February, 2004

You know, it was said that radio would replace newspaper, and that TV would supersede radio. Of course, the new rumor is that the internet will make print communication obsolete. Yet here we are today with all 4 media alive and well! The truth is that companies must use all of them to communicate with their customers. In terms of printing vs the internet, I believe that the internet certainly has replaced printing for some things; I am the fist to admit that I (a printer) reach for the net as my first tool when searching for something new. However, I still want to hold something and read it once I find what I have searched for. I believe that it is fair to say that the internet has redefined the role that printing plays in marketing communications.

I am reminded of a brilliant ad I once read for a high end steak restaurant. The ad came right out and said that eating too much red meat may not be good for you…but when you do choose to eat meat, you should make it the best, enjoy it and eat at their establishment. To that same end, printing might not be suitable for every circumstance, but when you do design for print, you should take advantage of printing's ability to appeal to the one sense that no other media can…the sense of TOUCH. There appears to be this very human desire to reach out and feel and object, and this is where a properly designed piece can convey more than just the information contained in its copy, it can convey the very image of the company behind the brochure.

I would like to share some unique applications that we have used (and one that I want to use but have not yet), for some of our customers to add tactility to their projects. Since the merits of embossing and foil stamping have been well documented, I will leave them out of this discussion.

--Screen printing: When I designed my own company brochure years ago, I wanted to do something different than the usual glossy brochure. I ended up screen printing the cover with a combination of matte inks as a background, overprinted with gloss UV inks. The effect is that of a “chalkboard” dull background with words that appear to sit on the surface like water. I used to challenge designers to figure out how we achieved the look (without reading the production notes on the back), and no one has ever nailed it. Just don't scratch your nails down the surface…the sound makes me cringe!

--Matte film laminating with spot UV: We have used this a variety of times and I love the result. The matte films adds strength to the piece and creates an even matte canvas just waiting to be highlighted with clear UV coating. Here you get the benefit of both a difference in sheen and a difference in feel between the film and UV. We have registered the UV on top of printed copy and images to highlight and add reality. On one job, there was an image of a guy wearing glasses, and the spot UV made the glasses look positively real. Everyone I showed it to had to touch that image.

--Thermocromatic (temperature sensitive) inks: This is not something you would do every day, but the effect is great. We had a project where an athletic footwear company wanted to demonstrate their product's ability to react to body heat. Words alone could not do the job. They wanted something dramatic and interactive. In the end, we printed a page of the book with conventional offset inks and overprinted the entire page with a blue screen printed thermocromatic ink. The only thing that the reader saw was the outline of a hand and the message “place hand here”. The heat of the reader's hand made the blue thermocromatic ink disappear and revealed a hidden message about the product.

--Unique papers: I will not discuss the usual texture papers here, but I do want to mention a few that I find interesting. Since we just spoke about thermocromatic inks, I thought I would mention a thermocromatic paper made by Curious Paper Company. This paper has colored specs that disappear when the sheet changes color. I have not used it yet, but would love to. I did recently use a unique paper that I think transformed a nice design into a special piece. A customer wanted to create a book with gift certificates for their retail stores. We used Curious Paper “Touch” for the gift certificates and cover. I can only describe the surface of this paper as “grippy”. You have to feel it! Another unique thing about the paper is that areas with ink on it are less “grippy”, so you tend to run your hands over the sheet sliding over the images and skidding to a halt when you hit unprinted paper. It's really neat! The actual gift certificates then went into a folder made of 24 pt board, matte film laminted (2) sides, embossed and held closed with a wide custom silver rubber band. The visual and tactile effect was so good that there was no printing on the folder. It simply wasn't needed. While I am on the paper topic, I wanted to mention a company that only sells unique papers that beg to be touched. If you are a designer, you will love their stuff! The company is CTI Paper USA, check them out at www.thepapermill.com . No I don't have a stake in the company, I just like their product.

--Clear thermography: OK, this is the method that I personally have not done, but I keep hoping some designer requests it! Most of us (including myself) typically think of thermography as that lowly printing method used for raised business cards. It is, but it can be so much more. As a brief history, thermography was introduced around 1905 as a less expensive alternative to copperplate engraving. The process itself is fairly simple. Works comes off the press with the ink still tacky; it is then dusted with a coating of thermographic powder. Excess powder is removed by vacuum. The sheet then moves through a heat tunnel; the powder that has adhered to the tacky ink melts, fuses with the ink and swells up to make the surface raised. There have been new developments in powders such as iridescent, pearl, gold, silver, white and glitter. In addition, sand can be added to make a sheet literally feel like sandpaper! Clear thermography inks come in different finishes ranging from high gloss to dull. The combination of clear thermography over 4 color offset printing can create effects that no other process can match, by adding dimension and a unique rubbery feel. Additionally, patterns can be created with clear thermography right over printed matter, rivaling and even exceeding embossing in certain applications. One idea that comes to my mind is a book cover where the designer wants a raised pattern on the outside cover, but wants a smooth surface for the inside cover copy . Traditionally, we would have embossed this and doubled over and glued the inside cover to conceal the back of the embossing. This, however, adds a lot of additional stock and labor to the job. A perfect job for clear thermography!

We have enclosed an insert in this issue that highlights some of the unique effects that you can create with clear thermography. Take it, touch it and see what you think. Here are few design considerations to consider, but I encourage you to call before getting too deep into a project if you are considering clear thermogrphy so that we can determine the best way to achieve your end result. The minimum size sheet is 10 x 14 and maximum size sheet is 23 x 39. Paper weights that can be run range from 20# bond to 100# cover. Coated or uncoated are OK, but the best surface is a smooth uncoated paper. Coated papers must be tested first with the approximate ink coverage of the job.

So there you have it. If anyone out there has employed other unique effects to create “feel”, I would love to learn about it. Contact me at allan@atlaspressinc.com . In the meantime, I have been here for 15 years and will be here for 15 more…would someone come forward and do a clear thermography job?

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April, 2002

view entire Print Buyer Today with this article on Page 11

Print brokers provide valuable services in a demanding and competitive industry

by Allan Salzman

In nearly 33 years as a "print brokerage" we've heard almost every reason as to why people hesitate to use print brokers. When our company was founded in 1969 the term "broker" was truly a four letter word. However, today print brokers are experiencing wide acceptance in the print buying community and there are more brokers than ever. Clearly these brokers must be providing some valuable service in order to survive in an industry that is both very demanding and very competitive.

The purpose of this article is not to convince you to use a print broker (not that there is anything wrong with that). My goal here is to clarify some misconceptions that may exist about print brokers, properly define the role of the print broker and to offer some advice as to what to look for in a print broker. Here goes!

First of all what is a print broker and is "broker" really the proper term? By definition a broker is one who acts as an agent for others in negotiating contracts, purchases or sales in return for a fee or commission. While some print brokers do operate in this fashion, the majority take a much larger financial risk by actually purchasing and reselling the work. I prefer to call these firms "value added resellers." Am I making a big deal out of nomenclature here? I don't believe so. "Brokers" stand to lose nothing more than their commission. This limited risk has given rise to many of the problems associated with brokers over the years. When the going gets tough they have the option of disappearing. Value added resellers (VARs) are there for the duration because it is their money and their product lines.

The (VAR) and to a lesser extent the print broker offers some very important services to the printer as well as the print buyer. Printers are manufacturers. They make huge investments in equipment, materials and technology with the ultimate goal of spinning the cylinders on their printing presses. Sales is a necessary evil for them. In fact printing is one of the few industries where the manufacturer is even involved in sales at all.

For the printer the VAR offers a canned solution for sales, customer service, outside purchasing ( most VARs buy their own paper and outside bindery services) and accounts receivable. Please don't overlook this last point. Most VARs are very loyal to a core group of printers to whom they send a lot of work and pay very quickly…usually quicker than they get paid themselves. VARs and brokers also go the extra mile for the printers and assure that artwork is presented properly and all of those loose ends of a job are taken care of. In short the VAR/broker makes it easy for the printer to do what they do best…print! In return the printer gives the VAR/broker outstanding service and greatly reduced "trade" pricing. Through the years we have been approached by numerous printers requesting us to handle major accounts on their behalf. They simply want the comfort of knowing we would handle the customer side of things during the job and pay them promptly after the job. The VAR/broker – printer relationship is a perfect example of a synergistic business structure.

So what does the VAR/broker offer the print buyer? If I could condense it into three words they would be objectivity, service, and knowledge. Let's start with objectivity. We work for you…not the printer. We don't have the pressure of having to sell a 40 inch four color press because its sitting idle. We want to produce your project on the printing equipment that is best and most economical for the job. I will never forget an initial meeting I once attended at a national retailer with four other vendors in the room, two of the others were sheet fed printers and two were screen printers. Of course the sheet fed guys were trying to convince the buyer to produce the jobs on their equipment and the screen printers were putting their own spin on things. When the client asked me what I thought I was able to suggest screen printing for some items, sheet fed for others and digital printing for some other pieces. I even suggested a slight size alteration on one of the catalogs that would enable me to run it on a web press for drastic cost savings. When I looked up I saw one smiling face and four slacked jaws. That meeting resulted in a long business relationship and convinced me of the power of a VAR/broker in today's multi faceted printing world.

Now lets discuss service. This is where the VAR/ broker really adds value. Entrepreneurial by nature most VAR/brokers simply work harder than their in plant counterparts…sorry guys. They are loyal to their suppliers but their true allegiance is to you, the customer. I have personally pulled jobs from suppliers when they could not satisfy my customers' delivery requirements. Most VAR/brokers will fight like pitt bulls to protect their customers' interests and deliver quality jobs on schedule.

How about knowledge? This is why I love my job! There is nothing more enjoyable than helping a customer solve a challenging technical problem on a project. VAR/brokers are in the thick of it everyday and we make it our business to know what is available to our customers. Our unique position in the industry gives us insight into some processes that few people know about. In my company we are frequently called by printers when they encounter strange projects. Because we don't work within the confines of a plant, we are able to think outside of their realm and the result can be some truly unique solutions to problems.

OK, now I have defined the role of the VAR/broker and explained what they offer to both the print buyer and the printer. Now I would like to address the three concerns mentioned at the beginning of this article. Does using a VAR/broker undermine your position as a print buyer? After all it's your job to seek out printing sources for your company right? It's your job to produce print jobs for your company and as a savvy print buyer you probably have a tool box full of suppliers. Think of the VAR/broker as just another tool in that toolbox…a very specialized tool that you reach for when the others just won't fit. In time you will find that this tool is useful for many applications.

Is a VAR/broker a "middle man."? Absolutely. We are your advocate in a business that can be highly technical and confusing. It is our job to intervene on your behalf when you need us. I remember one large project with considerable outside bindery, where the job ran short. The printer said that he shipped plenty of overs and that the bindery must have wasted too many. The bindery said the printer shipped short. Each one had supporting paperwork to prove the other wrong. Meanwhile the customer just wanted her job! We got in the middle, absorbed most of the cost of going back on press and delivered the job with the proper quantity. Yes, on behalf of all VAR/brokers, I will gladly accept the term "middle man". I would have it no other way.

Will a VAR/broker keep secrets from you and then bail on you when there is a problem? Not a good one! Just as there are good printers and bad printers, so are there good and bad VAR/brokers. I suggest that you do some research before giving anyone your precious work. Here are some things to look for in a VAR/broker. First of all find out if they're operating as a VAR or a broker. As I mentioned earlier, I believe that a VAR offers a more secure structure for its clients because it is carrying the financial risk of the work. Beware of freelance salespeople. Find out about their business structure and their background. Have they been around for awhile or are they a new venture. Find out if they are a one man band with a beeper and cell phone or if they have permanent inside customer service people. Do they have a particular expertise? Do they have longstanding relationships with their suppliers or do they float around?

After some research I believe you will find that most VAR/brokers have made serious financial and personal commitment to their businesses. They want nothing more than an opportunity to dazzle you with their knowledge and service. I will leave you with one analogy. Using a VAR/broker is very similar to dining in a fine restaurant. The dining room ambiance is soothing and quiet, your dinner is presented on time and tastes wonderful…and all the while the chefs are arguing in the kitchen. You never have to deal with the chaos behind the scenes. That's why you go out to eat and why you use a VAR/broker. Bon appetite!

Allan Salzman is the owner of Atlas Press, Inc in Walpole, MA He can be reached at (508) 668-3383.

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