Treats for the Brain
Paper is a product that does far more than simply carry information – it is a sensory experience. Marco O. Bölling, finishing expert and owner of Bölling Prägedrucksachen in Bad Soden, explains how to create a lasting impression with paper.
Hearing, smell, touch, taste, and sight – we use our five senses to experience the world. The more of them we use at once, the more active the brain becomes, and the greater the impression left in the memory. That’s why paper is a real brain food, as it appeals to almost all of the senses.
Our sense of touch plays a particularly important role here, because it verifies what we have perceived with our nose, eyes, and ears. If a paper looks high-quality, perhaps smells slightly of handmade paper but turns out to be thin and creased to the touch, it leads to cognitive dissonance. Two conflicting signals trigger an unconscious state of discomfort, which we want to escape from. There is a greater risk that such paper will be set aside and the information on it will not be read.
Old printing machines in particular enable individual, highly precise processing that is just as good as modern machines.
The Specialty Printer
The paper products made by Marco O. Bölling are quite the opposite. You want to pick them up time and again, feel them, smell them, and marvel at the paper structure wide-eyed. As the owner of Bölling Prägedrucksachen in Bad Soden am Taunus, he processes only the finest paper – and does so with love and passion. “Soul – that’s the little extra which makes all the difference,” Mr. Bölling believes.
The family company was founded in 1964 by Karlheinz C. Bölling and was originally called Stahlstichdruck Bölling KG. When a young Marco rode around the print shop on his tricycle, he watched the production process and learned the craft from scratch. As an adult, he took over the printing company in 2000 and now his own children pedal around the workshop in a go-kart.
The more precise the stamp composition, the more detailed the embossing.
Soul is the little extra which makes all the difference.
Soul is the little extra which makes all the difference.
Managing Director and owner of Bölling Prägedrucksachen
Paper Reliefs
The company, which started out as a relief stamping business, has now become a finishing specialist. Through expert craftsmanship, traditional techniques, and state-of-the-art processes, small works of art are produced here that are on a par with fine sculpture. The raised blind embossing in particular is reminiscent of relief work from the Renaissance. For example, an actual-size baby’s foot projects from a birth announcement card. It is so finely worked that the lines on the sole of the foot can be seen and felt. The tiny toes push outward and the arch of the foot gently curves back in. “For work like this, you need extremely high-quality paper with long fibers so that it does not rupture at the edges of the embossing,” explains the printing company owner.
As Good as New
Because of this, very few types of recycled paper are suitable for this kind of finishing. The paper fibers are ground in every recycling operation, which makes them shorter each time. Secondary fibers can only withstand complex further processing if they are additionally refined during production. “The only recycled paper that behaves virtually like new paper is the one made by Koehler Paper Greiz. I can emboss it almost like paper made from fresh fibers,” adds Mr. Bölling.
Gloss and Glitz
Another finishing technique is the application of hot foil. The different foils are pressed onto the base using heat and pressure to achieve matte or high-gloss metallic surfaces, strong colors, structures, or even holographic effects. The hot foil can also be combined with embossing to produce a slightly recessed print with a glitzy look. “Demand for letterpress has now overtaken the popularity of hot foil,” says Mr. Bölling.
Shades of Gutenberg
Letterpress may sound modern but it entails nothing more than good old-fashioned book printing. Since it made a comeback around 10 years ago, this printing method has remained very popular. “It reflects the current zeitgeist,” Mr. Bölling believes. “Today’s letterpress printing has a strong haptic effect because it presses deep into the card. Because of this, a simple, clear layout with just one color is extremely effective.”
Touching Moments
No matter how much the company is dedicated to the art of finishing – it is never an end in itself. “Aesthetics and quality pay off,” Mr. Bölling believes. “If you hand a high-quality business card to a new contact, it immediately shows you are serious and trustworthy.” That’s why it is important to select the right paper for the right purpose, such as high-quality recycled paper from Koehler Paper Greiz. It is the perfect choice for many different finishing processes and has a feel that tells your brain that everything you have perceived with your senses is right. The rest is a matter of taste. “That’s also why we say we are a specialty printing company,” explains Mr. Bölling. “It’s originally a term you associate with cooking, but when it comes to finishing, it’s all about taste.”
Our recycled paper is even perfect for the high-end sector.
Our recycled paper is even perfect for the high-end sector.
Managing Director Koehler Paper Greiz
Something New from Something Old
Udo Hollbach, Managing Director of Koehler Paper Greiz, explains how old paper is transformed into a premium product.
Sustainability is a hot topic in paper production, as both the raw material and production process offer many ways to protect the environment. Our raw material is entirely made of secondary fibers, and we generate our energy ourselves with a green, decarbonized power plant.
Thanks to our efficient waste paper processing methods, we produce very high-quality secondary fibers. We use the “couching” technique, which means that we combine two paper webs together with the felt side facing outward. This gives the paper two identical sides and a greater volume. The fibers harden in the two paper webs, which makes the end product stronger. We can make premium-quality white paper and a variety of sophisticated colored recycled papers.
Specialty printers like Bölling show that our recycled paper is even perfect for the high-end sector while bearing the “Blue Angel” and EU Ecolabel marks. Ultimately, recycled paper no longer means sacrificing quality. In other words, recycling helps sustainability even when it comes to premium products.
