variable data printing

hugovk commented on the word variable data printing

variable data printing, n.

Creative Review, 18 December 2015:

Designers Nick Relph and Matt Cooper used variable data printing and an extensive library of visuals to create a unque cover for each copy of Hot Chip’s sixth album, Why Make Sense? The pair devised a simple design before creating hundreds of pattern variations and 501 colour swatches, resulting in hundreds of thousands of possible combinations.

<b>Variable data printing</b> allowed elements of the design to be adapted with each pass of the printer, enabling customisation on a mass scale. “Nick was interested in the idea that some of the variations would be quite subtle,” says Cooper. “We’ve got hundreds and hundreds of different colours, so some of the variations are very close in colour and tone, a little like the small variations you get in traditional print methods at the beginning and end of a print run, or flecks of dirt, or other vagaries of the print process,” he adds. “The graphic’s vertical lines are static, but the angled lines’ orientations alter. Sometimes, lines are almost vertical, while others cross the design at nearly 90 degrees.”

December 30, 2015