Show Your Personality In A Room With A Gallery Wall
It’s a design dilemma — how to make a feature of a wall now that feature walls have fallen out of favour? Artfully hang some A3 printed pictures on it and call it a gallery wall.
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Loosely defined as a collection of artwork — paintings, prints, photos, even maps or typography — framed and grouped for maximum impact, it’s a far more personal way to put your own stamp on a room than pasting up some bold wallpaper. It’s more flexible, too — a new look can be as simple as choosing new pictures, having them printed in A3-size and put in frames or, with the latest repositionable prints, moving them around at will.
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Get Started
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It’s simple to get started on your personalised gallery wall - find a local printing business to assist you with A3 printing and the rest will happen naturally. :)
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Source: https://at.tumblr.com/bestflyerprinting/show-your-personality-in-a-room-with-a-gallery/ajstz0iv4q6e
Posted on October 12th, 2022
Canvas Prints With Quotes
Word Art That Speaks To You
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Lyrics about life; quotes about friendship; songs about love, stories about strength, perseverance, and serenity. Serendipitously, they aspire to bring out our best.
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Words are powerful. They can lift us up, push us forward and take us somewhere new. Some people live by them and idolise them. For others, they're something to be ignored and rejected in order to live a more meaningful life. Whatever the case may be, when words are everywhere we can't help but be impacted by them. And in this impact, they shape not only thoughts but actions. They go beyond the written word when someone's voice speaks to them, and when something is painted with them, pinned with them around us, that power multiplies.
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The idea behind wall art is simple: to give people a reason to pause when walking by or past it. To give them something to think about, contemplate and discover. It may be a quote, a poem, a song lyric, or just plain words. Who we are as people come from what we take in and how we perceive it. So when presented with simple words that make us pause for even just one second, the impact it has on us is huge. We become acutely aware that words are everywhere, and they have a meaning behind them no matter if we understand them or not. And sometimes, they give us the courage to be who we are because someone else was too.
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Canvas word art or quote prints are made with this idea in mind. They're simple words that could mean anything but create something bigger than themselves. Words that can impact people if they choose to take them in and use them as their strength, or go beyond it and develop a new understanding of themselves with them as a guide. Simple words may just change the world if they're understood correctly.
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And this is what canvas printing word art expresses. It's not just pretty words on a canvas; it's something more. It gives words the power to impact other people, and that makes them beautiful.
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If you're looking for something to put up in your living room or bedroom, consider these words. Consider going for something that will not only give your space a new look but something that you can think about every time you're in there. Be inspired by the power of words and let them guide you to a better version of yourself.
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After all, they're everywhere.
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Through words, human emotions are evoked. We feel what the artist feels, and in that sense, separation is lost and recognition is found. We feel part of something bigger than ourselves—a kindred connection to another living being. An ability to see the universe through another's point of view.
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Through words, we can join a family of artists that have come before us and inspire those yet to come.
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Through words, we're connected in a way that transcends time and space. Life is multi-dimensional through the power of the written word, and this truth shapes life on earth as we know it today. This is the essence and beauty of words; they live forever, and we're lucky enough to shape our experiences through them.
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Through words, wisdom can be found.
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By finding the perfect words for our home and wall décor, we not only beautify our space but also inspire ourselves to move through life more intentionally. By creating an atmosphere of motivation and inspiration, we set the tone for every moment we spend in our homes. By giving your wall décor an artistic edge with the power of words, you step into a more purposeful life: a life with added meaning, value, and intentionality just for you.
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The right word art wall decor designs can inspire you to be who you are confidently, finish what you start with determination, and enjoy every day to the fullest because you know you're exactly where you should be.
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Through words, we experience our humanity in a uniquely fulfilling way. We can opt to see the world from another's perspective, and this changes how we understand what it means to be human—it gives us new insights into life itself. Our lives are defined by experiences with people and places, but our lived experiences are communicated in words and can be displayed through art.
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To experience humanity at its best, consider using words as an inspiration to create a beautiful living space for yourself and others. Life is too short not to enjoy the beauty of this world, and sometimes that beauty can come straight from our hearts onto a canvas. You don't have to be a pro to express yourself—words can inspire anyone, and everyone deserves to be inspired.
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Let your words guide you, and allow them to be a guide for others. You'll be amazed at the transformations that come from something as simple and beautiful and powerful and true as a word.
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Info sourced from https://www.canvaspop.com/blog/
Posted on September 13th, 2022
Tops Ways To Improve Consumer Perception Of Product Quality With Labels
It’s no surprise that the typical consumer is looking for high-quality products. The problem is that you don’t have much time to make an impression. Customers take an average of 13 seconds to make a purchase decision, so it’s essential to make sure your goods stand out compared to competing products.
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Fortunately, good product labels make a direct impact on how potential customers view your products. Here are four ways that your labels can improve the perceived quality of your products.
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Mind the Materials
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Think of your label material as your product’s coat – an attractive topcoat is going to exude more class and luxury than a basic windbreaker. Your choice of label material makes a direct impact on how consumers perceive your product. If you’re aiming to convey the quality of your product, you’ll want to match your product with the right material.
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Of course, the right type of "quality" material depends greatly on your product. Some products need to look expensive to present themselves as quality goods, which is why textured and matte-coated paper stocks are excellent choices for wine labels and other products that need to radiate elegance. Meanwhile, a shrink sleeve can create a very professional, 360-degree look that appears very official and clean.
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Simply put, your material needs to both look good and match the vibe of your product. By combining those factors, your labels will be set up for a great introduction for customers seeking quality products.
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Colour Them Impressed
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The right colour can help sway consumers to your side. More than 90% of buying decisions are impacted by visual factors. What’s more, is that different colour choices impact how people perceive your products. By utilizing certain colours in your label design, you can present your product in the right light.
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Of course, there are always exceptions based on your particular product and your intended audience. Different genders have varying colour preferences, so purple packaging tends to be more effective for women, while men gravitate toward striking black labels. You’ll want to tailor your colour choices to your brand, market, and audience, but the right combinations can help you communicate quality before people ever touch your product.
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Elevate Your Packaging Through Decoration
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A little decoration goes a long way toward people’s perception of product quality. Remember that coat analogy earlier? Decorations are the little touches that enhance your look – tailoring, embroidering, etc. Decorative additions can completely overhaul how people view your product, which is why the following capabilities can help showcase product quality.
- Embossing
- Hot foil stamping
- Spot varnishing
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Each of these processes allows you to add new, intriguing elements to the look and feel of your label. An embossed pattern or soft touch varnish gives customers a different tactile experience. Stamping metallic, holographic, and other foils add a new dimension that takes your packaging to a new level. Adding these extra details takes your packaging beyond that of a simple, boring label. That extra attention to detail isn’t lost on customers.
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Eliminate Label Damage and Application Issues
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A simple defect can derail even the best labels. It’s hard to convey quality if your label is damaged or has visible application issues. It’s like that proverbial coat we keep mentioning – a visible tear is going to overshadow even the snazziest jacket.
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There are a few measures that companies can take to prevent label damage and defects. Print protection plays a pivotal part in proactively protecting product labels. No matter what type of product you sell, any form of friction could damage your design. Potential threats like water, oil, and other substances make print protection essential for defending your product labels.
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As for application issues like air bubbles, wrinkles, and more, it’s important to work with your label printing and applicating partners to identify potential issues ahead of time. There are plenty of potential reasons for label application defects, so you’ll want to address the following factors.
- The container – Your container’s dimensions and the surface can lead to issues. For example, you may need to properly taper your label or use a specific adhesive for different types of containers.
- The applicating environment – Factors like temperature, moisture, and potential contamination can all dictate which materials and adhesives will best help you avoid application issues.
- Liner issues – Different applicators are built for paper or clear liners, so you’ll need to identify which is best suited for your process.
- Improper storage – It’s best to store labels in a temperature-controlled environment based on your specific label. This is especially true for shrink sleeves, as they are more susceptible to potential damage prior to application.
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Showcase the Quality of Your Products with Stunning Labels
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The right label makes a direct impact on driving consumer behaviour, but it takes a good printing partner to turn your designs into a reality.
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Posted on August 13th, 2022
What To Watch Out For When Choosing A Printing Company
You now have an artwork. Either you have designed it over the days and with patience on your own, or you have employed a very talented designer to create the most eye-catching piece for you. Whether you are a freelance artist, the head of marketing in a firm, or someone in need of new and modern business cards, choosing a good printing company is a tricky decision. There is a large and competitive market for printers, beginning with the more powerful but careless companies to the local, smaller, family-run shops. Bigger is not always better, and there is still a lot to consider when choosing one for your artwork. Here are 5 things to look out for when finally bringing your new design, business cards, flyers and other prints to life.
1-3. The Holy Trinity of Quality: Material, Colors and Finishing
Quality is without a doubt the most important factor when it comes to printing. The time and money spent on the artwork require the best quality possible to bring the design on the screen to the paper. However, it is important to watch out for the three different factors of quality in printing: first, check the material, then, examine the colours, and finally, make sure of the finishing touches.
Material: Although most printing companies give you a choice in the material, it is still possible that by using cheaper material, your final art print or business printing will not be desirable. To make sure, always ask for samples.
Colours: The colours are a bit trickier than the material. Unless you are an expert in colours and colour theory, you might be fooled into thinking low-quality ink is your best choice. Always make sure to check the saturation of the colours, the brightness of the white tones and the darkness of the black tones. The more nuanced and contrast in their samples, the better their ink and therefore, the better your chance at getting the quality your artwork deserves.
Finishing: Finally, when looking at samples, or your finished work, check the finishing touches. An important part of this is cropping. Since there is a chance your work has been cut on the edges or all around, make sure it is cut right and that your artwork is where it should be (e.g. centre of the page). Also, check the final work for traces of subtle lines or dust that show the printer has issues.
4. Turnaround Time
One of the biggest obstacles in running a printing company is delivering quickly to those who order for the next day. Customers often believe it is possible for them to order at the last minute and for the printing company to finish the work quickly. But, although customers should allow a few business days for their work to be done, they also should avoid companies that repeatedly delay their delivery. Many of the larger companies who have acquired a following deliver the work from a week to a month later than the date promised (this is especially true with online printing companies, so be wary). When choosing a company, ensure the turnaround time, which is the number of days they guarantee to finish your work. We promise you do not want your upcoming event to come and go while your roll-up banner is still "being printed".
5. Last But Not Least: Pricing
Yes, your budget is important. It is very, very important. But remember, if one company offers prices that are much lower than the competitive market, there is something wrong. The prices are important, but no one should sacrifice quality for a lower price. Try to avoid the extremes: too cheap and you will get lower quality, too pricey and you have been ripped off. Most printing companies fall in between those two. Make sure to choose a company that keeps their prices public so that you can be sure they will not be able to change them later on. Compare prices, and choose the one that seems most reasonable.
Final Thoughts...
There are many companies available for your artwork and printing out there. Read the reviews, do the research, and question around to find one worthy of your work.
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Article sourced from https://printingcapetown.wordpress.com/2022/08/13/what-to-watch-out-for-when-choosing-a-printing-company/
Posted on August 13th, 2022
Cut Vinyl Stickers Benefits and Uses
Often used for vehicle artwork or window displays, cut vinyl can be a great, affordable way to advertise. There are a ton of different uses for vinyl decals, lettering and stickers, and typically the application of cut vinyl is as simple as peeling off the back of a sticker.
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The cut vinyl stickers are adhesive-backed, and can also be printed to be facing inside-out for see-through surfaces or glass, or outside-in, for walls and other solid surfaces. Here, we take a more in-depth look at how cut vinyl can benefit you or your business.
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Cut Vinyl Has a Million Uses
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By far the best thing about using cut vinyl stickers is that they have a ton of different uses and applications, the first being advertising. Cut vinyl stickers are easy to use, affordable, long-lasting, and they look great. Whether you’ve got a huge business or just a mom-and-pop shop, cut vinyl can be a wonderful way to give your business a fresh, new look, or a leg up on the competition. Here are just a few of the ways you can advertise with cut vinyl stickers:
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Mobile Advertising with Cut Vinyl
A great use for cut vinyl stickers is mobile advertising, which will help to take your business’ vision on the road. Mobile advertising can be as simple or complex as you want it to be. If you’ve got a fleet of vehicles at your disposal, you may want to use vinyl stickers to display the address and phone number of your business or create a unique, eye-catching design that can make them really stand out. Professional sticker printers can create cut vinyl designs and stickers of nearly any shape and size.
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Vinyl Lettering for Your Storefront
Whether you own a large factory or a small boutique, your storefront is arguably one of the most important places for your business; it’s where you greet customers and have the chance to show them what you’re all about.
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A cut vinyl sign or lettering is an easy, affordable way to decorate your property. You can design something eye-catching and unique or use simple lettering for a more classic look. The best thing about using vinyl stickers for your storefront is that they’re easy to apply and come in virtually any design or lettering style you want. Additionally, having the option of reversed lettering to stick on the inside of your storefront window makes your sign less susceptible to wear and tear.
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Cut Vinyl for Promotional Purposes
Another great use for cut vinyl stickers is for promotional purposes. Handing out free stickers at events, or making them available in different promotional settings is a great way to get the name of your business out there, and the cooler your sticker design, the more likely potential clients will remember you. Even if the sticker winds up on the fridge or someone’s bumper, just having your logo in front of people can help increase your customer base.
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Vinyl Stickering for Products
Using cut vinyl for your product can be an inexpensive way to brand the consumer goods your company creates, and display your logo and any other valuable information related to your product. Unlike digitally printing a logo onto your product, which can often scratch-off or deteriorate over time, vinyl stickers adhere to the surface and can last much longer.
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Whether you have a company that makes water bottles for sports teams or custom watercraft, vinyl stickers are a great way to decorate and brand your products without breaking the bank. If you are considering using vinyl stickers for products be sure to consult with one of our customer service reps to make sure you use the right material. For example, cut vinyl wouldn’t work well for water bottles, but printed vinyl will so be sure to be specific so we can help you find the perfect sticker options for your product. We also do stickers for walls, floors, and even concrete.
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Added Benefits of Using Cut Vinyl
Using cut vinyl can have a wide variety of benefits, both for your business as well as the environment. There are a ton of different ways to print, label, and market your product, or advertise your storefront. However, in many cases, cut vinyl is considered the leading option for all of these things, and here are a few more reasons why:
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Fast and Easy Application
One of the biggest reasons why many choose cut vinyl designs or lettering over other options for their storefront is because of its fast and easy application. You can still get a classic, professional look without waiting hours for the paint to dry, or extensive construction. Also, using cut vinyl is a great way to cut down on labour costs and gives you an easy DIY alternative to decorating your storefront.
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Environmentally Sound
Some types of paints can release harmful chemicals into the air known as volatile organized compounds (VOC), which are usually created by highly pressurized paints. If you want to avoid releasing anything into the atmosphere, then using cut vinyl lettering is one sure way to do this.
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Long-Lasting and Accurate
If you want a storefront that is free of errors, then cut vinyl lettering or designs is the perfect thing for you. Unlike a hand-painted storefront, vinyl lettering is a way to make sure every letter and part of your display is perfect, created with 100 percent accuracy before being printed. Another benefit to using cut vinyl is that it’s easily replaceable and won’t lessen resale value if you’re planning to apply it to a vehicle or building.
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Cut Vinyl Comes in So Many Shapes and Sizes
You can use cut vinyl for nearly anything you can think of, from advertising to logos, to displays. One of the great things about vinyl is that it can be used to create any image or lettering you want, to settle on the perfect design for your storefront, or logo for your company.
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Info found on https://thedigitalprintshop.blogspot.com/2022/07/cut-vinyl-stickers-benefits-and-uses.html
Posted on July 12th, 2022
Why It’s Important For Every Small Business To Use Flyers
Every small business needs to let potential customers know about its products and services. This is most often done through social media platforms, websites and email marketing. But, one of the oldest marketing methods, the humble flyer, is just as strong as ever and shouldn’t be dismissed. Below we explore the importance of every small business printing flyers.
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Why you need to use flyers
Flyers are an easy and effective way to tell people on the street about your services and products. They may have never seen your website, or may not be on social media. Even if they are online, they may take more notice of a flyer that is handed to them rather than scrolling through their news feed. Our attention spans are sadly getting shorter, so a flyer is a quick way of grabbing that potential customer’s attention.
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You need to get it right
You need to take time and plan your flyer - a professionally designed and printed flyer will make a much better first impression than a handwritten one, and first impressions really do matter. Using an online print design service will not only make the process effortless with its step by step guide and online checks, but it will also save you a lot of time.
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Choose the main points
It’s vital that you get your main points across, and that this information is quick and easy to read. We are more likely to read a flyer when it features bold and large type, as opposed to small font. Keep to the main facts, keep it simple and always use your company logo.
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Always print in colour
You cannot underestimate the importance of colour on your flyer. Always try to avoid printing in black and white unless your design requires it. Try to limit your colour choice to two or three and that it makes the print easy to read. Using too many colours can appear messy and make the information more difficult to process.
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Sourced from https://printuk.com/
Posted on May 21st, 2022
Top Reasons You Need A Desk Calendar
The era of post-its is thankfully over. Lots of little colourful sticky notes with things to remember that would A L W A Y S be forgotten. No wonder why.
But life has changed since - enter the power of desk planners. Seriously. This is the place where you can make quick notes to later transcribe in better calligraphy or in your master planner, but it's also the place that can give you a complete overview of the week and the days ahead.
When it comes to desk calendars - some may be too large, others far too small. The ones you can buy for cheap in some big chain shop has useless glue which causes one to pull too many pages every time.
One of the most annoying things about generic desk calendars is those unwanted paper ears! If order and organisation on your desk are essential to you - having a custom desk calendar printed that is glued at the bottom is highly recommended. A tiny, crucial, very smart detail. No dog ears, no risk of ruining pages, no pages leaving before due time.
Until we can manage time, we can manage nothing else. ~ Peter Drucker
1. No More Procrastination
Every student but also professional needs a visual system that will keep important dates and projects organised. Having a desk planner leads to more efficient time management and less procrastination. Luckily, custom calendars can be formatted in such a way that a whole week of assignments clearly stands in front of your eyes and tasks can be crossed off as you get them done.
With a desk calendar in front of your eyes, it will be harder to avoid your work. It's simple psychology: it's harder to slack off when you see your to-do list staring at you all day long.
2. Quick And Easy To Refer To
Do you get a call or a new assignment while you are in the middle of something? I get it, it's super annoying and it takes time to open up your daily planner or your weekly planner and search for the right date. On your desk calendar instead, you simply scroll through the weeks to make a quick note of your new appointments in real-time. Your desk calendar is always right there.
Out of the way, but still never out of sight so if someone asks for a meeting/call you can immediately refer to your desk planner and give them a quick answer without having to scroll through your entire planner.
3. Put Things Into Perspective
Sometimes, people set off their work week thinking it is going to be a light one. But then, a quick flick through the weeks of their desk planner and they immediately realise what and when they need to get done. A desk calendar helps you to get started on things well in advance rather than rushing things at the last second. If you’re a solo entrepreneur AND a freelancer, often having overlapping projects - a desk planner will help you stay on top of things.
4. Be And Feel Inspired
In the design of our desk planner, reserve an area to scribble down an inspirational or motivational quote every week of the year. Sometimes we only need a little of self-encouragement or, maybe we need to focus on something specific for a few days. Use your words of the week area as your own space to inspire yourself.
5. Space For Your Creativity
The way you layout your desk calendar is completely up to you, as there is lots of room for creativity. You can keep it in black and white if you want to personalise each page of your calendar as you wish.
6. Shopping And To-Do List In Real-Time
How often have you gone home after your shopping only to realise you forgot one of the ingredients you need for dinner? Or toilet paper? Exactly for this reason, you could add a tearable column on the right-hand side for your shopping list so that you fill it as soon as something comes to mind rather than when you stand in front of the fridge and can't remember what you actually need.
7. Personal And Work/Study Life In One Place
Made your desk planner as large as possible so that you can annotate both important appointments and exams as well as meetings with your friends and thoughts.
8. Get Over It
One of the things we love the most about custom desk calendars is that you can actually more than cross off things on your list. You can tear your to-do list away, if you designed it this way. And we swear - the feeling of ripping off pages is great! It really makes you feel as you've accomplished something!
9. No Risk To Lose It
The best part of a desk calendar? You can't lose it. Everybody has lost something in their lives. Might be their planner, house keys, dog or something else. But I guess that losing your schedule and appointments would be a major disaster for most of us. But with a desk planner, which stays at home on your desk, you don't have the risk of losing all your deadlines and meetings.
You always know where your information is and will never forget when an important project/assignment is due. The perfect combo is, of course, to use both a planner AND a desk calendar because you might be out when you need to add something new to your schedule, but it's clear that a desk planner can improve your productivity by 19450350%.
Posted on April 28th, 2022
Paper And Print Are Still Important - Here’s Why
Are paper and print still important? From traditionalists to technologists, here’s the gist from the experts...
There’s no denying we live in a digital world, but it seems that printed communications and printing in Cape Town still hold a place in our hearts, despite what the naysayers will have you believe. To find out just how important the medium still is, the writers of this article called on a diverse group of experts, all involved in the paper and print industry in various different ways, to share their thoughts, and their favourite work. From traditionalists to technologists, here’s what they had to say…
THE PAPER MERCHANT
Emma Linley, creative papers product manager, Antalis
A world without print would be a pretty dull place! Print is still a vital part of the marketing mix for Cape Town businesses and helps to provide a real-world point of context for many campaigns that would otherwise exist only online. The role of print may be different to the part it has traditionally played in communications, but it’s clear that it still has an important place.
In an increasingly digital world, printed and digital communications complement each other, and one should not be seen as a replacement for the other. Incorporating printed materials into the mix can maximise a campaign’s impact.
For marketers and designers, the challenge is to find the critical balance of digital and printed mediums, which effectively maximises the impact of their campaigns and cuts through the clutter, in an era of message overload.
The integration of print and digital has been proven to increase response rates and an integrated campaign can help ensure that messages are received across multiple channels. The paper element can be used in many different ways. For example, it can push people online, via bridging technologies such as QR codes and augmented reality applications, or it can be used to reinforce messages from digital media. Introducing direct mail to an integrated campaign can raise the effectiveness of the campaign by up to 62 per cent.
Digital, however sophisticated, cannot replicate the look, feel and individual characteristics of paper and other substrates.
Paper and print is a very tactile and eye-catching medium, which opens up an incredible range of opportunities for designers and marketers that wish to create beautiful, multi-sensory pieces of work. This is fuelling interest in some of our tactile creative papers, such as our Curious Matter and Curious Skin ranges, as designers seek to drive consumer engagement by creating printed products that have a broader appeal than purely visual.
While the world is going digital; paper is a vital component in communicating a brand message, add to that different printing technology and you have a very powerful tool. Nothing quite puts your brand in the consumer’s hand like print.
THE GRAPHIC DESIGNER
Craig Oldham, founder and creative director, The Office of Craig Oldham
Like Streetfighter, Mortal Kombat, and those shit Alien and Predator movies, there’s a lot of versus action out there. Print versus digital is the best that communication design has to offer up. Hardly surprising then that I feel it’s a bit of a no-brainer.
People often forget, because it’s been with us for such a long time, that print, especially the book, is a technology — a piece of equipment created to perform a task. And if the last 50 years have told us anything it’s that technology is there to improve things, and offer new and alternative ways of doing them. But it’s exactly that — an alternative.
Technology’s modus operandi isn’t simply to overwrite that which precedes it, it’s to better it, and provide another option, another way. We accept this in the case of the size of our mobile phone, the sophistication of our computer or TV set, yet many struggle when it comes to design, thinking they have to go with one or the other — because of the populated fallacies that print is ‘dying’ or those analogue methods of communication are no longer effective when compared to their digital counterparts.
The reality is analogue and digital don’t live in competition, they’re different beasts. It’s not this or that, one or the other, they are just two different technologies — they are two different tools at your disposal. And your job as a designer is to pick the right tools for the right job.
As I skirted around earlier, just a few indents ago, print has been with the human race for centuries, and like digital it too had its moment with us where it was the new fad. Before mass print came along (until the technology came along) the only source of information most people had was one book and a priest, so thank Christ when Martin Luther rocked up with his poster, a bag of nails, and a different opinion. He used the right tool (print) for the right job (mass communication). And it worked for him. Fast forward a good 500 years and it’s still going on. Sticking with the poster, it’s since recruited for wars, symbolised youthful rebellion, iconised men and women to fame and fortune, and equally to death and terror. Even in an age where digital could be seen to be the popular choice, it’d be hard to deny that it was the poster that elected the first black president of the United States of America. But that’s only because Shepard Fairey understood what confuses so many, just like Luther did. They employed the right technology to best communicate their ideas.
Although I am admittedly a bit of a print fan, this is only because I haven’t been offered much, in terms of a draw, from digital yet. It’s still relatively new to us and as a result, I don’t think it’s been used to its full potential yet. Its best is still to come. But I don’t think we’ll get there until people stop seeing digital as a contrast, as the counter to analogue – the point will be forever missed that it’s still about creating something. It’s about having a great idea and making it happen through the right and relevant channel.
THE MAGAZINE DESIGNER
Jeremy Leslie, founder and creative director, magCulture
Print remains important for many reasons but the main one is that nobody has yet come up with a better way to curate, manipulate and present content. If someone presented ‘the printed magazine’ as a brand new idea people would be wowed. They offer finite quantities of well-tooled material that are subtle balances of the familiar and surprising, matched to the expectations of the reader and easily navigated and explored. The best examples become almost friends, regular parts of your life that can bring both joy and irritation.
Of course, digital media offers many alternative qualities that can trump print, immediacy being the most obvious one. But as the web gets ever larger the filters involved in navigating become more and more imposing. The increasing personalisation of search results means we read what Google assesses we want rather than offering us serendipity.
My relationship with what I read online is so much about function and need, while print offers a more considered visual structure and hierarchy that subconsciously provides intense messaging about importance and relevance. I enjoy The Guardian iPhone app, but compared to that tiny screen the printed format offers a far subtler hierarchy and a more easily assessed gauge of the content.
There are exceptions of course; The New Yorker has transferred its content successfully to both the web and tablet. And I’m proud to be have designed the groundbreaking site Aeon, offering a new long-form essay to read every weekday. It has quickly built a loyal readership, as have many other sites.
But it’s intriguing seeing how many successful content-orientated websites have recently added print elements to their publishing strategy. The music website Pitchfork has often been cited as one reason behind the downfall of the traditional music magazine, so there’s an irony to the fact they are about to publish the third edition of their quarterly Pitchfork Review, a beautiful piece of publishing produced in-house. The website will always be the main focus, but the fact they are publishing in print is a recognition that there remains a hierarchy of importance in terms of form. The spontaneity, immediacy and breadth of the web match much of what the music fan wants. When it comes to selecting the best material and publishing it to be kept, for now only print will do.
THE SCIENTIST
Dr Kate Stone, founder and MD, Novalia
I struggled to think of a stand out reason why print is important, I struggled because there are so many reasons, each significant in different ways, so I thought I would list just a few of them. Print communication is pervasive, we all come into contact with it many times a day. As well as advertising print is used to cover walls in our homes, patterns on fabric and even used on floors and tables.
Print is physical. We live in a physical world; until our brains are uploaded to the cloud there will always be a need for physical media. We like to touch, taste, smell and feel things, print does them all. Print can be temporary like a newspaper or permanent like art, becoming valueless or priceless with time.
Print is big or small, covering the side of a street block, or just a postage stamp. Print is low cost in low and high volume, from millions to just one, there is a cost-effective process for any amount.
Print is local, a low labour intense process means we don’t need to manufacture on the other side of the world, shipping costs and times often mean we can’t. Print is renewable and recyclable, most of the raw materials do actually grow on trees. Print does not crash or need a software update when most needed (although I may be helping to change that, oops).
Print is accessible. Print changed the world, before the printing press books were written by hand one by one. This was a liberating and empowering information revolution. Although we live in a physical world it is now clearly a digital age, with many declaring the death of print, but it’s simply a rebirth of an old medium, enhanced with much of what digital communication has to offer.
Digital offers two-way communication, sound, video, instantly updates, connectivity and data logging. I am excited about combining digital and physical communication, print can become a significant portal to the digital world. Adding printed touch and Bluetooth with a connection to the internet via your mobile device to print is now possible. My work is about figuring out how and why we could/should do this. I’ve created interactive print because I was curious, fortunately, that seems to have inspired a new vision and excitement for print.
THE TECHNOLOGIST
Marcus Kirsch, founder, SenseLab London
Before a medium or idea enters the mainstream, and during any relevant paradigm shifts affecting it, its role and relevance enter a phase of exploration and experimentation. Those phases tend to be significantly more important than the smaller incremental progress it makes, once it is a big or otherwise large scale entity. As for any system, size can mean stagnation of some, if not all, of its parts.
The same is obviously true for print and its future since digital publishing and the internet appeared on this planet. Personally, and taking reference from culture and history, I believe a ‘Blade Runner’ scenario is more likely than a ‘Things to Come’ scenario, meaning nothing new will ever completely kill the old. It will mix in various ways, traces of decades if not centuries still humming about in the years to come.
American science fiction author Bruce Sterling, being one of the future digital types that roam Silicon Valley, was one of the first to say that there was still a strong point for him to write ‘The Hacker Crackdown’ as a book – a finite edit of a point. And this is probably print’s strongest point. It is an opinion and view, a set of data, frozen in time and frozen within its references. We still learn best by comparing things that are different. Bigger and smaller are relative and help us make sense of things. This is why I still carry a copy of ‘Future Shock’ with me – the 70s book that is still weirdly contemporary. It makes it more important than it is frozen in time, back in 1970 by Alvin Toffler.
So I find it rather exciting that it is a new era for print: an opportunity to explore itself out of stagnation. As we see in the examples below, books, references and non-linear storytelling are part of both print and the digital world, and on top of it all, there is a strong case for the print medium containing stories and information, frozen in time as comparative and contextual parts of a greater story.
Posted on April 28th, 2022
Paper And Print Are Still Important - Here’s Why
Are paper and print still important? From traditionalists to technologists, here’s the gist from the experts...
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There’s no denying we live in a digital world, but it seems that printed communications and printing in Cape Town still hold a place in our hearts, despite what the naysayers will have you believe. To find out just how important the medium still is, the writers of this article called on a diverse group of experts, all involved in the paper and print industry in various different ways, to share their thoughts, and their favourite work. From traditionalists to technologists, here’s what they had to say…
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THE PAPER MERCHANT
Emma Linley, creative papers product manager, Antalis
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A world without print would be a pretty dull place! Print is still a vital part of the marketing mix for Cape Town businesses and helps to provide a real-world point of context for many campaigns that would otherwise exist only online. The role of print may be different to the part it has traditionally played in communications, but it’s clear that it still has an important place.
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In an increasingly digital world, printed and digital communications complement each other, and one should not be seen as a replacement for the other. Incorporating printed materials into the mix can maximise a campaign’s impact.
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For marketers and designers, the challenge is to find the critical balance of digital and printed mediums, which effectively maximises the impact of their campaigns and cuts through the clutter, in an era of message overload.
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The integration of print and digital has been proven to increase response rates and an integrated campaign can help ensure that messages are received across multiple channels. The paper element can be used in many different ways. For example, it can push people online, via bridging technologies such as QR codes and augmented reality applications, or it can be used to reinforce messages from digital media. Introducing direct mail to an integrated campaign can raise the effectiveness of the campaign by up to 62 per cent.
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Digital, however sophisticated, cannot replicate the look, feel and individual characteristics of paper and other substrates.
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Paper and print is a very tactile and eye-catching medium, which opens up an incredible range of opportunities for designers and marketers that wish to create beautiful, multi-sensory pieces of work. This is fuelling interest in some of our tactile creative papers, such as our Curious Matter and Curious Skin ranges, as designers seek to drive consumer engagement by creating printed products that have a broader appeal than purely visual.
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While the world is going digital; paper is a vital component in communicating a brand message, add to that different printing technology and you have a very powerful tool. Nothing quite puts your brand in the consumer’s hand like print.
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THE GRAPHIC DESIGNER
Craig Oldham, founder and creative director, The Office of Craig Oldham
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Like Streetfighter, Mortal Kombat, and those shit Alien and Predator movies, there’s a lot of versus action out there. Print versus digital is the best that communication design has to offer up. Hardly surprising then that I feel it’s a bit of a no-brainer.
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People often forget, because it’s been with us for such a long time, that print, especially the book, is a technology — a piece of equipment created to perform a task. And if the last 50 years have told us anything it’s that technology is there to improve things, and offer new and alternative ways of doing them. But it’s exactly that — an alternative.
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Technology’s modus operandi isn’t simply to overwrite that which precedes it, it’s to better it, and provide another option, another way. We accept this in the case of the size of our mobile phone, the sophistication of our computer or TV set, yet many struggle when it comes to design, thinking they have to go with one or the other — because of the populated fallacies that print is ‘dying’ or those analogue methods of communication are no longer effective when compared to their digital counterparts.
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The reality is analogue and digital don’t live in competition, they’re different beasts. It’s not this or that, one or the other, they are just two different technologies — they are two different tools at your disposal. And your job as a designer is to pick the right tools for the right job.
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As I skirted around earlier, just a few indents ago, print has been with the human race for centuries, and like digital it too had its moment with us where it was the new fad. Before mass print came along (until the technology came along) the only source of information most people had was one book and a priest, so thank Christ when Martin Luther rocked up with his poster, a bag of nails, and a different opinion. He used the right tool (print) for the right job (mass communication). And it worked for him. Fast forward a good 500 years and it’s still going on. Sticking with the poster, it’s since recruited for wars, symbolised youthful rebellion, iconised men and women to fame and fortune, and equally to death and terror. Even in an age where digital could be seen to be the popular choice, it’d be hard to deny that it was the poster that elected the first black president of the United States of America. But that’s only because Shepard Fairey understood what confuses so many, just like Luther did. They employed the right technology to best communicate their ideas.
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Although I am admittedly a bit of a print fan, this is only because I haven’t been offered much, in terms of a draw, from digital yet. It’s still relatively new to us and as a result, I don’t think it’s been used to its full potential yet. Its best is still to come. But I don’t think we’ll get there until people stop seeing digital as a contrast, as the counter to analogue – the point will be forever missed that it’s still about creating something. It’s about having a great idea and making it happen through the right and relevant channel.
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THE MAGAZINE DESIGNER
Jeremy Leslie, founder and creative director, magCulture
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Print remains important for many reasons but the main one is that nobody has yet come up with a better way to curate, manipulate and present content. If someone presented ‘the printed magazine’ as a brand new idea people would be wowed. They offer finite quantities of well-tooled material that are subtle balances of the familiar and surprising, matched to the expectations of the reader and easily navigated and explored. The best examples become almost friends, regular parts of your life that can bring both joy and irritation.
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Of course, digital media offers many alternative qualities that can trump print, immediacy being the most obvious one. But as the web gets ever larger the filters involved in navigating become more and more imposing. The increasing personalisation of search results means we read what Google assesses we want rather than offering us serendipity.
.
My relationship with what I read online is so much about function and need, while print offers a more considered visual structure and hierarchy that subconsciously provides intense messaging about importance and relevance. I enjoy The Guardian iPhone app, but compared to that tiny screen the printed format offers a far subtler hierarchy and a more easily assessed gauge of the content.
.
There are exceptions of course; The New Yorker has transferred its content successfully to both the web and tablet. And I’m proud to be have designed the groundbreaking site Aeon, offering a new long-form essay to read every weekday. It has quickly built a loyal readership, as have many other sites.
.
But it’s intriguing seeing how many successful content-orientated websites have recently added print elements to their publishing strategy. The music website Pitchfork has often been cited as one reason behind the downfall of the traditional music magazine, so there’s an irony to the fact they are about to publish the third edition of their quarterly Pitchfork Review, a beautiful piece of publishing produced in-house. The website will always be the main focus, but the fact they are publishing in print is a recognition that there remains a hierarchy of importance in terms of form. The spontaneity, immediacy and breadth of the web match much of what the music fan wants. When it comes to selecting the best material and publishing it to be kept, for now only print will do.
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THE SCIENTIST
Dr Kate Stone, founder and MD, Novalia
.
I struggled to think of a stand out reason why print is important, I struggled because there are so many reasons, each significant in different ways, so I thought I would list just a few of them. Print communication is pervasive, we all come into contact with it many times a day. As well as advertising print is used to cover walls in our homes, patterns on fabric and even used on floors and tables.
.
Print is physical. We live in a physical world; until our brains are uploaded to the cloud there will always be a need for physical media. We like to touch, taste, smell and feel things, print does them all. Print can be temporary like a newspaper or permanent like art, becoming valueless or priceless with time.
.
Print is big or small, covering the side of a street block, or just a postage stamp. Print is low cost in low and high volume, from millions to just one, there is a cost-effective process for any amount.
.
Print is local, a low labour intense process means we don’t need to manufacture on the other side of the world, shipping costs and times often mean we can’t. Print is renewable and recyclable, most of the raw materials do actually grow on trees. Print does not crash or need a software update when most needed (although I may be helping to change that, oops).
.
Print is accessible. Print changed the world, before the printing press books were written by hand one by one. This was a liberating and empowering information revolution. Although we live in a physical world it is now clearly a digital age, with many declaring the death of print, but it’s simply a rebirth of an old medium, enhanced with much of what digital communication has to offer.
.
Digital offers two-way communication, sound, video, instantly updates, connectivity and data logging. I am excited about combining digital and physical communication, print can become a significant portal to the digital world. Adding printed touch and Bluetooth with a connection to the internet via your mobile device to print is now possible. My work is about figuring out how and why we could/should do this. I’ve created interactive print because I was curious, fortunately, that seems to have inspired a new vision and excitement for print.
.
THE TECHNOLOGIST
Marcus Kirsch, founder, SenseLab London
.
Before a medium or idea enters the mainstream, and during any relevant paradigm shifts affecting it, its role and relevance enter a phase of exploration and experimentation. Those phases tend to be significantly more important than the smaller incremental progress it makes, once it is a big or otherwise large scale entity. As for any system, size can mean stagnation of some, if not all, of its parts.
.
The same is obviously true for print and its future since digital publishing and the internet appeared on this planet. Personally, and taking reference from culture and history, I believe a ‘Blade Runner’ scenario is more likely than a ‘Things to Come’ scenario, meaning nothing new will ever completely kill the old. It will mix in various ways, traces of decades if not centuries still humming about in the years to come.
.
American science fiction author Bruce Sterling, being one of the future digital types that roam Silicon Valley, was one of the first to say that there was still a strong point for him to write ‘The Hacker Crackdown’ as a book – a finite edit of a point. And this is probably print’s strongest point. It is an opinion and view, a set of data, frozen in time and frozen within its references. We still learn best by comparing things that are different. Bigger and smaller are relative and help us make sense of things. This is why I still carry a copy of ‘Future Shock’ with me – the 70s book that is still weirdly contemporary. It makes it more important than it is frozen in time, back in 1970 by Alvin Toffler.
.
So I find it rather exciting that it is a new era for print: an opportunity to explore itself out of stagnation. As we see in the examples below, books, references and non-linear storytelling are part of both print and the digital world, and on top of it all, there is a strong case for the print medium containing stories and information, frozen in time as comparative and contextual parts of a greater story.
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Article source: https://bestflyerprinting.tumblr.com/post/680617869450625025/paper-and-print-are-still-important-heres-why
Posted on April 4th, 2022
The Ideal Labelling Solution For Prodcuts
This type of product labelling offers premium, 360-degree presentation for ready meals, meal kits, salads, pizzas, and other products and difficult-to-label packaging.
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Cardboard sleeves are traditionally used for these products but are labour intensive and therefore costly due to the need for manual application. Linerless labels achieve the same (and improved) look plus deliver vastly improved labelling productivity. Part of the linerless system developed by UK-based Ravenwood Packaging, this product is automatically applied via the Nobac 5000R machine which has been specifically tailored for ready meal products. Additionally, variable information such as use-by dates can be overprinted at the point of application rather than being added separately. Another benefit is improved on-pack security, as the Linerless Wrap is adhered to the package via adhesive strips and cannot be easily removed.
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This type of label printing also offers significant environmental benefits. They are supplied on a roll and unlike self-adhesive labels don’t require a release liner. They, therefore, have no waste remaining after application. This also means a lighter weight product for shipping and fewer roll changes as up to 40% more labels can fit on a roll. This is also more efficient and easier to handle than bundles of cardboard sleeves.
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This solution provides the flexibility and versatility to decorate in a variety of formats including full wrap, c-wrap, top and side wrap and slide-able wrap. The slide-able wrap format is a popular choice for ready meals as it emulates the cardboard sleeve presentation. Other options include transparent cut-out windows and custom die-cut shapes.
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Keen to learn more? The team of label experts at Asset Print are available to assist with your label printing requirements.
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Source: https://www.hallylabels.com/
Posted on April 4th, 2022