Month: March, 2011

How to print a book.

Text and photo Laila Durán ©

Welcome to Trosa Tryckeri. We are taking you along inside the production sites to see how the book Scandinavian Folklore is printed. When all the photos are taken and the text translations is done, the making of the book starts. After I have made the layout for the book, the original artwork is done by Torkel Henriksson, our co-worker in Duran Publishing. All the photos has to have the correct size, CMYK and color-profile.

Once the artwork has been sent to the printers the pre-press starts. All pages has to be digitally printed to see if the colors are right and then compared to the first strike-offs from the printing press.

The digital prints has to be 100% what we intend to present in the book. Prints has only four colors, CMYK, this is the magenta, cyan, yellow and black. The right percentage of each colour is what gives the picture it´s brightness.

The first digital prints are altered until we find the right temperature for the coloures. Small differences like only 2-3% of too much of any of the colours can kill the spark in the photo.

Again and again the photos in the spreads are compared. Not too much yellow in the summer photos and not too much blue in the winter photos.

When the last photo has the right temperature and digital profile we send the book to the next level.

Here the book is broken in to pages. This way we can fold the book in to pages and see that the pages appear in the right order.

Four and a half ton of paper is going to be printed so everything is checked and checked, again and again. Any irregularities are taken care of. Production manager Lars Karlsson is instructing the printer.

The plates are developed and checked at the computer table. This is one of the four first plates to be assembled in to the printing press.

When everything is ready for printing one printing-plate for each of the four CMYK-coloures are assembled in to the printing press.

Here the first eight pages are ready for a first strike-off.

There is still time for corrections if anything should be wrong. The printer is reading the percentages of the colors and it is possible to change the CMYK.

For anyone printing their first book, this is the greatest thrill! First pages ok and printing starts. It takes 38 hours non stop in the printing press to print the first edition. The staff is working around the clock.

Now four thousand Scandinavian Folklore will be printed as a first edition and we look forward to get the first copies from the bookbinder. Please visit www.scandinavianfolklore.com and read more about the content of the book.

Best regards Laila Durán

3 Comments, Make a Comment by Laila on March 31, 2011

filed in Events, Inspiration

A “costume almanac” for every Sunday of the year.

Text and photo Laila Duran ©

In some regions in Sweden, a system of dressing was developed which is now called dräktalmanacka; (costume almanac) in which every church Sunday throughout the year has specific clothing. Costumes for other specific occasions such as weddings, christenings, churching of women, parish catechetical meetings etc were also decided in the almanac.

In the book SCANDINAVIAN FOLKLORE, the region of Boda is picturing various versions of folk costumes worn at Midsummer, Lent, confirmation, weddings and funerals. The importance of the correct dress code is evident in the tales still told of women being denied entrance to church due to a wrong choice of apron, or the farmers being disciplined by the clergyman at the sunday service for dressing too worldly. The bright silk neckerchiefs were not to be worn at all occasions!

Britt Eklund is writing in the book Scandinavian Folklore on the topic of the costume almanac in Boda, Dalecarlia. Here she is wearing the costume for church on a Midsummers Day.

The hymn book was always wrapped in fine cotton prints and carried under the arm.

Britt Eklund with her two daughters Britta and Maria.

Church service in Rättvik church. To see more photos and some of the pages in the book Scandinavian Folklore please visit www.scandinavianfolklore.com/

2 Comments, Make a Comment by Laila on March 19, 2011

filed in Folk costumes, Historical fashion

Music and Dance, identity and tradition.

The Harding fiddle and langeleik (a stringed musical instrument) are two traditional Norwegian instruments that are used in folk music. The appearance of the Harding fiddle is distinguished from the ordinary fiddle or violin by its elaborate decoration and has a different construction. In addition to its four strung strings, it has four or five resonance strings which give it a characteristic sound. This is reinforced by musicians often grabbing two strings at the same time while playing. The Harding fiddle is common in Telemark, Numedal, Valdres, Setesdal, Hardanger and along the West of Norway to Sunnmøre.

http://www.scandinavianfolklore.com/

The Harding fiddle is elaborately decorated. The fiddler is wearing a bunad from Valdres, Norway.

The fiddles are kept in beautifully decorated wooden boxes.

The Langeleik is a string instrument with a long and small resonance box, with or without a back. The number of strings varies, but it generally has one melody string with a multiple drone strings and seven frets.

Many women where professional fiddlers even in the old days.