Author: Courtney Brown

BEST NINE OF 2018

Posted on | by Courtney Brown

We noticed the Best Nine fever on social media, and we couldn’t help but get in on the fun. Here’s how we inked the impossible for our best projects of 2018.

1) It’s good to stick together for the holidays. Designed by Alyssa Low with Eight Bit Studios, The Koetz Fam wanted a holiday card with stickers. We achieved this for them by printing 4/0 (CMYK) on 60# UltraDigital Matte Litho Label in White. No need for mistletoe – this kiss-cut was by the Zünd.

 

 

2) We love it when we get to geek out in R&D. When The Mentholatum Company needed Softlips Oasis packaging mockups, we created these. Printed 5/1 (CMYK + White/Black) on 16pt UltraDigital Mirri Board in Silver, they were then die cut by the Zünd.

 

 

3) We propose nothing but the best. For JLL’s Wrigley Building Proposal for Disposition Services, we created a sophisticated book with the cover printed 5/0 (CMYK +White) on 100# Classic Crest Cover in Epic Black, and then we foil-stamped the Wrigley Building in black gloss foil. The interior pages printed 4/4 on 80# McCoy Silk Text. For the finishing touch, we went the extra mile to drill and grommet the book with black grommets.

 

 

4) It takes ambition to ink the impossible, and this was the perfect project for it. For the JLL Ambitions Magazine (Second Edition), we came up with covers printed 4/4 on 100# Lynx Opaque Smooth White Cover. We even created an interior fold-out section printed 5/5 (CMYK + White) on 80# Classic Crest Cover in Imperial Red, which was then perfect bound. Take it from the client: “I truly could not love this paper more.”

 

5) What could be more heavy metal than holographic posters? We drummed up these Iron Maiden exclusives for OffBeat Enterprises – printed in conjunction with ComiCon – 4/0 on UltraDigital Silver and Rainbow Mirri Boards. Rock on.

 

 

6) We consider this the finest book in the solar system. For SourceBooks, we did pre-publishing samples of “8 Little Planets” – printed 4/4 on 18pt Tango C2S, and die cut by the Zünd. We’re sorry, Pluto.

 

 

7) Innovative print is always worth pursuing. For the Chicago Tabernacle, we executed a 5/4 (CMYK + White/CMYK) card on 12pt UltraDigital Silver Mirri Board.

 

 

8) It’s amazing what legendary ink can do, and we did a Rebrand/Recruiting Die Cut Brochure for Entara. The pocket was printed 4/4 on 100# Endurance Silk Cover with Matte UV Coating, and the interior booklet was printed 4/4 on 80# Endurance Silk Cover, also with Matte UV Coating. And as the truly iconic touch, it was assembled by hand by our best craftsmen.

 

 

9) Work so good, you can feel it. Here are Casino Cards for Dom Perignon, printed 5/5 (CMYK + White) on two sheets of 12 pt UltraDigital Mirri Board in Silver. We hand-mounted the sheets, then laminated with a 7mil soft touch laminate, so that this piece feels as smooth as the drink tastes.

 

 

With our team of visionaries, Blooming Color had its best year yet. Here’s looking forward to the legendary work we’ll make with you in 2019.

Fulfillment

Fulfilling Your Goals with Blooming Color

Posted on | by Courtney Brown

The ordering, storing, handling, and packaging of goods to fulfill orders can be a massive burden of time and space. That’s why the most successful, streamlined companies opt to employ a fulfillment center.

When looking for a fulfillment center, you have to consider:

Best location – does the fulfillment center have a central location, with easy access to your customer base? The right place, such as the Chicago metropolitan area, can fully optimize operations for nationwide fulfillment.

Buying power – Are they able to buy in bulk from wholesalers for significant savings? This will drastically decrease shipping and packaging costs to support your bottom line.

Bountiful space – Do they have ample space for your current and future needs? You need somewhere with the bandwidth to grow with your business.

Brand allegiance – Does the fulfillment center care about upholding your brand as much as you do? Customer service is key.

Blooming Color is a candidate that meets all these vital needs – we have a central location, great buying power, peerless customer service, and a 20,000 sq. ft. dedicated facility right next to our print production building.

Ultimately, it all comes down to ease and peace of mind for your company. At Blooming Color, your convenience is our top priority. We’ll not only help you better spend your dollars: we’ll ink the impossible.

KittingKitting – We’ll assemble items into kits, ready for shipment. This is a handy service for product samples, promotional literature, instructional packets, display materials, product releases, media and welcome kits, supplies for franchisees, and more.

 

AssemblyAssembly – We’ll gather, organize, and fit together various printed items into a completed unit.

 

Pick and PackPick and Pack – Sometimes your order only needs a few things: no problem. We’ll pick out the specific items you need, and pack and prepare them for shipment.

 

BLOOMING COLOR IS AN EXPERIENCED THIRD-PARTY VENDOR FOR FULFILLMENT, WITH A HISTORY OF SUCCESSFUL SERVICE AND TANGIBLE RESULTS.

Here are a few of our happy customers:

ULTA BEAUTY
Ulta trusts Blooming Color to keep its brand consistent. As they grow, they need a partner who helps solidify Ulta’s place in the market. For example, our reliable process flawlessly fulfills Ulta’s Diamond Kits for top spenders. With over half a million kits assembled and shipped throught the country in a matter of weeks, Ulta rests easy knowing their kits are consistent, their brand is secure, and their customer’s experience is as flawless and enjoyable as they expect.

 

WALLPICS
From your phone to your home: WallPics is an app that allows users to create 8 x 8 three-dimensional photo tiles with removable adhesive for easy hanging. Blooming Color fulfills these orders – we print, package, and ship the photo tiles out the very next day.

Wallpics

 

ILLINOIS HEALTH & HOSPITAL ASSOCIATION (IHA)
Prior to our partnership, IHA was wasting valuable time and resources – they printed their materials in bulk, stored them in-house in a 40,000 sq. ft. facility, and even fulfilled the needs of their satellite office themselves. By allowing them the ability to print on demand with our premier platform inkflö, and automating the fulfillment process, IHA can now focus on what they do best.

Your business can only benefit from a fulfillment center, and with Blooming Color, it can ink the impossible.

 

Christy Hughes Is Building Blooming’s Future Frontier

Posted on | by Courtney Brown

We’re proud to welcome Christy Hughes to our dedicated team of professionals.

As Blooming’s resident Business Development expert, Christy is forging new paths through the healthcare, higher education and race management markets.

To see her in action, you’d think it’s easy. Christy’s artful approach to sales is defined by her determination.

“You make a million calls, and you’ll make one sale. It’s all worth it for the one.”

But Christy’s true talent is her peerless ability to speak to and care for clients.

“My father always said I could talk to anyone.”

Instead of a prospective customer on the other end, Christy sees a person. For her, it’s all about forming a relationship.

“I just love talking to people. Learning how people are doing business and any way we can be part of that. I have a lot of good conversations.”

It’s no surprise then that she is a family-oriented person, whose kids and husband are her life’s joy.

She has 3 little boys, who keep her incredibly active. When she’s not crushing it on the sales floor, she juggles basketball and football games, entertaining friends, and upgrading the house she bought last year.

Christy brings that same enthusiasm to her new role at Blooming Color.

“The longevity of Blooming is truly inspiring. They’ve not only adapted with the industry: they have literally changed the industry at every step. After 30 years they’re still growing at a rapid pace.”

That pace will be even quicker with Christy Hughes on board.

“With the new acquisition of the HP Indigo 12000, I see us continuing to expand into new markets,” she envisions. “We have a taste for new business and footholds in untapped markets, so we’re going to lean into and saturate those new frontiers. Blooming Color can do the impossible.”