This year’s theme is ‘Animal Magic’ and, after various judging stages, 12 photographs, one for each month, were eventually selected from a pool of around 35,000 competition entries.
What did the job entail?
Cheshire-based printer APS Group and Kent creative design consultancy Art of Design were tasked with reproducing, printing and binding the final 12 photographs shortlisted by the Countryfile judges, while Art of Design were also responsible for the layout of the calendar.
This year the three judges were TV presenter John Craven, zoologist and natural history presenter Charlotte Uhlenbroek and comedian and keen wildlife photographer Bill Bailey. The front cover image was selected from the final 12 by a public vote.
Art of Design’s pre-press procedures included scaling and colour correcting to optimise the photographs to ensure the best results and reproduction of the original winning entries.
How was it produced?
APS Group printed the pages using two 10-colour long-perfecting KBA Rapida 106 presses running Satimat Silk 350gsm and 170gsm stock. All sections were printed four-colour plus varnish and the back and front covers were gloss laminated on one side. The sections were then folded, saddle stitched to form the calendar and drilled to create a hole for hanging. 355,000 calendars were printed in total.
What challenges were overcome?
Art Of Design had to make sure everything complied with the rules and regulations by ensuring the shortlisted photographs hadn’t been altered in any way post-photography.
Colour correcting was another challenge due to printers and RIPs all interpreting colours slightly differently. Art of Design had to find a compromise between the colours that were sent in from a print versus the colour that was supplied electronically.
What was the feedback?
Countryfile producer Matthew Gull said: “I think the quality of the calendar each year is exceptional. There are all sorts of complexities and difficulties in taking photos that people have sent in and then trying to make sure what we put in the calendar is exactly what they sent to us. Art of Design works really carefully to make sure those prints are absolutely perfect.”
