The Foil & Specialty Effects Association (FSEA), Topeka, Kan., recently received the Gold Ink Awards’ “People’s Choice Award” for its 2009 Membership Directory. For the first time, all of the Gold Ink Gold Award winners were put on display at the Gold Ink Awards and Hall of Fame Banquet held in conjunction with PRINT® 09 at the Hyatt Regency McCormick Place in Chicago, Ill. Each banquet guest was asked to cast a single vote as to which Gold Award Winner should receive the “People’s Choice Award” for outstanding printing. During the reception, the entries were carefully examined; votes were cast; and from among 48 Gold Award winners, the FSEA 2009 Membership Directory emerged as the overall favorite – a prime example of the award winning work done by FSEA members each year.
The Gold Ink Awards Competition, co-sponsored by Printing Impressions and Book Business magazines, has earned the respect of the industry’s most important producers and creators of printed work for more than 20 years. This year’s Gold Ink Award winners were chosen from over 1,000 entries submitted within 48 different categories. Winning pieces surpassed their competitors based on print quality, technical difficulty, and overall visual effect.
To pull together the intricacies and detail of the multifaceted project, careful planning and communication between all participating vendors was a key element. At the core of the project were the clever design created by FSEA Art Director Eric J. Carter and the cover’s superb execution carried out in two parts by BrightMARKS, LLC, of Lenexa, Kan. (foil stamping and glitter UV spot coating), and Laser Excel of Santa Rosa, Calif. (laser cutting). According to CEO/Managing Member David Hutchison of BrightMARKS, several critical points were identified at the onset of the project that would be instrumental to its overall success:
· Single file sources for all enhancement processes to manage registration
· Suitability of paper and foil for the glitter UV process
· Compatibility between the foil products desired
· Heat compensation requirements for stamping dies to match foil selections
· Position and finished trim sizes to manage fit when coil binding
Design alterations were suggested to reduce foil coverage requirements, which led the designer to the concept of the ‘embossed’ veins in the butterfly wings. This approach utilized crease lines created through the stamping process as an actual design element – creating a unique look to the piece that reduced makeready times, increased foil selection options, improved production rates of speed and overall quality level of the piece. After the final design was completed, BrightMARKS reviewed stamping die requirements with Universal Engraving, Inc. (UEI), Overland Park, Kan.; foil requirements with API Foils, Rahway, N.J., and Infinity Foils, Inc. (a UEI Group Company), Lenexa, Kan.; glitter requirements with Infinity Foils, Inc.; and trim and binding margins with Laser Excel and Constable Bindery, Inc., Kansas City, Mo.
The piece was produced on Pegasus 130lb. DT cover, two-up. Three passes of foil were stamped in tight registration to each other - black metallic, copper 2-D holographic, and silver metallic. Copper stamping dies were utilized with a special custom Unifraxion® die created for the silver stamped areas. Artwork for the detailed etched effect in these areas was designed by Eric Carter to emulate the graceful movement of a butterfly wing. The sheets then were glitter UV coated two-up, using proprietary techniques and a custom glitter UV blend. For the finishing touch, a delicate laser cut butterfly wing (shaped out of 130lb. Pegasus cover) was produced by Laser Excel as an overlay to the stamped cover. Finally, the press sheets were sent to Constable Bindery for trim (matching with the laser cut wing) and black plastic coil binding.
According to FSEA Executive Director Jeff Peterson, “This type of publicity and beautifully crafted directory cover is made possible only through the backing of dedicated FSEA members. It is a great example of a collaborative effort in design, tools, materials, equipment, and operators that really paid off in the end!” For more information on the Foil & Specialty Effects Association (FSEA), visit www.fsea.com.