Holiday Highlights

Coating was key in the production of hanging store signage that was shipped to Regis-owned beauty salons in time for the holiday season. Produced by Shapco Printing, Minneapolis (www.shapco.com), the model's festive look was accentuated by paper and print special effects, including transparent hybrid-UV inks, gloss UV coating and a double hit of opaque white.

The 4,500-run job combined 4-color process inks, a specialty ink mixed (by Preferred Ink) to match PMS 187 red and hybrid UV-compatible inks. Take note of the shimmering earring on the satin, quilt-like background: The silver jewelry's photographic rendering was given extra sparkle using 24-pt., coated-one-side Odyssey A Grade Holographic Rainbow Foil Silver Metallic stock from International Paper. The board was supplied by Midwest Laminating & Coatings (www.midwestlaminating.com), which laminated Spectrotek foil to its surface.

The combination of substrates enhances her metallic eyeliner and eyelash glitter effects, too, where the hologram was allowed to show through. And the way the light reflects from the lip gloss image makes it appear moist, ripening the surrounding color. Overall gloss UV coating came care of Kohl & Madden/Sun Chemical Corp.

This point-of-purchase signage was printed in one pass on an 8-color, 40´´ Komori Lithrone S40 hybrid press, installed two years ago, doubling the printer's UV capacity. The press incorporates an interdeck UV curing system from Nordson, with proprietary reflector technology. The modular approach allows for variant effects.

“We can position the UV docking stations after the first, second, fourth, seventh or eighth stations, plus two high-intensity lamps in delivery,” says president Joel Shapiro. The press's hybrid nature allows Shapco to easily toggle back and forth from ultraviolet to conventional mode—the mainstay of the $26-million printing company.

In prepress, Shapco runs a Heidelberg Print Ready system with Signastation imposition (www.us.heidelberg.com), an Eastman Kodak platesetter (www.graphics.kodak.com) and a Fuji Final Proof (www.fujifilmgs.com).

All of its 40´´ presses are fully CIP3 operational. Digital color data is imported directly from the prepress workflow to the press consoles. Ink zones are set up immediately—specific to each printing unit and each set of plates. Shapco was among the first three U.S. printing companies to receive certification in color management from PIA/GATF.

The 110-employee firm features an in-house bindery where the one-sided job's press sheets were mounted back-to-back to themselves before final trimming and hole punching was executed for the hanging assembly. Fulfillment to some 1,000 Regis stores was the final step. The silky signage has been recognized with several print awards, including high accolades from PIA/GATF and its local affiliate, the Printing Industry of Minnesota.

The new year marks the 31st anniversary for Shapco, which recently added a digital press for variable-data print capability: a 7-color HP Indigo press (www.hp.com/go/graphicarts). Also news is a Kluge Omnifold auto folding/gluing system in the bindery (www.kluge.biz).