Westamerica

There's GOLD up in the Foothills!  Foothill Ranch to be exact.  Yup, there's a printer who can now print GOLD on a digital press!  Westamerica is proud to announce that we are the first (and only) printer on the West Coast approved by KODAK to print with GOLD ink on our Kodak Nexpress 3300.  Kodak chose Westamerica for this honor due to our position as an industry leader and innovator in print and graphics processes.  Our facility will become a showroom for this new capability, hosting demonstrations and seminars for both printers and print buyers on this exciting new offering from Kodak.

Gold can add richness to your printed piece, either as an accent, or even mixed with 4-color process over it to create a semi-metallic look.  Before we had this ability to print in gold on a digital press, you had to simulate it with a mix of 4-color.  Now you can create visually exciting pieces that utilize the gold as an accent color. In addition to digital gold, we also offer a spot dimensional or "raised" coating so your piece can have a unique tactile impact as well.  Setting up the files for printing in gold or dimensional printing is very easy.  Our team of digital print experts will be glad to assist you and your design team in producing a piece that makes a stunning impact!

Please contact your Westamerica Account Exec for more information, and be sure to ask for some samples as well.

We love getting packages in the mail.  Especially ones that contain really cool awards.

We're pleased to announce that our amazing team of print professionals here at WAG have won four awards in this year's Premier Print Award competition.  This year marks the 63rd year of this annual and most prestigious international print competition.  Over 2800 entries were submitted this year from around the world.  The work of WAG was chosen because it exemplified some of the highest standards in the printing industry.

We received "Award of Recognition" honors (finalist for top honors in a category) for "1-800 Registry Wedding Planner" and "AKS Identity Package".  In addition, we received "Certificate of Merit" honors for "WAG Laboratories Promotion Campaign" and "Botox One Point Sales Aid".

We're both proud and humbled by this recognition of our peers.  We thank each of our clients for their trust and confidence in us - and for giving us the opportunity to achieve excellence together!

Congratulations to our client Felt Design Group, winners of a coveted Gold Award in the 2010 International Davey Awards.  Felt took home the gold for their 2011 Ganahl Lumber Moulding Catalog.  Westamerica is proud to collaborate with Allison DeFord and her talented design team in their quest to produce award-winning work that delivers award-winning results for their clients.

The Davey is the largest and most prestigious awards competition exclusively for the "Davids" of creativity.  David defeated the giant Goliath with a big idea and a little rock - the sort of thing small firms do each year. The annual International Davey Awards honors the achievements of the "Creative Davids" who derive their strength from big ideas, rather than stratospheric budgets.

Learn more about Felt's achievement HERE

Westamerica congratulates Pacific Communications and Allergan for winning the Medical Marketing & Media MM&M 2010 GOLD Award. 

This prestigious award was presented for “best use of direct marketing to healthcare professionals” for Allergan’s BOTOX Hyperhydrosis spring box promotion.  “Best piece in the category”, said one judge.  “Well thought out and hyper targeted.”  Another judge praised the brochures for being easy to understand and the box design for its appeal, neat packaging, and ease of use.

In addition to the custom box design, materials included a counter card, tent card, brochures, severity rating scale tear-off sheets, and a fax-back order form for requesting additional materials.  Our Westamerica structural design team collaborated closely with Pacific Communications designers to create an effective, award-winning design.  Well done, team!

 

Learn more at GOLD AWARD

Each year, the Southern California printing industry gathers to celebrate the Art of Print, culminating in the annual Print Excellence Awards competition.

We’re excited to announce that Westamerica Graphics won the premier “BEST OF SHOW” award in this year’s 6^th annual competition.  The winner of this prestigious award is selected from each of the “Best of Category” winners – so it truly represents the Best of the Best in the competition.  “This award is a huge honor”, says Westamerica president Doug Grant.  “And it’s a testimony to the quality, craftsmanship, and commitment that each of our team members demonstrate each and every day here at WAG.” 

The Best of Show award was presented for the Allergan “Combigan Lunch and Learn Kit”.  This kit consists of multiple components, many of which were die cut and structural pieces custom engineered by the Westamerica team – all enclosed in a functional “lunch box”.  Judges were impressed by the creativity, the color consistency, and the overall top quality of each component in the kit.



In addition to the Best of Show award, Westamerica was honored to receive three Best of Category awards (the top award in each category) for the following:  Allergan “Combigan Lunch and Learn Kit” (Promotional Campaign, business to business), Doug Henry Design “Infinity 2009 Press Kit” (Booklets, 4 or more colors), and Allergan “Latisse Grow With It Kit” (Folders, 4 or more colors).  The team at Westamerica also received three Awards of Excellence for the following entries:  Clarient “Difference Folder” (Presentation folder, 1-3 colors), St. Margaret’s “Highlander Magazine” (Art magazine), and Metro Color “Bausch & Lomb Akreos Brochure” (Booklets, 4 or more colors).

We're grateful for each of the clients we serve.  It's an extra blessing to also be recognized by our peers for the excellent work we produce for our clients.  That's what we call a true "win-win".

You’ve worked hard to create an award-winning design.  Next step – trouble shoot your files before releasing them to your printer.  Any file “glitches” in prepress can cause missed deadlines and increased costs.

Here’s tips 6 thru 10:

6. Name That File:  Please do not exceed 25 characters in any file name.  Most RIP’s will not recognize or process file names that are too long.

7. Make Smooth Gradients:  Gradients created in QuarkXPress, inDesign, or Illustrator are fine for short gradients of a few inches.  To insure the smoothest gradient screens, it’s best to create a Photoshop blend, add three pixels of noise under Noise Filter, then import into your layout application.

8. Using color correctly:  Convert all RGB colors to CMYK.  Check that you have Pantone colors correctly specified as process or spot color – depending on your intent.  All graphics must have the same colors named in their originating program as you have defined in your page layout application.  Eliminate all un-used colors in your color palate.

9. Preflight:  Give your final document a thorough checking for any missing elements.  Use InDesign’s “Package” utility or Quark’s “Collect for Output” whenever possible.  This will automatically include a preflight report along with all links, fonts and application file(s).

10. Laser Prints:  Make laser prints (preferably at 100%), indicating color breaks and spot varnishes.  Client-supplied lasers are perhaps the most CRITICAL job component - giving us the opportunity to check our proof against your desired outcome.  A screen-optimized PDF may work in lieu of lasers.

You’ve worked hard to create an award-winning design. Next step – trouble shoot your files before releasing them to your printer. Any file “glitches” in prepress can cause missed deadlines and increased costs. The following is our favorite list of “Top Ten Tips” to avoid surprises:

1. Contact Your Printer First: Ask all your questions up front, before you start your project. Call us, we love to collaborate with you to ensure your project is successful!

2. Page Layout: Make your document the same size as your printing specs. Don’t worry about creating crop marks. Reader spreads are preferred. Be sure to include a minimum of 1/8” bleed beyond your final trim size.

3. Use Coordinates: Most graphic applications give you two ways to position and resize elements. You can click and drag or use guides and rulers. However, the best way is to type the exact coordinates into your control palette. This achieves the most accurate placement and size of your page elements.

4. Simplify Your EPS Graphics: Complex PostScript files are a major factor in creating jobs that print incorrectly. Paths or outlines that have too many points, or flatness settings that are too low can hang up many laser printers and CTP devices. Include any fonts used in your EPS graphics.

5. Using Fonts: Stick with Adobe Type One or any Open Type face, and you’ll avoid surprises.

Check back next week for tips 6 thru 10!

Westamerica Graphics is pleased to introduce a special-effect coating that’s sure to be a hit with discriminating designers. Called “Soft-Touch”, this coating imparts a leather-like, almost “rubbery” feel with a rich matte appearance to printed materials. Soft-Touch is applied in-line on the printing press, and doesn’t require any off-line treatment or processing.

In the past, designers would have to spec a more expensive matte film lamination or a UV matte coating, in order to achieve a similar effect. Although Soft-Touch is a more expensive material than traditional aqueous coating, it does offer cost savings (and turnaround savings) versus off-line laminating or matte UV. “Our clients love this new Soft-Touch coating, and they’re anxious to try it on new projects”, says company president Doug Grant. “The fact that it’s a more cost effective solution than off-line laminating is just icing on the cake”.

Soft-Touch coating is a waterbase or aqueous coating. Like other aqueous coatings, it’s non-yellowing, it dries quickly and allows faster press speeds and turnaround times. In addition, aqueous coatings are environmentally friendly – they have very low VOC content, and waterbase coated papers can be recycled very easily.

You’ve got to see – and feel – this unique new coating for yourself. Please contact your Westamerica Account Rep to request a sample today.