NEW Year & NEW 5th edition Mail-It Map about to be published

1

Today I signed off the proofs for our new

5th edition Australia Mail-It Map.

Its a point of no return when you’ve made what feels like a million decisions, and there’s no turning back as the printing plates are produced and the press starts to roll ;)

Each edition develops a character of its own as it evolves, responding to suggestions and input from *YOU* our end users, whilst keeping it accountable to our values and so reflect the heart of ‘why’ we do what we do.

This edition has happily reverted to being more environmentally conscious :)

Our first edition (which sold 50,000 copies) had no packaging! The envelopes were popped in the back of the display box, and the maps sat at the front… Sadly, a lot of customers only picked up the map at the front leaving a pile of envelopes accumulating at the back without a home.

We therefore relented to retailers’ demands when publishing the third and fourth editions, (read the Story so Far to find out what happened to the second edition! :) ) inserting the map + envelope into a clear cello bag to keep the product together and pristine.

This time around, as you can see above the…

  • Packaging has been reduced to just a translucent paper band to keep the Mail-It Map and the envelope together until purchased

You may also notice just visible behind the map the enviro coloured envelope, which is 100% recycled, and hidden from view the printed image on the front that enhances the address.

Australia Mail-It Map 5th edition

There’s also:

  • Extra space for writing on the back of the A3 (42cm x 29.7cm) sized map…

in between the pointers of how to use it ~

i.e. Dotting your route on the Map… arrowing in where you’ve been and

 

…notating highlights in the jotting boxes

And if you’re familiar with our previous editions, you’ll have noticed we’ve broken away from the A3 folding down to a squarish A6 size, to an oblong presentation influenced by the old fashioned aerogramme shape.

We’re also really proud that not only are all of our products Australian Made, but like the 100-Mile Diet, in a bid to minimize our company’s ecological footprint we manufacture all elements of our products within 100 miles, which is great for the planet as well as  being good for local Brisbane businesses :)

 

But, more on that and the environmental measures our wonderful  printer takes another time…

At the moment I’m just looking forward to seeing and hearing what you all think of the new features ;)

Our New Travel Wallet for the Map Journal

4

Yesterday, I went to see our printer in Brisbane to sign off the proof for a new travel wallet I’m producing for our Australia Map Journal ~

There’s always an air of trepidation signing off a proof ~ It sounds a bit melodramatic, but it can feel close to signing your life away!

One can’t help but have a fear that you just may have missed a spelling mistake and that once the printing machines start rolling you’ll have reams of paper piling up off the end of the press all displaying some glaring bloomer :(

It’s also a really exciting time!

The proof is produced on a high gloss photographic paper so the image is strong and crisp, but because one can’t write on glossy paper we produce our products on uncoated papers – Uncoated papers absorb more ink so the final result is visually more muted – The proof in our case is therefore no real indication as to what it will look like as it comes off the press, which can mean a few surprises ;)

On the eco front, we use a 40% post consumer waste recycled paper, with the remainder coming from FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) managed trees. Our printer uses soy based inks.

So… Here is a sneak peak of the new travel wallet front cover…

Australia Map Journal Travel Walletand the back…

Australia Map Journal Travel Wallet Back Cover

I’ve selected a textured card with a lovely feel to it so… I can’t wait to see and touch the final product!

Fingers crossed it lives up to my expectations :)

Sun Printing in the Great Sandy Desert

1

For about 4 years I worked in mineral exploration as a geological draughtsperson.

I was contracting to a company in Perth who saw the light in sending someone out into the field with the reconnaissance team, who could plot the grids and interpolate the data as it came to hand.

Most projects ran for 3 months, where the accommodation was a tent and the annexe was my office.

My fondest memories are from a job that had us camping on the edge of the Great Sandy Desert in WA not far, metaphorically speaking, from Wolf Creek meteorite crater.

We had a weekly chartered airplane come in with supplies to last for the following week, on which I would put copies of the latest plans so head office could see what we had done and where we were at.

A sun-printing method was used to produce these prints, where the pen and ink drawings on draughting film were laid over light sensitive paper in a darkened tent – This entailed pulling down all the flaps when it was 40 degrees outside and working as fast as possible to get the plans strapped to a board that was pulled back in an arching position to ensure a good close contact was being made. Then outside, pouring with sweat, to stand and face the glaring sun with the board held aloft for a timed 2 minutes, before back into the steaming darkened tent to wipe a solution over the now exposed film that would develop the image. Voila!

Exploration crew in the Great Sandy Desert

Exploration crew in the Great Sandy Desert

This is a photo of me, on the left, with Jim, Phil, Verne, Noel and John at the end of the project as we are about to pull out and hit the road.