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THE DISTILLERY
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C reati vi ty + Des i g n > Ctr l + P!
Printing isn’t as simple as the average person would seem. How do you handle ‘newcomers’ to the world of print? The best piece of advice I can give is don’t be afraid to get down and dirty. Our printing style is driven by old-fashioned quality which requires lots of patience and hard work that is sure to pay off. Sometimes taking the road less travelled takes you to the best places. What type of print products and services does The Distillery provide? Do you have any specialities that you are renowned for? As a production studio, we are one of the world’s leading modern letterpress practices, with a mission to help spread the love of letterpress in Australia. We offer letterpress printing, foiling, specialty packaging and laser cutting services to individuals, couples, and organisations who love paper and appreciate tangible beauty.
- desktopmag.com.au
We excel at designing our own and printing your designed personal and corporate stationery, business cards, wedding and event invitations, speciality packaging and prints. Graphic Designers are always in need of a skilful and reliable printers. When a graphic designer comes through your doors how does your relationship with them differ from other clients? Dealing with a graphic designer is quite different. For starters, you can talk about their artwork and explain to them how to make it letterpress friendly. The annoying thing is they usually have a client on their back who wants something very particular, and explainging to them it won’t work is not easy. We also suggest other approaches that can be taken in oder to make the design letterpress friendly.
Choosing the right paper stock for print can be just as important as the work itself when it comes to the finished product. How do you guide your clients in choosing the right paper? Different weights communicate different messages. It also depends on the design itself and the clients budget. This depends on the feel and the mood of the artwork, whether it needs to feel thick or thin.Consider the weight of the paper and think about its intended purpose; a letterhead for instance needs to run through a printer, while thicker stock can make a business card seem more expensive although smaller in size. Various specialised print processes such as raised, embossed and foil printing are beautiful and vital contributions to a graphic designers vision of a project. Do you provide these processes and if so, how do you prepare for them?
The setup for foiling on the press is long, usually ranging between one to two hours. Foiling is a ver y fiddly process, the paper stock affects how well the printing will run. Some foil colours may transfer better than others. Embossing is fairly straight forward, the set up is all in the artwork. Graphic designers are very passionate about their work, from the start to the end stages and may come across as quite controlling. What things annoy you most about Graphic Designers when it comes to print? Being quite strong headed! They often have difficulty accepting that their pretty designs might not be best suitable for the sake of letterpress printing. The best way to avoid this is if designers did their research before going ahead with production. Run tests in the studios and double check if chosen stock actually works, as you’ll often find that looking at a small swatch can be quite different to what you see when you get a big sheet in.
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THE DISTILLERY
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We remind each other every day about how important each individual in our team is and how we are part of the bigger picture
Are clients and designers concerned about environmentally friendly printing? If so how do you achieve those standards when it comes to inks and paper used?
Printers are not always praised for their contributions to a project. Personally, are they not always appreciated for their hard work?
Some people care, we make it a point to explain how the paper is chosen. Most of our papers are 100% cotton which is a by product from the clothing industry. Waste cotton that is unsuitable to make clothes is used to make this type of paper. Also, we use 100% recycled papers.
Good clients will make an effort to get involved in the production of the whole process. This is when printers are truly appreciated and recognised more than ever. Needles to say, the people in your team are the ones who realise how important you are and we remind each other everyday about how important each individual in our team is as we are all part of the bigger picture at the end of the day.
Can you share with us from your own experience on what makes a great client, graphic designer or not? A great client, whether or not they are designers, are people who come by our studio, asks questions, and listens to the answers. They take our advice and are just as excited about the results. A client that isn’t great to work with is someone who sends you artwork at the eleventh hour and expects it to be ready immediately.
- desktopmag.com.au
Printing has come a long way and like most other things, the rise of digital era has taken over. What do you personally prefer more; traditional printing methods or more contemporary printing methods? I think as a graphic designer I embrace both. BUT I love letterpress, it’s very hands on and tactile.
However, letterpress nowadays has come a long way. It is a good mix of both modern and traditional. These days we are able to do a lot more in a shorter time frame especially now that we use photopolymer plates instead of the traditional movable type. I love the idea of any form of traditional printing because you live with the print. You form a connection with the machine, I find it a lot more satisfying than pressing Ctrl+P!