Artist and designer Michael McDermott turned to Dickson’s in Atlanta to bring his artistic vision to fruition. His original illustrations include shading that the master diemaker “translated” into various levels on the dies. Michael also provided photos of actual flora to help the diemaker.
The process of embossing – especially a large area – really puts a paper through its paces. The Favia labels shown above are printed one-up on a small sheet {rather than on a continuous roll}. First, they are offset printed, then letterpress printed {the small type and the big “v”} and then embossed. Mohawk Superfine stands up to all the pressure beautifully. Dickson’s recommended 70# Text instead of the 60# used for many wine labels – to allow for more detailed embossing. The slightly heavier stock can withstand a deeper hit, because there are more fibers available to “displace” into the embossing.
Two additional printing tips: A thin stroke {such as a plant stem or a serif} or a small area {such as a tiny dot} will be less deeply embossed than a thicker stroke or larger area. Using extra heat when embossing can iron out the texture in a sheet, making the embossed area super-smooth. With certain papers, this extra heat can give the embossed area an almost “glazed” look, which can be very eye-catching – and fingertip attracting.
Another label Dickson’s has printed for Favia involves a registered emboss: the image of a subtly shimmering quartz crystal, achieved in a two-step process. First, a brass die {above left} is used to apply foil to selected surfaces of the crystal. Dickson’s tested several foil possibilities for Michael, who ultimately selected a pearlescent. The foil-stamped image is actually slightly debossed, because the foil releases onto the sheet by pressure. Then, a sculpted brass die {above middle} is used to emboss all of the crystal’s facets. The paper is “sandwiched” between the die and a polymer counter-die {above right}. During make-ready, the press operator may “pack” certain areas of the counter to bring the corresponding areas of the die into greater relief.
Dickson’s also prints very limited runs of larger Favia labels, for bottles larger than 750 ml. These bottles are typically not sold outright, but donated to fundraising auctions for various causes. Viticulturist Annie Favia comments, “We receive so many compliments on our labels. We consider them an ‘ambassador’ of our brand, a graphic extension of the care that we put into cultivating our vines and making our wines.”
Alyson Kuhn is on a roll {and we don’t mean 10,000 linear ft. of foil}. At the end of next week, her final post of 2009 will be “Our toast to digital printing.” In mid-January, our kuhntinuing series about printing processes will heat right back up. Yes, that’s a hint.
