Field Guides

A Maker's Field Guide to Digital Materials and Digital Processes

Words

Chris Harrold

October 30, 2018

Makers Field Guides arranged in a grid and photographed from above

Digital Printing used to feel like a compromise. Not anymore...

Digital printing is the answer to the agility of modern workflow. It meets the needs of faster timelines, collaboration, iteration, personalization, dare-we-say instant gratification, and the everclimbing expectations for beauty supported by function.

Today, clients’ expectations have never been higher. They need communication that works harder, smarter and faster than ever before. Makers of all kinds need to be focused, agile and adaptable—creating beautiful, effective and memorable work. Luckily, we are at a moment in time where the tools for printing are catching up to the needs of the new maker.

A Makers Field Guide to Digital Materials and Processes will show you what’s possible.

Gif showing the Makers Field Guide in motion

A Maker’s Field Guide to Digital Materials and Digital Processes is the latest in a series of comprehensive, printed guides designed to deliver inspiration and education on the importance of choosing the right materials and process for print.

“From speed to iteration to experimentation, digital printing is a tool that has evolved to meet the nimble needs of the new maker,” says observes Dora Drimalas, Principal and Executive Creative Director at Hybrid. “It’s time we started thinking big(er) about print.”

Open Makers Field Guide showing close-up detail of typography and spiral binding on spine

View of the Digital Field Guide laying open on red background

View of the Digital Field Guide laying open on red background, view 2

“From speed to iteration to experimentation, digital printing is a tool that has evolved to meet the nimble needs of the new maker. It’s time we started thinking big(er) about print.”

Dora Drimalas

Principal and Executive Creative Director at Hybrid

The entire 71 page book, including the cover and dust jacket, demonstrates 22 different digitally printed materials and is organized in three useful and high-impact sections:

Introduction / Make Good Great – This section provides an introduction to the harmonious relationship between ideas, materials and process, including a printed demonstration of the top three digital print techniques followed by an eye-catching composition showing a diverse range of materials from durable papers to magnets readily available from Mohawk.
Printed Samples / Materials with Purpose – This section features six unique sample projects; each suggesting how to use paper in combination with a specialty or a synthetic material. A range of printing techniques from simple single color to wide format inkjet as well as high fidelity, full color printing demonstrate just how far digital print has evolved. Leave your bias at the door, each print sample project is sure to open your eyes to new possibilities.
Resources / Become the Digital Print Expert – Besides offering a short-hand summary of the preceding 59 pages of the book, this section is loaded with inspirational and educational resources along with tactical tools designed to get you from ideation to making in the here and now.

“The new Maker’s Field Guide to Digital Materials and Processes is the latest expression of Mohawk’s ongoing commitment to demonstrating the pivotal role materials play in the success of any project designed for print,” said Chris Harrold, Sr.Vice President, Marketing & Creative at Mohawk. “This edition should prove that digital printing is no longer a compromise, but a sophisticated, agile means to produce beautiful print on an impressive range of materials from fine paper to durable synthetics.”

Field Guides arranged in a pattern, some open and some closed

A Maker’s Field Guide to Digital Materials and Digital Processes was skillfully printed by Sandy Alexander, Clifton, NJ, Flash Reproductions, Toronto, ON, Dupli, Syracuse, NY and carefully finished and bound by Fey Printing, Wisconsin Rapids, WI.

Production Notes

Print Process

Die Cutting

The cutting of paper into decorative shapes or patterns using a steel cutting die.

Wide Format

Process of printing on large format paper and rolls, which can range from two to more than 15 feet in width — typically using inkjet printing technology.

Materials + Techniques

i-Tone

Mohawk’s proprietary Digital with i-Tone surface has a unique affinity for both liquid and dry toners, offering breakthrough performance on HP Indigo presses and color digital production presses using dry toner. Mohawk’s i-Tone papers have exceptional transfer, adhesion and image durability on smooth and textured papers.

White Ink

Opaque white ink can create a unique print effect — it is a non-transparent ink which does not let any of the base color show though. The more hits of white used, the more it stands out from the background. White ink can be used alone, or as the base to print color on top, which allows full color imagery to be printed on dark colored paper.

Bindery

Comb Binding

Rectangular holes are punched into the binding edge, then placed into the teeth of an open plastic binding comb and closed to secure the sheets.

Digital OEM

Canon

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HP

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Konica Minolta

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Xerox

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Offset Printing Capabilities

4 Color

CMYK printing uses the four process color inks—cyan, magenta, yellow and black—to reproduce a broad spectrum of colors and tones and is made possible by repeating the halftone process for each color.