2023 Inspiration Book
The 5-Color Press
Traditional offset presses work with four colors: cyan, magenta, yellow, and black (CMYK), which can be mixed to create nearly any color. Each ink color is stored in a separate tower, from which it is applied to the substrate. As you may suspect, the 5-Color press has a fifth tower that runs in addition to the other four traditional towers. The use of that fifth tower varies greatly between jobs, but the most common uses are the addition of a PMS color, UV coats, and other varnishes. The fifth tower grants us both new avenues for printing and greater flexibility when producing more universal jobs.
The 5-Color and Innovation
The 5-Color press is an investment in our team. Our goal at Slate Group is quality; we want the best team to work on the best ideas using the best equipment to create the best product. We believe that dedication and work ethic starts at the top, and we’re very serious about providing our team the best equipment and every opportunity to be leaders in the field.
As the world of print advances and technological capabilities increase, creativity has new outlets and expectations rise. Using a 5-Color press, we improve the quality of our four-color jobs and add new opportunities for design innovation. The fifth tower on the machine helps to prevent powder burn and increase color accuracy in all of our print runs, lets us apply PMS colors and coatings much more efficiently, and gives our team and our customers new tools for creating print that pops.
With a team that’s excited to create stand-out material, our customers will be confident that the designs and products they receive will be a cut above the rest. Producing goods that are unique in both their quality and their content is important to us, and equipping our team with the best resources is essential to that goal. Our team expects the highest quality one hundred percent of the time, and executing every facet of production in our own shop means that we can apply that expectation every step of the way.
By broadening our production capabilities, we’re betting on the creativity of our clients and our design team. As the printing industry expands and new avenues open, we’ll be the first to explore the new possibilities that technology affords us. Today and tomorrow and beyond, we’ll help you create the perfect print every time.
New Avenues in Print
A 5-Color press opens up new printing capabilities here at Slate Group. Instead of relying on outside resources, using the 5-Color gives us the ability to use new techniques and add more touches of creativity right here in our own shop. From strong PMS colors to eye-catching metallics to gripping coatings, our 5-Color press allows our customers to reach beyond conventional print runs.
Pantone PMS colors are specific colors of ink. As opposed to creating a color with a combination of CMYK, the PMS color is often bolder, more exact, and more consistent through a print run. Many businesses and organizations use particular PMS colors for their branding efforts. The fifth tower in the 5-Color press can be loaded with a specific PMS color, so that we can run that color at the same time that we run the CMYK colors. That gives us greater freedom when it comes to using spot colors and applying an exact, powerful color to the substrate, such as a company logo. It also enables us to use a particular PMS to enhance the other colors in the machine and strengthen the punch of a product. Our Nerd Out Book uses a particularly striking bright green to separate itself from other booklets. PMS colors help us make a bold claim to attention.
The fifth tower can also be filled with more exotic fair, such as a metallic color. Such inks can really make a product pop; the flash of color will stand out even in a crowd of material. Our Noche De Gala Invite brushed the edges of a stair-stepped booklet with a reflective gold ink, suggesting exclusivity and making an unequivocal statement about the quality of the fundraising event.
Running a 5-Color press also enables us to apply many different types of coatings and varnishes to our work. A UV coating can protect and brighten the color of a project, or draw the eye when applied to specific parts of the substrate. Gloss and matte varnishes can bring contrast to your project. A soft-touch coating can make your product stand out when it’s in the hand, where it will make a strong impression. Soft Touch added a distinct impression of fine craftsmanship to our Grand Opening Invitations, raising recipients’ expectations for the company and their event.
Printed products tell a story. They highlight creativity, they demonstrate quality, and they communicate the values of an organization. At Slate Group, we’re committed to helping our customers reach out to and connect with people by ensuring that our products reflect their customer’s vision.
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