The show-stopping “The Beautiful” poster incorporates a fantastic combination of hot stamping technology and photographic art that won acclaim at Deutscher Drucker PrintStars 2012, while the use of a variety of finishing techniques on Swiss machine manufacturer Gietz’s company brochure gained the company Finisher of The Year status at the Druck awards organised by Druck & Medien.

It was the perfect execution of hot stamping and sophisticated embossing on the Beautiful poster that piqued the judges’ interest at this year’s Deutscher Drucker PrintStars 2012. The project won the prize for most impressive visual effects created using state-of-the art hot stamping foils and dies.  

“The Beautiful” poster was printed on Algro Design from Sappi in a live demonstration at Drupa following collaboration between the hot stamping foil manufacturer Leonhard Kurz Stiftung & Co.KG, Fürth, the advertiser g.a.s. Unternehmenskommunikation GmbH, Fürth; the photo studio Mierswa-Kluska, München; Gräfe Druck und Veredelung GmbH, Bielefeld; and the hot stamping die manufacturer hinderer + mühlich, Göppingen.

In choosing the winner, the judges commented its ‘innovation in finishing, the impressive embossing and its high quality looks.’ They added, “This clearly presents the impact hot stamping technology can bring to the end product.”

Gräfe Druck’s 1.500 copies of Gietz’s company brochure were printed web offset 5/4 colour and completed using multiple finishing passes at their Bielefelder Druckerei in Germany.

First, UV varnish was applied, followed by cold foil transfer with a Seamless-Laser, shiny black relief cut engraving and then a relief cut engraved in silver and gold. The final finishing technique was foil stamping.  

“High quality finishing effects on the highest quality substrates ensure that the final product will be noticed, and we are delighted that the performance of Sappi’s Algro Design is allowing customers to achieve just that,” comments Lars Scheidweiler Sappi’s Business Manager SBB Cartonboard. “Gräfe Druck’s success shows just how effective the results can be and how that can translate into value-added market differentiation.”