Extra special prints
In many ways print and paper products are synonymous with the festive period thanks to the long remembered traditions of Christmas cards, decorations, and of course wrapping paper. In fact, when else would a home be filled with as much card and paper than on Christmas Day?
Packaging, card, and paper fill many a living room floor on Christmas morning, which may seem like an eco nightmare, but with the current focus on recycling and plastic free solutions its an ideal opportunity for change.
The move to more eco-friendly options has meant production houses have had to rethink how they operate
The transition from bulk packs of Christmas cards and reams of wrapping paper, to more handcrafted, premium, and bespoke products shows an evolution in the industry that print companies can embrace like never before.
Seasonal print can encompass many assorted products such as photos, cards, paper, personalised gifts, and calendars. So, what are some of the best ways businesses can capitalise on these critical times of the year?
Standing out
Seasonal times of the year can offer up dazzling and exciting installations for all to see.
Print and packaging company, Antalis, recently developed many festive projects and products that make clever use of their materials and partners. The ‘Deck the Halls’ window display at Mount Street Printers in Mayfair is a notable example of integrating many of the traditional tropes of Christmas, with effective marketing and publicity.
The display shows off Antalis’ Olin Origins Chalk and Keaykolour Guardsman Red paper. Both have been used to create a paper model of the London shop, against a backdrop of London landmarks. As a seller of premium Christmas cards the display is the perfect way for Mount Street Printers to show what it does and entice customers to see more.
The installation demonstrates the importance of premium products, while also keeping the solution simple. This is an aspect managing director at Herbert Walkers, Mike Lammas, says is crucial when working in seasonal print: “Christmas is all about the glitz and glamour. People are looking for premium items for themselves and their loved ones; but not all seasonal products need to be premium.”
Lammas adds: “Brands and retailers are aware that people with different budgets are buying seasonal treats. Because of this they are using different creative strategies to stand out on the shelf without increasing the cost of the product with premium packaging. Premium will always be a significant element of the seasonal market, but the key is to make the product aspirational and of a superior design.”
Herbert Walkers has a long history of working in the seasonal print market, with the company actually starting when founders William and Herbert Walker returned home from fighting in World War II.
After years of work in commercial print the company started production of Christmas cards after winning a contract in the early seventies with retailer Co-op.
Herbert Walkers has used a variety of different machines over its many decades in the business, including the VISIONFOIL from BOBST
“We still deliver seasonal greetings cards, gift tags, and gift wrap, but over the past 10 to 15 years, we have transitioned to become much more of a packaging specialist,” says Lammas.
“Both the operational and technical aspects of our greetings card heritage have helped us to gain a reputation for delivering high-end, beautifully finished gifting and seasonal food and drink projects on time and with the technical know-how needed to answer the creative brief.”
The need for organisation and well executed timeframes around seasonal periods has been key to the success of Herbert Walkers. Lammas says: “Our specialist capabilities in finishing mean that we can be competitive on smaller runs for seasonal items and produce jobs that our competitors can’t, which has brought a lot of seasonal and gifting projects our way.
“As gifting has become more of a year-round phenomenon and consumer trends have led to increased sales and luxury options, added value print specialists like us are much less dependent on seasonal lines.”
For Herbert Walkers the increase in seasonal times of the year, along with its prolonged durations, means the challenges around print during periods such as Christmas have become far more varied.
Lammas adds: “The key benefits of our background in the greeting cards industry are the technical skills and capabilities we have in terms of finishing, and the operational experience of managing projects within mission critical deadlines.
“Seasonal retail periods are getting longer, which means we have to be mindful of deadlines getting earlier for both cards and packaging. Sustainability is an increasingly important influence for both sectors too. Consumer demand for a more eco-conscious Christmas means that we have to be proactive in suggesting solutions for both customers of packaging and greetings cards.”
Customising Christmas
An element of print and gifting that has become increasingly popular over the past decade has been personalisation.
The increase in e-commerce has made it viable for more products to be made and printed on demand, giving customers the appetite for truly memorable seasonal gifts and cards.
Companies like Moonpig, Funky Pigeon, and VistaPrint have all brought customised greetings cards and products to the forefront, with quick delivery and quality prints at the core of their service.
With seasonal periods being crucial to the gift and card industry, companies like Vista (parent brand to VistaPrint) have evolved over the past 20 years to help small businesses and customers all year-round.
Emily Shirley, general manager at Vista UK and Ireland, says: “Our print service, VistaPrint, offers hundreds of fully customisable templates for seasonal and celebratory moments. We offer Christmas cards, which have remained one of our best-selling products for the season, as well as a wide range of design-forward photo gifts to help consumers celebrate every occasion and moment.
“For our small business partners, we help them to market their business with print products in the run up to Christmas, and festive brand makeovers with our 99designs service.”
Vista’s innovations and new product launches are an example of the variety of offerings print companies can now offer alongside their main range. With new products like packaging tape, photo keyrings, and personalised tablecloths, Vista has made sure it is still in-keeping with trends, adapting the company to meet demand.
Shirley adds: “To cope with the mass volumes needed for the seasonal peak, we invested in and are currently piloting a new continuous high speed inkjet printing line. This new solution will reduce the time required to produce our wall calendars, which will make it simpler for our operators and enhance the overall product quality.”
Shirley also refers to the increased volume of peak times and promotions that have led to busier and overall more consistent workflows through the year. “The recent prominence of Black Friday and Cyber Monday in the UK retail environment further contributes to the peak sales period and interest around seasonal gifts.
“For business to business sales, posters and postcards are especially popular at this time, with many small businesses advertising sales and discounts. Banners, flyers, and foam boards are also increasingly in demand, along with festive packaging.”
Christmas, like many seasonal times of the year, continues to be a prime time for printers to demonstrate their craft, and showcase the range of services they can offer”
The busyness of the holiday season is undoubtedly felt by everyone in the retail and production industries. Shirley states: “The Christmas period is crucial for all our customers, whether that’s small businesses that ramp up their marketing, refresh their brand, and increase sales, or individual customers who look to send personalised Christmas cards, calendars and printed photo gifts.”
A premium finish
The focus on personalisation has come about largely from the new companies and trends that have risen through the years. The want for personalised products, has also come about from customer desires for more premium and tailored products.
Offering bespoke and collaborative services has been at the heart of family-run business Foilco. Suppliers of foil stamping, along with luxury packaging and labels means adding personalisation and a premium finish has always been its speciality.
One of the two core elements of Foilco was initially supplying stamping foils to printers of greetings cards
Matt Hornby, son of founder David Hornby and sales director for Foilco, says: “Personalisation has been one of the biggest advancements we have seen in the industry. With digital printing improving so significantly in recent years, it has allowed printers without previous foiling capabilities to add this service to their portfolio.
“Foils that bond with toner inks, digital inks and varnishes have allowed for the premiumisation of this type of printing. It has been challenging for us as all these new machines bring with them slightly different inks and varnishes, so we have had to adjust our grades to find a tailored solution for them all. As such we have
had to invest heavily in production and stock to provide the comprehensive foil colour range, and to retain our levels of service.
“We are always trying to optimise the quality of the finished foil stamped product for our customers and that entails creating multiple graphic grades to suit these varying requirements. We have unique gloss pigment ranges that work in the same way, and these are still very underutilised.”
The move to superior finishes has allowed companies like Foilco to thrive in the world of gifts and packaging, a move that could work for small businesses looking to diversify their range. “We see brands moving away from lamination films on their packaging products and are looking for a premium look to enhance their shelf presence,” adds Hornby.
“There are big demands for uncoated papers and boards. That is great for us because associated with that is decoration and embellishment. How do you best achieve that? With stamping foil. How do you separate your brand and product from competitors? With individuality. Foilco offers the widest range of colours and finishes in the industry from stock, so the future looks bright for us.”
Customers and businesses know that to make a big impression, especially with a gift or seasonal product, it is all in the impact of that product. The materials and processes used to make that product are crucial to ensure you get the desired effect.
Speaking about the differences with a foil application, Hornby says: “The beauty of hot stamping foil is that the metal die presses into the paper and board. That impression, even if slight is enough to work with the light and draw your eye. It adds a level of luxury other print finishes cannot give.
“Brand awareness is so important to success. For newer brands and ranges, adding stamping foils adds the perception of a premium product to the consumer and enhances the retail experience. If we think about pigment foils, the opacity they provide again is something that is defining. White pigment foils in particular are extremely popular. It is one process, just one stamp to achieve this luxurious opaque finish.”
Hornby adds: “The growth of our export market also offers us some better spread across the year as their seasonal demands don’t completely align with our own here in the UK. The Scottish and Irish whisky market continues to expand in their global demand and with that focus on US and Asian markets their demands ripple through the label and box printing sectors. At Foilco we see lulls in December and a little in the main summer months, but the other months remain buoyant.”
A variety of options
Seasonal peaks will always remind companies of the best practices and processes to put in place to ensure they succeed. Over the past few years many retailers and businesses have adapted their opening hours and staff levels to cope with the increased demand at sales times.
In many ways e-commerce can drive more business into shops, stores, and other locations thanks to sales buzz, online reservations, and services like click and collect.
Ensuring that your company is ready for increased demand is a crucial step to take says Rob Thurston, head of sales at Duplo UK, which supplies machines to print companies all year round.
“Many printers base their entire yearly strategy upon their seasonal print runs, whether it is greetings cards for Valentine’s or Mother’s Day, summer promotional print or Christmas cards and calendars. Many customers who have bought new Duplo equipment usually keep their older ones to run back up during the peak times to make sure they run at full capacity.”
Christmas cards have been a huge part of the festive season, with their origins going all the way back to 1611
Thurston adds: “Over the years, the range of machines we sell have meant that we are much more prepared to help printers with their seasonal print needs. With advances in automatic inline cutting and creasing on our multi finisher range and with integrated folding and 3D foiling techniques this can all give a more luxurious and prestigious feel to prints.
“Printers are able to make small work out of a huge influx of print that can drop at a moment’s notice without disrupting their regular work too much.”
Flexibility has been at the core of many areas of print as evident in the areas of foiling, cutting, and packaging, all of which have seen big innovations over the last few decades.
Lamination and finishing equipment company, Vivid Laminating Technologies has also seen many of these innovations. Lewis Evans, product manager at Vivid, says: “Many print companies of any sector can take advantage of the Christmas period.
O Factoid: According to fabric wrap company, Wrag Wrap, approximately 50,000 trees are used to make the 8,250 tonnes of paper consumed at Christmas O
“If you look at finishing, our Veloblade range means you can digitally cut items like advent calendars, promotional gifts, photos, or even personalised jigsaws. Our Matrix range of finishing machines means you can add special effects such as gold and silver metallic foils, just like on Christmas decorations.”
With personalisation and luxury packaging being so important at Christmas, Evans says: “We have seen many trends over the past 11 years, especially using our Matrix range which allows customers to personalise packaging or gifts with a name or special foil colour. When you can digitally cut almost any design with little set up then it means the creativity from a design team can really thrive.”
Seasonal prints can help keep printers busy all year long thanks to the many holidays, events, and celebrations through the year
It is undeniable how big an effect seasonal printing has on the industry, and the differences it can make to your company. Personalisation, special effects, and premium prints are all trends that can be built upon, but as evident in companies like Vivid, Herbert Walkers, and Foilco, these changes need to come naturally.
The range of machines you hold, and the solutions you provide need to marry up with what you are planning or proposing.
The importance of sustainability now gives small and big companies new opportunities to stand out and make products like paper, card, and even fabrics become new luxury options at Christmas. Our traditional and enhanced materials can continue to boost creativity and help brands stand out, while eco-friendly paper and packaging can shape the way families enjoy days like Mothering Sunday, Christmas, and Valentine’s Day.
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