Computer Arts magazine provides insight and inspiration for the global design community. The November issue is one of a series of special covers that has benefited from a finishing treatment at Celloglas, a leading decorative print finisher.

The cover was printed CMYK with a special gold pantone. This special cover with a clever effect was created by printing a solid black, white and gold image in the top area, bottom banner and the centre image, then printing a pattern of images to be revealed under a layer of black heat reactive ink. The heat reactive ink is applied on top of the printed sheets using a screen press. The cover was also matt laminated to protect the thermochromic ink (as readers interact with it) and to provide a smooth matt effect finish.

Nick Carson, editor of Computer Arts magazine commented, “Our cover designers always get very excited to work with Celloglas decorative finishes and this cover is no exception, it could be our most innovative yet”.

This Future Publishing title has a readership of 12,426, with a printed and digital version.  Computer Arts has a loyal following on social media with many readers posting pictures of how they revealed the cover, with interactions such as revealing the cover with a hair dryer, a cup of hot coffee, warm hands or even a hot water bottle.

Steve Middleton, Sales Director at Celloglas commented, “It’s always a pleasure to use our decorative finishes in such an inventive way. This cover demonstrates how the use of interactive finishes can really increase reader engagement, prompting many readers to post their interactions on social media and blogs”.

Heat reactive ink, also known as thermochromic ink, is available in a variety of colours and can be tailored to reveal at a range of temperatures. Thermochromic is often used on printed projects to reveal information in a small area, for example the answer to a quiz question or to reveal a marketing message with added interaction.

A video was made at Celloglas showing the making of the cover.

For more information, head to the Computer Arts blog…