Select Digital Blog

What Paper Should You Choose?

December 10th, 2011 by tara

OK. You’ve designed your flyer or brochure, found a reputable printer and now you’re ready to print. But what paper stock (paper) should you choose? Should it be a gloss or silk paper or perhaps an uncoated sheet? These are important details that can make a dramatic difference to the end result. Get it wrong and the whole print job will be less than perfect and leave you disappointed. So what are your options and which one is the right one for the job?

There are basically two main categories of paper used today for printing - coated and uncoated paper.

Coated paper or board

This paper has a coating applied to either or both sides of the sheet. It is sometimes called Art Paper. The coating is a mixture of china clay, latex and other compound materials which, once applied, improve the smoothness of the paper surface and prepare it for high quality printing. Coated paper is the natural choice for full colour, high quality print work such as flyers, brochures or posters. The coating will produce sharp images, vibrant colour and faster ink drying times.

Coated paper is available in a number of different finishes, mainly silk, matt and gloss.

Silk coating (silk art or silk) has a smooth finish with a slight sheen. This finish allows for excellent print results without the shine you would get from a gloss stock. It is perfect for company brochures, flyers and posters where the lack of shine makes the print easy to read.

Matte finish (matte art) is also a smooth sheet but has a dull finish. It is seldom used today, but could be a good choice if you are printing large areas of text. Some people prefer the understated finish of Matte Art as part of their image.

Gloss finish (gloss art or gloss) has a glossy coating. This coating allows for fast ink drying and allows for the most vibrant of colours. Gloss is widely used for flyers, booklets and posters and other high profile promotional materials.

Uncoated paper (offset) Uncoated paper has no coating applied to the paper. Although there are different qualities of finish, uncoated paper will still have pits in the surface and does not provide the best results in full colour printing. Drying times are also longer. Use uncoated paper for everyday items like stationery and internal newsletters.

Paper weight

In the UK, paper is measured as grams per square metre - gsm. The higher the gsm the thicker and bulkier the paper, although paper thickness and bulk can vary widely for different paper brands with the same gsm. Generally, silk art will be bulkier (or thicker) than a gloss paper of the same weight. Paper weight ranges from 70gsm up to 400gsm for the majority of print jobs. Heavier board is available but is not usually used for general print jobs.

Letterheads will usually be printed on either 100gsm or 120gsm uncoated paper, leaflets on 130gsm or 150gsm, and flyers on 170gsm or 200gsm.
In A series paper sizes, A0 size is 1 square metre, so a run of A4 letterheads would be printed at 16 pages per A0 sheet of 100gsm, making each A4 letterhead about 6 grams. It’s a good idea before placing any print work to ask your printer to send you samples of the paper stock they use. Ask for a range of weights and finishes and, if possible, ask for printed samples on the material so that you get a good idea of the finished result.

Prepress Operator/Designer

February 7th, 2011 by tara

The pre press operator/designer will deliver high-quality creative artwork and pre-press services. They will be responsible for ensuring high levels of quality and productivity at all times. They will possess excellent customer service skills and be confident in dealing with clients. Working with all members of the on-and off-site studio and print teams, they will deliver pre-press briefs, input into and deliver creative solutions, and be versatile in operational activities, meeting all quality, deadline and productivity targets.

Working closely with the Production Manager, they will be expected to:
Use their excellent layout, typography and design skills to produce a range of corporate material within brand guidelines
Use their pre-press and print knowledge to ensure all files are correctly set up for print before leaving the studio
Suggest solutions to meet clients’ visual communications needs
Deliver exceptional customer service
Have a very good eye for detail
Deliver all work to a high level of accuracy
Work as part of the team
Liaise directly with clients where appropriate
Manage their time and resources effectively
Be able to work on their own initiative
Support the team in any business development initiatives

Please send your cv to info@selectdigital.ie

Digital Print Sales Executive- Dublin

February 7th, 2011 by tara

Digital Print Sales Executive- Dublin
Select Digital Print Ltd (award winning digital print house is looking to hire an energetic, enthusiastic and passionate digital sales executive.

Duties and responsibilities:
Deliver digital revenue targets.
Actively develop relationships with Advertising and Creative agencies.
Cold call, generate leads and deliver growth to the business.
Take the lead in forging a high impact external personal profile on behalf of Select Digital.
Customer service, ensuring clients are 110% happy with their finished printed media.

Candidate:
Ideally candidates will have:
3 years (+) proven experience in Print Industry Sales, experience specifically in the large & small format Digital areas
A creative approach to sales and deal making.
Ability to generate new business.
A proven record in dealing with blue chip clients.
Be ambitious and a self motivator.
Highly affable, presentable person.
Hold strong communication skills.
Be a strong team player.

Salary: €30K plus commission, expenses, mileage, phone & laptop.

Send CV’s to info@selectdigital.ie

Congratulations Select Digital - Oops We Did It Again!

January 21st, 2011 by tara

Happy New year to all, it’s been a hectic few months with lot’s happening here at the Select Digital hub. The most important announcement is winning yet another Irish Print Award for the “large format” digital print category. It’s official, we are Ireland’s best digital print house (again). Quality printing has always been close to our hearts,  it’s the foundation in which Select Digital is built upon. Our slogan “quality remains long after price is forgotten” has never meant so much, especially in today’s economic climate. We try to offer our customers added value, quality digital printing at competitive prices. I’m very proud to own/manage one of the best digital print houses in Ireland, it’s been a worthwhile journey and such an achievement to still be here, open and winning awards during a recession. I would really like to thank our customers for their continued support and belief in us. It’s been a joy working with you on your many projects - Signage, display, pull-ups, posters ect etc right down to the smaller pieces, everyone needs a business card, everyone needs marketing, especially in these challenging times. Today more than ever it’s important to spend money on marketing & promoting your business. Businesses investing in advertising are succeeding, staying open and thriving. Print is still buoyant and an effective form of marketing. But before you spend your hard earned cash, ensure you are spending it with the “right” company, a company that has your best interest at heart, a company that will offer you the best advice for your project and do their best to bring your project in on time and on budget -  Select Digital is operated by honest, reliable, trustworthy and hard working individuals who have your best interest at heart. It’s not about making a quick buck, we do not look after one off customers, we look after client accounts because once you decide to do business with us, you won’t want to do business with anyone else, trust me, we know what YOU need we have already thought of it, printed it and won an award for it!irish-printer

Happy Christmas & Prosperous New Year

December 30th, 2010 by tara

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33rd Irish Print Award Nominations

November 23rd, 2010 by tara
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Oops we did it again! After a break from entering the Irish Print Awards (we were running out of wall space) we thought we’d give other print houses a chance to catch up, we submitted a few entries to this years Irish Print Awards. We received not one but FOUR nominations for our work. The Irish Print Awards presentation dinner will take place at the Four Seasons Hotel, Dublin on Friday, 26th November (wish us luck). These awards are especially important to us because it’s our industry, our work, our everyday life, a glimpse at what we do and who we do it for. It also shows how consistent our printing is and the quality of our work is legendary! So we are back with a bang, 4 years since our last print award, 4 years since we last entered (where did the time go?) The entire list of finalists can be found here . These are the cream of Ireland’s print industry, top of their game. We’ve been nominated in the following categories:

Irish Print Awards 2010 - Update


Large Format Digital Print
Category Finalists

  • Select Digital – “Thierry Mugler Angel”
  • Select Digital – “The K Club Wedding Fair”
  • Smurfit Kappa Display – “Cadbury’s Tree”
  • The Printed Image – “Guinness Arthur’s Day Stage”

Small Printer
Category Finalists

  • Select Digital – “Joe Duffy Showroom”
  • Print Media Services – “Emerald Brochure”
  • Print Media Services – “Concern Worldwide - Annual Report”
  • The Inkspot – “John O’Connor”

Print Manager Of The Year
Category Finalists

  • Select Digital – “Philip Adam Black”

So raise your glass and if you cannot be at the awards on Nov 26th, send us some positive winning vibes (not that we’ll need them) Hard work always pays off. Good luck to all who worked on the projects but especially to Philip, Print Manager Of The Year, once upon a time that was my title. I hope 2010 is his year, he worked hard and is sooooooo deserving of this award.

Tres Chic

November 23rd, 2010 by tara

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God it’s really busy here @ Select, too busy to write/blog, alas, here I am again with some tres chic projects. First up, graphics f

or “Ultimate Girls Day Out” at the RDS an ole favourite of ours, you gotta love the PINK in these graphics. it’s a 3 day pampering, fashion, beauty and lifestyle event.

The Boutique and Accessories Village

Beauty & Pampering Zone

Lifestyle Zone

U Magazine Smart Girls

Ultimate Makeover

wineportNext up is none other than “Wineport Lodge, Athlone“Wineport’s situation couldn’t be more spectacular. Fantastic place, great view, fabulous bedrooms… well worth a visit if you want to spoil yourself.” Mary Dowey - Irish Times. The Wineport is also home of RTE’s “the restaurant”. The Restaurant is back for its seventh series on RTÉ One. Vision Independent Productions are looking for diners for the series, so if you think you’re up to the challenge of critiquing the menu the mystery chef whips up in the kitchen, they want to hear from you. Email - therestaurant@vipmg.tv

I am hoping to get more time to post, apologies for the radio silence, make hay when the sun shines as the saying goes… Enjoy! Oh and if you want to see all the photo’s of our fabulous, high end print & display then check us out on Facebook here Don’t be shy become a fan & join the madness.

Stenaline Outdoor Graphics

September 22nd, 2010 by tara

Recently we were contacted by Stenaline about covering a 40ft trailer for advertising purposes. The trailer is in a prime location for advertising space and maximises Stenalines potential to grab customers. Here is a short video of the process.

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Kick Back In Pantone Style

September 9th, 2010 by tara

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Very rarely to the words OMG come out of my mouth, but the inner Designer Geek takes over when I stumble upon little things like this.

The Pantone Hotel in Brussels almost made my head Turn. For those of you who don’t know, Pantone is the Industry standard for Colours used in Design for the last 45 years.

Recently Pantone as a Brand has branched out into lifestyle oriented items to brighten up our world. This colorful hotel in Brussels Belgium is a great brand extension of the ubiquitous Pantone Matching System (you know, PMS). Choose your room’s color motif based on your mood, from a cheerful PMS 1215 (yellow) to a tranquil PMS 298 (blue).

World travel often serves as inspiration for design, and this season we asked designers to dig deep into their travel journals to tell us which city or location they consider the most colorful in the world. Designers responded with many rich, vibrant color stories – from distant lands like Turkey, India and Morocco, to places that are a bit closer to home, like New York and Los Angeles.

Pantone is inspired by travel as well, and recently announced the opening of the first PANTONE HOTEL in Brussels, a city rich in design. Located near Avenue Louise, a bustling shopping district dotted with designer boutiques, the PANTONE HOTEL is perfect for travelers who like their lodgings to be stylish and comfortable. The HOTEL boasts a chic, colorful design with each floor highlighting a specific PANTONE Color. Guests can relax and enjoy a color themed cocktail in the PANTONE BAR or take in Brussels’ architecture from the rooftop patio. For more information, go to www.pantonehotel.com.

Show some love for Keith Haring & Tommy Hilfiger

August 27th, 2010 by Dara

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It’s a very rare and unique pleasure to get to work with artwork styled on someone you have studied, loved and been inspired by for many years.

This morning the first job thrown on my desk was such a piece, after adoring the works of the late Keith Haring I am lucky enough to now be involved in the roll out of Tommy Hilfiger’s new European marketing campaign.

Through a collaboration with the Keith Haring Institute New York Tommy Hilfiger is bringing Keith’s artwork back to life through Hilfiger’s new footwear range.

A large volume of bespoke POS material will be required for Hilfiger shop window’s, all adorned with Haring’s infamous artwork, and luckily it will all pass through my desk for creation and production. Watch this space over the coming weeks to see updates on what we have designed and produced.

Above is a little teaser of the type of artwork we will be using.

If you love Keith Haring as much as I do, or if you have not yet been lucky enough to discover his works, here is a little info about him…

Throughout his career, Haring devoted much of his time to public works, which often carried social messages. He produced more than 50 public artworks between 1982 and 1989, in dozens of cities around the world, many of which were created for charities, hospitals, children’s day care centers and orphanages. The now famous Crack is Wack mural of 1986 has become a landmark along New York’s FDR Drive. Other projects include; a mural created for the 100th anniversary of the Statue of Liberty in 1986, on which Haring worked with 900 children; a mural on the exterior of Necker Children’s Hospital in Paris, France in 1987; and a mural painted on the western side of the Berlin Wall three years before its fall. Haring also held drawing workshops for children in schools and museums in New York, Amsterdam, London, Tokyo and Bordeaux, and produced imagery for many literacy programs and other public service campaigns.

Haring was diagnosed with AIDS in 1988. In 1989, he established the Keith Haring Foundation, its mandate being to provide funding and imagery to AIDS organizations and children’s programs, and to expand the audience for Haring’s work through exhibitions, publications and the licensing of his images. Haring enlisted his imagery during the last years of his life to speak about his own illness and generate activism and awareness about AIDS.

During a brief but intense career that spanned the 1980s, Haring’s work was featured in over 100 solo and group exhibitions. In 1986 alone, he was the subject of more than 40 newspaper and magazine articles. He was highly sought after to participate in collaborative projects and worked with artists and performers as diverse as Madonna, Grace Jones, Bill T. Jones, William Burroughs, Timothy Leary, Jenny Holzer, Yoko Ono and Andy Warhol. By expressing universal concepts of birth, death, love, sex and war, using a primacy of line and directness of message, Haring was able to attract a wide audience and assure the accessibility and staying power of his imagery, which has become a universally recognized visual language of the 20th century.

Keith Haring died of AIDS related complications at the age of 31 on February 16, 1990. A memorial service was held on May 4, 1990 at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine in New York City, with over 1,000 people in attendance.

Since his death, Haring has been the subject of several international retrospectives. The work of Keith Haring can be seen today in the exhibitions and collections of major museums around the world.