Neenah: Color Unleashed

Here it is! For those of us that are slightly technologically unsaavy and don't have an iPhone, there is hope! Neenah Paper has expanded their Color Unleashed color palette assistant to the web, so now anyone with a computer has access to the awesomeness that is Color Unleashed.
There are four different ways to create a color palette. You can use your own CMYK or RGB values and build from there, or you can upload your own photos and select values right from the image. If you have already chosen your favorite Classic sheet, you can even base a palette from the color of your paper. Or, if you are feeling crazy, you can chose a palette based on personality traits from the Dewey Color System. Perhaps your client is "free-thinking" and "bold," or maybe they are "traditional" and "innovative." Any way you look at it, Neenah is here to help you sort it out and get the colors you need.

Try it out at: http://www.neenahpaper.com/colorunleashed/index.html

NEW Felt & Wire website from Mohawk Fine Papers

Mohawk Fine Paper has done it again! They have created a spectacular website/blog for "the paper obsessed." Naturally, I checked it out, and I am in awe. It has everything: "Felt & Wire is about the universe of design, paper and print - from posters to packaging, from memorable mail to beautiful books, from invitations to artistic innovations. Felt & Wire reveals the fascinations, avocations and professions of the people who inhabit this continually expanding and evolving universe. It is a community, by and about those of us who are paper-obsessed."

"Felt and wire are used in papermaking to absorb excess water and smooth the forming sheet. Felt can also allude to the softness and emotion; wire also refers to intelligence and connectivity. http://www.feltandwire.com/ explores both sides of the inspiration equation - the tactile and the technical."

When you have a free moment, please check out this fabulous site, and pick up some useful knowledge, as well as some very-cool curated paper goods - just in time for Valentine's Day!

NEW 100%PCW Text and Cover!

Just in time for Annual Report season, Neenah has produced a new sheet that is FSC Certified, and made from 100% post-consumer waste. And the best part? It is inexpensive! This is the least expensive 100%pcw waste sheet on the market! It comes in a smooth finish, but also in a linen and felt texture. On top of that, you can get the NEW Sundance 100%pcw Felt in DIGITAL!
We have sample sheets ready to share, swatchbooks ready to inspire, and stock on our floor to actually print with! I would love to get this in your hands, so give me a call!

Coming Soon to a Sappi Warehouse....Opus 30!

From the desk of Sappi:

Sappi Fine Paper North America is pleased to Announce the launch of our newest environmental paper...Opus 30.

Opus 30 is the latest addition to our Opus family with 30% Post Consumer Waste content. Opus 30 is both FSC and SFI Chain of Custody certified, Lacey Act compliant, and is a perfect option when looking to balance performance and environmental responsibility. And just like all of our Opus products, customers benefit from a better performing sheet with greater brightness and optics.

With this new commitment to stock Opus 30, LOE (Lustro Offset Environment) is being discontinued. You'll find McCoy or the newly stocked Opus 30 to be ideal replacements for existing LOE customers looking for a premium paper with PCW content.

As you know, Opus has long been recognized for it's performance and productivity. Trusted, tried and true, Opus has always been and always will be the paper that everybody - printers, designers, and corporate end-users - can rely on to make them look better. And now, with Opus 30, you can feel good about making such an environmentally responsible paper choice.

The Dirty Little Secret of the Electronic Age

Still hearing that paper is going away? That your newsletters are now e-newsletters only or that electronic media is just so much more sustainable than the old way of paper and print? Well, then consider these facts:

• Paper comes from a renewable resource and is recyclable and biodegradable


• Paper's recovery rate is significantly higher than metal, glass and plastic


• The paper industry leads all other manufacturing sectors in on-site electricity generation (meeting 1/2 of its own energy needs)


• The average web user prints 28 pages daily


• 3 cubic yards of landfill space can be saved by using 1 ton of recycled paper


• Recycled paper uses 64% less energy to manufacture than virgin fiber paper


• A Newspaper is approximately 60-70 grams of CO2, and and Annual Report of 100 full color pages releases about 80 grams of CO2 - WHEREAS a CD or DVD produces 300-350 grams of CO2 PER COPY


• A television commercial played on a plasma 106 cm display is equal in CO2 emissions to one copy of a 16 page paper catalog

If these facts aren't enough to keeping print alive, then we should take a look at the substrate used for the material we read. When finished with a newspaper or magazine, it can be recycled and used for another paper product. When you are finished with your computer or cell phone, or "have to have the newest one," the monitors, screens and CPUs get shipped overseas. Go ahead, take a look - it will change the way you look at technology.

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/11/06/60minutes/main4579229.shtml

MacGregor Plus

Hey gang! In a tight economy, I know many of you are looking for an affordable coated sheet that has a nice finish, and is available when you need it. Well, Mac Papers has a solution for you! Please allow me to re-introduce MacGregor Plus. MacGregor Plus is available in gloss and velvet finishes and from 60# Text (60# Gloss - 70#T Velvet) to 111# Cover weight (Gloss and Velvet). The brightness is 89-90 and it is also PEFC certified (a European version of FSC). This is a sustainable and economical sheet that is sure to fit you needs. We have new swatchbooks available and sample sheets in our sample center - so please let me know if you are interested.

Afraid of Commitment?

Neenah Paper can help!

There is a new program from Neenah Paper for their Classic Linen line that is right up your ally if you are afraid to commit to a textured sheet. Now you can Try Before You Buy with a Neenah Personal Proof. All you do is upload your artwork or photograph (or use one of their stock photos), choose your Classic Linen color and weight, and Voila! You Personal Proof will be mailed to you - your chosen paper, color, weight and artwork! This is GREAT if you are considering using a texture but not sure if it will take away from the image, or if you think you might like to try a color other than white or cream. It never hurts to have a sample in front of you for a little design inspiration either! Give it a shot at: http://www.neenahpaper.com/DoYouLoveLinen/