To be successful, every great print job needs to have a creative idea, a skilled and proficient printer, and a productive and efficient press that printers can depend upon.
Field Notes (an American notebook company) relies on eDOC (a commercial printing company in Mount Prospect, Illinois) to help create their inventive, vintage-style notebooks with the help of eDOC’s Heidelberg equipment and consumables.
Where the Idea Stemmed From
Field Notes of Chicago, Illinois, creates new, exciting ideas for their journals each quarter. However, they don’t just stop at the design of the project — the Field Notes team is directly involved from the beginning with their printer, eDOC, to make sure their designs are as unique and interesting as possible once printed.
“eDOC has always been a great company to work with — everyone there gets really excited to work with us,” said Bryan Bedell, Designer at Field Notes. “eDOC really understands our attention to detail. Every experience we’ve had with them has been great. They have quick turnarounds and are always ready to help give their insight on our crazy projects.”
“We’ve been partners with Field Notes for about five years now,” said Tom Meitzler, Owner of eDOC. “They’re a hands-on company, and they are always challenging us with different techniques.”
Recently, Field Notes released their 35th quarterly edition called “Campfire.” The idea stemmed from a simple picture Bedell took of a campfire during a team camping trip; however, like all of their notebooks, the process of creating their journals did not stop at the photo. They then needed to work with eDOC to decide how to creatively print the notebooks and which process to use to produce them.
The team originally wanted to print the books with a four-color process but eventually went with a 5-color print job. Field Notes and eDOC thought it would be best to go with an older technique that was used prior to the color separations process. Their darkest color of the 5 different spot colors was used as a photographic halftone. This gives the illusion of it looking photographic, but if you look closer, it looks more like a drawing or a print.
The Production Process
Working with a quality conscious customer like Field Notes, it is crucial for eDOC to have machines that will produce the highest quality possible, but also at the quickest speeds — Heidelberg’s equipment provides this consistency for eDOC.
“We’ve committed ourselves to be a partner with Heidelberg going forward, and we think this is a huge advantage,” said Meitzler. “It’s Heidelberg’s products from start to finish, so whenever we need help, we know that Heidelberg will be there. They know their machines and products.”
eDOC is a complete Heidelberg shop with a Speedmaster XL 105, CD 102, Stitchmaster, POLAR cutter, Stahlfolder, and Heidelberg Saphira Consumables. Using their Speedmaster XL 105 for the printing of the “Campfire” edition, eDOC was able to print at industry leading speeds. With quick makereadies and turnarounds, eDOC’s press gives them a competitive advantage.
It doesn’t stop at the press— a great contribution to the high productivity is the Saphira Consumables eDOC uses. The Saphira inks, coatings, washup cloths, plates, blankets, chemistry, fountain solution, etc. all play an intricate role in how effectively the press runs.
“With our partnership with Heidelberg, it allows us to not only ensure great quality but the highest speeds possible,” said Meitzler. “We’ve worked with Field Notes and Heidelberg for a long time, so there are many synergies between the partnership of Heidelberg and the partnership of Field Notes. It’s a pretty incredible process.”
About Field Notes
Field Notes is inspired by the vanishing subgenre of agricultural memo books, ornate pocket ledgers and the simple, unassuming beauty of a well-crafted grocery list. The Draplin Design Company of Portland, Oregon in conjunction with Coudal Partner of Chicago, Illinois has created this Field Notes brand in hopes of offering, “An honest memo book, worth fillin’ up with good information.” From the very beginning, every Field Notes paper product has been produced in the USA.
About eDOC
eDOC has been providing print and technology services to its customers since November 1999. With owners focused on quality, security, technology and improved capacity, eDOC has grown to become a strategic partner for both domestic and worldwide customers.
To learn more about Field Notes and the “Campfire” edition, click here.
Rebecca Melville
PR and Marketing Specialist
