Athi Prem
Ideation in Printing
While working with companies in the gift and publishing industry I regularly found common problems printers face such as:
Designs are unpractical for mass-rollout
Designs are too costly and not in line with budgets given
Time for development and allocation of resources were overstretched while the newly developed idea might not reflect market requirements.
Designers have an ideal concept but lack in technical and material understanding of how it could be turned into material products.
Finished products fail to meet client's expectations, resulting in disappointing sales.
Designers are unwilling to adjust their designs for better results in production.
It is true that there are a lot of technicalities involved in the printing world and many are strictly for the trade. But there are also many tricks and knowhow that are extremely useful for designers and engineers when designing paper products. This knowledge will help companies minimise errors and largely helps in effective planning and execution of products. It also equips designers with an edge towards their clients and companies involved, such as:
Paper usage and nesting plan preparation
Die-cutting Process
Hand assembling Process
Printing techniques and how to apply them
Finishing process for novelty products and conventional books
Different styles of books and binding methods
Pop-up design development process
Being directly involved in mass production at one of the biggest printers in Hong Kong made me understand possibilities and limitations as well as how to increase product efficiency from clients and suppliers perspective.
Besides developing new concepts and ideas for novelty paper products and books, I also act as a link between client and supplier. This includes looking after the design process from start to finish, adjusting designs to fit the budget and printer’s demands and acting as the check point for pre-production.
Interested in working together? Need some sound advice in developing a new product? Or just would like to know more about my experience in printing? I am looking for opportunities to work with printers, publishers and design companies,
just get in touch.