YUPO Synthetic Paper

YUPO labels could help packaged goods products stand up to, and stand out in, the trend to move into the fresh produce aisle for marketing advantages.

A recent article in The Wall St. Journal (Oct. 20, 2011) explored a growing trend by packaged goods manufacturers trying to capitalize on new store redesigns being tested by some retailers to better leverage the fresh produce sections of their stores.

Packaged goods brands generally associated with fresh produce such as cheeses, dressings, dips, chips, fruit and vegetable juices, even yogurt, milk and dairy products are lining up for a chance to mingle with the roughage in the produce section.

Yupo’s research and development team observed that YUPO In-Mold Label (IML) substrates stand up well to the water, moisture, and contact with raw foods far better than paper labels. “Our product is known for its strength, durability and shelf appeal.”

In many places throughout the world, YUPO is already in the produce section with vegetable binding tape, traceability labels, and even potting flower horticulture labels. (http://www.yupousa.com/paper/applications-shop) YUPO IML is used in every type of packaging from laundry detergent to make-up, and from ice cream to mustard.

But brand managers and package designers who covet a position next to the misting jets at the local grocery should consider giving our consulting teams a call. They can help answer any questions or help develop a package solution that’s the right fit for your branding needs.

Samples or for more information, contact Yupo: 1-888-873-9876 or visit www.yupousa.com.

New Windsor Brands LLC of Princeton, NJ, (presumably after a trip to the Hundred Acre Wood to visit the wise “Owl,”) recently launched a line of infant washes, lotions, and shampoos for Daily Renewals Naturals.

The products, featuring the world famous characters of Winnie the Pooh and Piglet on the label, wisely happen to be printed using YUPO IML extrusion/blow-molded label substrate.

The YUPO label adorns a custom made, 15-oz high-density polyethylene oval bottle made by TricorBraun. Together, the label and bottle provide shelf appeal as well as functionality.

The anti-slip characteristics of the bottle’s pinched waist and Yupo’s in-mold label both help to get a grip on the situation when bathing a wet and wriggling newborn. So as Pooh would say, bath time is “no, bother.”

Click here to learn more.

Baker’s Crust, Inc. is a specialty casual dining concept distinguished from its competition by an innovative, creative menu, featuring fresh bakery goods. A dining favorite any time of the day — breakfast, lunch and dinner — Baker’s Crust menu selections showcase fresh-baked artisan breads and seasonal ingredients. (Their restaurants feature a creperie where unique, flavorful crepes are hand-spun to order! Because folks don’t live by bread alone

So naturally, the restaurant wants its printed menus to reflect what customers have come to expect: great food and courteous service.

“Plain paper tears easily, soaks up stains, and is very difficult to clean,” said John Stein, CEO/owner of Baker’s Crust. “Our menus looked worn and dirty after just a few uses.”

But like most businesses, Baker’s Crust doesn’t have a lot of extra bread to waste reprinting lots of torn, stained or dog-eared menus. After searching for an alternative and meeting with a YUPO printer rep, the idea of using synthetic paper for his menus really got a rise out of Stein.

“We put them through the ringer – submersing them in water, tearing them, cleaning them with a rag, and everything else that could happen to a menu at our restaurants,” he said.

How did YUPO do?

“YUPO came through with an A grade,” according to Stein. The company started using YUPO in January 2011.

“Since then, (our menus) have held up like none of our other menu prints,” Stein added. And by the time it came to print the chain’s spring menus, the January editions were still going strong.

Does that mean using YUPO for print jobs will have you rolling in the dough? Well, don’t take our word for it; listen to John Stein.

“We truly believe in YUPO Synthetic Paper and will continue using it for our menu prints.”

You can find Baker’s Crust @ www.bakerscrust.com.

Earlier this year we added a new weight category (100 lb 13.8 mil cover) to our YUPOBlue® product line which is made specifically for and RIT Certified to run on the HP® Indigo digital printers.

Most recently we announced that each of the five YUPOBlue® weight classes is also available in a new, larger sheet size—13 in. by 19 in.

So, now YUPOBlue’s smooth, bright white and waterproof surface is now available in heavier, hardier weights AND in sheet sizes that will accommodate even larger printed digitally jobs.

YUPOBlue® is now available in five weights (78 lb./5.9 mil text and 58 lb./8.0 mil, 74 lb./9.9 mil, 86 lb./11.6 mil, and 100 lb./13.8 mil covers) and two sheet sizes—12” x 18” and new 13” X 19”.

De Punta a Cabo Cuts Through the Clutter, Wins the “People’s Wally”

(Chesapeake, Virginia) — Yupo Corporation America today announced that De Punta a Cabo has won the 2010 Viewers’ Choice award. The award was determined by the popular votes of design and creative professionals who visited Yupo’s website and reviewed the five top runners-up to the 2010 Wally Award.

De Punta a Cabo, a 798-page hardbound book about one of the largest collections of machetes from the 19th and 20th centuries in Puerto Rico, topped the online votes cast during the three-week voting period. The project, submitted Suzette Jimenez of Model Offset Printing for Humacao of Puerto Rico, utilized 104 lb YUPO Translucent paper.

Roughly translated as “from end to end,” De Punta a Cabo impressed HOW Conference attendees in Denver this past June with its impressive technical achievements for picture registration and bindery as well as its unique subject matter. For page after page, images of different machete types and styles are perfectly center-registered, leveraging the translucent qualities of the Yupo paper to give the appearance of being printed on both sides.

The Viewers’ Choice is the peer review companion to Yupo’s Wally Award, and is the second half of the manufacturer’s design recognition program for all projects created on YUPO Synthetic Papers. This year for the first time, HOW Conference attendees were given the opportunity to select the primary Wally Award from a field of 21 projects.

The other four finalists included:

• “Star Gaze,” mobile/ornament, by Darby Scott Design, Inc. – Mentor, Ohio (Project Grades: various, including 100lb and 86lb)
• “Throughfall,” sculpture by Jamey Grimes – Tuscaloosa, Alabama (Project Grades: 62lb Translucent)
• Paper Feathers, Eugene Lee — San Francisco, California (Project Grades: 104lb Translucent)
• McCormick & Schmick’s Beverage Menu by Patrick Henry Creative Promotions, EarthColor Houston, Houston, TX (Project Grades: 86 lb. and 56 lb. Cover)

Voting for the Viewers’ Choice award (previously known as Designer’s Choice) was conducted from late June until July 14. Humacao of Puerto Rico, the Viewers’ Choice winner for De Punta a Cabo, will receive $500. The overall Wally Award winner, “Contemporary Baskets” by Dorothy McGuinness of Everett, Washington, received the $1,000 first prize and a coveted Wally statuette.

Continue reading Yupo Names Viewers’ Choice Award Winner

When the world’s soccer fans are NOT watching their favorite team on live TV this summer, many of them are updating their personal win-loss brackets based on their team’s on-field fortunes. For this year’s World Cup, Yupo’s European division produced 5,000 of a special 32-team bracket poster that allows national team flags to be posted, moved and re-applied to track teams’ progress as the tournament unfolds. A Hampton Roads business publication recently featured the poster – made with YUPO Octopus, a new non-adhesive synthetic product – and gave Yupo Corporation America a nice plug in the process. (Courtesy, Inside Business magazine)

What’s that old saying? “They grow up so fast.” That’s how we’re feeling around the office these days as we welcome a “Fifth Grader” to our RIT certified YUPOBlue family: 100 lb cover.

As we keep pace with the ever-growing digital printing market, YUPO wanted to offer designers and creatives more options for short-run and customized pieces. The 100 lb cover was officially RIT certified earlier this year. The heavier, hardier weight is perfect for cards, book covers, photos, ID and membership cards, plant tags and other outdoor signage use, menus, cookbooks, and even hangtags. Yet, 100 lb YUPOBlue has all the traits that make YUPO great – beautiful, smooth, bright white and waterproof.

YUPOBlue® is Yupo Corporation’s newest synthetic paper made specifically for and certified to run on the HP Indigo line of digital printers. YUPOBlue and HP Indigo give you the flexibility of using a superior substrate on projects that are printed digitally.

So, to recap: YUPOBlue is now offered in five weights of 12” x 18” sheets:
1. 78 lb. 5.9 mil text
2. 58 lb. 8.0 mil cover
3. 74 lb. 9.9 mil cover
4. 86 lb. 11.6 mil cover, and
5. NEW 100 lb. 13.8 mil cover

Interested in a sample pack? Contact Yupo Corporation America today to request one: 1-888-873-9876

This year’s HP Indigo users gathering at Dscoop (Feb. 18-20, Dallas) marks two years that YUPOBlue™ has been on the market. Unfortunately those two years have not been the best of times for businesses or individuals.

Let’s face it: in our industry, some companies have cut workers or gone out of business. Marketing budgets have dried up; customers have “gotten by” with fewer orders or done without completely. And certainly not many new initiatives were launched.

Yupo has been pleased with the number of people who have test-driven YUPOBlue and have adopted it for use. Here are five things we’ve observed during the recent lean times.

Sustainability.
Today’s products, process and promises must address “Eco” concerns, and not just for marketing or PR purposes but because it’s the right thing to do. We think Yupo’s qualities help both creatives and printers produce a top quality product that contributes positively to the eco-friendliness of a project from order to delivery.

Innovation.
Because of the HP technology, even in these lean times some customers have continued their communication output; others squeezed their orders to be as “lean and mean” as possible without sitting things out entirely. More importantly, new customers discovered the wonders of HP technology and the benefits of short-run or digital press options.

Providing solutions.
When talking with a customer about printing projects, providing both creatives and printers with options so that they can succeed for their clients is the way to go nowadays and always. We discuss using the most superior substrate, meeting tight deadlines, and keeping environmentally responsibility. That help us both earn more business while providing the end customer with a needed solution.

Customization.
The Indigo printer makes it possible to do short runs and customized pieces quickly and easily and it just so happens that Yupo makes a paper for that. The ability to provide customized print one-to-one marketing messages make HP, Yupo, and everybody look good.

Education.
Perhaps the most valuable service we can provide is simply educating prospects (and their customers) about HP processes and products like YUPOBlue. What a shame if a client’s communications options were somehow limited due to lack of awareness or understanding of our products.

(“Accidental Purchases: Blame Package Design” by Aaron Baar)

About the problem of consumer confusion over copy-cat package design, increasing trends toward house-branded products, and the need for reinforcement of the packaging “why’s” when speaking to today’s savvier and skeptical consumers.

A shocking research figure stated in the article should have brand managers sweating bullets: over 40% of consumers admitted to purchasing the “wrong” product because of packaging confusion. In this economy, who is willing to lose nearly half of their hard-earned consumers to copy-cat designs. That’s why at Yupo, we’re fond of saying “It’s what’s inside that counts; it what’s outside that sells.”

According to the article, a Big Take-away was: Communicate the product and consumer benefits to a package redesign. Don’t just assume the consumers will “get” that the re-design is better for them – TELL them straight-up. Yupo agrees.

When a client switches to a more brand protecting label design, such as YUPO In-mold labeling, the consumer should be told about the weight savings, recyclability and paper-backing waste reduction.

We’re proud to mention a recent partnership with a leading design industry publication, Clear Magazine. The magazine’s 2009 Fall issue – a special, limited edition printed completely on YUPO Synthetic Paper – came out in time for New York’s “Fashion Week” this past September.

It was important for Clear that its Fall Fashion edition reach the thousands of influential readers who attended Fashion Week. It was equally important that this special and collectible issue closed the gap on source reduction and recycling.

Clear’s founder and creative director, Emin Kadi, said that the magazine’s ongoing partnership with Yupo helped expose its readers to the world’s most inspiring, creative artists and events in an environmentally responsible way.

Paul Mitcham, Yupo’s director of marketing and sales support, was pleased that 100 percent “tree-free” and recyclable YUPO paper meets Clear’s high design and creative standards as well as its environmental policies.

A previous environmentally friendly edition of Clear was produced on YUPO® paper in December 2008.