Iggesund Invercote G, Creato, and Duo for Embossing Swatchbook

 

When a book of paper samples arrives in the post, the recipient is often most interested in the samples themselves. When Iggesund Paperboard, Sweden, begins to distribute its new swatch book of Invercote G, Invercote Creato and Invercote Duo this winter, recipients have good reason to study the embossings which heighten the effect of the book’s photos. 

Photo: The embossing tool for the eye was adjusted to create a stronger effect and the eye really came "alive".

"Invercote has dimensional stability and flexibility which make it a fantastic choice for people who want to use embossing to give their brochure or other printed material a third dimension," explained Alex Guglielmi, one of Iggesund’s market technicians. He supervised the book’s production with a special focus on the embossing. "It can heighten the tactile experience, attract more attention, and, not least, reinforce the experience of quality."

Good tools are needed to achieve good-quality embossing. For this production, Iggesund worked with the Swiss toolmaker SMR Stanztechnik.

"In the swatch book, our main task was to emboss the details in the photos," Guglielmi said. "In doing so, it’s important not to change or distort the basic concept of the image." 

One example is the large embossing of an island on the cover. The embossing runs across the front cover, spine, and back cover. The first test embossing of the image made a stone, which had been in the background, appear to have moved closer to the viewer. 

"We had to remake the tool to avoid creating this effect and now we’ve achieved the right balance between the image and the embossing," Guglielmi added. 

In another photo, the embossing of an eye had to be redone. The effect was not clear enough so the tool had to be adjusted to create a more obvious visual impression. Another effect Guglielmi likes to mention is how the printing and embossing of the name Invercote work together on the first page of the sample book.

"It’s really easy to go wrong doing this. I usually recommend that people really think about and understand what they are going to highlight with embossing and printing. As it is a symbiosis between the paperboard, embossing tools, and printing, it’s far easier to detect the smallest misregister when you emboss along straight lines. Often, output and quality are misunderstood. So when you have these demanding elements coming together, I often recommend reducing the number of single positions per sheet to achieve the best registration between printed and embossed images."

 

When a project calls for finishing processes that require multiple press passes, Invercote’s dimensional stability provides what it claims is exceptional registration. Normally, printers find themselves trying to convince their clients to limit the number of press passes to avoid registration issues. But Invercote’s dimensional stability is designed to allow users to take on heretofore unimaginable challenges, Iggesund noted.

 

To demonstrate its superior performance in this area, Iggesund has produced printed projects with more than 20 press passes with outstanding results. Of course, print costs normally discourage such undertakings, but for those who are prepared to spend money in finishing, consider Invercote as insurance on the finished product’s exquisite result.

 

 

 

The Invercote family consists of a number of products suitable for various end use applications; all manufactured at the integrated Iggesund mill in Sweden. It is a multilayered Solid Bleach Board (SBB), made from pure virgin fiber (chemical pulp produced by the sulfate pulping method). Using pure virgin fiber and a sulfate pulping method ensure that Invercote is a hygienic and odor and taint neutral product that is approved for food contact according to current regulations.