AFTER HOURS CREATIVE BLOG

Over the past several months, AHC Studio has been testing different printing methods and seed papers. We are pleased to announce that we’re now offering digital printing on wildflower seed paper. Wildflower seed paper is perfect for eco-friendly business cards, flyers, wedding stationery, swing tags, greeting cards, notebooks and much more and complements many of the sustainable papers we already offer. We can print up to SRA3 sheet size on seed paper either single or double-sided and offer d

Our recent acquisition of a new small format inkjet printer with high-capacity ink bags enables us to print on a wider scope of papers. Inkjet printers use small nozzles to spray ink droplets directly onto paper and card stock making them ideal for textured papers, which is a common request at our studio. After the inkjet installation, we've enhanced our range of papers with more textured and embossed papers, as well as, wildflower seed paper, grass paper, wheat paper and a wider range of 100%

Our brown kraft business cards are printed on traditional kraft card and can be customised with a huge range of print finishing options. There are very few companies that offer such a wide range of options when it comes to working with brown kraft card stock.

Our studio is equipped with variable data printing which allows us to print your guests’ names on your wedding invitations. Guest names can be printed in full colour or with digital white ink on coloured card stocks such as colorplan, kraft, vanguard, sirio colour and many more. We can also print guest names and addresses on envelopes to go with your wedding invites. If you’re looking for something a bit more special for your big day, we also offer foil stamping on both wedding invitations and envelopes with metallic gold, silver and rose gold foils for that extra touch of class! Our wedding invites can also be die cut to custom shapes such as arches or half arches. With variable data printing, foil stamping, die cutting, embossing, laser cutting, duplexing, edge gilding and white ink printing, there really isn’t much we can’t do with a wedding invitation suite!

Traditional spot UV involves a UV varnish being applied to paper to create a high gloss finish in certain ‘spot’ areas of a design. This process can only be produced on coated papers and is most commonly used on top of either a matt or soft touch laminate finish. This is because the matt finish of the lamination provides even more contrast with the spot UV. Traditional spot UV can’t be used on uncoated papers because it requires a coating to sit on top of. However, an excellent alternative to spot UV is clear gloss foil stamping. This process involves..

Letterheads are printed sheets of paper that contain your company logo and contact information. They can be as simple or as luxurious as you want depending on how you want your brand to be portrayed. You can then overprint your letter using your office printer prior to mailing it out.

Letterheads are printed sheets of paper that contain your company logo and contact information. They can be as simple or as luxurious as you want depending on how you want your brand to be portrayed. You can then overprint your letter using your office printer prior to mailing it out.

Colorplan business cards are business cards that are crafted using GF Smith’s iconic Colorplan paper range. Every fibre of Colorplan paper is dyed a specific colour which means the paper has edges that match the surface colour. There are currently 54 paper colours in the Colorplan range from deeply saturated colours to pastel colours. Most standard business cards are produced with white card and then printed whichever colours you have used in your design. Colorplan business cards are different because you are starting with coloured papers. Starting with a coloured paper immediately gives your business cards a premium look and feel.

Our studio now offers envelope printing with white ink thanks to a dedicated envelope fuser unit. We have a huge range of coloured envelopes available in various sizes including C6, C5, DL and C4. Your designs can be printed on envelopes in opaque white or we can print white underneath full colour designs allowing for full colour printing on coloured envelopes. Running white underneath colour allows us to produce light colours such as yellow and pink on coloured envelopes t

One of the most popular coloured paper ranges we offer is Colorplan. Colorplan is GF Smith’s most iconic paper range, with 54 ravishing, deeply saturated colour choices. Whether it’s Colorplan business cards, note cards, greeting cards, letterheads, compliment slips or invitations our professional print artisans have crafted it! Very often, potential clients with acute brand awareness or those who desire the printing on their media to match the stock, query about matching a Colorplan stock color with CMYK print. This request is extremely popular on business cards and wedding invitations. At AHC we have the facility to digitally print on Colorplan stocks and then bond (duplex) them back to back, if required, to create thicker media. This technique works well for those seeking a Colorplan business card or invitation with foil stamping or embossing on the front and digital printing on the reverse.

Foil stamping is a very versatile print finishing option which can be used on various papers from silk or laminated board to kraft, metallic stock and even 100% cotton. A common request from our clients is to combine digital printing and foil stamping on an uncoated card stock. When digitally printing on uncoated stock there is nothing to protect the ink on the surface of the card. After printing, the job is guillotined or die cut which can cause the ink to flake along the edges. It is most prevalent on the bottom edge, when a job is cut down and can be controlled to some degree by adjusting the guillotine settings, however, the best way to prevent this is to laminate the surface with matt or soft touch lamination. This thin laminate film protects the ink on the surface and prevents the ink from flaking/cracking on the edges when the job is cut down. In addition, foil stamping on laminate gives the foil a much more shiny and metallic appearance than foil stamping on uncoated card. Foil stamping on uncoated papers and cards can create more of a muted metallic finish.

Until the introduction of white ink, anything white on a printed design was simply the card stock left unprinted. This meant all printing began with white or another light card colour such as ivory, beige, or light grey. Consideration had to be taken when using coloured card because it impacts the way in which ink colours appear once printed. At AHC we offer digital white ink printing which is very affordable even for a short run. We often run samples of jobs on request too. Whether you are looking for print for your brand, personalised wedding invitations or if you are reselling art prints or handmade products, below are 5 ways you can use our white ink printing service to make your print media stand out and engage customers.

AHC continues to actively follow the latest guidance set out by UK Government and Public Health England regarding the Coronavirus (COVID-19). Our production facility will remain operational throughout the new national lockdown and we are conducting business as usual with staff available by phone, email and live chat. If you have placed an order with us, your order will be processed within the timeframe specified on your order confirmation/invoice. Our couriers are making regular deliveries as well.

We wanted to say a massive thank you to all of you for supporting us through a very turbulent and challenging year. As the year comes to an end, we would like to express our warmest thanks for your continued support and loyalty. We wish you a Merry Christmas, good health, happiness and professional success for the new year. Enjoy the holidays with your loved ones and stay safe.

Edge gilding business cards is a specialist process that takes time and care. It is a process that cannot be rushed if you want to achieve good results. Not taking your time during each stage can lead to the foil edges flaking off at the very end, which means starting all over again. The first step is to tightly clamp the stack of business cards between two blocks of wood that are the same size, or slightly smaller than the business cards. We have several 12” g clamps that we use, along with a square frame custom clamp that was made to suit the way in which we work. The main goal is to clamp the cards tightly to prevent any dust or adhesive getting between them.

Gold foil printing is an extremely popular finish for products such as business cards, stationery, invitations, greeting cards and much more. Gold foil can be added to print in two different ways at our print studio. The first is via traditional foil stamping which requires a metal die block, and indents (debosses) the gold foil into the card or paper. The second is by using digital foiling to apply gold foil affects. Digital foiling is the most affordable way of achieving foil effects because no metal die block is required. In fact, using digital foil affects you can have just a single copy! One of the main differences is that foil stamping can be done on textured cards and papers whereas digital foiling can only be done on completely smooth or laminated papers. Our team are extremely well versed in both foil printing processes so feel free to reach out to us for advice. We can also quickly quote for gold foil printing on a huge range of papers and card stocks.

If you are looking for a quote for foil stamping, we will need to know the foil size area to provide a cost. You can do this one of two ways. The first is by providing your artwork along with quote request. As long as the artwork is supplied at the final size for foiling, our team will be able to quickly work out the die size and price the job for you. If your artwork is not finalised yet, you can simply provide the height and width dimensions of the foil area, and we can work from those. The easiest way to work out the height and width dimensions is to imagine drawing a box around all of your artwork elements that will be foil stamped. In the example above a pink box has been drawn around the artwork elements intended for foil stamping. If we didn’t have the artwork we could guestimate that we want our foil area around 12.5cm x 19cm. The main thing is to ensure that the box around your foil elements includes everything that will be foil stamped.

Are you curious what the fuss is all about when it comes to coloured card stocks? If so, read on to discover our top 8 benefits of using coloured card stocks and why they can take your print media such as business cards, stationery and invitations to the next level. We've covered everything from free spot UV type effects to finding out more about those really cool duotone edges!

Foil stamping is the application of metallic and special effect foils to paper or card. The process involves using an etched metal die (also called a block or plate) manufactured from either magnesium, brass, or copper, which is heated to the required temperature and stamped into the paper or card stock. The foil sits between the die and the card; when the heated die makes contact with the foil the heat actives the adhesive on the back, which along with the force of the stamping, adheres it to the paper or card stock with a slight indentation/deboss.

Foil stamped card is card stock which has had metallic or special effect foil applied to it using a combination of a heated metal die, and pressure from a foil printing press. The metal die is etched from an artwork file and then loaded into a foil press where it is heated to the required temperature. A roll of the chosen foil colour is then loaded on to the press between the die and the card stock. When the heated die makes contact with the card, the heat activates the adhesive on the back of the foil, and it is applied to the card surface.