TCC Insights

Don't Be a Paper Dummy

By Betty Ann Krischan, Production Manager

The world of paper is complex and ever-changing…with so many options out there, picking a stock can seem overwhelming to some.
One of the keys to a successful print job is the selection of the “right” paper. With a little knowledge, you can specify a stock with the qualities your job requires with consideration to your design, usage and budget.

Here are some basic characteristics of paper that will help you select the stock that will work for your next print project. All of these qualities affect both the run-ability and print-ability of the paper as well as the cost and final appearance of your project.

The Value of an Internship

By Regan Corr

I’m about to start my senior year at a liberal arts college. My major is English Literature and History. I’m finishing up an unpaid summer internship at a marketing and public relations firm this summer. And, no, I am not getting any class credit for it.

I cannot tell you how many of my peers have asked why I took this summer internship. Here are a few questions I have often been asked:

You major in English and History? So you wanna become a teacher, huh?

Wait, you don’t major in PR or communications? Then why are you working as a public relations intern? Aren’t you nervous you won’t know anything?

If you don’t get paid or get class credit, what’s the point of the internship?!

Think Beyond White Paper

By Betty Ann Krischan, Production Manager

There seems to be a trend lately of only printing on white paper. It doesn’t seem to make a difference whether it’s letterhead, posters, invitations or brochures. I’m both a little disheartened and perplexed by this trend.

Why aren’t designers and production managers specifying more colored substrates? Is it because a generation of young designers start all their designs on a blank white screen?  Is it because it’s just a safe/default choice? Is it tight budgets? Is it the result of so much digital printing? Or is it just being a little unsure and uneducated on what stocks are out there and how they can be utilized?

I’m not sure of the answer but I know that paper choice is an essential part of the creative process and directly influences how the finished printed piece will look and feel. By using a colored stock, you can increase your color palette in a simple one- or two-color printing job. Using a metallic stock can elevate the perception of a printed piece and convey a richness and sense of elegance. Printing a metallic ink on a dark stock can have very dramatic results.

Size Does Matter

By Betty Ann Krischan, Production Manager

Here’s an interesting question: Is it worth it to stay within standard United States Postal Service size requirements to save on the cost of mailing vs. spending a little bit more by sending an oversized postcard?

This is a case where I think size does matter. Go with the oversized card. A four-color postcard that is 9” x 6” with a striking visual and intriguing headline will cut through the clutter and stand out from the rest of the sea of white envelopes and standard 4.25” x 6” postcards that flood both mail and in-boxes.

Flower Power

By Betty Ann Krischan, Production Manager

One of Buffalo’s greatest treasures is the annual Garden Walk. If you like flowers, they are definitely “the star” in this much-anticipated summer event.  You can take a self-guided walking tour through some of Buffalo’s most historic neighborhoods and enjoy an astonishing range of planting styles and landscapes. With more than 300 homes participating, you will see everything from exotic water gardens to lush hanging gardens to classic English gardens and more.

This year marks the 15th anniversary of Buffalo Garden Walk and this event gave me the opportunity to work on a very special poster project with Sue Hough (friend, fellow gardener, TCC art director and member of the Board of Directors for the Garden Walk). Every year, the posters are beautiful and showcase one of Buffalo’s garden treasures, but this year needed to be extraordinary. So how could we take an already successful series of posters and make this year’s even better?  The answer was to utilize an exciting new innovation in printing: in-line foiling.

Dual Printing had recently installed a Prindor in-line foiler and I was just dying to test it out.  In-line foiling is a cold foil transfer method that provides designers and print production managers a new and compelling way to add another dimension to their projects without the size and cost constraints of traditional hot foil stamping. The result was an absolutely stunning poster featuring a full-color metallic bloom.

App-etite for Paper

By Gina LoRusso, Creative Coordinator

I love when paper representatives come to the agency with updates. I love getting new swatch books. I love getting new printed samples of their paper stocks with pages filled with information, interesting designs and intricate processes. I also like hearing about the advances the mills have made on making their paper and their processes more eco-friendly.

In case you haven’t gotten it by now, I love paper. So when our Neenah Paper representative came for a visit, I was surprised when he said he had something new to show that wasn’t paper. I did a quick mental search to think what else could it be? I was more surprised when the answer turned out to be an iPhone app!

Think Ink: Color Unleashed was released in early May, and allows iPhone and iPod touch users to create custom color palettes, use the Dewey Color System to examine color meanings and color combinations, and then find Neenah Paper products that correspond to their custom palette. Samples can be ordered right from the device, or can be saved to a palette and ordered later by phone or email from a Neenah Paper representative.

This isn’t the first time Neenah Papers has found a digital outlet for their product. They have also launched BlackBerry applications called Paper Math, for specifying paper, and Eco Calculator, to determine environment savings from the use of recycled paper.

Is Printing Dead?

By Betty Ann Krischan, Production Manager

First, you have to remember I’m something of a “press room junkie.” I love printing. I’m really into everything from the feel of the paper, the color of the inks, and the eye-popping special effects like foiling and embossing. And I really like looking at ink on paper: the Sunday morning newspapers, annual reports, business cards, novels, cookbooks and greeting cards.  You name it, I like it. If it’s printed, I’m interested. I can’t go to a restaurant without thoroughly examining every menu and tent card within my reach.

With all the talk about major newspapers folding, the internet replacing more traditional forms of printed materials and the upsurge of social media, do I think printing is on its way out? No, I don’t. I do, however, think that it is evolving.

Although many people may listen to books on iPods, or read them on the internet, those new formats will never replace hard and soft cover books and printed materials. What is better than relaxing in your favorite spot with a good book, or sitting on the beach or by the pool on vacation with that long-awaited best seller? Or in my case, enjoying the fun and memories being made as my grandson and I huddle under the blankets with a flashlight reading the next book in the series of the Spiderwick Chronicles. While periodicals may be seeing a downturn in today’s world of the internet, Facebook, Twitter and Google, I think books are here to stay. A great example of how new technology and traditional print have been combined is the new line of children’s books called, “Leapfrog:Tag – The Amazing Touch Reading System.”  Not only can it be read aloud but individuals can listen and interact with it.