The Sweet Smell of Collaboration

By Ashley Lenz

Pickle? Nah. Grass? Nope. Coffee? Getting warmer! The addition of scent was the irresistible attention-grabber on one recent issue of Georgia Printer magazine. So how’d they do it and what aroma did they finally choose?

Every issue of Georgia Printer is unique because a different member of The Printing & Imaging Association of Georgia (PIAG) produces it. Not only does the member donate 100 percent of the costs of production, he or she has also committed to showcasing the power of print by featuring a unique printing process or “twist” on the cover.

The result of this special collaboration produced yet another fun and refreshing example from the world of print. (And no, it’s not chocolate.)

Why Scent?
Pat McBride of Envision Printing in Marietta, Georgia was the first to suggest a scented cover for the Fall 2009 issue. The idea was an instant hit because it’s something that you can only do in print, and it’s also something fun for readers to pass around to customers and colleagues.

Print is already so visual and tactile, to add scent is like icing on the cake (and yes, cake was considered for the scent!) Pat reached out to Scentisphere, who agreed to donate its product Rub’nSmell, and the project began.

Scentisphere e-mailed a list of all the available scents. After receiving a slew of requested samples by mail (like coffee, grass, leather and pickle), bubble gum emerged as the clear winner. Scent is proven to create an emotional response and elicit memories, and bubble gum evokes a sweet childhood moment.

Design
The design of the cover had to be fun and direct, obviously suggesting that the viewer should smell it. Taking the literal approach visually makes the brain connect scent and image faster.

Graphic Artist Mackenzie Brookshire scanned in actual Dubble Bubble gum pieces and cut out each one to put them on a rich black background. She unwrapped one piece of gum to lay the “Scratch & Sniff” text over. To show Envision where to print the scent, she supplied artwork of the 6” x 6” coverage area as a black solid layer, which the printer treated like a standard spot color.

Paper
Neenah Paper donated Sundance 70 lb. Text for the inside text pages and Sundance 80 lb. Cover for the covers. It is FSC certified and 100 percent recycled so it was a good choice for Georgia Printer’s sustainability goals.

The uncoated finish worked nicely because it was the first time the books were perfect bound, and the combination of the two made it feel more substantial. The scented varnish did not show up at all on the covers, which was an initial concern.

Printing and Production
Envision worked with Scentisphere for best practices when printing with the scent. The varnish yields 300,000 square-inches-per-pound, so the entire project only needed about a half a pound for 3,500 8.5” x 11” covers (with scent over a 6” x 6” area).

On press, Envision ran the sheets through for ink first, let them dry, then ran them through again and hit them with scented varnish to get the strongest amount of smell possible. There were no production issues other than a pleasant bubble gum scent throughout the facility while the job was running (If you try this with something less appealing like stinky cheese, beware!).

The U.S Postal Service restricts mail where the scent is exposed on the outside of the mailing piece (like our cover) so Georgia Printer ordered polybags ahead of time. The polybags helped retain the scent throughout the mailing process and were inexpensive, making for a good addition.

The Response
Printers were glad to have an example of something only print can do to share with customers. Their customers requested copies too, and Georgia Printer expanded its audience a bit more.

The best example of the response was when a man came into PIAG headquarters and suddenly asked, “Do you have any gum?” When it was pointed out that he was standing directly over a stack of Georgia Printers, he chuckled at his powerful response. Imagine what that could do for sales!

It’s so important to grow relationships with your printers, finishers, paper suppliers and anyone in the industry who can help you achieve brilliant results. You would be absolutely amazed at what print can do today. It is one of the most versatile, adaptive technologies out there and always has been since the first printed word.

If you want to know more about scented inks, inks that glow, eco-friendly inks and inks in general, then be sure to register for PaperSpecs’ free Webinar. It’s tomorrow (February 11, 2010) at 2:00 p.m. Eastern so don’t delay! Register here.

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Ashley Lenz is editor-in-chief of Georgia Printer magazine and marketing & communications manager for The Printing & Imaging Association of Georgia (PIAG).

Contact her at alenz@piag.org to request your copy of the Fall 2009 bubblegum-scented issue of Georgia Printer magazine. The magazine is free of charge (Copies available while supplies last).