Yupo Synthetic Paper

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.

The Yupo sales team has been a whirlwind of activity over the past few months, traveling across the country to design and packaging tradeshows. As always, they kept up the Yupo tradition of making an impact with their presence at each and every show.

The busy tradeshow season kicked-off at the HOW Design Conference in Austin, TX. Yupo knows that touching the product is key, and that point was highlighted in all the promotional collateral and giveaways. Free chair massages for conference attendees were also offered to underscore the point.

Next, it was off to NYC for the HBA Global Expo. While in Gotham, the team focused on educating attendees on all the potential applications that YUPO Synthetic Paper could be used for within the health and beauty industry, from tear-resistant tags and label solutions to high-end brochures and catalogs.

Pack Expo in Las Vegas and the AIGA Design Conference in Memphis followed where the team continued to “touch” attendees with free chair massages and “gotta get one of those” Yupo T-shirts. Eco-messages are big this year – like being a 100% tree free – as well as YUPO’s famous durability, waterproof and tear-resistance.

The team is presently following-up on a slew of great leads from these shows and gearing up to head to Chicago for PLMA in just a few weeks.