And Raven Thomas of Painted Pretzel is now sitting very pretty! She debuted her new packaging at the All Candy Expo {O, do we love their acronym!}, the confectionery industry’s main show. The buzz and the orders were “tremendously positive,” with buyers texting their colleagues and retailers making a beeline for the booth. Raven joked that people wanted to eat the packaging. “The label design is beautiful by itself, but the letterpress showcases all of its intricate details, adding a gorgeous, but understated flair. Yael and Studio on Fire did an extremely impressive job!”
Yael’s faith in letterpress paid off handsomely. “I had considered a ‘regular label printer,’ planning to use several special effects for the type. Letterpress in its simplicity accomplished what a combination of hot-stamping, embossing and spot UV couldn’t match – or, I should say, touch.”
Ben Levitz, proprietor of Studio on Fire in Minneapolis, recommended Strathmore label stock to Yael. He comments, “It has a little bit of tooth, which is nice, and we are able to use a fair bit of ‘drive,’ which is the way we refer to how heavily we put the plate into the paper.” The stock’s stability on the Painted Pretzel project is particularly impressive: The 8-1/2 x 11 sheet underwent five letterpress passes plus a die-cutting pass, and the stock still looks and feels fresh and crisp.
Yael’s double-P Painted Pretzel monogram is great for letterpress, as it poufs up slightly – a natural effect of applying pressure to a large area. When the label is on the tubular packaging, this becomes even more pronounced and more engaging. You’ll find tasty photos of this pretzel-perfect project in action on The Dieline; you can see more of Yael’s work on her site. And, for dessert, we highly recommend Studio on Fire’s blog, www.beastpieces.com.
