Skandacor Creates Holiday Cards That Feel Stunning

Sometimes, it's the finishing touches that make all the difference.

With one design, print providers can create multiple unique products by experimenting with different cut shapes, layouts, and embellishments. Want to add that extra wow factor? Incorporate UV, foil, or specialty finishes to create something memorable for your customers.

To show what's possible, Skandacor created four Thanksgiving-inspired cards using the same overall design theme. Each card follows a similar production process, but the combination of cutting and embellishment gives every piece its own unique look.

One Design, Different Possibilities

The project started with one Thanksgiving-inspired concept using seasonal colors, typography, photography, and pumpkin graphics.

From there, the artwork was adapted into several different formats. One card uses a more traditional shape with rounded corners, while another extends the design with pumpkin-shaped elements. Another version follows the contour of a pumpkin entirely, and a taller format shows how the same theme can be reworked into a different style of card.

Creating the Cutting Shape

Once the artwork is complete, the next step is creating the cut path.

This is where digital die cutting gives print providers more flexibility. Instead of working only within a standard square or rectangular format, the cut line can be designed around the artwork itself.

For the Thanksgiving cards, this ranged from simple rounded corners to more detailed pumpkin-shaped contours.

Because the cut path is digital, it can also be changed from one job to the next without creating a new physical die each time. This can be useful for short runs, seasonal work, prototypes, and applications where customers want more customized options.

How We Created the Cards

The four cards were produced using the same basic workflow, with each stage adding another element to the finished piece.

Step 1: Print the CMYK Layer

The process begins with the CMYK artwork, including the color, typography, graphics, and photography that make up the base design for each card.

Step 2: Laminate With SOFTpro

The printed sheets are then laminated with SOFTpro, giving the finished piece a soft-touch surface while preparing it for the additional finishing processes that follow.

Step 3: Overprint the 100K Layer and Registration Marks

Next, the sheet is overprinted with the 100K layer, along with the required die cutter marks and UV printer registration marks.

The 100K layer identifies the areas that will receive SLEEKING, while the registration marks help align the finishing and cutting equipment with the printed artwork.

Step 4: Add SLEEKING on the Cheetah S15

The sheets then move to the LAMpro Cheetah S15, where digital foil is applied using SLEEKING to selected areas of the design.

This makes it possible to highlight details such as text, graphics, borders, or other elements that the designer wants to emphasize.

Step 5: Apply UV Resin on the FINISHpro 3D

The FINISHpro 3D adds raised UV effects to selected parts of the design, creating dimension and texture that help details stand out in the finished piece.

Step 6: Digitally Die Cut the Final Shape

The final step is digital die cutting.

The cut path determines the finished form of each piece, whether that is a traditional card with rounded corners or a completely shaped design that follows the artwork.

This final stage brings the printed design, foil, UV, and cut shape together into the finished card.

One Workflow, More Possibilities

The four Thanksgiving cards show how changing the shape, foil placement, UV resin, and artwork can create noticeably different results from the same overall concept.

For print providers, that flexibility can make it easier to create more applications in-house and give customers more options without needing a separate production setup for every product.

Used alongside equipment such as the LAMpro Cheetah S15 and FINISHpro 3D, digital die cutting gives print providers more ways to take an idea from a standard printed sheet to a finished product with a more distinctive look and feel.

Have an idea you want to produce in-house?

Show us what you want to make. Our team can help you explore the digital die cutting, lamination, foil, and UV finishing options that could fit your workflow.

Source: Skandacor