Some print advice if you will.
Out of context: Reply #31
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- gramme0
Not reading all the posts here, but my 2¢:
- What's a good stock?
—I recommend an uncoated 80# (dunno the gsm's) cover, bright white, vellum finish. Any premium/ #2 grade would suffice.
- Best process to print?
—Litho for the detail.
- Minimum run etc?
—Depends on the printer. I'd say at least 250 for it to begin to be cost-effective for you. 1,000 is better.
- Its A4 vector at - I assume it will scale ok?
—Yes.
- Was thinking of using some special inks to replace the black?
—That much black or dark color will need to be two hits of whatever color you choose. I think a very dark gray like PMS 433 would look very nice. For the gray type and art, I recommend a special silver. In the U.S. it's called Mirasheen or TopStar. Ask your printer for a high metallic silver. Regular 877 won't really show up as metallic on uncoated paper. Also, you'll need to seal the sheet, either with a satin aqueous or varnish. Conversely, you could do a matte varnish everywhere except the silver, and use a spot gloss varnish on the silver areas.Gold would also look nice, but in that case you'd want a warm black. I can't remember which one, but there's a warm Pantone black, like a super-dark brown. You could use 2 hits of that for a rich sea of ink.
Either way you're looking at a four or five color job: 1x metallic, 2x black, then sealant. Most 6 or 8-color presses have inline aqueous, which doesn't count as a press unit, so in that case it would be a 3C job. That would be the most economical, and aqueous is more environmentally friendly since it's water-based.