Admore Inc., a division of Ennis, received quite a gift this holiday season. The Macomb, Michigan-based supplier was selected to manufacture the official 2013 White House Holiday Card.
The official 2013 card is the brainchild of designer Chris Hankinson of Hilltop Studios located in Grand Rapids, Mich. Hankinson’s design is a pop-up card that features a miniature, three-dimensional image of the White House and tiny replicates of the Obamas’ dogs Bo and newcomer Sunny. Imprinted directly above the signature of President Barack Obama, first lady Michelle Obama and daughters Sasha and Malia is a message that reads: “As we gather around this season, may the warmth and joy of the holidays fill your home.”
Admore Inc. partnered with Hankinson and handled all manufacturing responsibilities, including printing, foil, embossing, die cutting and hand assembly, according to Bill Tignanelli, Admore’s general manager. Read on as Tignanelli gives a behind-the-scenes look at the makings of the official White House Holiday Card.
Print+Promo (P+P): Can you describe the process of being selected to manufacture the White House holiday card? If this isn’t a job to bid on, how did your partnership come about?
Bill Tignanelli (BT): We partnered with the designer of the card and he sold the idea. This wasn’t a bidding process. The designer needed a larger printer that could handle the volume, and it needed to be produced by a union shop since Democratic National Committee was funding the project. Admore was suggested since we are a union shop in Michigan, had all of the equipment to handle an order of this magnitude, and are known for our quality. We worked with the designer last year on the 2012 Holiday Card, but it was not selected. This year he was contacted, and after a few changes to his design, he was selected. We’ve been working with him since July on this project.
P+P: This pop-up card is really neat and rather intricate with its three-dimensional image of the White House and accompanying images of the Obamas’ dogs. Did you encounter any challenges during the manufacturing process?
BT: Last-minute art changes, needing to see a live sample proof, add quantities, moving deadlines-not much different than any other client. The biggest challenge was hand folding the card-all of them individually-within the short timeline. Admore partnered with a local hand assembly facility that we have a great business relationship with to complete the project on time.
P+P: How many cards were manufactured? What kind of timeframe were you working with on this project?
BT: Unfortunately, we are prohibited from discussing the quantity produced. I can say it was “a lot.”
P+P: How has being selected to manufacture the White House Holiday Card affected business?
BT: We have received more opportunities from the designer that created the piece, since he is getting many more inquiries due to the positive publicity. For us, it is too early to tell. Being trusted to manufacture the White House Christmas Card just reinforces what the Admore brand is known for: top-notch quality and top-notch service. We will be taking samples of the card on the road this year to all of our trade shows.
P+P: Is there anything you would like to add?
BT: It was an honor to be selected and the entire Admore staff is proud to have been the team to manufacture this year’s card. We have a sense of pride knowing the whole card from concept through all of production was a Michigan-made product.
To learn more about Admore, visit www.admorefolders.com.
