Myths dispelled, stiffness trick taught and fibres felt at Fedrigoni x GCA workshop
“What makes a good greeting card?” was just one of the topics which engaged card publishers at this week’s Fedrigoni x GCA workshop, which took place at the paper company’s London studio.
The free-to-attend workshop saw Ian Braithwaite, Fedrigoni’s commercial manager UK, dispel myths on the sustainability front, give clarity on environmental labelling, and share how paper is made before letting the delegates loose on a touchy-feely session to fully appreciate the differences between coated and uncoated board as well as the various merits of using smooth or textured board.
Among the publishers attending on Wednesday, 22 November, were Dinosaurs Doing Stuff, Fancy By Nature, Funky Belly, Pink & Mint, Sharon King-Chai and Tihara Smith.
On the sustainability front, Ian explained how a lot of the pulp board Fedrigoni uses comes from managed forests and that these “European managed forests are growing in size by over 1,500 football pitches every day,” while the papermills it works with are also committed to environmental protection, with 93% of water used in a paper mill being recycled and used again.
Ian detailed that, with over 400 eco-accreditation logos being used across 25 industries, it can seem rather bewildering to publishers and their customers who are unable to see the wood from the trees, but how Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) remains the most recognisable.
Certainly, the Fedrigoni group has proved itself to some of the most exacting creatives over the years, counting grandmasters Leonardo Da Vinci, Michelangelo and Modigliani as among those who were known to use its Fabriano paper.
“The paper you select can make such a difference to how the designs on your greeting cards appear and how it feels when it is received by the recipient,” Ian said, before sharing examples of just a few of the boards within Fedrigoni’s latest All The Best greeting card swatch box.
Towards the end of the two-hour session, Ian shared his party trick with the build-up of “want to know how you can test for stiffness?” – which can be seen in the video below – before bringing two different board samples to the edge of the table. “Slowly slide them off and the one that droops is less stiff than the other,” demonstrated Ian, showing you can learn something new every day!
