March 2017 – messages from happy customers

Brochures arrived today and look fantastic! Thanks again for such a quick turnaround Josh.N

A massive thank you for the folders we just received this morning, They look absolutely stunning . Well done! Tom. D

The booklet look super smart and I’m really pleased. So happy. Thanks to Tim for the spot on match on the yellow. Bridget. L

The schools flyer has arrived in and it looks great. Thanks for doing such a great job and getting it here early. Wendy. R

Just to say thanks for a nice clean job and to all of you at Park Lane Press for all your help throughout the project. Lydia. T

Thanks for the Autumn Performance Guide print – really pleased with the job, and it went down really well at our event yesterday. Fiona.M

Voltage Power Optimiser

I love green technology that continues to pay you back! We purchased this Voltage Power Optimiser around 10 years ago. This is an electrical energy saving device which is installed in series with the main electricity supply to provide a reduced supply voltage to our site equipment. It saves in the region of 12% p.a. on our electric bill which in turn more than offsets the extra cost for the 100% renewable electricity we use in the business.

Maintenance is the route to quality

Printing using the waterless process requires the printing press to be maintained to the highest of standards, in order that it can be operated to an expected quality and consistency, which is then translated onto the printed sheet. Today new rollers have been installed in the yellow unit, and the unit is in its final stages of re-calibration.

The ink film thickness on the duct roller has to be set at its minimum of 6 microns.  This little gadget (in the image) reads the thickness to ensure that the ink applied to the new rollers is accurate.

It is imperative that this measurement is correct to ensure that the printed sheet matches to the Epson proofs quickly, as any variation which adds time and therefore loses efficiencies in the production process.

Other factors that may impact the thickness of the ink film may include air temperature.  If the pressroom is cold the ink will become stiffer and less mobile.  Air conditioning within the factory provides a consistent working environment, to eliminate these types of variations.

This is a very small part of the maintenance required to ensure that the manufacturing process limits any possible defects.  This helps to provide the exceptional quality we work towards – every time.

Which laminate should I use?

Lamination is a process where a very thin layer of plastic is applied to the surface of paper or card. It helps protect the print beneath.  It is also tear resistant and water resistant. Having materials laminated improves wear and tear in terms of handling, and potential damage from the sun

There are several types of laminate available on the market, many of my customers are unsure about which ones to use – here are details of the most common types.

Gloss laminate

This is the most commonly used laminate, generally used for book covers and brochures.  This laminate is the cheapest on the market and is extremely durable.  It provides lift to the image beneath, as the images become crisper and sharper providing more contrast. The laminate can be easily wiped clean if it gets dirty.

Matt Laminate

Matt laminate is also very popular as it provides a muted finish.  It is a softer look and has lower contrast on darker areas.  Matt laminate is affordable and is commonly used in conjunction with Spot UV for affect.  It has a velvet feel and is nice to handle.  The disadvantages of Matt laminate is that it can be easily bruised and scuffed with general handling, making the product look battered pretty quickly.  The darker the printed image the more easily this is visible.

Soft touch laminate

This laminate has become very popular in the past couple of years, mainly as it doesn’t mark very easily and it has a matt finish.  However the texture isn’t liked by everyone as it feels a bit like chamois leather. This laminate is more expensive than matt.

Anti -scuff matt laminate

This the most expensive of all the laminates listed but it does provide a higher quality product.  This type of laminate is best used on very dark areas of print where you want it to remain pristine and have a matt finish.

Spot UV Varnish

This effect isn’t so popular these days. Spot UV varnish is an offline UV application and if it hasn’t been managed properly at the printing stage can have a poor finish.  This is due to either “orange peeling” which can occur if too much spray is applied, or fit issues if the print isn’t registered properly.  If the UV runs over a fold or a spine it will crack, so please remember this at the design stage.  If printed correctly is can provide stunning results.

2017 Calendar

Our 2017 desk top calendar has been distributed and we have had some fantastic feedback. The calendar was printed with 4 colour text and a pantone double hit to the cover and easel, with a anti-scuff laminate to the outer and finished with a gold coloured foil, a truly beautiful piece.

After years of producing landscape wall calendars we felt that it was time for a change and with the move to open plan offices and limited wall space the desk option was the way to go. Les Welch at Lionhouse designed the job spending hours on the detail on each quote that interleaves the months using his creative brilliance. We are all very proud of the finished item. We still have few left should you like one.

Good luck Libby

After 16 years of working at Park Lane as Environmental Project Manager and Sales Manager, Libby has sadly left the company to live in New York. Tim her husband has landed a fantastic opportunity to work in a school in Manhattan, they moved in July 2016 with their two boys and have settled in really well.

Libby has also made a change in direction in her career and now works at the New York Sports Club as a Personal Fitness Trainer, as triathlons in particular have been a true passion for her over the years, so it has come as no surprise that this has been her chosen vocation.

Libby was instrumental in the development of our Environmental Management System and has helped to achieve all our environmental credentials as well as the numerous awards we have won, as well as winning many major clients for the company.  Her hard work, diligence,and attention to detail has been hugely appreciated and will be missed.

We wish her happiness and success in her new life abroad.

December 2016 – messages from happy customers

To say we have received many positive comments about the quality of the printing. Someone said the a picture in the book looked better than the original, great praise indeed. The award winning Watermill bookshop in Aberfeldy said it was a real bargain for the quality the book offered. The book is proving really popular and selling really well. Officially it only went on sale on the 29th Nov and we have already sold 214 copies. Roben A.

Thanks also for sending us some copies, they look great. Sophie G.

Just got files – very nice. Gill D.

I also wanted to make sure I emailed back to say how pleased we and our clients are with the printed result, thank you. Michael S.

Well hands down that’s the best mailer I’ve ever received (Parky 2017 desk calendar) Simon M.

I just wanted to say thank you for sending over a few brochures for us in the office – they look really good Vanessa W.

Thanks again for the events guides – they look great! Jacquelyn W.

Thank you so much for sending the brochures on time. They look perfect! Thank you for all your help this year look forward to working with you in 2017. Isabel S.

Just a quick email to say thank you, the Face Charts have arrived and are perfect! Thank you for amending the design as well. Kat V.

They are looking great by the way – very happy with the quality Selma W.

Thanks for the manuals they look great! Nick R.

Thank you so much for sorting those A5 cards out, they arrived in time and were just the job so thank you Harriet W.

Choosing the correct paper for your project.

The world of paper can appear to be quite complicated, dozens of paper names sold by an array of merchants. The aim of this blog is to de-mystify and simplify the choice of papers

• The world of paper basically falls into two categories – coated and uncoated.
• Most paper used in the UK comes from only a few European mills.
• Merchants sell the same paper under their own brand names.

Coated paper

Coated paper can be called Gloss or Art (shiny paper), or Silk, Matt and Satin (all matt paper). The surface of this type of paper has a coating which is smooth which provide a great surface to print detailed images, as the ink doesn’t absorb into the sheet readily and it sits on the surface.

Uncoated paper

Uncoated paper can also be called Offset, which has no coating and has a rougher more absorbent surface. With traditional litho printing, images printed on this type of paper can look a little flat and “milky” as the image blots into the sheet. However using the waterless process that we employ at Park Lane Press we don’t have these issues, and are able to achieve a similar result as achieved on a coated stock. We’re specialists in printing on uncoated stock and many of our clients come to us first because of the results we’re able to produce.
FSC papers
The good news is that nearly all the paper supplied into the UK is either FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) or PEFC (Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification). This means that there is a record, or chain of custody, to track, and therefore prove, where the tree was grown and made into paper, in order to protect Intact Forest Landscapes (IFLs) like the rainforest.

Recycled paper
Recycled paper has improved over the decades and is no longer a poor quality alternative. There is very little to differentiate between an FSC or a recycled sheet, except for a marginal colour difference, and is indistinguishable once printed on. Recycled paper is available in both coated and uncoated.
Recycled paper is more expensive but if the print run is small – say up to 2000 copies. This may not have a big impact on the overall price of the job so it may be worth considering.

Premium sheets
Many designers will specify premium sheets, such as coloured boards and super smooth papers, which can make a massive impact on the finished job. However the price can hike dramatically and the printers will more than likely cover in ink and seal with a coating which can lose the characteristics of the original paper! It’s always worth speaking to us and we can advise on cheaper alternatives which will help the budget in most cases.
Whichever route you choose, we can supply the relevant FSC logos and blurb to show that it has been printed in an environmentally-friendly way. A member of our team will be pleased to help if in doubt.

Marathon Man

Press minder Chris Millard has just completed the Bristol Half Marathon in a time of 1 hour 40 mins and raised over £600 for the charity Multiple Sclerosis Society.

He has been training for months fitting the runs around his shifts as often as he could. The regular training runs consisted of distances between 3-6 miles. “The race went well and I started off steadily and the plan was to push on after 10 miles, however that is when it go really hard and the last 3 miles were difficult!

Chris is considering a full marathon but after the half is concerned about going around again! Go Chris, you can do it!