CHICAGO – Walas Younger Ltd Integrated Media Solutions and StampaSud SPA Italy, both well known print organizations with a combined experience of 100+ years, have recently formed a pioneering “Across The Pond” print alliance.

Cindy Walas, Principal of WY Ltd, stated, “Through Stampasud’s international brands PrintItalia and StampaTech, WY Ltd and StampSud SPA have consolidated their trans-continental alliance with an active print collaboration, and projects are now flowing both ways between our companies. For example, we have just completed a Pharma project that was printed in Italy and delivered to a conference in Madrid, Spain. The overall logistics and timing were such that this was the most viable option for producing the project, and resulted in major benefits for the client.”

The alliance had its start with a collaboration to enhance pages in food photographer Stephen Hamilton’s “Who’s Hungry?” magazine, using the Stampatech Augmented Reality platform.

Hamilton is a nationally renown food photographer, has been a judge on Bravo’s Top Chef Masters, and two years ago launched “Who’s Hungry?”, a food photography magazine, in both print and online formats. “We believe that “Who’s Hungry?” is the perfect vehicle to take advantage of this new tech,” Hamilton said. “It’s an exciting opportunity for us to both expand our customer base and produce an outstanding product for the marketplace.” 

The two most recent issues (#10 and #11) contain 10+ pages of AR-enhancement, using StampaSud’s exclusive Stampatech “Print Infinity” Augmented Reality platform. 

The enhanced pages connect to additional digital content that is not part of the printed issue – restaurant and chef links, videos and extra blogs, as well as recipes for all of the dishes featured in the issue. 

Augmented Reality is cutting-edge technology that connects the print and digital world. Launching from a printed piece, the reader can connect to expanded information, storefronts, technical information and more. While a number of alternative technologies exist, AR offers more content and security, does not detract from the integrity of the visual design (unlike QR codes), and can extend the life of printed materials through digital updates. The possibilities are limited only by one’s imagination. It’s “Print Infinity!”

Cindy Walas believes “strategic alliances with companies like StampaSud allow us to be more creative, and offer a cost-effective global advantage in how we conduct business and serve our clients.”

Tony Calo, Stampatech project director, added, “Our relationship started with the AR development for the beautiful “Who’s Hungry?” magazine project, and the alliance just grew through the great connection that developed. The networking has been first class, and our print services and technology can now be appreciated in the USA. We feel Chicago is a great hub in the US, and WY Ltd is “our Hub within the Hub.” Things just keep going forward, so stay tuned for more developments.”