With the Passporto design complete*, we moved on to how to actually make them.
Time to choose materials.
*Just as no battle plan survives first contact with the enemy, no project plan survives first contact with the laws of chemistry and physics. The Passporto design was continuously tweaked as we learned more about the materials and processes we used to make them.
Cover Material
After using a smooth red cardstock for the covers of JoCo Passporto 2023, for this year we decided to go back to the look and feel of the Plike paper we used for JoCo Passporto 2022. Plike has a velvet feel and a matte look that set it apart from most cardstocks. The surface would provide the perfect contrast for the shiny hot foil artwork we planned (hoped?) to use on the front cover. Plike was a product of Neenah Paper but is now available as myPlike from Gruppo Cordenons, an Italian company. In 2022 it was available in the USA in a wide variety of weights and colors but for this year we discovered that there are only a few options. We used the bright red this year instead of the deeper red from 2022 because it was available in both a heavy 122# cover weight and a lighter 95# text weight. More about why that was important later. |
We sourced the Plike paper from Announcement Converters, Inc. thanks to the wholesale connection of our friend Michael Rylander at Sweet Bippy Press in Petaluma, CA. Michael was a key part of making JoCo Passporto 2024 happen and we can't thank him enough for his help.
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End Sheet Material
Because of the way we planned to assemble the Passportos, we needed to make the outer sheet of the sewn pages from the same material as the cover. (More about this later.)
We used red 95# text weight Plike. We could have used the same thick Plike cardstock that we used for the cover, but that would have made the cover very thick. Also, the Plike cardstock is much more expensive than the Plike text weight, which was expensive enough as it was!
The combination of the cover and end sheet materials cost $290, delivered.
Because of the way we planned to assemble the Passportos, we needed to make the outer sheet of the sewn pages from the same material as the cover. (More about this later.)
We used red 95# text weight Plike. We could have used the same thick Plike cardstock that we used for the cover, but that would have made the cover very thick. Also, the Plike cardstock is much more expensive than the Plike text weight, which was expensive enough as it was!
The combination of the cover and end sheet materials cost $290, delivered.
Interior Sheet Material
When searching for interior sheet materials for JoCo Passporto 2022, we came across French Paper Co.'s Speckletone paper in a light blue color they call Starch Rain. The light blue is a fair match for the blue paper used in US passports, and the 70# text weight paper is available in 8 1/2" x 11" size and isn't ridiculously expensive. Shipping costs do sting, though. Paper is heavy! 2000 sheets the paper cost about $155, delivered. |
Okay, basic materials sorted. Now, how are we going to print?