8.25.17
Premier Minnesota trade finisher, Embossing Plus, has announced the launch of the first JETvarnish 3D Evolution (Evo) print enhancement services program in the United States. The MGI JETvarnish Evolution is the world’s first commercially available digital print enhancement press for application sizes up to 29×47”/75×120 cm (with substrate weights up to 800 GSM). Konica Minolta, MGI’s Global Partner, sold and deployed the equipment with a total solutions support package and an EngageIT Xmedia business development campaign to help create market awareness of the firm’s new business line.
The Creative Beginning of Digital Print Finishing
Embossing Plus was founded in 1987 by Leon Spencer and has since grown to provide national print campaign support programs that include the entire spectrum of post-press services. Minneapolis and St. Paul, the Twin Cities of Minnesota, have always been a bedrock of Midwestern print industry production. Now, Embossing Plus is heralding a new era of digital print decoration with their JETvarnish 3D Evolution.
Jim Flannery, Co-Owner and Vice President, says the firm’s business model is to always start and end with a focus on the client relationship, instead of merely the job. Therefore, the dynamic power of the JETvarnish 3D workstation toolset is a perfect complement to their customer strategy.
Prototyping & Project Management Software
Every JETvarnish 3D system from MGI includes a suite of tools and utilities to add value to printer & print buyer relationships. These valuable applications include an “Image Editor” to creatively generate new job prototypes and model profitable alternate design versions. There is also a powerful “Job Cost Calculator” to predict print job ROI data, operational costs, staff scheduling, project run times and accurate customer pricing information.
Variable Data Foiling (VDF)
One of the important services that Embossing Plus now offers printers and print buyers is variable embossed foiling, something not possible with traditional foil stamping methods. This standard JETvarnish 3D Series functionality can produce different images, textures and data patterns on every piece. The ability to personalize and customize print jobs can dramatically increase the value of the enhanced material and improve the success rates of print-based marketing & sales campaigns.
For example, Embossing Plus recently used their JETvarnish 3D Evo to produce serialized “limited collector editions” of prized album covers for vinyl music records. Another high-profile project was to create deluxe, customized folders for Minnesota Vikings Stadium Suites.
Digital Embossing
Unlike traditional foil die-making & stamping methods, the MGI digital embossing process does not deform the back side of the sheet with a physical cavity that impairs the look, feel and readability of the printed material (deboss effect). The JETvarnish 3D Series creates a completely 1 sided embossing effect (up to 232 microns in a single pass) with no damage to the reverse side.
Embossing Plus recently used this MGI digital advantage to successfully upgrade the cover of a major retail mail catalogue just in time for a 25th Anniversary publishing deadline. The client was delighted and many end-users have commented favorably on the detailed, ornamentation with a clean, smooth inside front page.
PIA InterTech Award-Winning Adaptive Registration
The Embossing Plus team is taking full advantage of the new AIS SmartScanner intelligent registration system to create a JETvarnish 3D Evolution finishing hub for printers operating all types of offset, digital and flexo presses. The AIS SmartScanner recently received a coveted “InterTech Award” from the Printing Industries of America (PIA) trade association. The 2017 AIS PIA honor marks the unprecedented, record-breaking 3rd InterTech Award for the JETvarnish 3D Series (JETvarnish 3D 2013 & iFOIL 2015).
Postal & Packaging Partnerships
A new business growth area for Embossing Plus is managing complex mail and packaging projects for brands, agencies, in-plant, converters and traditional commercial printing firms. Many industry research studies have shown that personalizing names on mail pieces with variable data and customizing boxes and labels with embossed foil designs can greatly increase response rates and consumer purchase activities.
MGI & Konica Minolta Alliance Support
Jeff Perkins, Konica Minolta Midwest Region Vice President of Sales, explained their solutions support model by saying, “The Embossing Plus Team has a very clear vision to become an industry leader in the digital finishing sector. We worked closely with them to provide assistance in creating a new business service for fulfilling the growing demand for MGI digital special effects within the print industry.”
Kevin Abergel, MGI Vice President of Marketing & Sales, also stated that, “Embossing Plus represents a new breed of trade finishers who combine traditional methods of skillcraft with the most advanced digital technology in the marketplace. They’ve mastered the art of working with print buyers and brands to create compelling new applications of digital post-press value. They represent the future of finishing in our industry.”
