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Valuing talented printers
I recently found myself sitting in a hotel coffee bar waiting for a colleague to arrive and my eyes drifted to various menus and price lists on the table. One caught my eye. Rather than a tatty card, corners folded and laminate peeling, this was a rigid, black, textured polymer sheet (I'm guessing polypropylene or the like). The most striking aspect of the design was the contrast of the delicate bright white lettering against the black substrate. The text shone off the sheet and, because the lettering sat probably a millimetre deep, it was easily readable from any angle.
The effect was fantastic. Just white text on a black substrate, yet it put the other brightly coloured, conventionally printed, menus in the shade. This had to be screen process, I just can't think of any other process capable of handling theses types of substrate and ink.
What this proves to me is that as conventional commodity print processes continue to fall in monetary value they become equally devalued in the eyes of the customer. Under these conditions, the innovative potential of screen simply rises to the surface, unaided.
However, these is one condition. The UK print industry must find new ways to nurture the next generation of screen specialists that fully understand the process' capabilities, has the skills to apply them and the lateral though required to capitalise on such a versatile technique.
These are very special teams of very talented people. Lets hope the industry, suppliers, customer base, support associations, regulators and government recognise their value.
Jon Barrett
Editor
