Gold Ink Awards Entry: Poster Rocks Unique Fold and Finishing Techniques

Direct Printing Impressions created this poster for the Black Ball gala event in New York City. The poster was produced on a six-color Heidelberg Speedmaster CD 102 press with in-line coating.

Recipients received the event poster in a clever folded format.

A view of the invitation as it is unfolded.

Another view of the invitation as it is unfolded.

The foil stamp image was a 19×13″, which required just enough pressure to allow the foil to stamp clean and crisp.

The key was to not leave any impression on the back of the poster, where the type would be difficult to read.

PHILADELPHIA — June 2, 2016 — This 2016 Gold Ink Awards entry was submitted and entered into the Posters category by Direct Printing Impressions, a commercial printer based in West Caldwell, N.J. The poster was created for the Black Ball gala event in New York City, which featured an evening of music and philanthropy to support children and families living with HIV in Africa and India.

Event host Alicia Keys, featured on one side of the poster, was the musical director and one of the performers (which also included comedian Chris Rock). What makes this poster stand out is the unique fold, clever finishing techniques applied and the artistic design on both the front and the back of the poster.

A press run of 2,000 posters was produced on a six-color Heidelberg Speedmaster CD 102 press with in-line coating. The poster was printed 3 PMS over 3 PMS, and Pantone 871, Pantone 5503, Pantone 286, Process Black was applied. The paper used for this project was 80-lb. Mohawk Options Navajo Smooth.

According to Frank Aresta, managing partner at Direct Printing Impressions, the client selected Mohawk Options because it allowed the images to have the vibrance of a coated paper but with the feel of an uncoated sheet.

For the special effects, the printer created a two-color duotone of the image and printed the posters using a 200 line screen. On the binding and finishing end, the poster was foil stamped using Kurz Luxor 220 foil, die-scored and hand folded to avoid cracking once folded down to the final size of 5x7".

Specialized printing was also used to produce the poster. For example, the sheet was prime-coated with a special formulated lay-flat aqueous coating before the PMS colors were printed to reduce the saturation of the inks into the paper.

According to Aresta, the most challenging part of the production on this piece was the foil stamping. "The foil stamp image was a 19x13", which required just enough pressure to allow the foil to stamp clean and crisp. The key was to not leave any impression on the back of the poster, where the type would be difficult to read."

Do you think you can beat this Gold Ink Awards entry? If so, let’s see your best work! Click here to choose from a complete list of categories and to learn more about why you should enter the printing industry’s most prestigious competition. Return your entries by June 17, 2016!

All of the top winners will be recognized on the Gold Ink Website, through our social media platforms, and in Printing Impressions. Additionally, we will be regularly selecting a “Best Entry” that will be promoted across our multi-channel platforms.