One of the new features here at the Jakprints blog is the monthly wrap up. We understand that you get busy and you may not have the time to hang on every word we type, so here’s a recap of all the awesomeness you may have missed in a tidy package just for you.

Graphic Design Round Table – Typography

One of our favorite posts of the month featured a handful of very talented and accomplished graphic designers sharing their two cents about the current state of typography. Click here to read what Jeff Finley, OKPants, Brian Jasinski and Ted Barnes had to say.

Lake Erie Monster – Horror Comic

We started the month off with a feature about John G and Jake Kelley’s new Cleveland based horror comic The Lake Erie Monster. We were there for their release party at Blue Arrow Records. Check out the video we put together highlighting the creation and release of The Lake Erie Monster and see the original blog post with pics from the event here.

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The Animal Builder is a colorful, inquisitive book about a giant anteater who creates animals out of things he finds in nature. It’s a book to open the imagination. Illustrated entirely in cut paper, it took author Kate Schruth two years to complete. And when she was done, she called on Jakprints to handle production.

Kate Schruth and Jakprints build The Animal Builder.

Book Bindery · Full Color Printing · Jakprints · Kate Schruth · The Animal Builder · Video

Cleveland artists, John G and Jake Kelly celebrated the release of their new horror comic The Lake Erie Monster this past Saturday at Blue Arrow Records in Cleveland’s Waterloo Arts District. Both artists were on hand at the release party to distribute the comic, along with posters, stickers and buttons.

The idea behind The Lake Erie Monster spawned from a series of 70s era fictional movie posters that the two worked on previously and decided to bring to life with a full narrative. The story certainly does come alive on the page. The vibrant 36 page, full-color book features two gruesome stories and a handful of illustrated ads that capture the spirit of the old-school horror comic.

A number of the Jakprints crew were there at the release party, where we mingled with other local art enthusiasts, had punch and snacks, browsed through some choice vinyl and picked up our copies of the debut issue, all while listening to WCSB’s John Neely spin Cleveland/Ohio punk tunes. Jakprints is proud to be a sponsor of this new endeavor and we can’t wait until the next issue arrives. See below for some photos from the event and an exclusive behind the scenes video of the conception and production of The Lake Erie Monster.

The Lake Erie Monster – A Cleveland Horror Comic from Jakprints, Inc on Vimeo.

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Blue Arrow Records · Comic Books · Full Color Printing · Jake Kelly · Jakprints · John G · Pics · Saddle Stitching · The Lake Erie Monster · Video

Another year at SXSW has come and gone. If you were one of the unlucky few that did not make it down to Austin, hopefully it felt like you were right there with us through our stellar coverage via Instagram,  Twitter and Facebook. We had a blast checking out all the sites, sounds, and everything in between. Between our sponsored events at HypeHotel, BandPageHQ, Sonicbids and the trade show itself, we packed in a ton of fun out on the streets of Austin. Check out the videos and photos below for one last trip down the memory lane that was, Jakprints at SXSW 2012.
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Austin · BandPage · HypeHotel · Jakprints · SonicBids · SXSW · Texas · Video

In honor of America Recycles Day this past year (11/5/2011), we created Le Papier: A Voyage, a short video that follows a piece of paper on it’s journey to being recycled. From the office to the recycling bin, to the recycling facility and everywhere in between, the video presents an inside look at the recycling process with an educating, upbeat pace.

At Jakprints, we’re proud of our environmental stewardship and green printing initiatives. Thanks to our customers, we recycle 400 tons of paper, save over 2.6 million gallons of water and conserve 156,000 gallons of fuel every year. Special thanks to Recycling Solutions for allowing us to film at their facility and educating us even more on the process.

America Recycles · America Recycles Day · Go Green · Green Printing · Jakprints · Le Papier · Paper Recycling · Printing · Recycling · Recycling Solutions

Customer Testimonial: Cleveland-based bakery Vegan Sweet Tooth shows us how Jakprints allows them to focus on their business instead of coordinating multiple print vendors — who wouldn’t rather focus on cupcakes?

Every one is busy with life and work, the gals at Vegan Sweet Tooth are no exception. Co-owners Tiffany and Becca have their hands full with starting a new business, shopping for organic ingredients and creating new, tasty vegan recipes. Long time friends, they both fulfilled their dreams by working in the food industry, one as a food photographer and the other at culinary school. They stayed in touch during their time away but eventually reunited in Cleveland with a vegan vision.

Combining their love of food and healthy living, Vegan Sweet Tooth was proofed. We were thrilled when they came to our shop, not only for the great print projects but for the introduction to some of the best vegan cupcakes around. Thank you Vegan Sweet Tooth for choosing Jakprints and making us your one-stop printer.

Find out more about Vegan Sweet Tooth.

Cupcakes · Customer Review · Testimonial · Vegan · Vegan Cupcakes · Vegan Sweet Tooth

After more than 20 years, Derek Hess’ unmistakable style has garnered collectors from the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame to the renowned Louvre in Paris.

And, he’s as well known for his genre-defining illustrations in the music scene as for his politically-charged, fine-art works. Strhess Clothing, Hess’ apparel line, has been consistently fashion forward with its use of lush illustrations and creative print locations long before either was standard.

Working with Derek for over 6 years has kept us on our toes and fostered the creation of new products. When he came to us with his long overdue book, Black Line White Lie, we were stoked and ready to dive in.

Hess decided on a combination of three different book bindings and we thought that this would be a great opportunity to show a behind-the-scenes look at the artist, the process and the final product.

Black Line White Lie · Book Bindery · Cleveland · CMYK · Derek · Derek Hess · Derek Hess Book · Hess · Hess Art · Hess Book · Indiemerchstore · Jakprints · Legation Gallery · Offset Printing · Ohio · Strhess