Greystones Printing

Thermography: part 2!

This really is the best machine to use in these cold winter months, 3Kw of heat belting out! Over the last few years, I seem to have these jobs only in summertime! Today’s job was a wedding stationery order: two entwined hearts thermographed in gold on the front covers, and a nice thermographed ribbon graphic on the inside, which can be seen also with the card closed, as the front is narrower, and has been cut with a deckle edge. Beautiful!

today’s jobs 4th February

The cynical might think that the only print jobs undertaken by Greystones are the ones I write about: nothing can be further from the truth! Much of the day - to - day work is what you might consider mundane, the bread and butter jobs. Some work is a bit out of the ordinary, and some jobs that go out are ones I am extremely proud of. One such job is the ‘Becoming a GP’ by Dr Amar Rughani, the first reprint of 2010 is keeping my laser printer busy. The job by the side of the guillotine is a pile of superb invitations, a company logo has been laser printed in blue, and the text of the invitation has been thermographed in black. Thermography is a process whereby a powder sticks to the wet ink, and then fused by a heater and conveyor system. As these invitations are printed on a 300 gsm textured card, only one sheet can be printed at a time, then dusted with powder, shaken to remove the excess, then placed on the conveyor. Meanwhile, a deft twist of the body, and I  click ‘print’ and the cycle is repeated. Lots of times!

current jobs

The recession is over, they say! Great news for some of my clients, I am sure. However, Greystones has continued to be busy: jobs going through at the moment are Rebecca Sharman’s placecards for her forthcoming marriage, these really are delightful, little songbirds, individually named for all their guests. Place cards for one of the Morgan car clubs dinners, wedding stationery for Tamsin Heywood, who I have known since her birth some blah blah years ago! A book written by a retired GP/Psychologist, which is a fascinating piece of work, written inthe form of letters to his great grandson Jack who lives in Canada. And, a reprint for Dr Amar Rughani of his highly acclaimed MRCGP book on becoming a GP. All good stuff. There are of course other jobs, thermographed letterheads for a client in Baslow: thermography is that raised shiny emboosed-looking image, which in this instance is being printed on a 120 gsm Conqueror paper. Stunning.

Happy New Year

I would like to wish all my clients and prospective clients a very Happy New Year. Of course, I also wish the same to my suppliers, without whose usual excellent service, I would struggle. Rothera and Brereton, my paper suppliers, consumables from Offset Supplies, and machinery suppliers Contact Print Services from Loughborough, who delivered toner cartridges to where I was going to be on Christmas Eve, in Nottingham so that I could get an importand job out between Christmas and New year.

Way beyond the call of duty. Thanks.

The Festive Season

May I take this opportunity to thank all of my clients from this year for their support, and also to wish them a Very Merry Christmas.

Even though the office may be closed, and the answerphone switched on, we shall not be too far away, and business will be back as usual on January 4th.

recent jobs

Just taken 320 pages, 500 copies to my local print finisher for perfect binding: it is another medical book. Three pallets of paper were needed for this! Another recent job: Christmas cards for a local choir, which used photographs of some Catherdral windows (of course permission had to be granted to use them)

Greystones going on holiday!

I hope it doesn’t cause any inconvenience, but I am taking Mrs Greystones away to Sandringham for a luxury holiday in our caravan, so we will be closed from Monday 28th September until Friday 2nd October.

repeat customers

Being a small business, and not having a shop front where i might get a lot of passing trade, I depend on customer retention. Some of my clients have been with me for years. Some are regular clients, buying print every month, some more infrequent. This week, I had the pleasure of a visit from Steve Mendelsson, who has been having his society’s annual programme printed by me for many years now, and even though we see each other just a couple of times a year, one of his first questions is “And how are your children: your son, the engineer? And your daughter, what is she doing now?” It all adds to the enjoyment of being self-employed, and knowing my clients. And long may it remain so.

The “C” word

Sorry, but it is just about time to think ahead to Christmas! Or at least, Christmas cards. For the last , oooh, I don’t know how many years, I have by now received my suppliers brochures. This year however, I am not being an agent for any of the greeting card suppliers, but would prefer to print your cards completely in-house, preferably from your ideas or designs. So get your felt tips out, and draft out a few ideas, then come to me. Last year, one of the nicest cards I produced was taken from a photograph of a  stained glass window in a cathedral. The Christmas message will mean so much more to the recipient if a bit more personal thought has gone into its production.

Today’s job

and yesterday’s, and tomorrow’s!

Finishing a run of 550 calendars, which need holes punching across the top, thumb-cuts cut out, and wiro bound with a calendar hanger. A simple job, however as my machinery can cut ony a limited number of sheets, is proving to be labour intensive! Lots of coffee breaks!