From the first printed book, the Gutenberg Bible, to the most elaborate coffee table books, from fliers that come with the newspapers every Sunday to the glossy magazines that take you to another world, from the first alphabet book to the paperback editions that line the airport shop window, print is everywhere. And not going anywhere! Printing today has gone beyond the CMYK to add many more drums of colour to exclusive print jobs. While the pre-print process is primarily digital, the post press techniques, though also digital, include UV lamination, emboss and de-boss, foil stamping, micro-embossed textures and so on.
In a 3 day workshop, the first day was dedicated to publishing and design of a fantasy fiction novel. Exploring the medium more, the students went through the basics of typography and layout one more time before illustrating the cover design on mediums of their choice. The second day was for packaging. Understanding the 3D form, manipulating paper to create them and then look at creating templates for mass production of the same was practised. The brief was to pack any product that comes in a pack of three, keeping in mind the look, appeal, management of weight and locking system—all while keeping in mind the user/the buyer and their engagement with the package.
Some interesting iterations were discussed and a few students took the iterations to the computers to realize the output in actual size. A very interactive workshop, the students were shown exquisite print samples from Pragati Art Press, Hyderabad and top-of-the-line paper samples from Sona Commercial and TransAsia Papers. The love for specialized paper has been transferred. A relationship of a lifetime is guaranteed!