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What's in a name? It seems an appropriate question to ask the Royal Shakespeare Company's (RSC) print buyer, the almost-too-perfectly cast Gina Print. "For the record, I was a print buyer before I became a member of the Print family," she quips.

Nevertheless, Print and RSC’s eventual marriage could have been written in the stars. The former is, at heart, an artist, the latter a promoter of the arts. The two found each other through a shared passion for perfect print.
Print – the person, not the process – was born and raised in southern California, picking up a fine arts degree in photography before moving to the UK 15 years ago. It was here, in the heart of the Midlands, where she discovered her art, after taking a job with a high-end Coventry repro house.

Striking a balance
In 1993, at Lithocraft, I was first shown a four-colour separation and the hundreds of ‘dots’ under a glass. That was how and when it all started, she says. It was my introduction to England, English culture and to print.
She entered the limelight eight years later when the RSC – for the first time in its history – decided to hire a professional print buyer. The new role was created due to increased awareness of the environment from RSC and punters alike. The organisation wanted to strike the right balance between environmental concerns, quality and pricing when procuring its print and this necessitated a dedicated print buyer. That is why I joined the company and I have continually attempted to strike this balance, she explains.

Buying green is a tricky balancing act for Print, although it is clearly one she relishes. We are currently very aware of purchasing green print and have spent several years working towards this goal, she says. The environmental issues are complex and, after every step, there is another and a further step that you can take. These steps could lead Print to a consulting job in the future – focused on print and the environment – but for now her sole focus remains the RSC.

Print currently works alongside the graphic designers and artworkers of the RSC, who – in conjunction with other departments, including marketing and press – produce a range of different printed materials, advertising campaigns and exterior displays. With her own creative background, Print finds her colleagues an inspiration. The level of their creativity inspires me and pushes me to showcase their work to a very high print standard, she says. Most of the work we produce is developed from concept to printed material, so there is involvement from start to finish with our department.

Unsurprisingly, given the scope and breadth of her work, Print finds a lot of it interesting, especially the photography. The imagery is what excites me, she explains. We are often working with artists and photographers who are looking to find or create the right image for a production or campaign. This means the printed leaflet is but the final act in a very long and often challenging process, made more so by the RSC’s preference for printing on uncoated stocks, which Print says can make it tricky to get the right mix.

Aside from her obvious affinity with pictures, she also has a growing fondness for large display, exterior signage and interior graphics. They’re a real challenge, as it takes a completely different kind of approach to litho print, she says. But, once fitted or in position, they have real presence and usually a longer lifespan then a piece of print. She pauses momentarily, then adds: I quite like that.