UV calendar as a work of art
The subjects of the pictures, impressions of travel from all over the world, originate from five IST METZ group employees who are enthusiastic amateur photographers in their spare time. In combination with modern illustrations, each picture tells the story of a journey made by each of the five photographers.
The TourIST is made up of twelve individual calendar pages pushed into a deep picture frame which in turn is protected by a book cover. When you open the book cover, the calendar can be hung from two eyes. The viewer has the choice of using the product as a calendar in which the illustrations and calendar can be clearly seen, or alternatively, he or she can use the enclosed mount to cover the calendar part, resulting in a gallery of high-quality prints which can be switched around at will. As a result, the calendar can continue to be used once 2015 is over. "Multifunctionality and sustainability are becoming more and more important in printed products, so in our products, we concentrate not just on the printing technology, but also on implementing holistic concepts to set an example - just as our customers would do, too", says Andreas Bosse, Head of Marketing & Communications at IST METZ.
IST METZ has been offering consulting and training services in UV technology for many years. Expertise from over 30 years of company history is passed on to customers and other interested parties in the UV Transfer Center, which was especially created for this purpose. Those with an interest can join IST METZ experts to experiment on two printing presses to find the right combination of ink/varnish and UV aggregate for them. "The initial aim of our printed products is to inspire. But of course we also want to demonstrate to print shops in very practical terms what can be achieved using UV technology", continues Andreas Bosse.
Numerous different varnish finishes are accordingly used to decorate the twelve pages of the calendar: soft-touch, gloss, Iriodin and structured varnishes were printed on the flexographic unit of the in-house seven-colour sheet-fed offset printing press. This creates slightly raised areas. Full-surface matt varnish and another gloss varnish were used in offset printing units. These are applied very thinly and you cannot feel them if you run your fingers over them.
The calendar also sports new inks: in addition to the 4C process inks and special inks, a particularly bright, highly-pigmented silver was printed. Inline embossing decorates two pages of the calendar.
At the beginning of this year, IST METZ already caused a stir in the sector with a new printed product. Using inline embossing and varnishing effects, the company succeeded in making a cardboard folder with a surface which feels like leather. The harmonious combination of impressive pictures, high-quality UV printing and innovative further processing has now created an outstanding calendar. This is available in strictly limited numbers and can be purchased on request.
