London-based printer Gavin Martin Colournet is no stranger to unusual jobs. Specialising in bespoke litho and digital print, they offer traditional services and innovative solutions to challenging projects. They weren’t fazed, therefore, when they were approached by designer Cleber Rafael de Campos to produce a boxed set of tarot cards for witchcraft magazine Sabat.

London-based printer Gavin Martin Colournet is no stranger to unusual jobs. Specialising in bespoke litho and digital print, they offer traditional services and innovative solutions to challenging projects. They weren’t fazed, therefore, when they were approached by designer Cleber Rafael de Campos to produce a boxed set of tarot cards for witchcraft magazine Sabat.

The Sabat tarot deck is made up of 78 captivating cards hand drawn by Italian illustrator Elisa Seitzinger and inspired by the Tarot de Marseille, Le Tarot de L’etoile Cachee echos ancient divination practices as well as the instant nature of millennial witchcraft. The set also includes a special guidebook by Witchy writer and podcaster, Pam Grossman.

The tarot deck, entitled Sabat 5: Le Tarot de L’étoile Cachée – Major & Minor Arcana, is sold by Sabat magazine in its online shop, retailing at £60. Because retail margin was a factor, it was important to find a way to keep production costs under control without compromising the quality of the finished piece.

The solution

The tarot cards and the guidebook were to be printed litho silver onto a black substrate. The client had initially specified a substrate; however, the costs were prohibitive and so Gary recommended Pop’Set Extra Black, which offers all the properties of the products originally specified without the expense. Gary commented, “Pop’Set prints beautifully and has wonderful tactile properties. It provides excellent value for money with excellent results – it is not a compromise”.

The tarot cards were printed on Pop’Set Extra Black 400gsm in litho silver and the guidebook was printed litho silver on Pop’Set Extra Black 100gsm.

The presentation box with sliding tray insert was wrapped in Pop’Set Extra Black with Buckram Emboss, with a lining of Curious Metallics Lustre. It was finished with a black satin ribbon for pulling out the sliding tray.

The result

Gary, Cleber and Sabat were delighted with the finished piece. Gary commented, “The tarot cards and the booklet were printed in litho silver, which worked really well on the Pop’Set Extra Black because of its smooth, hard finish; the silver ink sits up nicely even though it’s an uncoated paper. We foil blocked the presentation box in silver, which worked admirably.”

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The technique

Print: The tarot cards and the guidebook were printed litho silver on a Heidelberg CX 102 5 colour press with coating unit. The bespoke, handmade boxes were foil blocked in Foilco Silver 6010 on a Heidelberg SBD cylinder.

Binding: the guidebook was section sewn, bound with black thread.

Tip: Gary advises: “When printing litho silver on a black uncoated paper, it’s important to select a product with a smooth, hard surface; silver just won’t perform as well on a rough surface. When producing a box with a drawer opening, it’s critical that the fit is perfect. There is a fine margin between the drawer pulling open in a pleasing way and it being either too stiff or too loose. Right at the beginning of the project, our cardboard engineer worked on several prototypes to make sure we got the engineering right.”

Product information 

Pop’Set

The smooth papers and boards of Pop’Set cover a timeless palette of 34 colours, from pastels and greys to saturated shades.

Curious Metallics

Curious Metallics, part of the Curious Collection, have a natural wove surface and shimmering metallic lustre enhanced by a palette from deepest black to pastel shades.

Pop’Set and Curious Metallics are part of the Antalis Creative Papers range, all of which is now carbon balanced by Antalis, in partnership with World Land Trust.