Behind every great brand, design and line, there’s a purpose. There’s a deeper meaning to what you’re creating. That mantra holds true with our latest Domtar Paper promotion, Cougar® w/Purpose – Creating Meaningful Retail Brands. From the initial idea to the design and printing techniques, everything about this promotion was done with a purpose in mind.

This promotion was a fascinating piece to produce. The design lent itself to us being able to incorporate a variety of Cougar papers as well as use a handful of techniques.

The Folder/Carrier

Let’s start with the main carrier. The beauty of our Cougar Smooth 130 lb. Cover shines with this main folder. It shows the ink coverage beautifully with luxurious detail and a feel that makes you think of high-end promotion, yet this paper has the strength and durability to allow the pressmen to squeeze a lot of ink onto the sheets while allowing for smooth ink coverage with no mottling. We added an emboss to the front cover as well. The carrier was printed offset four-color process. For more tips and tricks on embossing, request our complimentary embossing guide.

The Lookbook with Self-Cover

For the look book printed sample in this promotion, we’ve also tapped into another trend—the self-cover. Self-cover is when a book or booklet uses the exact same paper for its covers as it does for its interior pages. Using one weight for all pages in a brochure or booklet gives the printed piece an elevated minimal aesthetic. For a more substantial feel, we opted for Cougar Smooth 100 lb Text. As with all Cougar stock, this paper has a feel and strength that goes beyond its labeled 100 lbs. This piece was printed offset four-color process and is held together with copper staples.

The Hangtag

A well-designed and beautifully printed hangtag can elevate a brand or product. We wanted to show how a variety of weights, printed techniques and shades can work together to create a memorable brand touchpoint. We used two hits on the letterpress for the cover of this hangtag and the Cougar 100 lb. cover made it look simple. No stress cracks. No splitting in the stock. The blind emboss on the backside is just as beautiful as the printed front. Add to that the diversity of the 65lb cover inserts inside and you get a hang tag that is useful, sturdy and beautiful all in one. This piece was printed offset four-color. The letterpress printing was done using match orange and match green inks. The hangtag is held in place in the main folder using a suede cord.

Letterpress Loyalty Card Holder

We chose two offerings from the Cougar Heavyweight Collection— Cougar Smooth 110 lb. for the Loyalty Card holder and 160 lb. Double-thick cover for the loyalty card—to convey a feeling of exclusivity and connection between the customer and the brand. It’s also worth pointing out that this isn’t meant to function as a scannable loyalty card; the intent is to create more of a feeling of an exclusive membership. The 110 lb. cover holds the small delicate type perfectly while showing strength in being able to cradle the 160 lb. cover loyalty card. And speaking of the 160 lb. card, it shows even, smooth ink coverage while being the perfect canvas for the gloss green foil stamp.

Digitally Printed Direct Mail

We all know direct mail is an effective marketing tool for a variety of industries. Digital printing has come such a long way. No longer just a cheap option, at times, it is hard to tell it apart from offset printing. Cougar Digital Color Copy paper was an excellent canvas for our direct mail printed sample. While it holds up to all digital presses, when you pair it up with a HP Indigo, it is quite the marriage. No banding, no picking. Just beautiful color and sharp detail each time.

Get Cougar w/Purpose–Creating Meaningful Retail Brands

As you have read, there was a lot of purpose behind the Cougar stock options that we used for this promotion. From a variety of papers and printing techniques, the Cougar w/Purpose–Creating Meaningful Retail Brands promotion is must-have resource for designers and printers.