The MOO design team approached Mohawk last year with a challenge to create thick, luxurious paper stock that could take full advantage of MOO’s HP Indigo printing capabilities and unique Printfinity software platform. The Mohawk team, lead by Christopher Harrold, VP of Business Development and Gavin Gaynor, VP Research and Development, worked closely with MOO to leverage Mohawk’s papermaking, technical and digital print expertise with the storied qualities of Mohawk Superfine, Mohawk’s legendary premium text and cover line.

The result is Luxe Business Cards by MOO, “Arguably the finest business cards available on the web,” said Harrold. Meticulously crafted for design-driven professionals and entrepreneurs, Luxe Business Cards are twice the thickness of a standard MOO Card and three times as thick as a standard online business card. A Quadplex layering technique fuses four layers of Mohawk paper together to create a 32-point paper never before available in the digital printing space. The two outer, printable layers are Mohawk Superfine Eggshell. An optional seam of color, which runs through the middle of the paper stock is available in black, cyan, magenta or white.

Previously, the technologies and design processes used to create similar cards were reserved exclusively for specialty orders at traditional lithographic print houses and specialty printers — this is the first time letterpress-quality paper and card stock thickness is available in the on-demand digital print space.

“Luxe Business cards stand at the intersection of craft and technology,” said Harrold. “Luxe Business Cards have the unmistakable, luxurious feel of Superfine Eggshell, with MOO’s easy to use online interface. Partnering with MOO has been a great opportunity to work closely with a customer to bring their ideas to life and grow their business.”

This solution is another example of Mohawk’s commitment to developing tech offerings in the digital, photo and design spaces. Recent initiatives include MakeReady, Pinhole Press, and Felt & Wire; and unique papers and substrates for innovative applications.

Their work is a blend of Midwestern sensibilities and global itch. Traveling near and far feeds their imaginations and they partner well from years of practice as mother and daughter.

“We’re always tossing around our next idea,” according to Diane. “Sometimes it starts with a material, sometimes with a bit of content that we can’t get out of our heads. Having two sets of eyes is a real plus in our design work. Both of us definitely saw the truth in Dire Warning #10, Two Heads are Better Than One.”

Their newest letterpress art print series called “Dire Warnings” is based on a fascination with words straight from a worried mother’s lips. Perhaps these old sayings still provide some down-to-earth guidance for today’s sticky situations.

Bob Atkins of Skylab Letterpress has made the prints sing on Mohawk Loop Antique Vellum paper, containing 100% post-consumer waste fibers.

There are two colorways for each saying—yellow and black or aqua and black. Choose the one that complements your décor. Each print measures 5″x7″. They can be found at FeltandWireShop.com or through several fine retail venues in the Midwest.

You can find these fun cards at feltandwireshop.com.
Which warning will you heed?

Designers: TagTeamTompkins, Kansas City, MO
Printer: Skylab Letterpress, Kansas City, MO
Paper: Mohawk Loop Antique Vellum Milkweed 160 dtc

International Justice Mission is a human rights agency that brings rescue to victims of slavery, sexual exploitation and other forms of violent oppression, and supports functioning public justice systems where the poor urgently need an advocate. The humanity of their brand story is told through the immersive photography showcased in their annual report. As a non-profit, mission-based organization, the annual report functions as a brand-building tool, maximizing the emotional impact of the nature of their work to attract donor contributions.

According to StudioNorth’s Creative Director, Chris Cacci, “It was important to our design team (and to the client) that the quality of the design, printing and paper work together to reflect the severity and hope associated with IJM’s cause. We believed that a Mohawk paper would be a great choice because of their commitment to environmental and sustainable business practices.”

Wally McCormack of Dupli-Graphic added, “We selected Mohawk Everyday Digital not only for Mohawk’s commitment to digital R&D, but also their quality engineering specific to the HP Indigo printing process. I knew we had to use a sheet that was capable of providing the ink holdout and saturation that Studio North was looking for and Mohawk Everyday Digital fit the bill. ”

This is the second year StudioNorth has designed IJM’s annual report. Last year’s report won a Business Marketing Association (BMA) Tower Award.

Lead designer on the project, Leah Shanholtz, added, “I appreciated the opportunity to work on this annual report for a second year, and to take a fresh look at the design. Personally, this is a very emotionally charged initiative. Your attention is captivated by the amazing photography. Then, when you learn the story behind the photos, you can’t help but be extremely touched. It really is an honor to be able to work on this assignment and help IJM’s mission.”

Client: International Justice Mission, Washington, D.C.
Design: StudioNorth , North Chicago, IL
Printer: Dupli-Graphic, Chicago, IL
Production notes: Mohawk Everyday Digital, 28pp saddle stitched, 80# cover/100# text, HP Indigo printing

“At the end of 2010 we were introduced to Mohawk Fine Papers’ Panoramic format featuring TRU-Flat® Technology from Convertible Solutions. This specialty paper gets printed on one side only. The pages are then scored, folded, collated into a book block and pressed together. The pressed book block is then cased with a cover, pressed again and trimmed. The final result is a beautiful photo book that lays flat. What you see is one continuous image with no gutters or crossovers. This is a fantastic new product that has many high end applications,” according to Carrie Grove, vice president TPI Solutions Ink.

Intrepid connoisseur of extraordinary travel experiences, Tina Sommers specializes in photographing unique signature details of luxury resorts, boutique hotels and distinctive restaurants to create custom-designed marketing materials for targeted clientele. This 5” x 5”, 24-page self cover book was printed on an HP Indigo 3050 press and features spectacular imagery from her travels in Europe—architectural details from arresting perspectives, juxtapositions of color that feed the senses, and reflections of life in an unfamiliar city.
 
The award announcements were made November 15th during PINE’s 2011 Industry Awards Gala, held in Newton, MA. PINE’s Awards of Excellence Competition, attracted over 200 entries from 30 printing companies across New England competing in a variety of communications categories including best annual report, direct mail campaign, corporate identity and packaging solutions.

Judging criteria included registration, clarity and neatness, sharpness of halftones and line drawings, richness and tonal qualities of color, paper and ink selection, ink coverage, difficulty of printing, effective contrast or softness, overall visual impact and bindery.

The Printing Industries of New England (PINE) is the largest trade association to serve printing and graphic communications companies throughout New England. PINE serves more than 360 member companies through a wide range of products and services that enhance member profitability. The Association is affiliated with the world’s largest graphic arts trade association, Printing Industries of America. As a 2011 Pinnacle award winner the Sojourns Panoramic Book will be automatically entered into the Printing Industries of America’s 2012 Premier Print Awards competition.

Client: Mohawk Fine Papers, Cohoes, NY
Designer: Tina Sommers
Printer: TPI Solutions Ink, Waltham, MA              
Paper: Mohawk Options Panoramic Paper 100# Text

Don’t know what you don’t know? Don’t worry. Once a question is provided, find your way to MohawkMakeReady.com for the answer (clue: the answer will be in the site content).

Here’s how it works:

1. On twitter, follow @printmediacentr, @mohawkpaper and the hashtag #makereadymonday.
2. Beginning at 11am ET, you will have six chances to win throughout the day.
3. Questions will be tweeted every hour, alternating from either @printmediacentr or @mohawkpaper. Questions will also be posted on Mohawk’s Facebook page.
4. When you find the answer, post a comment on Mohawk’s Facebook page, underneath the question. If you post the right answer, you will be entered into a random drawing for a giftcard.

No purchase necessary. Six winners will receive a $10 giftcard to Amazon.com. Questions can be answered on Facebook up until 11:59 pm EST on 12/19/2011. Winners are only eligible for 1 of the 6 prizes.

Happy finding!

So states the blind embossed cover copy on the new brochure for Mitsubishi Motors’ 100% Electric i-MiEV (Mitsubishi Innovative Electric Vehicle). This raised-type introduction superimposes a green and blue duotone of a smart little car that gets 112 MPGe.*

A child of four decades of research, the MiEV’s operating system constantly regulates the major components of the all-electric drive train to achieve the maximum eco-fficiency, so acceleration is always smooth and energy is always optimized. Consequently, it can go approximately 62 miles per charge based on EPA combined city/highway testing.

To complement the car’s environmental pedigree, 180LA chose Mohawk Options 100% PC White paper to print it on. It is FSC certified, manufactured with wind power and made completely from post consumer waste recycled pulp. Plus, Mohawk’s proprietary Inxwell surface treatment makes it the best-printing 100% recycled paper on the market today as you can see from the photographic images in the brochure. They’re crisp and clean just like the air behind a MiEV that’s motoring down the highway.

*MPGe represents the number of miles the vehicle can go using a quantity of fuel with the same energy content as a gallon of gasoline. It allows a reasonable comparison between vehicles using different fuels.

Client: Mistsubishi Motors,
Design: 180LA, Los Angeles, CA
Printer: Lithographix, Inc., Los Angeles, CA
Paper: Mohawk Options Vellum 100% PCW

The posters not only celebrate the virtues of the community’s heritage, but also capture the pride and fun of one of Connecticut’s favorite events.

The book Fair Play by Bertz Design Group’s founder, features beautiful reproductions of every Durham Fair Poster from 1987 through 2008 accompanied by a brief narrative from Ted Bertz that explains the thought process behind each gem.

The author and designer, who grew up on a farm in Ohio and lived for many years in Durham, produced the fair poster editions in six different series. Each edition focused on a unique aspect of the fair and farm life in small New England towns ranging from the ornate beauty of a hand-carved carousel horse to a woodcut of the newest breed of chicken and a colorful grid of utilitarian farm equipment wheels.

“The Durham Fair Posters were a way for me to pay homage to my love of a great fair and a proud Durham institution,” noted Mr. Bertz.  “And, while I’d like to think my efforts helped drive a few extra ticket sales, it’s very gratifying to have played a lasting role in the history of this revered agricultural celebration.”

Mr. Bertz signed copies of Fair Play at the fair this summer and has since made it available for purchase online at blurb.com where the book is beautifully printed on legendary Mohawk Superfine. A portion of the proceeds benefits Farm Aid.

Client: Durham Fair Association, Durham, CT
Designer: Bertz Design Group, CT
Paper: Mohawk Superfine

“Photography is all about surface. All we photographers can do is seize and freeze those photons as they bounce of the exterior of things. Skin is the surface we know best; it’s our surface. It’s the surface through which we express our most tender and personal emotions; a hug, a brush of the fingertips on a cheek, the embrace of a child, a gentle hand on the shoulder. It reveals our feelings and betrays our mortality and fragility. It is our thin wall and a visible roadmap of where we’ve been…”

The exhibit is called Skin: Mark McCarty Photographs, and is at the Opalka Gallery of the Sage Colleges in Albany, New York from October 30 to December 11 this year. These pictures were meant to be seen at least life-size where each pore and follicle of the subject has its own majesty and significance. The catalogue was designed by Ralph Frisina and David Morrison and printed by Benchemark Printing on Mohawk Navajo, an Inxwell paper with a super-bright, super-smooth surface that allows super-detailed photo reproduction.

Not a wrinkle nor a mole was lost in translation from film to paper. Every imperfection, scar, freckle, and hair on these black and white, unadorned nude portraits is captured, creating a range of images from infant to ancient that are both familiar and strange.

“Time is McCarty’s ultimate subject,” according to Lyle Rexer, critic, curator, and writer. “The body lives it but cannot know it. Photography registers it but cannot stop it. These luminous photographs embrace it as our great shared mystery.”

Client: The Opalka Gallery, Sage Colleges, Albany, NY
Design:  Ralph Frisina with David Morrison
Photographer: Mark McCarty, Cropseyville, NY
Editor:  Katherine Pasco Frisina
Printer:  Benchemark Printing Inc., Schenectady, NY
Paper: Mohawk Navajo Brilliant White 120dtc and 110 text

“Social stationery is very important to me. When I was in first grade my family moved to a new state,” she reminisces. “I was devastated to leave my best friend, so my grandmother, “the” Delphine, gave me some strawberry stationery. My mom taught me the art of writing a letter to keep friends close at heart and I’ve been doing that and helping other people do that, ever since.”

The Delphine aesthetic is clean, timeless and decidedly elegant, with a focus on exceptional typography. “I turn to nature and everyday things for inspiration,” according to Firm. “The color combinations within a single feather are astonishing. A California poppy has a surprisingly simply shape. Objects like sugar packets, the sticker on a piece of fruit, the tile pattern on building’s frieze—all have inspired my work.”

The woodland animal collection evolved after a trip to Yosemite National Park. The deer and quail are letterpress on Mohawk Via Felt Sage. The snail and butterfly are on the Citron shade in that line. And the lion and lamb are on one of the whites. The owl is Mohawk Loop Thai Gold. 

“The San Diego Wild Animal Park nursery prompted the zoo animal collection. The baby elephant and baby giraffe card are printed on Mohawk Renewal because I love that stock for deep letterpress hits,” she concludes.

Erika has received multiple national design awards for her graphic design, invitation design, and stationery products. In 2011 she was named one of the “Top 10 Designers to Watch” by Stationery Trends along with Jonathan Adler and Vera Wang. 

Delphine Press products are carried in stationery and gift stores across the country and overseas and have been featured in Martha Stewart Weddings, The Knot, Brides,  InStyle, Better Homes & Gardens, Lucky, and many more.

Robert Valentine chose Mohawk Superfine Ultrawhite Eggshell for the tabloid and poster because, “I’m always seeking elegance and refinement. Mohawk Superfine enhances the work to successfully achieve this.” 

The 9 7/8” x 15″ tabloid features an outside wrap and inside vertical half pages to describe the carpet system and its possible iterations.

Six versions of the poster were created using two main images—one male model and one female model—and three different fingerprints superimposed with different colored touchplates over the four-color-process images.

InterfaceFLOR has won numerous awards for its products and sustainability initiatives. Their overarching environmental initiative, Mission 2020, promises to “eliminate any negative impact” they may have on the environment by the year 2020. As part of that effort, InterfaceFLOR partnered with Mohawk Fine Papers to develop a group of preferred papers that include third party certification for responsible forestry and renewable energy, high post consumer waste fiber content and transparent reporting. 

InterfaceFLOR prefers partners who are working toward similar environmental goals and who believe in their joint ability to make a difference. They regularly use Mohawk’s environmental savings calculator to quantify and publish the environmental savings of their paper choices and they share this information to validate their efforts and educate stakeholders.

Client:InterfaceFLOR
Creative Direction and Art Direction: Robert Valentine
Design Team: Javier Cortes, Kathryn Yee, Nick Rock, Maggie Putnam
Writing: Laura Silverman, Dianna Edwards
Photography: Martyn Thompson 
Paper: Mohawk Superfine Eggshell Ultrawhite Text