Red and White—A Thrilling Combination!

Recently, I attended the Printing Industries of America Trade Show in San Diego. Each year, businesses in our industry gather to tout their wares and each year, I look forward to attending to see what's new.

I visited the Neenah booth, where our rep, Jill Dunleavy was present. We chatted for awhile and then, she handed over the pièce de résistance.

Wow. Wow. Wow. Did I say wow?

Having been through a crazy process trying to figure out how to print white ink on a colored stock, the answer to that dilemma came in the form of her new business card.

A RED PEPPER Classic Linen Digital 100#C printed digitally—on the HP Indigo—with WHITE ink. Niiiiice. This photo doesn't do the crispness (or whiteness) of the printed type justice but, it'll give you the idea.


Not only has this feat become obtainable(!), it can be produced economically! Awesome. Simply awesome.

And, shortly after I shared her card with everyone in the studio, one of my co-workers pointed THIS fabulousness out in this months edition of Print. Printed using the Indigo on Neenah Esse Digital 105#C Pearlized Silver Smooth. Way cool.

Ahhhh, the possibilities.

Pretty darn close to offset quality at a digital price

Happy December! Hope you had your fill of gratitude and goodness over the Thanksgiving holiday!

The last time we printed business cards for MORRIS, we went through quite the rigamarole (for more on the learning experience, see part 1 of Murphy's Law here and part 2 here). And, every time a new employee graced our doorstep, it cost us a small fortune to print new cards. Knowing this, I took a fresh approach when our agency recently refreshed our brand and business cards.

For a long time, we have been printing our case studies on a digital HP Indigo press. This particular digital press is not only unique in it's hybrid-like technology but in it's print quality as well. I would have to say, quite honestly, there's no comparison when it comes to quality. The Indigo pretty much kicks ass over all other digital presses and is a GREAT option for nearly-offset-quality small runs at a digital price.

Like all digital presses, there are limitations to the Indigo. Finished size is constrained to 11" (h) x 17" (w) and you have to choose from Indigo approved digital papers (which include a broad range of options) but for projects such as business cards, greeting cards and minimal-paged documents at low quantities (that don't exceed the size specifications), it's truly the best bet.

But shop around. Not all vendors have an Indigo. My recommendation, in the San Diego area, is SOS Printing. Beyond their experienced team and a press that is calibrated close to perfection, they produce high-quality products at extremely competitive prices. You can get to know their digital pressman, Kent Wright (aka rocking' guest blogger), here.

Trust me on this one. You won't be disappointed!