The prestigious magazine Tate Etc is now printed on Galerie Fine Silk, after the paper came out top in a rigorous selection process
When Tate – the organisation behind four of the most prestigious, popular and iconic art galleries in Europe – decided to review the paper they were using for their acclaimed Tate Etc quarterly art magazine, they were prepared to consider their options very carefully indeed.
“For Tate Etc, quality is paramount,” says Jo Felton, Tate Membership Fulfilment & Production Manager. “So everything has to be carefully considered – from editorial and design through to materials, print and finishing options. The magazine represents Tate as a UK national institution, and with a readership of 140,000 mostly made up of Tate members, it has a lot of eyes on it.”
What followed was a seven-month process of exhaustive internal and external discussions, detailed analyses and exacting comparisons. When the Tate Etc winter issue landed on the doormats of Tate members across the world at the end of last year, its thought-provoking, eye-catching features on everything from Theatre Picasso to Nigerian Modernism came printed on a new paper for the publication: Galerie Fine Silk.
“Tate’s core mission is to provide art for all – and this message permeates through the magazine,” says Felton. “The content is rigorous and based on deep subject knowledge of course, but it’s also designed to be accessible to everyone. Galerie Fine Silk achieves the perfect balance between high quality and subtlety that’s just the right fit for this.”
Not only that, but with Galerie Fine Silk, the Sappi sales team were able to offer a high-class, high-quality paper that could also provide serious yield-saving benefits.
Museums and galleries in the UK have been operating in an increasingly cost-conscious environment in recent years. We had been printing on 100g/m2 silk stock from another supplier, but felt confident to use Galerie Fine Silk 90/m2. As a result, we have reduced our paper bill by around 6% and, due to the drop in weight – which only felt possible using a paper of quality such as Galerie Fine Silk – we stand to save probably twice as much in postage.
adds Jo Felton, Tate Membership Fulfilment & Production Manager.
Meanwhile, alongside “hugely productive” conversations with the Sappi sales team, Tate has benefited from a first-class production experience using the paper. “We’ve been really pleased with the results of printing on this paper,” says Felton. “The finish is superb and it prints beautifully.”
Above all, the reader experience was at the forefront of Tate’s decision-making. “In very simple terms, we want the magazine to feel nice to hold and to be something you want to keep coming back to,” Felton emphasises. “If there’s too much sheen or a lot of show-through on the pages, it’s a distraction from the content itself. One of the qualities that really appealed with the Galerie paper was its smooth finish and soft sheen, without being too shiny. It’s also quite robust, which – because we know many readers keep hold of their issues of the magazine – is key to copies looking fresh for longer.”
Looking back at the whole process and reviewing the printed result, Felton is clear-eyed in her assessment both of the chosen new paper for Tate Etc and the partnership with Sappi that it represents.
“Reducing the magazine’s overall weight was our core aim, and one we needed to achieve without sacrificing on quality,” she says. “It is also clear to us that Sappi is proud to be supplying the paper for Tate Etc. And, as a customer, knowing that you are important to your suppliers is crucial.”
If you want to publish or print your next magazine more cost-efficiently without compromising on quality, please get in touch with your local Sappi sales office or
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