As a rule, wow-inducing projects do not come easy. The designer may hatch a fantastic, albeit abstract, idea that would fall flat during the dummy-making stage. The production director may want to speed up the manufacturing process without considering that glue, ink, and paper take time to dry well and should not be rushed. Worse, those materials that seem oh so appropriate for the fantastic project may come with a hefty price tag way beyond initial projections, or a nightmare to source. The onus is then on the print manufacturer to juggle the inconceivable, the impossible, and the impractical to come up with the right solution—and deliver on time, at high quality, and within budget.
Here are several recent examples—chosen arbitrarily from a long list—that attest to Hong Kong and China print manufacturers' impressive capabilities and can-do spirit.
From Asia Pacific Offset
Ten facsimile documents printed on an assortment of papers—for texture variation and realistic reproduction—are the highlight of Russia of the Tsars and the Slave Trade from Thames & Hudson. "These documents go into a rectangular pocket on the inside back cover, and we produced the pocket using Wibalin gusset to increase its flexibility and durability," says president Andrew Clarke. Then there is Andrews McMeel's A Doonesbury Retrospective, a 696-page slipcased volume chronicling the comic strip's 40-year run, which comes with a four-page foldout map detailing the complex relationship matrix spanning three generations.
From C&C Offset
The 300-page Eco House Book from designer Terence Conran does not just talk about environmental-friendly home improvement. It is itself ecofriendly. "About 90% of the materials used in it are FSC-certified, and the rest are green, too, such as gray board for the cover and recyclable shrink-wrapping film for packing," says deputy general manager Ivy Lam. The book went on to win the silver medal at IAPHC 2010 in recognition of C&C's production capabilities and stringent quality control.
From Midas
A book from the French Foxy Lady Project SAS, 20th Century Legendary Guitars: Lifesize Photographs, which approximates the size and shape of an actual guitar was a challenge from start to finish. Measuring 109-cm. × 47.3-cm., the 124-page book with a pull-out poster required four rounds of dummy-making. Its bigger-than-usual dimension called for large-format printing, meticulous planning to avoid massive paper wastage, and a much longer production schedule. "Every step in the binding process had to be done manually, including folding of the eight-page endpapers, case making, and casing in," says deputy managing director Francis Kwok, whose team also had to figure out the most suitable pallet and container for shipping the unusual book to avoid damage during transit.
From Regal Printing
The limited edition of Luxury House 2010–2011, published by Hong Kong Economic Times, comes in a clam-shell box with a sheet of stamps from the Hong Kong Post Office and a wooden bookmark with the recipient's name laser-engraved on it. But the most unusual part of this project is the bamboo case cover. "For that, we had to source a vendor to strip the bamboo, hand-sew the strips together, dye it in a specific color, and dry it under the sun to remove the moisture. We then cut the bamboo piece to size, glued it to the cover and used laser engraving to deboss the book title," says managing director Maurice Kwan, who has the satisfaction of seeing this title win the gold at the China Print Awards 2010 and the IAPHC 2010.
Then there is the special campaign to promote Mandarin Oriental Hotel's prestigious Krug Room. "The cover of this promotional book has a layer of cork over it. Unfortunately, the local cork paper or cork from China is of inferior grade. So I contacted a friend in the U.S. who represents a Japanese paper company to get high-quality cork paper shipped over from Tokyo. We then use laser engraving to print the title, simulating the effects that are found on Krug champagne corks."
From Regent Publishing
A presentation package measuring 13.4-cm. ×2 8.8-cm. and around 12.5 cm in height for the Global Party, September 15–16, 2011, took about six months to progress from quotation to order confirmation. "The set includes two boxes, two key rings in individual bags, one cradle, and two 200-page case-bound books. A lot of special design and preparation work was required, and everything is hand-assembled," says managing director George Tai, whose team had to contend with the very fine typeface set on a black background for the books and the task of wrapping the boxes in black saifu cloth, which gets dirty and stained easily. "The short turnaround time—50,000 sets within four weeks—added to the challenge. But the client is very happy with the finished product, and we are already discussing details of their 2012 project, which comes with a bigger order of 200,000 sets."
Another project, this one for becker&mayer, has 17 different special features including envelopes, stickers, trading cards, posters, and various gatefolds. "For Star Wars: The Complete Vader, we apply aqueous varnish to every page to prevent setoff due to heavy ink coverage. The manual gluing of so many special features is strictly controlled to prevent warping, and we have to do multiple tests to find the right balance of sewing and gluing for the spine."
From TSE Worldwide
Replicating on paper the color, feel, touch, and details of Nelson De La Nuez's original artwork is the toughest challenge in producing the 168-page Pop Americana. "We created a unique ICC profile that would fit the printing press in China and the paper used. And prior to the big run, we produced one signature of press sheets for the author's approval," says CEO Sarah Tse, whose team also developed a clamshell for the 22.9-cm. × 30.5-cm. hardcover book after going through numerous sketches and samples and having multiple videoconferencing and physical meetings with the client. "The clamshell is a great marketing piece that doubles as a keepsake." Impressed, the celebrity artist has been sending Tse new referrals since the beginning of the year.
