W2P Breaks New Ground for Printers --Cagle
PRINTING TECHNOLOGIES of the last 20 years transformed the dull, gray-stock sports trading card into works of art. Compare a drab-looking 1976 Topps baseball card to a 2008 issue from the same manufacturer...it's no contest.
Thirty years ago, cards were produced on thin stock, uncoated and unimaginative. Today's cards have glossy full-color photos on both sides, with diecutting, foil stamping and embossing. Some premium cards over the past 10 years incorporate autographs and portions of memorabilia (go to piworld.com and search for the September 2006 cover story on Strine Printing for more on high-end card printing). Well, the good folks at Digital Printing and Imaging (DPI) have teamed up with Nestlé to produce about two million personalized youth league baseball cards, courtesy of an HP Indigo 5000 press. The promotion is being touted in packages of Nestlé's Drumstick brand sundae cones and produced via DPI's Web-to-print application.