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Date change costs calendar maker £200,000

Fri, 14 Jun 2019 11:51:15 +0000

Following the government’s announcement that next year’s early May bank holiday would be changed, a luxury calendar maker has said the change will cost £200,000.

Print research centre to receive £7.7m

Fri, 14 Jun 2019 11:51:15 +0000

The University of the West of England’s (UWE Bristol) Centre for Fine Print Research (CFPR) is set to receive a £7.7m grant to fund further research into print technologies.

Healthy outlook at Digital Sign Technologies

Fri, 14 Jun 2019 11:51:15 +0000

Digital Sign Technologies has released a new update for its flagship Print Head Doctor machines, which it says is designed to clean any inkjet printhead and run complex cleaning programs completely unattended.

InPrint Munich hits 100 exhibitors

Fri, 14 Jun 2019 08:21:33 +0000

Organisers of InPrint Munich have confirmed that more than 100 exhibitors have already signed up to feature at this year’s event in November.

The Hi-Fi Generation

Steven Heller — Fri, 14 Jun 2019 05:27:46 +0000

Vinyl may be back, but it is an indulgence in which most Spotifiers do not partake. Designed for Hi-Fi Living: The Vinyl LP In Midcentury America by Janet Borgerson and Jonathan Schroeder (MIT Press) is a slice of American postwar life. It is also an indication of how music is visually interpreted. “We can’t actually see the music we hear,” writes Daniel Miller in the foreword to this fascinating new book. “Many classical music compositions have titles that claim to convey something such as a mountain, a stream or an ethnic identity.”

Sometimes this comes through a cover, other times only a faint mood is evoked. But the LP covers of the ’50s and ’60s still tell many stories. I asked Borgerson and Schroeder to discuss the relations of picture to sound and the importance of the distinctive pre-Rock LP covers they’ve collected for Designed for Hi-Fi Living.

Your collection as shown in this book is not what I collected. The mood music, the travel themes, etc., seems from an aspirational generation. Why are these the records you chose to “celebrate”?

Designed for Hi-Fi Living began with the album covers and purposely features neglected and under appreciated categories. Hawaii was probably the first thematic category of used vinyl album covers that we purposefully gathered together. We’d noted on vintage covers the use of women’s bodies, languishing near-naked in a champagne glass or bursting out of a brilliant purple background with the heading, in voluptuous font: Organ Moods. When we found these covers of women in cocktail glasses, draped over Wurlitzer keyboards or posed next to waterfalls or behind palm fronds, we bought them. One day we put all of them out on couches, windowsills and tables, comparing them and starting to think about them in the same way we thought about advertisements or branding campaigns in our writing about marketing communication and branding.

Leonid Hambro and Jascha Zaayde, Magnificent Two-Piano Performances, Command Classics, Grand Award Record Co. CC 11013 SD, cover designed by Charles E. Murphy.

Music For Hi-Fi Living, Volume 11 – Tony Osborne, A Trip to Romance, RCA RAL 1011, photograph by Howard Graff.

Danny Kuaana presents, Holiday in Hawaii, Capitol T 169, photograph by Paul Garrison, posed by the Hawaiian dancer Leialoha.

Music For Hi-Fi Living, Volume 8 – Malcolm Lockyer and his Orchestra, A Lazy Afternoon, RCA RAL 1008, photograph by Renault/Strosahl.

The covers were staged in a compelling way. Many had great colors, greens and blues and reds, maybe an exotic vision of a beach and the ocean. Suddenly, we realized that almost all of these were Hawaii LPs, such as Lure of the Islands, or Lure of Paradise, or Enchantment from Hawaii. That intrigued us. We found that many were released in 1959, around the time Hawaii became the 50th U.S. state. At some point, we found covers that featured white “mainland” women “going native,” especially on LPs like Your Hawaiian Honeymoon or Aloha Hawaii: blond-haired and blue-eyed, they donned native cloth and flowers, showed off pale skin, and attempted come hither looks in what was supposed to convey, we guessed, honeymoon paradise. We were seeing not just gender, but the significance of skin as expression of race and place. We wanted as many examples as possible, an archive that we could draw on for work on representations of race and gender and a colonialist gaze, because we were analyzing these aspects in our projects on advertisements and marketing communications. So, collecting began in earnest. When first looking at those Hawaii LP covers, and analyzing them over the years, we probably had some glimmer of insight into many of the issues we discuss in Designed for Hi-Fi Living. Our archive now includes well over 600 Hawaii albums.

When we flipped through used record bins we were noticing colors and layout and font—that’s probably what we saw first, then figures, particular locations, themes, repeated patterns that denoted an individual LP being part of a series, such as Columbia Records’ “Adventures in Sound” or Capitol Records’ “Capitol of the World.” And, we were finding covers with faded but evocative shots of Europe—a couple walking on the Champs-Élysées, or views of multi-windowed villas along a Venetian canal, and these often overlapped with “honeymoon” or “holiday” records that we noticed had been cropping up in our collection, maybe originally picked out for other reasons, like how the woman was posed or color design.

Peter Barclay and His Orchestra, Barbecue, Columbia CL 695, photo by Hedrich Blessing.

The brilliant orange and greens on Columbia’s Music for a Backyard Barbecue, from 1955, probably made that cover pop out to us. And then you see the woman in dress and pearls, the huge white barbecue grill, the boy in kimono, toy dog, and the table laid out with silverware, napkins and watermelon slices. It was so detailed, and odd. We realized that this album was part of a series called “Music for Gracious Living,” and so (before our more recent temptation to look for harder-to-find LPs online) we added another element to our mental list of desired covers and kept our eyes open every time we dug through old records. We found Buffet, another in the “Music for Gracious Living” series, next. The recipes on both of these were throwbacks to ham mousse and mayo-based salads. What could we do but begin to collect covers that included vintage recipes and forgotten foodways?

Then, there were covers that highlighted objects we were interested in, like those that included a turntable, or vinyl records themselves, or Scandinavian design, such as famed Dane Georg Jensen’s hanging lights on Coffee Time. And the joy of finding a cover that featured modernist classics, like a Bertoia or Eames chair! What was it about these vinyl records that found connections to, or resonance with, modern design? Initially, we were just focused on the presence of the chair as a design object that we enjoyed looking at, but then we started to ask questions; when we realized modern painting and sculpture also made an appearance, we wondered about this, too.

In the process of writing the book, we enjoyed encountering, and learning more about, graphic artist Mozelle Thompson, photographer Wendy Hilty, and a team of fashion photographers, Joe Leombruno and Jack Bodi, who worked under the name Leombruno-Bodi and produced memorable midcentury album covers.

Mantovani and his Orchestra, Manhattan, London PS328.

Sounds in Space, RCA Victor SP 33 13.

Many of these albums are to music (in my eyes) what paperback covers were to mid-level, even Harlequin romance fiction. Would you disagree?

In some ways, the LP covers had even less to do with the music than many book covers had to do with the “literary” or story content. A Harlequin cover might be said to literally picture a particular scene in the book (the ravishing hero holding the heroine, with Ireland’s green fields and cottages in the background); this is rarely true in relation to the vinyl LPs’ musical content (though perhaps true of the “here we are eating the food we described cooking” photo on the Hear How to Plan a Perfect Dinner Party LP cover). However, insofar as overall atmosphere of a book’s story might be captured by a particular aesthetic or “scene,” perhaps this parallel could be made. In many ways, the vinyl LP covers are “advertisements” for a set of lifestyle values; this might be said of what the book covers also generally were peddling. This is addressed more holistically regarding the collecting process and observations we describe in question No. 1.

Hi-Fi Living is a great title. How would you define the Hi-Fi age?

As with our themes and chapters overall, we take our lead from the record covers themselves. In this case, we took inspiration from the RCA Custom series Music for Hi-Fi Living, a 12-volume set that takes the viewer through what we understand to be a “Hi-Fi” lifecycle, which included country club dances with formal, exclusive glamour and displays of wealth (Vol. 1), lots of romance, for example in dating (Vol. 2) and marriage (Vols. 4 and 9), engagement with the wider world through attention to the U.S. cultural capitols, such as Hollywood (Vol. 3) and Broadway (Vols. 5 and 7), and also travel further afield for added sophistication with a “Lazy Afternoon” by an exotic rocky coast (Vol. 8), a Latin Holiday (Vol. 6), or a destination in the modern luxury of a Pullman car (Vol. 11). The Hi-Fi age includes the related contexts, signs and outcomes of these scenarios.

What is the fundamental difference besides size and speed of 45s and LPs?

45s were originally targeted at teenagers, whereas LPs were targeted at the adult audience and audiophiles. The LP format allowed more detailed visual communication via the cover than the 45 typically attempted.

When I think midcentury I think of a sleek, minimalist design. In your modern section there are contemporary environments and furniture, some simple type, but little of the abstraction that was modern. How do you define midcentury modern?

There are aspects of graphic abstraction in the Space chapter, where orbits and other movements present simple lines and Spirograph-like patterns. Another example of modernist design in the book is the Sinatra Tone Poems of Color LP by Saul Bass, using parallel lines of bright and distinct color to express the song titles and moods. Since we were coming across and buying LP covers with iconic midcentury furniture and design, such as Bertoia and Eames chairs, Russel Wright dishes and Georg Jensen lamps, and also abstract art, such as paintings by Jackson Pollock, Sam Francis and Al Held, these elements came to anchor meanings of midcentury modern in our Chapter 2. We love the graphic abstractions, say in the Command label’s Persuasive Percussion LPs, but these have been reproduced elsewhere, and we featured just one example from the Command label. In assembling our examples, we were guided by Cara Greenberg’s Mid-Century Modern: Furniture of the 1950s, which is often cited for her usage of the term in referring to furniture design, as well as Dominic Bradbury’s more recent book, Mid-century Complete. Again, the longish response in #1 addresses how our collection took the form that is has and, thus, what appears in the book.

Relaxing with Perry Como, RCA Victor LPM 1176, photograph by David B. Hecht; Bertoia chair courtesy Knoll Associates.

Ahmad Jamal, All of You, Argo, LP 691, photograph by Don Bronstein.

There is a lot of sitting on these covers. Can you figure out why?

An initial response is that most people sit while listening to music in their home, so one might say these cover photos are modeling listening behavior. Also, we feature many modern chairs, and a person sitting in them might be said to complete the picture. Other “Home” chapters in the book and the “Away” section, though, feature many people standing, walking and dancing. To push the enquiry a bit further, perhaps one reason LP covers that feature beautiful models sitting in classic midcentury chairs, such as Relaxing With Perry Como and Body and Soul With Norman Greene and His Orchestra, look so timeless and appealing is that they resemble reclining nudes from classical painting, with modernist furniture replacing Ottoman beds or Renaissance interiors. The reclining nude–interestingly, the model is not always depicted without clothing–has served for centuries as a way to represent ideal female beauty, as well as offer a titillating image. These LP covers echo the fine art tradition of reclining nudes, as they update them by incorporating modern settings, including midcentury chairs like Saarinen’s womb chair or the Eames shell chair. For contemporary record collectors, these LPs may represent a beautiful example of modernist-inspired “art” now; they are collectible as cheesecake covers, and sought out for their visual appeal as frame-worthy objects of desire.

The post The Hi-Fi Generation appeared first on Print Magazine.

Soyang and Blue Castle in green partnership

Thu, 13 Jun 2019 15:29:59 +0000

Recycling and reducing waste are important for many printers and sign-makers that wish to leave less of a negative stamp on the Earth.

Solopress doubles up with Agfa investment

Thu, 13 Jun 2019 11:50:58 +0000

Solopress has purchased two new Agfa Anapurna hybrid UV LED printers as part of an effort to satisfy the rapidly growing wide-format area of its business.

Printed paper sensors could reduce food waste

Thu, 13 Jun 2019 10:52:37 +0000

Academics at Imperial College London have developed a low-cost, smartphone-linked and eco-friendly packaging solution for identifying out-of-date meat and fish.

IPT signs off on Pantone distribution deal

Thu, 13 Jun 2019 08:51:01 +0000

Inks & Printing Technologies (IPT) has secured a deal become an authorised distributor for Pantone.

Books Uncovered

Steven Heller — Thu, 13 Jun 2019 05:54:34 +0000

The work of Argentinian book cover designer/illustrator Juan Ángel Cotta is now a book, Cotta & Los Libros Del Mirasol by Leandro Castelao and Francisco Roca of Flecha Books. I wrote the Prólogo in which I admit not knowing his work, stating, “Designers remain unknown for a variety of reasons, not the least of which is geographic. Graphic design history is always changing, in large part because there is so much of it and most of the record is United States and Eurocentric.”

This beautifully designed an packaged volume is an exciting addition to a growing graphic design field of study. Learning about his work has given me even more of a perspective on how the language of modernism appealed to audiences from around the world.

The work of many South American designers, like Juan Ángel Cotta, is now being discovered and connected to the history of design.

The post Books Uncovered appeared first on Print Magazine.

Avery “Wrap Like A King” challenge opens for registration

Wed, 12 Jun 2019 15:26:13 +0000

Avery Dennison Graphics Solutions has announced the opening of its annual Wrap Like A King Challenge.

Wrights Plastics increase productivity with an Océ Arizona

Wed, 12 Jun 2019 15:24:35 +0000

A leading retail display, print and signage company has unveiled the latest addition to their range of printers.

Solopress invests in 2 new Agfa Anapurna H2500i LED systems

Wed, 12 Jun 2019 15:22:30 +0000

Solopress has become the latest new customer for Agfa UK, investing in two new Agfa Anapurna hybrid UV LED printers to satisfy their rapidly growing wide format area of the business.

AMS to showcase mailing arsenal

Wed, 12 Jun 2019 11:04:48 +0000

UK mail preparation equipment supplier AMS will this month stage a special open house event to demonstrate how its solutions can help print companies enhance their service offering.

Creatives to join for latest Expoganza

Wed, 12 Jun 2019 11:04:48 +0000

Now in its third year, Expoganza is returning to Manchester for its first UK edition of 2019.

De La Rue exits identity market in £42m sale

Wed, 12 Jun 2019 11:04:48 +0000

De La Rue has announced the sale of its identity solutions business, which will see the buyer take on printing contracts of security documents including visas and birth, death and marriage certificates.

Streamline Press lands £250,000 funding package

Wed, 12 Jun 2019 09:09:33 +0000

Leicester-based commercial printer Streamline Press has secured a funding package worth £250,000 from MEIF Maven East & South East Midlands Debt Finance to support its profit improvement and growth strategy.

Yearbook Moderne

Steven Heller — Wed, 12 Jun 2019 05:24:43 +0000

Its graduation and yearbook season, and I was recently surprised to find my mother’s high school yearbook — especially as it was designed with stylish panache. I was looking for some specimens of moderne typography, and lo and behold, the Oriole from Evander Childs High School jumped off the shelf as though straight from the Bauhaus.

The cover is obviously hand lettered in a very modernistic (slightly illegible) manner (in fact, I thought it was titled “Circle.”) The interior headlines are set in Kabel and text type seems to be Futura — and a progressive use of lower case and spaced-out as well. Cool for a high school.

The cover of the Evander Childs High School yearbook from 1936.

Advertisements included Charles Steurer Press, The Bronx, University Insignia Company, The Towne Printers and the Strathmore Press, all in Manhattan. Not bad design for a New York City public high school.

The post Yearbook Moderne appeared first on Print Magazine.

Hybrid instant camera “instax mini LiPlay”

Wed, 12 Jun 2019 04:00:00 +0000

BBC SCIENCE FOCUS SCOOPS TWO AWARDS AT THE 2019 BSME TALENT AWARDS

Ashleigh Grady — Tue, 11 Jun 2019 13:36:02 +0000

BBC Science Focus magazine, the UK’s no.1 science and technology magazine. picked up two awards, and a highly commended, at the 2019 British Society of Magazines (BSME) Talent Awards, at Omeara in London last night (Monday 10^th June 2019)

In a hugely successful evening for BBC Science Focus, Helen Glenny won the Best Editorial Assistant Award, praised by the judges for assuming an incredible amount of responsibility and showing maturity beyond her experience.

Features Editor, Jason Goodyer picked up the Best Section Editor Award, commended by the judges for creative and entertaining angles on complex subjects, with features which are well thought through packages.

BBC Science Focus’ Production Editor, Alice Lipscombe-Southwell, was also highly commended in the Best Subbing/Production Team category.

Daniel Bennett, BBC Science Focus Editor, says: “The BSME talent awards are a brilliant way to celebrate the incredible people we have working in this industry. We were up against some of the best magazines in the business, so it feels particularly special to have come away with a handful of awards.”

The BSME Talent Awards reward the brilliance of the all-too-often overlooked members of editorial and digital teams.

Epson plots new technology showcase at Print Show

Tue, 11 Jun 2019 12:37:08 +0000

Epson has revealed that it will use The Print Show 2019 to demonstrate new technology in the UK for the first time, with the digital print giant saying the event offers “huge opportunities” for visitors to find out how they can grow their print business.

Apogee celebrates four years with London Marathon

Tue, 11 Jun 2019 11:52:43 +0000

Multi-brand print services provider Apogee has revealed it once again supported the Virgin Money London Marathon, providing a network of print and document equipment to the event for the fourth consecutive year.

Kodak helps businesses with blockchain

Tue, 11 Jun 2019 11:05:35 +0000

Kodak has launched a new document management service for businesses that utilises blockchain technology to keep documents safe and secure.

Kyocera lands record sustainability award

Tue, 11 Jun 2019 08:38:09 +0000

Kyocera Document Solutions has picked up the Japanese Environment Minister’s Award for Global Warming Prevention Activity for the ninth consecutive year – a record achievement.

A Dutch Type History Redux

Steven Heller — Tue, 11 Jun 2019 05:29:57 +0000

Dutch Type, originally published in 2004, is among my favorite books on type for its deep scholarship and broad brushstrokes. Printed in an edition of 3,500 copies, it sold out in three years. Not bad for a book of such specialized interest. In the past year or two copies have been listed online for between $400 and $800 for a copy. So rather than rest on such dubious laurels, in 2018 author Jan Middendorp decided to self-publish a near-identical reprint of Dutch Type, and successfully financed the production with crowdfunding.

Published by Middendorp’s own Drucke Editions, the book is not only a rich source of history but a text book example of how independent (or self-) publishing has become an answer to the rising costs for and flagging interest from mainstream publishers book documents of this kind. I spoke with Middendorp about his rationales.

What makes Dutch Type, well, DUTCH TYPE!? What are the distinguishing characteristics from the past? And is there an aesthetic, formal or philosophical quality that distinguishes it from today?

In past centuries, Dutch text type — which until about 1600 should be referred to as type from the Low Lands, i.e. including the current Flanders — displayed its own characteristics, just like typefaces from other countries with an approach of their own. Some keywords: practicality, openness, sturdiness. Also: probably the first type culture that consistently tried out larger x-heights and shorter extenders. Yet it’s hard to define the “Dutchness” that is hidden in their construction and in the relative simplicity of its details. However, that spirit is somehow visible throughout the centuries, culminating in the highly original work of 20th century figures like Jan van Krimpen, Bram de Does. Gerrit Noordzij and Gerard Unger.

Devoting most of its pages to the twentieth century, my book also features hundreds of examples of individualistic lettering — from geometrically construction Art Deco shapes to commercial art and script forms — with many lettering designers showing a highly personal and eclectic approach which seems to have little patience for nostalgia.

This book is an important chronicle of a significant legacy. How long did you research? And write?

Thank you! My research had three parallel tracks, which happened simultaneously. I spent many hours in libraries and archives; I met and interviewed practically all living type designers in or from the Netherlands. And finally: I indulged in an intuitive kind of research that was often pure serendipity and mostly consisted of visits to dozens of antiquarian bookshops, book fairs and markets. It was hard work, but also great fun. My wife and I chanced upon work that was forgotten, well-known but hard to find, or simply shouting at us to be bought (and not too expensive).

Writing the book wasn’t my only job. Between 1997 and 2003 (the years of research and writing) I wrote for various magazines, did graphic design for cultural institutions in Belgium, and also worked as an editor and designer for the Dutch-Flemish FontShop. The latter opened up the digital type design world in a very informal and enjoyable way.

What was your criteria for inclusion and exclusion (as I’m sure you left something on the cutting room floor)?

As for the digital era: I did look into all type designers that came from the Netherlands or worked there permanently and I only left out a few individuals whose seemed unprofessional or had stopped working in type after a few years. In general, even the imperfect work was often intriguing and very personal. I may have underestimated a couple of designers who were just starting up at the time. I don’t think I would work the same way today, fifteen-to-twenty years later.

You published in 2004. Now using your own imprint you republished based on crowd-funding sources. Do you have a sense about why 3500 copies was the limit?

Those 3,500 copies were the run that 010 Publishers chose for the original edition; it seemed a very reasonable number. However, the edition was sold out after about 4 years, and for various reasons, there was no reprint. The book soon became an expensive collectors’ item. When their imprint was taken over by the Architecture Institute, the original owners gave me back my rights. I was too busy as an editor and consultant for FontShop International and, later, MyFonts, to respond to the many requests I received. But in 2018 the time was right. Proposals from other publishers had not really convinced me, and the plan to thoroughly update the book felt more and more like a bad idea. Many people loved, and desired, the original book. A rigorous update would have meant: rewriting the second half, and replacing much of the intriguing pieces in it by new, possibly less cutting-edge work. And so I produced a near-facsimile of the original, printed at the same printer and sold at the same price as in 2004. After an amazingly successful Kickstarter campaign I decided to produce 3,000 copies. Maybe that was a bit too optimistic.

In doing your own publishing what are the challenges you’ve face and continue to face?

We encountered problems I had not expected. When producing the cover, which was an updated version of the original design, it turned out that today’s “silver” ink is more environmentally friendly and contains less heavy metal than the old one, and was hard to read on the greyish blue background. I had to return to the printer in Belgium a couple of times to experiment with alternative technique. Similar thing for the shipment: many copies were lost or damaged by the couriers that the fulfilment agency had hired. I suddenly found myself a business man and administrator — that must have happened to hundreds of software and font designers who decided to go it alone. But a book can’t be pumped through wires, and that made each transaction more complicated. So I have welcomed the help of various retail platforms, including the international distributor Idea Books in Amsterdam, who also sold the book worldwide in 2004.

I understand the importance of having this book remain in print. Have you been receiving requests, especially from students?

Many students and young designers told me they were “desperately” looking for an affordable copy of the book. Online its prize went up to $500-1000. So in the end … I felt producing a high-quality reprint was my duty.

Some books go onto the web and are there forever. Why didn’t you go that route?

I don’t like half-baked solutions. But I actually did a very informal survey on Twitter to find out if an affordable PDF version online could work. Type designer Ramiro Espinosa, living and working in The Hague, commented: “Don’t! People love to see those letterforms ON PAPER!” And he offered to help me revive the old Quark Xpress files assisted by his partner Paula Mastrangelo. Without their enthusiasm, the printed version might never have materialized. I was also very grateful for the unproblematic OK from the original designers, Bart de Haas and Peter Verheul.

Finally, what is different, if anything, about this edition?

First of all: the interior looks even fresher and more precisely printed. As for the text: My personal copy of the first edition had several dozens of Post-Its, marking tiny errors: a wrong date or nationality here, a typo there. I think we managed to eliminate 99% of those errors. And I added one picture — my own photo of Van Doesburg’s lettering in the Aubette building in Strasbourg, which at the time of my research was not accessible —they were still busy reconstructing it. And so I visited that place six or seven years ago and found just one word (“messieurs” over the bathroom door) which to me seemed authentic.

And I added a short 2018 appendix to the introduction, explaining how the book’s revival come into being. And the main difference — ha-ha — is that it’s not sold out, and that hundreds of copies are still waiting to be owned.

The post A Dutch Type History Redux appeared first on Print Magazine.

FM Future set to drive industry success

Mon, 10 Jun 2019 12:55:43 +0000

Frazer Chesterman and Marcus Timson, the brains behind the company that launched the InPrint and EcoPrint events, have founded a new consultancy business, with the aim of helping businesses grow and access new markets.

Start-up Crispy Mountain acquired by Heidelberg

Mon, 10 Jun 2019 11:36:37 +0000

Crispy Mountain has established itself within the print industry with its cloud-based software management information system, Keyline.

Konica Minolta praises debut innovation event

Mon, 10 Jun 2019 10:32:18 +0000

Konica Minolta is considering hosting further events in the UK after revealing the debut edition of its ‘Innovation to Implementation’ attracted major praise from those that were in attendance.

IDL takes first UK EFI h5 hybrid

Mon, 10 Jun 2019 09:00:27 +0000

Witham, Essex-based IDL Colourlink has become the first UK customer for EFI’s Vutek h5 3.2m hybrid wide format printer that was launched at Fespa. The large format production specialist bought the new machine to expand its offering to retail and events customers.

A Vutek user of 13 years’ standing, production director Ben power explained that a pair of QS Pro models that had been installed five years ago were ‘due an upgrade’ but that by going to the h5 model, IDL has skipped a generation.

‘We were keen to be an early adopter of the h5. We do a lot of window graphics and the nine-layer double-sided capability is a big thing for us,’ said Mr Power. Although alternatives were considered, the desire to remain with the Vutek brand was met, thanks in no small part to the strength of the relationship with supplier CMYUK. ‘It would have to be very serious kit to change,’ he commented, adding that compared to the existing Vuteks, the h5 would represent a five-fold speed increase.

Mr Power said that the arrival of the h5 would see some work transferred from existing latex and even dye-sub printers. ‘The latex printers are more expensive to run due to ink costs, and the new UV inks are more flexible. This allows us to react quicker and avoids the calendaring process and costs,’ he explained.

‘The LED [curing] technology will change the way we work, our reaction time and the range of materials – a culture change for us,’ he added. Mr Power believes the capabilities of the new printer will help IDL in its plans to expand its portfolio from printing and finishing to full design-to-installation services, via an already established studio in central London.

The printer will be accompanied by a new Fiery DFE which will allow for remote monitoring of the printer, common job set-up and editing tools both in the prepress studio and at the printer itself and help gather data on machine performance, ink and substrate consumption and wastage.

Next on IDL’s shopping list is a cutting table to complement two existing Zünd units; a laser cutter for handing a growing volume of fabric work is a requirement.

Global debut of Mimaki hybrid textile printer at ITMA 2019

Mon, 10 Jun 2019 08:58:07 +0000

Mimaki Engineering has announced that it will showcase its broad portfolio of cutting-edge digital print technologies at ITMA 2019 (20-26 June 2019, Fira de Barcelona, Spain). This will include the first global showing of a brand-new hybrid digital textile printer, uniquely featuring both direct-to-textile and direct-to-transfer print capabilities.
Crucially, these features enable textile and garment manufacturers to achieve unparalleled flexibility and enhanced application opportunities for increased business growth. To facilitate these benefits, the new Mimaki printer also allows multiple sets of inks to be loaded simultaneously, supporting increased fabric range versatility and maximum product variety.

As the future of textile printing and for further production benefits, Mimaki will also give a sneak preview of its new and upcoming TA Job Controller software, specifically designed for textile production environments. For use on Mimaki’s successful, EDP-award winning Tiger Pro Series and Rimslow TR Series as well as all other Mimaki textile printers, TA Job Controller enables users to connect one-on-one to the RIP and other devices, for an automated workflow from design to pre-print, print and post print processes.

Featuring pioneering inkjet printing equipment, advanced workflow software and top-performance inks, Mimaki will demonstrate how its long-term commitment to the textile arena and extensive investment in R&D can help textile print service providers to boost their business. It will also show them how they can cut their production costs and diversify their offering to maintain competitiveness.

Avery CleanFlake wins FINAT Recycling & Sustainability award

Mon, 10 Jun 2019 08:54:25 +0000

An innovation from Avery Dennison that enables closed-loop PET recycling has won this year’s FINAT Recycling and Sustainability award. The CleanFlake portfolio enables production of high quality recycled PET (rPET) from post-consumer bottles while maintaining all-important visual impact and food contact approval. The portfolio is further reducing environmental impact by using recycled PET liner material.

Jeroen Diderich, vice president and general manager EMEA, said that the award is a great recognition of Avery Dennison's continued focus on sustainable innovation: “FINAT is an important organisation representing our customer base and we are delighted with this win. CleanFlake technology is one example of the many initiatives we are introducing to reduce material use and waste. Generating clean PET flakes, free of label and ink contamination, is a difficult task for recyclers. We worked to develop a label that would separate from bottles completely in a conventional recycling facility, and CleanFlake can close the loop – generating high quality rPET suitable for making new PET bottles or other food packaging.”

Why I Love Rick and Morty Comic Books and Why You Should Too

Jason Tselentis — Mon, 10 Jun 2019 05:29:55 +0000

Fans of Adult Swim’s Rick and Morty cartoon series have been waiting for season 4 to arrive, and—finally!—this November it’s happening. If you’ve already binged seasons 1–3, and crave even more Rick and Morty, then you’re in luck. Oni Press has plenty of Rick and Morty comics to hold you over until season 4 gets here.

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November. Rick and Morty is returning in November. #WarnerMediaUpfront #rickandmorty @adultswim

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Rick and Morty, How to Sum It Up? Awwwww Geez!

Rick and Morty has science fiction you’d see in movies such as Blade Runner or The Matrix Trilogy or Interstellar, as well as 2001: A Space Odyssey, with the added bonus of twists and turns you’d find in The Twilight Zone. It also has zaniness on par with Being John Malkovich, Mad Max, Weird Science, Fight Club, and pretty much every David Cronenberg movie, especially The Fly, but let’s throw in Scanners and Videodrome for good measure.

The household tensions, parents debating, and sibling rivalries also make Rick and Morty feel like a family sitcom, especially the relationship between grandpa Rick and his grandson Morty, characters directly inspired by Back to the Future’s Doc and Marty—fun fact, before becoming Rick and Morty, it was a Justin Roiland cartoon about characters named Doc and Mharti. In addition to that Back to the Future element, countless other references and influences make defining Rick and Morty difficult because it’s one big—huge huge!—mash-up. Dan Harmon & Justin Roiland, and their stable of writers and directors, have created a buffet of what Marshall McLuhan would call hot and cold media, this is a post postmodernist cartoon for media omnivores.

Polymaths will love it, and let’s not forget the kids, they absolutely adore Rick and Morty. No matter who you are, part of the appeal is the depth because Rick and Morty comics is like the Marvel Cinematic Universe, where you want to take apart and analyze every single element, every character and situation and possible outcome—time travel be damned! Trouble is, you might have a hard time taking apart Rick and Morty and analyzing its components. It’s immense and crazy and so much more.

An Entertaining Calamity

There’s no simple way to categorize the show because Rick and Morty is funny, vile, sad, absurd, grotesque, science-y, and thrilling. It’s also highly entertaining. Regretfully, I came to Rick and Morty late, practically on accident. I say accident because I watch cartoons. I seek them out not only because I’m a parent with two children, but also because I’ve always loved cartoons. I grew up watching everything from Scooby Doo, Where Are You! to Captain Caveman to G.I. Joe, as well as Transformers, ThunderCats, He-Man, She-Ra: Princess of Power, Batman the Animated Series, The Powerpuff Girls, Dexter’s Laboratory, and Pinky and the Brain. I even watched Freakazoid! and The Maxx during their limited runs.

Let’s not forget The Simpsons, Ren & Stimpy, Daria, and Beavis and Butthead. And when it comes to the new stuff, Adventure Time, The Amazing World of Gumball, Teen Titans Go!, We Bare Bears, Clarence, Uncle Grandpa, Craig of the Creek, Steven Universe, and Over the Garden Wall, are just a sampling of the cartoons I watch. You could say I love cartoons—others might say that I have a problem.

The Quest for More and More and More Rick and Morty

As a long-time cartoon watcher and cartoon fan—cartoon junkie?—it took me far too long to discover Rick and Morty, but when I did, it was at peak Rick and Morty, season 3. At the tail end of summer 2017, I’d read about how Dan Harmon, who produced Community, had a cartoon on Adult Swim. Immediately after reading this, I raced to the television, searched for Rick and Morty, found an upcoming episode, set the DVR to record, and then went about my day. Almost two weeks later, I finally got a chance to sit down, unwind, and watch.

I grabbed the remote, scrolled to Rick and Morty on the DVR, season 3 episode 3, and hit play for “Pickle Rick” to begin. OHHHHH! GEEZ! I laughed—at one point, so hard that tears erupted from my eyes—and enjoyed it so much that right after watching it, I re-watched it again. Ever since then I’ve been addicted, a fan who’s watched—and re-watched—seasons 1, 2, and 3 over and over and over.

Then the longing set in. Re-watching each episode in each season was rewarding, but after multiple viewings I needed something new—a bigger hit for this cartoon junkie. Summer 2018, almost one year since discovering “Pickle Rick” on Adult Swim, I came across the Rick and Morty comics from Oni Press. New adventures. Fresh jokes. Absurd situations. Salvation! Rather than a finely threaded three-act narrative that unwinds from cover to cover, each comic is more of an anthology with different stories packed into a single issue.

The artists and writers capture the spirit of Adult Swim’s Rick and Morty cartoons with all the disgustingness, technological-wackiness, fun & games, and at times sadness you see in the cartoon series. The bonus? Not only has Oni Press produced, as of this writing, 50 issues of its Rick and Morty comics, but they’ve also released special issues featuring some of the show’s stand-out characters: Lil’ Poopy Superstar, Jerry, Krombopulos Michael, and of course, Pickle Rick, among others.

From Screen to Page

For a cartoon I could best describe as neither The Simpsons nor Family Guy, but rather, a show so absurd and shocking that it makes The Simpsons look as wholesome as The Andy Griffith Show, the creators at Oni Press had a big challenge when it came to adapting Rick and Morty for print. But they’ve done it, and done it well. It’s loyal to the source material. The characters are all there, including ones on the periphery. The tone is right. The stories entertain.

The one thing that might be jarring for some readers—aside from some unpleasant situations—is that from one comic to another and sometimes from one story to another in a single issue, the art varies, but truthfully, that’s part of the comic book’s charm. Most comic book readers already know that it’s nice to see different art here and there. Fans of Batman will read anything with Batman, whether the art is by Frank Miller or Jim Lee or Greg Capullo. The same happens here,

Multiple Choices

Steven Heller — Mon, 10 Jun 2019 05:00:37 +0000

DESIGNerd, a multiple choice design trivia game app and analog card game, was founded and developed by Australian-based designer and publisher, Kevin Finn, on behalf of design enthusiasts the world over. When asked what inspired DESIGNerd 100+, Finn says simply:

“I’m a self-confessed DESIGNerd, passionate about all forms of design. I simply want to share design knowledge with other design enthusiasts, but in a fun and engaging way. And, what could be more engaging than learning what some of our most respected designers think is relevant or interesting to know?”

For a free trial app, go here.

The post Multiple Choices appeared first on Print Magazine.

Everyman Marker

Steven Heller — Fri, 07 Jun 2019 05:00:58 +0000

Timothy Goodman has been using Sharpie markers for a while. To say he’s in love with his pens may be an exaggeration, but he’s passionate about them and his workbook Sharpie Art Workshop: Techniques & Ideas for Transforming Your World is certainly adoration of the medium. I asked Timothy Goodman to make his mark about his book.

What gave you the idea to do a Sharpie workbook?

An old teacher of mine always says, “If you want to change your tool, then change your look.” Five years ago I made a decision to get my hand in my work more, and it all started when I had the opportunity to do a mural for the Ace Hotel in NYC. I basically locked myself in this hotel room for three days with a Sharpie Paint Marker. Since then I’ve adopted a whimsical handlettering and drawing style that I now do for a variety of clients, such as an installation in Airbnb HQ, drawing all over a new Ford car, and art for Starbucks. I also use Sharpie for the personal stuff I do, like my 2Pac mural in Las Vegas and my Instagram writing series, “Memories of a Girl I Never Knew.” It’s really become an extension of me and my work, so this book only made sense for me to author.

The book highlights different ideas and techniques you can use with a Sharpie marker, from making handmade gifts to creating murals to repurposing and drawing on old objects to simply doodling in your notebook. The book also features some amazing artists from around the world such as Julia Rothman, Shantell Martin, Jessica Walsh, Debbie Millman, Gemma O’Brien, Kate Bingaman-Burt, Mireia Ruiz, Jen Mussari, Carolyn Sewell, Erik Marinovich, Mikey Burton and more.

Is Sharpie on board with this?

Sharpie has authorized the book. They loved the book concept and gave us creative freedom to develop the book.

Is there a creative advantage with a Sharpie?

I think the vast array of different kinds of markers they sell gives you an advantage. I have found that their paint markers, more than other brands, are the most reliable and comfortable when I’m creating a mural. I also LOVE their brush tips for lettering.

People love their pens. What is it about Sharpie that is so millennial?

I think Sharpie has done a good job at staying in the zeitgeist. They can be found in office stores, drug stores and almost anywhere writing utensils are sold all around the world. It’s a brand that my generation has kind of grown up with. And like any brand, it’s important to stay relevant. I believe they’ve done a good job of that via social media and various partnerships.

Is Sharpie the Magic Marker of the 2000s? Or are they apples and pears?

I know a lot of artists who use other marker brands such as Krink, but those brands are usually much more expensive and don’t have the reach that Sharpie does. Sharpie is kind of the ‘everyman’ marker: kids use them to draw pictures, athletes use them to sign autographs, artists use them in their work, some people might use them to touch up a scratch on their piano, my mom uses them to write a grocery list, etc.

You can buy Sharpie Art Workshop: Techniques & Ideas for Transforming Your World by Timothy Goodman right here.

The post Everyman Marker appeared first on Print Magazine.

New Swiss!print impresses EDP

Thu, 06 Jun 2019 12:21:47 +0000

The first swissQprint roll to roll printer premièred at Fespa 2019 and was at the same time honoured by the EDP Awards in the "roll to roll printer >320 cm" category.

Massivit 3D appoints Eyal Manzoor as VP Global Sales

Thu, 06 Jun 2019 12:15:05 +0000

Massivit 3D Printing Technologies, the leading provider of large format 3D printing solutions, has announced the appointment of Eyal Manzoor as the company’s new VP Global Sales.

Summa to showcase the L1810 laser cutter at ITMA 2019

Thu, 06 Jun 2019 12:12:35 +0000

Summa nv, a leading supplier of high-end cutting, finishing and laser cutting solutions, is getting ready to showcase the high productivity the L1810 laser cutter can provide for a wide range of applications during ITMA 2019, at booth D154 in hall 3.

BBC GOOD FOOD AND LEARNING WITH EXPERTS JOIN FORCES TO LAUNCH ONLINE TEACHING COURSES

Ashleigh Grady — Thu, 06 Jun 2019 10:14:14 +0000

BBC Good Food Pilot Pioneering Online Cookery Courses

BBC Good Food, the UK’s biggest food media brand, has partnered with award winning EdTech start up, Learning with Experts, to deliver online cookery classes.

With three decades of culinary knowledge, BBC Good Food is trialling the new, highly accessible, digital format to offer cooking skills for home cooks from Monday 1 July. Comprising of two courses, the BBC Good Food collection, consumers can learn from two BBC Good Food senior food editors: Essential skills, including cooking with seafood, baking, knife skills and making spice mixes, with Cassie Best, or a deep dive into Making sourdough at home with Barney Desmazery.

Christine Hayes, Editor in Chief, BBC Good Food says: “For 30 years we’ve been showing Britain how to cook, making it easy to create good food every day. This partnership faciliates an even closer relationship with our audience, allowing food enthusiasts across the world access to our knowledgeable, approachable food editors and the opportunity to interact and learn in a virtual classroom’

Learning with Experts Founder/CEO, Elspeth Briscoe, commented: “People feel safe in secure online community groups, learning from established brands and experts they know and trust. As the the UK’s best-selling food media brand, BBC Good Food is perfectly placed to offer teaching expertise through our award winning digital formats.”

The BBC Good Food collection is available here as package, including both the courses for £49, or each course individually for £29.

About the courses:

BBC Good Food: Sourdough at home

BBC Good Food: Sourdough at home with Barney Desmazery
Discover sourdough as you’ve never known it before. Barney will guide you through the manufacture, variations, and applications of this incredible artisan bread.

BBC Good Food: Essential skills for home cooks

BBC Good Food: Essential skills for home cooks with Cassie Best
From spices to squid, from marinades to madeleines, and from chiffonade to choux pastry – Cassie Best teaches you all the cooking skills you need.

BBC Good Food Collection

Comprising both courses, unlock your culinary potential and discover the power of great food.

The Moon, The Mind, The Movie

Steven Heller — Thu, 06 Jun 2019 05:00:12 +0000

The late Robert Grossman’s Academy Award nominee claymation short film, “Jimmy The C” can be downloaded here. It’s a classic. With Trump as a not-so-funny national embarrassment and Congress as his even less amusing cat toy, it is refreshing to recall when political satire was done with a certain amount of respected for the satirized. Watch this an have a pleasant day.

The post The Moon, The Mind, The Movie appeared first on Print Magazine.

Punk for a Day: Graphic Design History and the Punk Aesthetic

Callie Budrick — Wed, 05 Jun 2019 05:48:06 +0000

Youth culture is known for rebellion. But insurgence may have hit a a fever pitch in 1970s Britain with the start of punk and the emergence of the punk aesthetic. Maintaining the ideology that “anyone can do it,” the young punks of the time began transforming the music scene from polished and produced to something fast and aggressive. Independently made 7-inch vinyl became the center of design for the nihilistic disruptors influenced by Dadaist collage, the 1960s underground press and counter-culture protest graphics from decades prior.

Punk was about opposition—whether that meant fashion trends, literature, venues or music. According to Russ Bestley’s HitsvilleUK site, the general rule of thumb when it came to music was, “if it can’t be said in three minutes, it’s not worth saying.” This credo followed punk throughout its sub-genres, from Proto Punk and Novelty Punk to Anarcho Punk and Real Punk. And was highly reflected in the graphic design of the culture.

Fast, messy, unpolished—whether it was an album cover, a promotional poster or a DIY zine, these tenets held steadfast.

“This was an art of expediency, making use of collage, cartoon drawings, hand-lettering, rub-down lettering, ransom-note lettering, stencils,…rubber-stamping and black and white Xerox copying, as well as silkscreen and offset litho,” writes Rick Poynor in an article for Design Observer.

These choices weren’t made from lack of planning or knowledge of design. No. Each design was created with the intention of questioning the standards and defying the norms of contemporary culture. Plenty of Punk musicians even had backgrounds in graphic design. For example, both Penny Rimbaud and Gee Vaucher, co-founders of the highly-regarded band Crass, were trained in graphic design, specifically working with books and typesetting. “…A lot of the projects at college were: ‘This is the product, how do you design and market it? How do you corporate idea?’ …It was a very distinct policy that things should have an instantly recognizable image,” says Rimbaud.

And it’s true—Punk’s image is anything but ambiguous. Johan Kugelberg puts it best in his book The Art of Punk, co-authored with Jon Savage, “The history of the punk aesthetic cannot be told, only shown.”

Images of the Punk Aesthetic

Punk: An Aesthetic edited by Johan Kugelberg and Jon Savage (Rizzoli)

Poly Styrene, X-Ray Spex at The Round House, 1978, lithograph. Collection of Andrew Krivine.

Ramones Los Angeles fan club mail-out, USA, 1977. Source: Punk: An Aesthetic (Rizzoli)

Black Flag, “Jealous Again” 12-inch EP, SST, USA, 1980. Design: Raymond Pettibon. Source: The Art of Punk

Pretty Disobedient, screenprinted poster by Shepard Fairey, USA, 2001. Signed by Fairey

Punk: An Aesthetic edited by Johan Kugelberg and Jon Savage (Rizzoli)

Anti, I Don’t Want to Die in Your War LP, New Underground, USA, 1982; Design: Dan Phillips, Ed Colver, Gary Kail. Source: The Art of Punk

Prag Vec, “Existential” 7-inch single, Spec, UK, 1978. Source: The Art of Punk

Anarchy in the U.K. fanzine, UK, 1976. Photo: Ray Stevenson. Design: Jamie Reid. Source: Punk: An Aesthetic

The post Punk for a Day: Graphic Design History and the Punk Aesthetic appeared first on Print Magazine.

My First Encyclopedia

Steven Heller — Wed, 05 Jun 2019 05:00:03 +0000

The first edition of “The Golden Book Encyclopedia” was published in a joint venture between Simon & Schuster and Western Printing and Lithographing Company in 1946. The author of the edition was Dorothy A. Bennett and the illustrator was Cornelius De Witt. It made a impression on me, if only for the wealth of illustrations, notably the formulaic tromp l’oeil covers, featuring a painted collage of the contents of each volume. Imagine doing so many. I often fantasized that secret messages were strategically placed therein. Probably not, but in my mind the encyclopedia covers were kinda-maybe the precedent of the Sgt. Pepper cover.

A 16-volume hardcover edition was published from 1959 to 1969; these sets were written by Bertha Morris Parker, formerly of the Laboratory Schools at the University of Chicago and research associate at the Chicago Natural History Museum. The 1988 edition, titled “The Golden Book Encyclopedia” lists the author as “Golden Press,” and contains 4 extra volumes, making it a 20-volume set.

The post My First Encyclopedia appeared first on Print Magazine.

FUJIFILM Corporation announces the introduction of a novel, fully integrated continuous production system for the manufacture of biopharmaceuticals.

Wed, 05 Jun 2019 02:00:00 +0000

Fujifilm invests in JUNTEN BIO, a regenerative medicine venture company.

Tue, 04 Jun 2019 02:00:00 +0000

Digital Sign Services takes second 5.2m wide EFI Vutek 5r+

Thu, 30 May 2019 09:33:53 +0000

Guildford-based Digital Sign Services has bought its second 5.2m wide EFI Vutek 5r+ LED roll-to-roll printer within six months.

The Printing Charity extends its reach and impact

Thu, 30 May 2019 09:31:49 +0000

The Printing Charity helped 1,737 people in 2018, an increase of 34% on the previous year. The figure was announced by the charity’s chairman Jon Wright at its 192nd Annual General Meeting.

Fespa visitor figures out

Thu, 30 May 2019 09:30:39 +0000

Fespa Global Print Expo 2019 attracted 20,780 individual visitors from 137 countries over the four day show in May at Messe Munchen. Total attendance including repeat visits reached 34,104, with almost two thirds of all visitors committing two or more days to the show.

Barberan introduces trueTexture print system

Thu, 30 May 2019 09:28:39 +0000

Barberan, in collaboration with ZeeTree, has developed a digital printing technology to deliver embossed materials effects for the furniture and flooring industry.

Belgium-based Hecht set to install an Acuity Ultra

Thu, 30 May 2019 09:26:09 +0000

Belgian-headquartered wide-format PSP Hecht will this month install the Fujifilm Acuity Ultra it ordered at Fespa Global.

IMMEDIATE MEDIA CO WIN FIVE AWARDS AT BRITISH MEDIA AWARDS 2019

Ashleigh Grady — Tue, 28 May 2019 09:56:56 +0000

Immediate Media Co, the special interest content and platform company, picked-up five awards at the 2019 British Media Awards on Thursday 22^nd May, at the Hilton on London’s Park Lane.

bbcgoodfood.com was named Digital Product of the Year, following a strong 2018 which saw record breaking visitor figures. The brand also received a bronze award for Launch of the Year category for the new Good Food Alexa Skill. The voice skill gives access to the brand’s entire collection of over 11,000 recipes and allows the user to select a recipe and enjoy a completely hands-free cooking experience controlled entirely by voice on Alexa-enabled devices including Amazon Echo and Echo Dot.

The Immediate Media and Google partnership won a Gold for Tech Provider of the Year for delivering digital transformation. The partnership helped deliver a better, more efficient set up to help reduce complexity, improve efficiency and deliver substantial growth in programmatic revenue. It also pushed revenues from new sources in 2018 resulting in revenue growth and increased client satisfaction as well as growing interest in programmatic deals.

Furthermore, the Immediate Subscriptions team received a Bronze award in the Best Commercial Use of Data category for their Step and Save 2018 campaign. The campaign launched a fully integrated, price increase drive for existing subscribers, bringing together the best of retention marketing to delivering significant year on year contribution growth.

The British Media Awards recognise the media owners, companies and brands that are innovating and adapting at a time of unprecedented change in media. The awards reward excellence in every area, from commercial to editorial, from digital to print, from advertising to subscriptions.

Fujifilm to build a new “smart” endoscope manufacturing facility using AI and IoT technologies to double production capacity.

Tue, 28 May 2019 06:00:00 +0000