The book just oozed opulence; a truly stunning example of quality finishing.
— JUDGE, PRINTWEEK AWARDS


INTRODUCTION

To commemorate Queen Elizabeth II’s 90th birthday, London’s Halcyon Gallery wanted to commission a one-off book to showcase all of Andy Warhol’s silkscreen paintings and screen-prints inspired by her majesty – each of them respectively entitled ‘Queen Elizabeth II’.

Halcyon Gallery required a printer to produce a quality casebound book with specialist finishes that would enhance not only the cover artwork but equally reflect the vibrancy of the masterpieces inside. An outer box casing was also needed to house and preserve the book.

Halcyon Gallery selected Rapidity to create this piece based on our expert production knowledge, finishing specialities and manufacturing capabilities.

WHAT WE DID

We worked closely with Halcyon Gallery to select the optimum materials and production route for this vibrant project. To print the book itself, we decided that our HP Indigo presses would achieve the best results. The book pages were printed on 170g stock and were then cased into the cover with printed end papers and blue head and tail bands – the binding took place in our very own in-house bindery.

To create the bright and solid book cover, we opted for Corvon Shimmer CSP821 Turquoise that was wrapped over 2250 micron board for increased durability. The front was then foiled in FoilCo Orchid Pink 5710 to make the book even more luxurious.

For the outer box, Halcyon required a clamshell style case that would elegantly reveal and present the book. The colours and materials of the box also needed to complement the book, so Corvon Shimmer CSP811 Electric Pink was selected to wrap over 3mm board. The front design was foiled in FoilCo Mirage Blue 6645.

To ensure the book was protected properly, aperture frames were created inside the box, this was wrapped in Corvon Shimmer CSP811 Electric Pink; lined with 5mm black dense foam and complete with Electric Pink ribbon to guarantee seamless aesthetics across the project.

Both the book and box were completely handmade by our incredibly skilled bindery department.

RESULTS

The end results of this project were truly stunning. Using leading print and finishing technology, quality materials and skilled handcraftsmanship, we were able to achieve a truly luxurious and captivating piece that was perfect to commemorate the Queen’s 90th birthday.

The book went on to help Rapidity win PrintWeek’s Post-press Company of the Year Award in 2017 which celebrated our expert creative and bindery services.

“The book just oozed opulence; a truly stunning example of quality finishing”
- Judge, PrintWeek Awards


IMAGES

A close up of the stock used for this project.
Our HP Indigo 12000 was used to print the mailings.
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ASSOCIATED SERVICES