Based in Portland, Oregon, Morel Ink is taking its commitment to the community to the next level with its most recent project – “Save Lives Stay Home,” which helps support those on the front lines of COVID-19. With the “Save Lives Stay Home” project, Morel Ink is producing and selling posters based off of artwork created by Artist, Wonder Knack. Buyers are encouraged to put the poster, which sells for $20, in their windows to show solidarity for Oregon and Washington healthcare professionals during the trying times of COVID-19. Morel Ink donates the proceeds towards healthcare workers who have unmet financial needs due to the illness.
According to Ben Wood, CEO of Morel Ink, “When I saw this beautiful poster, I knew I had to do something – it captured my imagination. Being in the printing industry, it was an opportunity for us to take this compelling art, bring it to life on paper, and put it out in the world to do some good.”
To capture the beauty of the original art piece, Morel Ink prints the poster on Heidelberg’s Speedmaster XL 75-5+L, which produces at the highest-quality possible. According to Wood, “The art piece is powerful, and I needed a press to do it justice. Thanks to the XL 75, the posters are printed beautifully, and those who have purchased one are really pleased with the outcome.”
Focused on the Oregon and Washington community, Morel Ink partnered with the Oregon Nurses Association, Washington State Nurses Association, and Peace Health’s COVID-19 Caregiver Hardship Fund to ensure funds go directly to healthcare workers who have contracted COVID-19. While the poster is $20, a majority of the profits goes directly to healthcare workers – the remaining money covers a credit card processing fee and 5% fee for bookkeeping to the Charitable Partnership Fund — a 501(3) charitable corporation helping with this project. Thanks to paper supplier, WCP Solutions, and MEK Design, Morel Ink received paper donations and created the ordering website within 2 weeks from the first time seeing the poster.
“It’s been an incredible process working with all of these organizations and businesses to really put this vision to life,” said Wood. “It’s very rewarding to be able to do something for these healthcare workers who are risking so much for us right now.”
Print is Essential – Morel Ink Produces COVID-19 Related Packages, Mailings
As an essential business itself, Morel Ink is also discovering new jobs that are entering the shop due to the crisis. With several of its customers being cities and counties in Oregon, Morel Ink has produced several mailings to residents in the surrounding areas to keep them informed on COVID-19. The company is also working with clients who need packaging for COVID-19 testing kits. According to Wood, “We have been actively involved in designing and preparing packaging in large quantities for COVID related studies.”
Most of the jobs are run through Morel Ink’s Speedmaster XL 75-5+L. Running up to 15,000 high quality sheets per hour, the Speedmaster XL 75 has the highest degree of automation helping give the press the shortest makeready times in its class. According to Wood, “It’s an incredible press. Not only is it efficient, but it gives us the quality that we pride ourselves on.”
Alongside the XL 75 is a long list of Heidelberg equipment that Morel Ink depends on including Prinect, two Quickmaster 46s, a Speedmaster SM 74-2P, and a Versafire CP. According to Wood, “We are a Heidelberg shop because we know that we will receive the best quality from them. We can depend upon Heidelberg’s machines to produce our products at peak productivity. We’ll continue to trust Heidelberg based on the great partnership we have formed with them.”
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