Neenah, Alpharetta, Ga., USA, has announced another edition to its popular Explore series. The new Explore 5 focuses on the hospitality industry, providing designers with practical, creative ideas to help differentiate their clients with digital print projects. To accompany the Explore 5 portfolio of samples, Neenah offers free downloadable dielines.

"Hospitality is in a state of vibrant growth. Hotels, restaurants, and other businesses in this space will continue to look to designers to help create the personalized customer experience that today’s guests demand. With the ripple effect of social media, brands that create authentic customer experiences and memorable brand touchpoints will ultimately drive brand loyalty," said Greg Maze, sales and marketing manager, Digital & Wide Format, Neenah.

Explore 5 demonstrates that creativity and good design, combined with digital printing on colored, textured papers, can deliver unexpected benefits to businesses and their guests in practical ways. "Each of the samples in Explore 5 addresses one of the five E’s of hospitality—Entice, Enter, Engage, Exit, or Extend," said Maze. "For instance, what ideas help ‘extend’ the guest’s visit, long after they’ve left an establishment?"

The digital design solutions in Explore 5 are practical and strategic. "For example, a two-piece box for concept brand Limone Brothers demonstrates how an innkeeper might partner with a local, bespoke confectionery to create a special ‘exit’ gift for departing guests. This idea can ultimately benefit both businesses," said Maze. "Our design brief was to create digitally printed samples that designers could use as a springboard for their own hospitality client assignments. We think of these samples as idea starters."

Explore 5 features a range of premium Neenah papers, including new items from its CLASSIC® Papers line. Maze said that combining colored and textured papers with digital print can bring a new dimension to the simplest of designs. "When you introduce the idea of combining different papers into the mix, you start to see creativity come to life. Explore 5 celebrates the many strengths of digital printing on colored, textured papers with four-color, fluorescent inks, match colors, metallic’s, and white ink technology. Designers will take these ideas and run with them," he said.

Neenah recognizes that designers are often expected to do great work with limited means. To help stretch the budget, dielines for all of the printed samples featured in Explore 5, and the entire Explore series, are available to download online, free.

Explore 5 debuts with the just-announced expansion of the Neenah Digital Papers line. The addition of 70 new items creates a comprehensive digital portfolio with 22 brands, 19 unique textures, 60+ colors, and multiple packaging and labeling options. And, with the recent refresh of its CLASSIC Papers line, the Neenah Digital portfolio now includes 237 digital items from the CLASSIC Brands alone, including the fast selling branded textures, Woodgrain, and Techweave. "Neenah’s digital paper offering is simply unmatched," said Maze.

Explore 5 is the fifth installment of Neenah’s popular, swatchbook-sized series, inspired by Neenah’s print partners. "The inherent value of the Explore series is that it helps the creative community see fresh ways they can push the boundaries of possibility for all kinds of digital print and packaging projects," said Maze. "And, they have tangible samples to show their clients, that yes, we can do this."