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This article discusses the image that serves as the cover for the July 2005 issue of Graphic Arts Monthly by Japanese graphic designer Mitsuo Katsui. It was printed on the world's first sheetfed Super Perfector with double coater at PBM Graphics in Durham, North Carolina. Instead of gloss-varnishing the fly-fishing lures, a spot dull varnish was applied to the solid black background. Then, each sheet was flooded with a gloss aqueous coating. The gloss/dull interaction softened the background, making the intricate lures more prominent and accentuating the fine detail along the feathers' edges. Komori had the ideal printing press to execute the specs: the first Super Perfector ever configured with a double coater. The five-over-five 40" Lithrone 40SP features an innovative, staggered perfecting design. The double-decker machine prints and dual-coats simultaneously, in one pass without flipping sheets. All coating is applied after the ink, unlike most other double-coating technologies, which are blanket-to-blanket. And it does all this in a relatively compact footprint. The varnish/coating combo speaks for itself, but what is not so plain to see is the work done in prepress to make a great photo even better. "We used a L ∗a∗ b technique within Photoshop to create color variance," explains Pat Theobald, prepress manager at Reed Business Information, Oak Brook, Illinois, which publishes Graphic Arts Monthly.

This article describes the printing process used for the June 2005 cover of Reed Business Information. Gloss ultra violet (UV) coating applied atop spot satin varnish creates a glazed effect over the image on the cover. This special effect adds dimensionality to the gear teeth by fading the gloss coating into the dull of the blacks. A touch plate for the spot varnish and metallic silver PMS 877, was used to achieve this scaled-back look. The cover was printed inline on a 6-color 105 hybrid press with UV interdeck dryer. It is a way to simulate a spot UV without incurring the expense of a raised plate. Trapping is not always an exact science on complex projects like this, especially with metallic and hybrid inks and UV coating. But the actual press O.K. went relatively smoothly. Because it was produced entirely inline, there were no fit issues. Color Ink's 105 includes a Grafix interstation UV-curing system. Interestingly, the major challenge on these types of dispersion jobs is in prepress, where computer to plate varnish files need to be set up and masked precisely with the correct color breaks to optimize the effect. The creative advertising team at Jager Di Paola Kemp Design suggested ways to enhance the photograph's effects by putting the hybrid coating and satin varnish on the same areas as the metallic silver. The covers were produced on 100 pound ikono gloss text, a Zanders premium sheet imported from Germany.

The article focuses on a direct marketing campaign adopted by Canon in 2005. As part of an integrated marketing strategy of Canon, it adopted a direct mail campaign. Internet web pages, television, print and online advertisements are included in the campaign. A response rate of over 2% was achieved. This multimedia approach was conceptualized by Caslon & Co. that specializes in market intelligence and system integration for digital technologies. It has used the Personalized Print Mark-Up Language wherein its file format connects products from major market suppliers.

This article focuses on how Insync Media of Inglewood, California addressed the print desire of old-time rocker Neil Young which is to give an aged cast to his "greendale" book. When rock-'n'-roll legend Neil Young, a noted environmental activist, decided to add a musical novel to his multimedia portfolio, you could bet your pork-chop sideburns that the 1960s social balladeer would reproduce it as eco-responsibly as possible. Based on the musician's "greendale"concept album from 2003, the book "greendal" released in February by Sanctuary Publishing (London), has a hand-made feel. Simple yet dramatic illustrations by James Mazzeo simulate woodcuts, "greendale' may look like a simple job, but it was not. Graphic artist Gary Burden -- a long-time Young collaborator and album cover designer for Crosby Stills and Nash, The Eagles, Jackson Browne and The Doors -- used Adobe Photoshop to simulate aged paper on a white, acid-free recycled sheet. The CMYK mix was run slowly on press, minimizing tbe density-lessening effects of ink dryback. "We had veiy tight tolerances," says sales representative Gary Gonzales of printer Insync Media. He was present for all 46 press checks on the 286-page. An Italian printer suggested groundwood, but samples "did not line up with what Neil wanted lo achieve, as far as a quality, environmentally friendly paper," Burden says. He turned to Insync Media, whose 8O, 000-sq.ft. green print facility near Los Angeles specializes in work for the environmentally conscious among Hollywood's elite. Jason Dods, the company's paper manager, consulted with his Unisource and Domtar representatives.

This article focuses on the use of Kodak Polychrome Graphics Direct-Press 5034 by Inkworks Press in the publication of Breathing Fire: In Their Own Words report in Berkeley, California. Inkworks offered a breadth of services, from stationery and business cards to books, posters and newsletters--all printed on recycled paper. It was the perfect partner for the West County Toxics Coalition. The coalition approached the printer with the special publication. The report features oral histories from Richmond residents. Built on a Ryobi platform and powered by Presstek's DI technology, the 5034 is an offset press that laser-images color from digital files directly onto PEARLdry polyester plates on-press, bypassing film and metal. Its elimination of consumables and conservation of water fall right in line with Inkworks' 22 employee-owners' pro-environment beliefs. The company produced 2,000 copies of Breathing Fire. The special report's cover was printed 4-over-1 on 100% recycled, 95-pound coated New Leaf Reincarnation Matte, which is milled by Smart Papers. The sheets then were run through a Heidelberg SORM press for overall varnish pages were perfected on 70-pound uncoated New Leaf Opaque Smooth Text.

This article provides information on the process used by Color Ink in developing the point-of-purchase (POP) wraps for Dyson vacuum cleaners. Eye-popping contrast is precisely what Dyson had in mind when it designed sleek POP wraps for its high-end DC07 models, which retail for between $400 and $500. With canary yellow accents on a charcoal-metallic background, Dyson's display packaging certainly stands out. And it's durable, too, scientifically printed on not-so-common 32-mil polyethylene to stand up to the repetitive rigors of in-store product displays. But before Color Ink made a clean sweep of this print job, it had to do the upfront dirty work. Despite the company's well-earned reputation for specialty printing on a variety of substrates, including, vinyl, fluted and plastic, the press crew wasn't eager to run with the extra-thick polyethylene on its 6-color KBA Rapida 105. Meanwhile, Color Ink's onsite ink lab, staffed by Flint Ink, was charged with laying down the colors and making them stick. With the Flint experts' help, Color Ink has spent a considerable amount of time determining which ink sets would bond the best on various substrates, not scratching or wearing off. After testing for die levels and adhesion, the ink lab made drawdowns on the plastic substrate and decided on Mirasheen hybrid UV ink, a shinier, more expensive version of PMS 877 Metallic Silver.

The article features the little box-within-a-box Rolling Cube mailer. Beautiful, panoramic photography merged with gorgeous printing in an intriguing design: 2005 Mercury Mariner's Rolling Cube is an example of print as a tactile medium. Press operators used X-acto knives to cut apart press sheets and piece together panels of the precise puzzle, which resembles a cardboard Rubix cube. The production team compromised between the vibrant colors in picturesque roadways and the neutral tones in the interior of the sport utility vehicle. Direct marketers are more interested in cost per response that cost per piece. It is all about better targeting and return of investment, especially for the automotive industry, which pioneered relationship marketing. Automobile companies are adept at using electronic-technology to collect good customer data. With telemarketing restrictions and e-mail anti-spam legislation, marketers are coming back to mail. And marketing via mail is all about distinction. A customer's direct mailer may compete against as many as 500 other pieces of mail in a given week.

This article focuses on the 2004 Cadillac XLR brochure of General Motors, created by Cenveo Anderson Lithograph using the Heidelberg Speedmaster CD 102. The concept for the 2004 Cadillac XLR brochure is as dreamy as the car itself: shiny, metallic, just like the engine block and body paint. The job features five vellum sheets that were printed with three hits of white to achieve the desired effect. Meanwhile, the super silver ink was too reflective to be readable on type, so a more conventional metallic spot color was added to the mix. Then came binding, which posed its own set of obstacles for the oblong trim size. Cenveo Anderson turned to Roswell Bookbinding, Phoenix, which has a niche for odd-sized, big books. Roswell laminated the Reich Shine Cover to a text stock and Smythi-sewed the books before shipping them to Color Communications, Inc., which specializes in affixing automotive paint swatches.

This article describes the work done by Williamson Printing in producing the print advertisement for the 2005 Ford GT supercar automobile from Ford Motor Co. The budget for the advertising was virtually a blank check, the time frame was wide open. Ford Motor wanted an elegant coffee-table book for the 2005 Ford GT. Taking the specifications given by Ford Motor, the project was a dream job except for the binding part. The work of Williamson carried on after the 2005 Ford GT made its television commercial debut on February 1, 2004, during Superbowl Sunday. The television spot was made by Latcha & Associates. With the creative precedent set, David Latcha, Jennifer Wallace and their team carried the hand-off into print land. Hansford Ray, vice president of national sales for Williamson Printing, said they had trouble dulling the paper used for the coffee-table book for the 2005 Ford GT. Fortunately, synthetic paper maker Yupo provided the services of its chemist who created a varnish to dull down the paper's surface. The newly formulated varnish paved the road to victory for the coffee-table book, which was printed on two Heidelberg Speedmaster presses and ended up in the winner's circle of the 2004 Premier Print Awards.

Questions the reasons for the failure of the sheetfed printer industry in the United States. Comments from Fred Valentini, vice president of sales for TriService Incorporated; Information on the InkLink, a high-pressure piping system for sheetfed pressrooms; Benefits of sheetfed pumps.

Focuses on print company Premier Graphics' utilization of hybrid films. Benefits of hybrid films such as provision of hard-dot quality, rapid-access speed and lower operating costs; Company executive Paul Glasser's comments on hybrid films.