Stardream - print processes book

Stardream is a market leading pearlescent and metallic paper range produced by the Cordenons paper mill in Italy. Many designers and printers have become fans of the light irridescent finishes and the dual sided deep metallic finishes which do truly shimmer. Stardream is used for a wide range of applications, including cover, presentation folders, invitations, greetings cards and luxury packaging.

This is the new "Print Processes book" which demonstrates the wide variety of print processes that you can achieve using this paper range.

The cover image is printed offset litho in CMYK on Stardream Copper 285gsm and the result is stunning - just look how good a CMYK image can look, even on a relatively deep shade such as the Copper. What many people forget is the litho inks are transparent, what this means is that if you print on a colour, the colour will come through and it also means that if you print on a pearlescent/metallic substrate, the printed result will be pearlescent/metallic and take on the shimmer of the surface printed on.

The size of the presenter is 230x220mm and the wiro-bound inserts are 210mm square. The first page is hot foil blocked using Foilco Ref 6815 copper foil on Stardream Anthracite 285gsm.

Click on images to enlarge

Page two is is printed using Thermographic printing (thermography) in red and black.

Thermo (as it is commonly called) is a great process and can produce a gloss or matt raised surface. In this instance, the result is a gloss finish, printed on Stardream Rose Quartz 120gsm

Stardream is also suitable for digital print processes and the below rainbow image is printed on Stradream Crystal Digital 240gsm on an HP Indigo Press

The next page is french folded and is lasercut...

Click on images to enlarge

The sample printed on the Stardream Silver (above & below) is just the most simple and yet effective sample. It is printed in just 1 colour offset litho as a halftone (or some people refer to it as a montone) and as mentioned before, because litho inks are transparent, the printed result is pearlescent/metallic and takes on the shimmer of the Stardream surface.

and the grand finale of the book, really is amazing at is is the simplest, yet crazily effective process. The below watchface is digitally printed in white using a dry toner press (this was a Ricoh)

...and here is a detail image

...and below shows the deep blue colour (Stardream Lapislazuli 285gsm) that it was printed on.

Digital white (toner) is an incredibly stunning effect and a very economical price, so it's definitely worth looking into.

My thanks to the paper mill, Gruppo Cordenons for supplying us with the tools to show the Stardream range in the very best light. If you would like one of these new books, please email me: justin@fennerpaper.co.uk

http://www.cordenons.co.uk/
http://www.gruppocordenons.com/en/

Posted by Justin Hobson 11.05.2022

The Old Sorting House

The origins of the Old Sorting House in Islington, London, are both rich and varied. An intriguing mix of businesses have graced this imposing building, but it is the original use as the Northern District Post Office, opened in 1858 which fires the imagination. The building was recently put up for sale and this is the excellent sales literature which was created by Everything In Between.

Click on images to enlarge

The size of the brochure is 250x190mm, portrait and as you can see from the above image, there is a superb blind embossing on the front cover

This is a relatively unusual design, which works superbly. As you will notice in the above image, it has a square spine, which houses a saddle stitched text, however there is also another text section housed in the inside front cover. The cover is a 6pp and this text is under the flap that forms the 6pp, so in the image below, showing the open brochure, you are faced with two separate contents, one on left and right. 

The image below, has the cover of the left hand content open...

Click on images to enlarge

The left hand book, which explains and shows the history of the building is a 12pp text and the main book on the right hand side is a 48pp. It is printed on our Redeem 100% Recycled 315gsm cover and the text is all printed on a 130gsm.

Redeem 100% Recycled is a very neutral white shade and has an 'aged' look and feel to it, which is one of the reasons that it was chosen for this publication and it really works, but not only with the historical images (above) but it works just as well with the CGI's (below)

In the centre of the main brochure is a double gatefold allowing for a superb, wide image.

Click on images to enlarge

It might surprise you to know that this project is digitally printed, however as you may have noticed, the centre throw-out measures 760mm wide, so, the only way to produce this is on the HP Indigo 10000 presses, which prints a B2 sheet. Although Redeem is not a 'digital' paper, it has been Sapphire Treated to make it compatible with HP Indigo printing. 

Below shows the superb square spine, where you can just about see the saddle stitching, which is perfectly situated on the crease at the back of the spine.

Brochure and website design is by London consultancy, Everything in  Between. Arran Scott-Lidgett is creative director and the designer on the project was Katie Alger.

Print production is by Pureprint and there's no question that this job is superb. Beautifully printed and bound, productions like this make the case for clients using print. All the information in the publication could (and is) supplied digitally, but this piece of literature is and will be a piece of history.

https://e-i-b.com/ 

https://www.pureprint.com/

Posted by Justin Hobson 17.03.2021

Stardream Print Processes book

Stardream is a market leading pearlescent and metallic paper range produced by the Cordenons paper mill in Italy. Many designers and printers have become fans of the light irridescent finishes and the dual sided deep metallic finishes which do truly shimmer. Stardream is used for a wide range of applications, including cover, presentation folders, invitations, greetings cards and luxury packaging.

This is the new "Print Processes book" which demonstrates the wide variety of print processes that you can achieve using this paper range.

The cover image is printed offset litho in CMYK on Stardream Copper 285gsm and the result is stunning - just look how good a CMYK image can look, even on a relatively deep shade such as the Copper. What many people forget is the litho inks are transparent, what this means is that if you print on a colour, the colour will come through and it also means that if you print on a pearlescent/metallic substrate, the printed result will be pearlescent/metallic and take on the shimmer of the surface printed on.

The size of the presenter is 230x220mm and the wiro-bound inserts are 210mm square. The first page is hot foil blocked using Foilco Ref 6815 copper foil on Stardream Anthracite 285gsm.

Click on images to enlarge

Page two is is printed using Thermographic printing (thermography) in red and black.

Thermo (as it is commonly called) is a great process and can produce a gloss or matt raised surface. In this instance, the result is a gloss finish, printed on Stardream Rose Quartz 120gsm

Stardream is also suitable for digital print processes and the below rainbow image is printed on Stradream Crystal Digital 240gsm on an HP Indigo Press

The next page is french folded and is lasercut...

Click on images to enlarge

The sample printed on the Stardream Silver (above & below) is just the most simple and yet effective sample. It is printed in just 1 colour offset litho as a halftone (or some people refer to it as a montone) and as mentioned before, because litho inks are transparent, the printed result is pearlescent/metallic and takes on the shimmer of the Stardream surface.

and the grand finale of the book, really is amazing at is is the simplest, yet crazily effective process. The below watchface is digitally printed in white using a dry toner press (this was a Ricoh)

...and here is a detail image

...and below shows the deep blue colour (Stardream Lapislazuli 285gsm) that it was printed on.

Digital white (toner) is an incredibly stunning effect and a very economical price, so it's definitely worth looking into.

My thanks to the paper mill, Gruppo Cordenons for supplying us with the tools to show the Stardream range in the very best light. If you would like one of these new books, please email me: justin@fennerpaper.co.uk

http://www.cordenons.co.uk/
http://www.gruppocordenons.com/en/

Posted by Justin Hobson 25.06.2020

Simply Stunning!

Pureprint are an extremely well known UK printer. They are held in high regard for their work with art galleries, magazines, retail brands and quality commercial printing as well as having an enviable reputation for their environmental accreditation and awards. They are now also one of the largest digital printers and the first in the UK with three B2 size digital presses.

To educate and promote their digital abilities, Pureprint have produced a new 'Digital Special Effects Pack' to show some of the techniques. To demonstrate the use of their white ink on coloured paper, they chose our Colorset 100% Recycled range in an Amethyst shade

Click on images to enlarge

As you can see from the above image, the Amethyst board has been printed using white ink plus a CMYK image printed on to of the white ink. On the reverse (below) is just the white ink printed on the Amethyst shade board

As it says on the card "Simply Stunning Results"!
https://www.pureprint.com/

Posted by Justin Hobson 12.04.2019

What is ...Sapphire Treatment?

What is ...Number 15
Regular followers of this blog will know that in the middle of the month, I publish a "What is ....? post. The article covers various aspects of paper, printing and finishing in greater depth. However, many of these subjects are complex, so these posts are only intended to be a brief introduction to the topic.

What is ...Sapphire Treatment?

This is something I often get asked about so hopefully this post will serve to de-mystify the subject for readers!

Indigo was founded by Benny Landa in Israel and in 1993 they launched the first Indigo digital printing press (the Indigo E-print 1000). It took many years to take a hold in the digital print market as it was up against very established competitors such as Xerox.

However, it works in a totally different way to the other toner based printers and in fact is an 'offset' process which is similar to offset litho.
I first saw an Indigo press when I visited DRUPA (a printing and graphic arts fair held in Germany) in 1995. I picked up the print examples and still have the original sales brochure!

The print result further improved with subsequent models and became an industry leader in digital quality print. In 2001 Hewlett Packard (HP) purchased Indigo and the press manufacturer became known as the HP Indigo. There has been much investment and many new models including the game-changing B2 format press...
http://justinsamazingworldatfennerpaper.blogspot.co.uk/2012/03/hp-indigo-unveils-b2.html

Unlike other digital printing methods an Indigo press uses an ElectroInk which contains charged pigmented particles in a liquid carrier. Like other digital printing technologies, such as toner, ElectroInk enables digital printing by electrically controlling the location of the print particles. However, unlike other digital technologies, Indigo is still an 'offset' process where the ink is transferred from the plate onto a blanket and then onto the paper substrate http://www8.hp.com/h20195/v2/GetPDF.aspx%2F4AA3-9326EEW.pdf



At the time when the Indigo press was first launched, the majority of papers were produced for offset litho or for dry toner. The results were a little hit or miss, although better for coated papers and the problem was that the ink was coming off and caused a particular problem around folded areas. To get round this problem 'Sapphire Treatment' was developed. This is a polymer-based solution which is coated on the sheet before the printing process. It provides a 'key' between the surface of the paper and the ElectroInk that binds the ink to the paper and maximizes ink adhesion. This 'treatment' or 'coating' is applied as a pre-coat before the paper is printed.


Image Courtesy of POSCO Inc
http://www.poscoinc.com/default.aspx

It is a clear, colourless, odourless liquid, so it isn't something that particularly lends itself to exciting images! ...it literally comes in large containers and drums such as pictured here. So the next best thing is to show you the type of coating machine that applies this type of coating. Below is an example of a dedicated coating machine but coating can also be achieved on an adapted offset litho press.

The image below shows the detail of the machine, which is a series of rollers which evenly spreads the liquid coating.

So basically, pretty much any paper can be treated/coated to make it suitable for printing on an HPIndigo press ...so who does the coating?

Some paper merchants have their own coating facilities (as we do at Fenner Paper) ...however our coater is not suitable for mass production, so larger batches are sent to specialist coating companies. One such company, called ACCEL, is based in the Midlands and is an HP Indigo Authorised Media Treatment Centre. They coat for many merchants and printers for the HP Indigo sheetfed market.
http://www.acceluk.com/

However it is important that you don't think that everything printed using this technology needs treating! There are nearly 4000 media, which are certified substrates (papers and plastics) -made by mills and manufacturers which are ready to print on an HP Indigo with no additional treatment. The chemicals have been added at the manufacturing stage at the mill and the products have been successfully tested and approved by HP Indigo certification centres at the Rochester Institute of Technology and in Singapore. At Fenner Paper, we carry some products which are 'HP Indigo ready' such as Stardream and Shiro Echo. However, even with 4000 approved products that still doesn't cover all the materials that people would like to use, which is why having the ability to pre-coat using sapphire treatment is essential to making the digital printing offer, truly flexible.

I understand that to many people this will seem like a tediously technical, boring subject. However, as digital printing becomes more prevalent in the industry, it's a good idea to have an understanding of some of the issues. Below are further links that you might find useful.

http://www8.hp.com/uk/en/commercial-printers/indigo-presses/overview.html
http://www.acceluk.com/
http://www.michelman.com/Printing-%26-Packaging/Digital-Printing/HP-Indigo-Solutions/

Posted by Justin Hobson 17.03.2015