simulation is created from the initial artwork, customers have an opportunity to see what the final emboss will look like and make modifications. Customers can increase or decrease depth or include more or less texture, and these changes can be accomplished before any type of die is produced. In the past, the customer really relied on the engraver to create the proper depth and embossing levels. Today, customers can have input on the final look before the die is made.

A newer advancement for us is to take the 3D simulation and mirror it to the print file. It is the same simulation with the print file included in perfect register. The 3D simulation technology allows the customer to see a proof faster and, in turn, receive the die faster as well.

Hutchison: One of newest introductions to the market has been our NW SpeedChase® NTX™ for hot stamping, embossing and combination flatbed dies and pre-cast counters on a narrow web flatbed press. With this system, lock-up is reduced to one UniLock-Up® NW steel plate for engraved dies and another for pre-cast counters. Typically, job changeover is accomplished in mere minutes. The engraved dies are pre-mounted and pre-registered onto a UniLock-Up® plate and are ready for press right out of the box. Set-up and changeover can be done hot or cold. This lock-up technology uses magnetics and replaces the typical grid or honeycomb and includes an air ejector box to easily release the UniLock-UP plate from the chase. In addition, because of the smaller size of a narrow web chase, we can pre-set-up the counters as well. So, makeready is 80% complete when the dies and counters are received.

For offset applications, both small and large, we offer another system. The SpeedChase®, our air pneumatic magnetic chase, utilizes another type of UniLock-Up die plate. As with the narrow web system, all the engraved dies come pre-locked in register to the file supplied by the customer.

These systems have been a game changer, especially with foil stampers trying to find skilled operators and the labor shortage overall. It makes training simple and overall set-up much easier for the operators.

Rivera: One of our newer technologies for engravings is our NanoEmbossing effects. This technique provides amazing lenticular and photorealistic effects through H+M’s laser. This technique makes it possible to create textures that are up to 40% finer than standard micro-embossing effects, along with other effects that no other embossing technology can match. It is a perfect way to add a unique highlight to a foil stamped image.

Another product we offer is the EasyFix die lockup system to minimize set-up time on press, suitable for flat stamping, embossing and combo stamping. With this system, the dies are pre-mounted and pre-positioned on the plate and corrections can be made quickly to compensate for printing tolerances. Once the customer receives the plate, everything already is in place. It is a system for efficient set-up of foil stamping and embossing dies when there are several die positions on one sheet.

Other metallic decorating processes, such as cold foil transfer and digital foil processes, have continued to grow. How do you think this has impacted more traditional foil stamping and embossing applications?

Hutchison: I believe adding more decorative foil effects onto all types of printed work is great for the entire industry. No matter how it’s done, whether it’s cold, digital or hot foil decorating, they all have their place and have their correct applications. It is just about knowing when to apply each process and what jobs are best suited to a foiling process. An example of this is in the wine industry, where big-name brands were the primary ones adding foil. Today, due to machinery and other technological advances, there are smaller wineries that now can decorate their labels, too, with all the different foil decorating options available to them.

Schumacher: I totally agree. The more metallic enhancements that are out there, the more visibility there is. We have seen a decline in certain longtime hot foil jobs that have switched to cold foil transfer, but the overall pie is growing. All of us win. We now can reach a variety of different markets from small to large. Markets, such as wedding announcements, are adding metallics with digital enhancements, and these would have just been printed in the past.

The growth of CNC engravings continues. What are the advantages of CNC engraved dies and is there new technology now available in their manufacturing?

Rivera: Discussing CNC engravings, the longevity of the die is a key advantage. Another is the defined edges that help with the foil release to provide quality results of the stamped image. The other advantage of CNC is the ability to create a combination engraving to allow foil and embossing in one pass vs. two passes on press. Choosing CNC is design specific. It will continue to grow, technology wise, opening up even more possibilities.

Hutchison: CNC technology is a common manufacturing process and, in our industry, it typically is used to produce a brass engraved die. For our company, we manufacture both copper and brass dies, but we choose which manufacturing process best suits the customer’s needs and application. When brass dies are chosen, it often is based on the desired effects and/or duplicity of dies, among other factors – and we generally engrave these dies with a CNC. The metal itself determines the recyclability and durability. Brass and copper are similar, but an inherent value of CNC brass manufacturing is the ability to have precision and the ability to easily duplicate. Another benefit of CNC engraved dies is the use of interchangeable counters, meaning that if several brass dies (of the same image) are ordered, the counters can be interchanged. This provides cost-savings as well as reduces challenges.

Schumacher: For us, our CNC technology continues to improve and continues to grow. Years ago, CNC was limited in how dimensional it could get. We could achieve one to two dimensions and then we would finish the die by hand. But the CNC technology is much improved, and we can achieve more three-dimensional engraved images. This helps drive quality and consistency. We certainly are cutting more CNC dies that may have been cut by a master engraver in the past.

What type of recycling programs do you have in place at your engraving facilities?

Hutchison: At Universal Engraving, Inc., we recycle 100% of our scrap copper and brass metal. We also have developed a compliant process to remove the metals from our spent etching baths. In addition, we ‘internally’ recycle a large percentage of our etching bath back to our manufacturing process.

Schumacher: Our system at Metal Magic is 100% contained, so the waste acid is recycled by a certified recycler. We have zero discharge of hazardous materials – all copper/brass gets recycled, and we are diligent at recycling paper and plastic as well.

Rivera: H+M only works with brass engravings, so all the brass scrap and shavings are recycled. We have a recycling program for the entire facility at H+M.

Neenah Paper Shares Holiday Spirit with Generous Self-Promo Piece

December 11, 2023

By Liz Stevens, writer, PostPress

Neenah Paper, Alpharetta, Georgia, earned the bronze in the 30th Annual FSEA Gold Leaf Awards with its entry, “Deck the Halls with Neenah,” for Best Use of Foil/Embossing/Diecutting – Self Promotion (Industry Supplier). The piece includes several items, all of which feature standouts from Neenah’s wide paper selection, complemented by metallic ink, foil, embossing and spot color. Tucked inside a hanger single-pocket folder are a greeting card with an envelope and a holiday gift tag insert, a gift box with a product belly band and also a holiday belly band, and a hanging mistletoe ornament.

The folder, which is decorated with tiny red winter berries and a rhyming holiday message, is diecut, printed with metallic gold, micro-embossed and foiled. Its pocket is stuffed full of promo pieces designed to be repurposed by the receiver. The sprig of three-dimensional mistletoe is diecut, printed, micro-embossed and foiled, and tied with red and white twine so that it is ready to hang.

The gift box features rich blind embossing, a luxurious product belly band that is micro-embossed, printed and foiled, and an additional festive holiday belly band that is diecut and foiled. The showstopper of the piece, however, is the greeting card. The burgundy soft-touch paper features intricate micro-embossing, metallic ink and foil. Inside the card is a diecut gift tag insert with its own fine texture and metallic ink. The red winter berries from the hanger folder carry over to the mistletoe, the greeting card envelope and the embossed, foiled info card.

Michele Pistone, marketing manager at Neenah Paper, described how the piece was conceived and produced. “Every year,” Pistone said, “we like to create a piece that inspires people to take their holiday marketing to the next level with the printed components of their campaign.” Neenah Paper knows that the retail and direct mail market are super-competitive around the holidays. “Our goal is to provide holiday-themed inspiration for brands, designers and anyone else doing print, packaging or collateral. We aim to showcase our papers in creative ways with different formats, diecuts and decorations.”

Pistone explained that the piece utilizes 11 different stocks from Neenah, including selections from CLASSIC CREST®, ENVIRONMENT®, ROYAL SUNDANCE®, NEENAH® Folding Board and TOUCHÉ. “The design and graphics were created by our in-house design team,” she said. “We collaborated closely with Fey Printing, Wisconsin Rapids, Wisconsin, which was instrumental in perfecting our dielines for each piece. The company also recommended the perfect basis weights to use for optimal functionality of each piece, as well as the collection.”

The piece includes an array of embellishments, all beautifully designed and tastefully coordinated. “Because it is a holiday-themed piece,” said Pistone, “we had the opportunity to utilize a variety of foils. We collaborated with KURZ and experimented with its MicroEmbossed foils, which was really fun. It adds another level of visual interest to several of the pieces. In addition, we have some unique diecuts, embossing and printing with metallic ink.” Neenah used foil/embossing dies from H+M. “We used laser-etched foil stamping dies on some of the pieces,” she said, “to create unique textures and novel appearances for the foil stamps.”

Pistone explained that each component in the piece was printed as a separate job. “The unique part,” she said, “is that each piece uses no more than one color of ink, printed offset. Each piece then has various postpress effects, including foil stamping, diecutting, blind and registered embossing.” The offset press machines included a Mitsubishi 240 and a Hamada four-color press. For foil stamping/embossing, Kluge EHD presses were used. The diecutting/scoring presses used were Kluge EHD and Heidelberg windmills. The digital press used was an HP Indigo 7900.

The team at Neenah did not encounter any surprises or production challenges in producing this piece. “We produced mockups early in the production process,” Pistone said, “so we could overcome any issues later in the process. Testing sometimes is used before producing the full volume of pieces to make sure everything is going to look the way the designer intended without any surprises.” For this piece, said Pistone, “lots of hand assembly was required. One of the components is a mistletoe piece designed to be hung. We sourced the perfect red-and-white-striped string and needed to cut, tie and attach the string to each piece.”

This promo project was a smashing success. “Our customers loved the piece!” Pistone said. “It was a welcome burst of ideas and inspiration for designers and marketers looking to move beyond the screen and create new ways to surprise and delight their customers.”

Company Creates Business Card Too Beautiful for the Rolodex

September 11, 2023

By Liz Stevens, writer, PostPress

On Line Bindery, Richmond, California, earned the gold for Best Use of Foil/Embossing – Business Card/Stationery in the 30th Annual FSEA Gold Leaf Awards with the design and production of an outstanding business card. On Line’s triplex mounted card with foil and laser cutting was created with a three-layer card, with laser cut text in the top layer which revealed foil in the middle layer, backed by a solid bottom layer. The company used BOBST and Trotec Laser equipment for the project, along with foil/embossing dies from Universal Engraving, Inc., and foil from Great Western Foils.

The company tackled this project to update its business cards with a fresh, new look that would grab the attention of existing customers and prompt prospective clients to connect with the company to create their own attention-grabbing print products. On Line wanted to demonstrate its creativity and versatility. “We are in the business of enhancing printing,” said Steve Wignall, manager of the coating, laminating and mounting departments at On Line. “If we can’t do something interesting for our own use, we need to reevaluate our purpose in the industry.”

Wignall described how the design for the business card morphed as the project unfolded. “The design evolved from a single duplexed card to a triplex,” Wignall said, “and then to laser cut, and finally to a design with numerous foil colors stamped on one of the layers to show through the laser-cut company name.”

With this project, On Line was able to showcase the high quality of its new laser. “We recently had installed a Trotec laser for cutting and engraving work,” Wignall said, “so this seemed like a good time to put it to work if we could incorporate the laser capability into our business card.”

Wignall said the challenge involved with laser cutting is trying to achieve precise cutting without leaving any burn marks. On Line finds that some substrates work well for this while others can be problematic. “With the substrate for our business card, our laser operator rose to the challenge,” he said, “and was able to make the design work even though it was not a particularly laser-friendly duplexed stock.”

Feedback from customers and prospective clients has been overwhelmingly positive. “Our motto is ‘go big or go home,’” Wignall said, “and this card fits our motto. It has been well received by customers and others in the industry.” Numerous customers have asked On Line to make similar cards for their companies. “Everyone we hand it to instantly makes reference to the thickness and loves the tactile feeling,” Wignall said. “One of our customers who produces business cards told us, ‘This is the nicest business card I have ever seen, and I have seen a lot!’”

The company received high praise from one of its foil suppliers, Great Western Foils, Inc. Great Western Foils’ national sales manager, Brian Bowland, wrote in an email, “The On Line Bindery business cards are a great representation of what it can offer to customers. It’s amazing to see how printing, foiling, laser diecutting and gluing and pasting all work very well on this little piece of paper.” Bowland noted how the business card design brought to mind a favorite 2014 YouTube video. “The video is called ‘Your business card sucks!’” Bowland recalled. “The presenter talks about how cheap cards are totally worthless, and he is right. The On Line business card is exactly what he is talking about. It is beautiful, it shows off what you On Line offer, and it is the kind of card that does NOT go into a rolodex. It’s too beautiful.”

Couple Says ‘I Do’ to Custom, Luxury Wedding Invitations

September 11, 2023

By Erin La Row, editor, PostPress

A wedding invitation is a first glimpse at a couple’s wedding day. It sets the tone for the ceremony before guests ever arrive. Alexia Vondrachek and the team at Prettiest Pixel, located in Shawnee, Kansas, design and produce luxury wedding stationery. The company takes classic, luxury invitations and adds a modern element. Each design is as unique as the clients it works with.

The Prettiest Pixel team was approached by a wedding planner to provide a quote for the wedding planner’s clients, Matthew and Santos.

“The production goals were to execute a perfect and high-quality design that is representative of our work but in line with Matthew and Santo’s vision of the perfect wedding invitation,” Vondrachek said.

The design needed to be dark but formal, trendy and modern at the same time.

“We needed design elements that were not too feminine but bold and high-end in concept,” Vondrachek said. “We chose a leathery textured paper underneath the main invitation to enhance the overall design.”

Vondrachek designed and created the graphics in Adobe Illustrator. At times, pieces of stock art were used to fill in small details for the wreath or crests. “And at times, they were purely illustrated by me or our other designer, Nikole Williams,” Vondrachek said.

The design team used Stardream cover stocks and Sirio Ultra Black for a stunning dark black finish on the envelopes. The team then used digital white printing for the writing. “We love using white printing to finish off any detail,” Vondrachek said.

The main invitation was made of a flexible clear acrylic and finished with hot foil stamping in gold. The remainder of the items were made from Stardream Papers, which Vondrachek said run well on Prettiest Pixel’s laser printers.

Embellishments include gold foil on the acrylic that then was placed over a deep black, textured background, providing a unique presentation for a wedding invitation. Vondrachek said the white printing also is unique given it was printed in-house using a German supplier for the toner on a small HP Laserjet printer. Other embellishments include the custom wax seal and engraving.

“That was the perfect accent and one of our favorite things to do for our clients,” Vondrachek said. “The challenge with that is we have to use very specific temps on the wax so the seal is done without defect. Heidi Muder-Hoang, our head of foiling, is perfect at that!”

In addition to the HP printer, the team used a Xerox printer and Metallic Elephant clamshell hot foil machine for the hot foil stamping. Ribbons and quality adhesives for the liners that are clean, clear and easy to apply with speed helped complete the project. With all of the assembly done by hand, Vondrachek said it takes a sharp eye.

“Ultimately, the production has to be perfect, and the borders are really the challenging part. I think all pressmen and women can get on board with that! Being in the wedding industry is a challenge at times due to the fact that we have to be perfect at all times with our production,” Vondrachek said.

The result was a stunning invitation the clients and judges loved. The Prettiest Pixel’s acrylic invitation took home gold for Best Use of Foil/Embossing – Announcement/Invitation (Creative) in the 30th Annual FSEA Gold Leaf Awards.

Dreyer Kliche Uses Danish Fairy Tale to Demonstrate Creative Extremes of Hot Foil Stamping, Embossing

December 12, 2022

By Erin La Row, editor, PostPress

Nineteenth century author Hans Christian Andersen dreamed up The Snow Queen – a fairy tale of good vs. evil, friendship and love, and adventure. Nearly 180 years later, Dreyer Kliche, a creative die manufacturer based in Copenhagen, Denmark, brought its interpretation of the enchanting story to life with its The Snow Queen self-promotion posters – a project to demonstrate the creative extremes of hot foil stamping and embossing.

“We used our own national treasure, Hans Christian Andersen, with this year’s self-promotion theme – The Snow Queen,” said Conni Dreyer, CEO and owner of Dreyer Kliche. “The mixed imagery of the story gives us so many opportunities to be expressive and varied.”

Dreyer Kliche collaborated with Foilco, a company based in Warrington, England, on the hot stamping foils for the project. Several foil colors were incorporated with the use of Dreyer Kliche’s brass engravings for all the foil elements. This included flat stamp and multi-level embossing engravings. Micro-structured patterns also were used in several areas. The micro-structured patterns provide a visual change in the look, as well as add a tactile finish. Dreyer Kliche structured dies can be incorporated into small and larger areas of a foiled image.

The result is a beautiful, multi-sensory four-piece printed interpretation of the Danish author’s fairy tale.

“Across the pieces, we used stamping foils for every print component. It ensured totally exact registration when combining so many foils and effects,” Dreyer said.

The imagery
The engravings were precision engraved brass for foil stamping and multi-level embossing. All of the foil and embossing passes were accomplished on a Kluge foil stamping press. The paper stock used was Iggesund’s Invercote G, 300 gsm board.

“The Invercote always is consistent and can handle numerous processes,” Dreyer said. “It is an excellent paper for accepting both the foil and deep embossed images.”

The Snow Queen used five flat foil dies and five foil colors combined with micro-structure, flat stamping and multilevel embossing. Most of the sheet is covered in several layers of metallic and pearl foils.

The Crown used five flat foil dies and four foil colors and a specially designed stamping foil Foilco created and branded as Clarity. Clarity is a transparent stamping foil that has had a small percentage of tint added to it. The contrast on the white board is, therefore, much greater and more luxurious than ordinary clear stamping foils that simulate spot UV.

“It’s totally unique, and we find we are constantly drawn to it for a lot of our creative ideas,” Dreyer said. “We used multi-level emboss diamond shapes to add high levels of detail out from the board.”

The Jewelry design draws on a similar desired effect but with six flat foil dies and six foil colors. The shapes are varied on the embossing for contrast and offer very fine line foiling.

“This challenged our embossing techniques even more,” Dreyer said. “If we cut too deep, then we faced splitting the board from the back, so we pushed the 300 gsm as far as we could go. The tactility we created is something very special.”

The Kai and Gerda sheet used four flat foil dies with a choice of four complementary foil colors. This used different combinations of foils on the icicles artwork with embossing, in contrast to the background cave image with added micro-structure in the foiling die.

“There is no other print medium that gives you these opportunities. With each success we achieve, and winning awards, like the FSEA Gold Leaf Award, it just pushes us on to take new challenges in our work,” Dreyer said. “A collective team effort means a sense of shared pride for us and also means we will be back next year with something just as special.”

Dreyer said The Snow Queen designs position the company with its customers as a recognized premium die supplier. She added, “The goal is to inspire them to be increasingly creative. If we can do that, we’ve done our job.”

One Country, One Constitution, One Amazing Design

September 16, 2022

By Jewlissa Frickey, writer, PostPress

Marked with the words, “One Country, One Constitution, One Destiny” on the bottom of the poster, the sixth print in the US Landmark series by Baugh Graphic Finishing House was brought together by the US Capitol.

“We wanted to produce the next poster in our series to highlight a sculptured emboss image as the main finishing technique with a little bit of foil stamping,” said Dave Hurdle, vice president of Baugh Graphic Finishing House. “We liked the Capitol because of the detailed architecture in the windows and dome and the statue at the top of the building.”

UV Printed (CMYK + Brown) by Printing Partners using a 90 lb Fluorescent White Letter Press Finish Cover, Baugh was able to fulfill the need for a paper with high cotton content to showcase the emboss.

“In order to create the graphics,” Hurdle stated, “We started with a stock image of the Capitol and then had a graphic designer convert the file. We needed something in the background to help bring the white emboss out, so we came up with the idea to print the Constitution behind the Capitol.”

The 20 x 30″ piece is the epitome of detail with its multi-level die, viewers are able to see, and feel, the columns in the front of the dome as well as the columns on the opposite side of the building. Furthermore, it allows one to feel the curvature of the dome, columns and further details throughout the building.

“For the specialty effects and embellishments, we multilevel embossed and used four colors of foil stamping,” said Hurdle. “For embossing we used the Bobst 126 BMA, for foil stamping we used the Bobst 102 BMA and finally, for the foil we used four colors from Infinity Foils including gunmetal, bright silver, metallic red and blue.”

To achieve the amount of detail the poster possesses, meticulous attention was given by Universal Engraving Inc. (UE) to ensure that all details were embossed with depth and perspective. “We used a brass emboss die, which is a very intricate embossing die,” said Hurdle. “Identifying the substrate was essential in the embossing process to determine the amount of paper stretch possible. In addition, the embossing die needed to register to several foil stamping dies, some which had fine details, as well as ‘nest’ into preprinted lithography.”

The Capitol is set against a backdrop of the original Constitution with the American flag, rendered in red and blue foil, in the foreground and the statue of freedom along top.

“One of the biggest challenges we faced during this project was controlling the depth of the emboss,” said Hurdle. “It was necessary in order to get the most detail possible without cutting through the paper.”

Another challenged noted by Hurdle was regarding heat compensation. “Copper Flat – Gunmetal Shade was used for the statue on top, in order to ensure registration to the emboss the die was given a special heat compensation.” All four of the copper foil dies were given special heat compensation to ensure registration to the emboss area.

“The reaction from our clients was great,” said Hurdle. “Many requested extra copies and several questions as to how big the die was to accomplish the piece.”

Fragrance Box Matches Its Floral Sensation

June 8, 2022

Edited by Erin La Row, editor, PostPress

The Viktor&Rolf Flowerbomb rigid box (a recent winner in the Foil & Specialty Effects Association’s 29th Annual Gold Leaf Awards) was a showcase of McLean Packaging Corporation’s production capabilities.

Established in 1961 as a small box manufacturing facility outside of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, McLean Packaging’s facility and expertise has grown over time, now operating three manufacturing facilities with over 200 employees. McLean’s specialty is helping its customers enhance their presence in the marketplace.

“Our customer wanted to create a set that showcased the product and created visual dimension and interest,” said Stephanie Deisley, McLean Packaging.

The award-winning rigid box included a pearl coating that was used on the pink background of the box to match the brand’s color. The flowers were created out of silver cold foil supplied by ITW Foils with a gloss coating all printed inline on McLean’s KBA offset press. It was then embossed to help show definition of the decoration on a Bobst using embossing dies supplied by Metal Magic.

The corner ribbon is printed black with silver cold foil to display the Viktor&Rolf logo. The ribbon also includes an embossed pattern to mimic a real ribbon. The cartouche was formed on McLean’s thermoformer and applied inline during production to give the seal a shiny, wax like look.

One of the challenges the team faced in the production of the display box was the intricacies of the floral pattern diecut around the window.

“From the original concept, we had to round a few corners and made less-severe angles to limit any concerns of tearing or lifting during production,” Deisley stated. “We worked closely with the customer on what needed to be edited and they supplied artwork to the modifications.”

The result is a box as enchanting as the now iconic fragrance. The lid is a heavier weight wrap for smoothness and firmness of material around the diecut glued to a 58 pt Wood White board. The window is .012 APET with 25% PCR. The cartouch seal is .017 Black rPET.

“In the end, the final production piece came together beautifully and showcased the product on shelf,” Deisley said.

All You Need is Love – Playing Card Box Befitting of Music Icons

June 8, 2022

By Erin La Row, writer, PostPress

theory11’s special edition The Beatles playing cards and box set, made in collaboration with The Beatles, pays tribute to a band that has shaped the world’s music scene for decades – nearly 60 years after Beatlemania hit US shores. The individual card boxes represent the iconic Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band marching band uniforms worn by John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr.

The project came together when Studio On Fire, based in St. Paul, Minnesota, was hired by theory11, a producer of luxury, designer playing cards, to plan and execute production of The Beatles playing cards. Another partner in the project, Mattson Creative, was tasked with designing graphics conveying that Sgt. Pepper’s flair in a cohesive way across the set.

“It was up to us to make sure the decks lived up to previous theory11 releases and that the special edition box felt luxurious and worth purchasing,” said Sam Michaels, creative manager at Studio On Fire.

The team got started by asking questions: What is the best way to achieve those bright colors? How can this be done on budget? Where was it worth the splurge?

Designing and planning

There are many physical production steps involved in a project of this scale, and equally the same amount of work happening in the studio before paper even enters the building.

The first step was to design the structure that would house the four decks of cards. Studio On Fire’s talented CAD department created several mock-ups that were reviewed and tweaked to get the final product. Questions had to be answered to settle on the final structure: How does this fit on a sheet, which would affect the press run and cost? Does budget allow for hand assembly? Does it hold the weight of the decks? Does it feel premium?

“That last nugget, does it feel premium, is a question we ask ourselves a lot,” Michaels said. “Small things go a long way to pushing something into ‘premium’ territory. For example, the satisfying ‘click’ of a closure, the heft of a thick stock or the sturdiness provided by a custom insert.”

The project’s graphics were designed by Mattson Creative. “Working with a studio that understands our capabilities helps the process, though we’re always pushing our boundaries and attempting things that really shouldn’t be attempted,” Michaels said. “But end up looking really cool, so it’s always fun to see what gets asked of us.”

Before the design process was complete, Studio On Fire looked at initial files to start planning for potential production problems – a must in today’s world of continuous supply chain issues. The team was able to guide some final material and design choices based on availability of papers, foils, etc.

Then it was the prepress department’s time to shine. Production processes go down one layer at a time, so it takes time to rip files into their specific passes. Michaels said the trapping, choking and altering of art all happens in this step when they’re creating the proof.

“The Beatles box set also has a beautiful emboss happening and it’s our prepress department’s job to call out how that works: What type of emboss? What pieces of artwork? They’re making sure things won’t crack or get too close to scores,” Michaels added. “It’s a really detailed, specific set of decisions that are made in order to set the production team up for success.”

The next step in the process is getting client approval of the proof. Then it is time to start buying materials such as paper, foil tooling, cutting dies and rolls of foil.

“What some folks don’t realize is that a good chunk of production planning is for materials to arrive in sync with when open press time will be,” Michaels said. “It’s truly a behind-the-scenes ballet.”

Production

The Beatles box set is comprised of five main components: four decks of cards and the outer special edition box that houses them. Before anything can hit the press, the paper must be cut down from parent sheet size to press sheets. Everything at Studio On Fire is run sheet-fed. From paper prep, the job starts its tour of presses at the shop. The selected paper for the box set and inner tray was the Neenah Folding Board Natural White Vellum Finish.

The outer box has three passes of foil – white, gold and black – all executed on a large format Saroglia press. After foils, the Saroglia completed the beautiful emboss, giving the artwork the tactility Studio On Fire pieces are known for. The foil for the project was supplied by Infinity Foils, Inc. and Kurz Transfer Products. The engravings for both the foil stamping and embossing were supplied by Universal Engraving. Inc.

Both the outer box and internal tray/insert were diecut on a second Saroglia before vending out for final assembling, including the addition of a magnetic closure.

A rare occurrence for Studio On Fire, the four tuck cases started with a vendor partner who laid down four colors of offset ink and a pass of aqueous coating before Studio On Fire took it in house. Once the sheets were on the floor, they took three trips through Studio On Fire’s Kluges to get gold, black and red foils laid down. A pass through the Saroglia for a beefy emboss before moving on to the second Saroglia to be diecut. The fold/glue team finished off the set of tucks, folding and gluing each of the four-color versions and getting them neatly packed.

“These were made with love,” Michaels said. “Each step, from planning to production, is painstakingly executed by a staff who cares deeply about making a quality product that can’t be made anywhere else.”

Embellishments and challenges

“So much foil” – that is how Michaels described the project. Layers after layers of foil were laid down on every type of foil press Studio On Fire has at its disposal. After the layers of foil, everything was hit with a heavy emboss, carefully as to not crack the layers of foil, but heavy enough for the team to question whether it was too much.

“It’s never too much,” Michaels said.

The Studio On Fire team initially was given a rigid box concept. Michaels said the team moved this to a folding carton structure to get a more tactile result by having the ability to hit the artwork with a deep emboss. The team also chose to keep the entire product paper instead of defaulting to a foam insert, which added complexities but produced a more environmentally friendly product.

Best of Show

The result: The most vibrant and eye-catching playing cards ever produced by theory11. Studio On Fire entered The Beatles box set into FSEA’s 29th Annual Gold Leaf Awards, winning “Best of Show” for all the Best Use of Foil and Embossing categories.

“Projects like this reflect a great relationship and effort between client, design, planning, and production,” said Ben Levitz, owner of Studio On Fire. “Focusing on projects with that synergy is what we love to do; we think that love is reflected in the final product and thus pushing it to ‘best of show’ level work. We’re honored.”

The Beatles cards are available for individual purchase or in the premium special edition box set at theory11.com.

Paper with a Plan – a DataGraphic and Mohawk Collaboration

March 22, 2022

By Jewlissa Frickey, editor, PostPress

Sample booklets are nothing new to the paper industry, but Mohawk sought to revamp its own with an entirely re-imagined process of paper selection. The Paper with a Plan Collections Kit is a set of five sample booklets in custom slipcases that feature its papers grouped by their primary attributes: Beautiful, Sustainable, Expressive, Elevated and Practical.

DataGraphic, located in Commack, New York, was involved in the project and printed the multi-process Elevated Collection booklet as well as the screen printed custom slipcases that hold all five collections.

“Mohawk was interested in doing something unique and, of course, well executed,” said Glenn Schuster, president at DataGraphic. “We thought screen printing would be a great solution given the nature of paper stock.”

The Paper with a Plan Collections Kit was designed by Hybrid Design, San Francisco, California, and produced by Tocci Made, New York, New York. Other partnering print came from Kirkwood Printing Company of Wilmington, Massachusetts, and Flash Reproductions of Etobicoke, Ontario.

The slipcases, printed by DataGraphic, used a Carnival Deep Blue felt cover with an M&R Renegade UV flatbed screen press. The five custom slipcases were screen printed in a green gloss ink and embossed with the graphic symbols that represent each collection.

Specialty effects and embellishments were not spared during the project, Schuster noted, “On just the slipcases alone, we included debossing on our Thompson machine, then two hits of screen printing and, of course, the diecutting and assembly.”

“Printing on such dark paper was a challenge,” said Schuster. “But we were able to screen print first. Then we debossed and did two hits of green.” Schuster continued by saying, “We had a lot of trial runs to try and get that right, but we were all excited with the way the custom slipcases came together.”

Among the challenges was an initial registration issue. “Registration was challenging because of the fine type and the precision of the stamping,” said Schuster. “With the two hits of the screen press at two different passes, it took some time to get it perfect.”

Mohawk’s Paper with a Plan Collections Kit is a 6 x 9″ container filled with five unbound booklets representing each collection. Each booklet contains printed demonstrations and samples, including printed color and texture chips, that are approximate representations of all the papers that can be found from the full product offering in that Collection.

“In addition to the slipcases, we also were able to produce Mohawks Elevated Collection booklet,” said Schuster. The Elevated collection showcased some of Mohawk’s more famous stocks, traditionally used in stationery and letterpress, in various tones. Embellishments, such as embossing, engraving and foil, are more popular pairings with the papers in this collection.

“The Elevated cover is diecut and shows through to beautiful holographic foils and impress papers that also are cotton,” said Schuster. The papers included in the elevated booklet include Crane’s Lettra Dark Black for its cover, the impress cover used Crane’s Lettra Light Pink and Crane’s Ecru and the interior also used Crane’s Lettra Light Pink.

The ecru sheet was letterpress printed, while the light pink sheet was offset printed and foil stamped with holographic foil. “The booklet consisted of some really interesting artwork that really made the holographic foil stamping and letterpressing fun,” said Schuster.

Along with the pink sheet, the black cover was foil stamped and diecut and the white sheet was offset printed. Then, all four leaves were die-scored, closed gate folded and nested into three folded pieces above and below the box to create the completed collection.

“The binding process consisted of four sheets in various sizes that have four gatefold panels,” noted Schuster. “This creates a waterfall of the different sheeting, leaving it loose bound. The final product is just collated and nested without any mechanical binding.” Leaving the booklets unbound gives viewers the opportunity to discover more information about the product. Each of the pages can be taken apart to find detailed chart information on the back of the sheets.

On top of the slipcases and Elevated booklet, DataGraphic produced an introduction card. It was made with a blue stock with green letterpress printing, similar to the green printing on the sleeve of the slipcases.

“We used a Heidelberg KSB Letterpress for the introduction card as well as for the letterpress printing of the inner sheets in the Elevated collection,” said Schuster.

“The collection itself still is pretty new,” Schuster stated. “It hasn’t been in the field too much, but we’ve already received great accolades from the industry. Our name being on it gives DataGraphic a lot of credibility, especially since the product was for Mohawk.”

The collections

Beautiful, Sustainable, Expressive, Elevated and Practical. These five categories bring the collection together with a more straightforward and simple way to think about paper.

The Beautiful collection focuses primarily on the photography industry with its formation papers, while also supporting other illustrations and solid ink coverage. Next, the Sustainable collection is for papers with recycled or alternative fibers and a compelling sustainability story, from hemp stalks to straw waste and recycled cotton fiber, to the highest levels of PCW fiber and certifications. Expressive collections are papers with distinctive tactile and colorful properties. The Elevated collection focuses on papers made from cotton and premium fibers for stationery and letterpress while the final collection, Practical, is made of the economical “workhorse” papers.