Carbon Journal, Day 45

​Day 45: Sales Reps and You

​Once upon a time, I was a traveling sales rep for a national fabric distributor. Heavy driving and long hours aside, the job was pretty fun. Being a sales rep, I had several responsibilities, the largest of which was to get product into as many willing hands as possible. This meant enthusiasm for the product, and confidence in what I was selling. What does this have to do with carbon transfer printing? Let me tell you. 

After hearing on and off about carbon printers using a synthetic watercolor paper called Yupo, I decided to cut out the middle-man and contact the source directly. If there was anybody I would be familiar with, it would be Yupo's sales reps. In order for reps to do their job well, they have to encourage product, usually through samples, demos, and even more samples. Back when I was a rep, one of my favorite things to do was hand out free swag to now excited customers. Now being in a reversed role, it was high time I did the same with this interesting paper company. ​

And the results of this contact? Paydirt! Yupo is fabulous product, and their reps are top notch! Within 24 hours, I had detailed replies, genuine interest in my pursuits with their product, and samples on their way to my house. ​Prior to reaching out, I'd had mixed results with Yupo, which turned out was one of their weaker paper stocks (74#, bends easily), but one that's available all over. Turns out the right stuff for the job is pretty hard to find locally, but Yupo was more than happy to get me started using "the good stuff", a 144# watercolor stock. 

This afternoon's activities will include, cutting, coating, and more coating. Getting Yupo ready to accept a carbon transfer is a bit tedious, but the final result is luminous print that exaggerates relief like no other! ​

For more information on preparing Yupo for carbon transfer printing, please check out Andrew O'Neil's carbon video below: ​