Image Gallery is a New Zealand success story; a local company using Kiwi imagery for greeting cards that stand out for their superior design, great ideas and sustainability.
The greeting card industry in New Zealand is strong with a good outlook. Millennials are communicating more than any generation before them. While they use digital devices for day-to-day communication, special occasions are more likely to be marked with a carefully chosen card and a handwritten message.
New Zealand greeting card companies are competing with the world
In the NZ greeting card market, Image Gallery’s main competitors are small importers of niche cards sourced from the UK, Europe and the US, as well as large firmsthat print and manufacture their own. Image Gallery is one of a handful of companies that design, print and distribute greeting cards locally.
“Publishing local content is an important part of our product mix. There are so many talented Kiwi artists and designers creating not only great art, but great commercially viable art that our customers are looking for. To then have that art printed in NZ on sustainable card stock finishes the story,” says Edward Robinson, general manager of Image Gallery.
Cost-effective short runs of greeting card printing
To ensure their greeting card products are profitable, Image Gallery has to make every print run as economical as possible. Quality and a quick turnaround are two other must-haves.
“The trusted relationship we have with Soar has helped us to learn and understand the whole print process, from quoting to setting up files, including how we can best configure the layups to make the most out of a print run, “says Kember Snaith, graphic designer at Image Gallery.
Soar has also streamlined the print ordering service to create a simplified process for managing Image Gallery’s complicated requirements. The icing on the cake is continual sourcing of attractive card stocks that are derived from responsibly managed forests. Soar is accredited with both the Forest Stewardship Council® (FSC) and Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC).
Environmentally-responsible stocks and vegetable inks
FSC is a non-governmental organisation that promotes the responsible management of the world's forests. We were the first printer in NZ to be certified by the Forest Stewardship Council. PEFC is an international non-profit, organisation dedicated to sustainable forest management. We are certified by PEFC, the world's largest forest certification system.
At Soar Print we also use vegetable based inks, rather than traditional petroleum inks. Derived from corn, walnut, coconut, linseed, canola and soya beans, vegetable inks release significantly fewer VOCs into the atmosphere during the drying process. We’re also able to use water-based products to clean the press after production, rather than solvents. What’s more, stripping ink from paper during the paper recycling process is much easier with vege inks and produces less hazardous waste.
Take a look at Image Gallery greeting cards
Read more about Soar’s sustainability credentials
