Project Saysay welcomes latest print innovation
Starting on 11 June 2019, Project Saysay posters are no longer called as such but prints. This was in consonance with the innovation in its material that had been in use in the past six years.
Since its founding up to March 2017, Project Saysay used poster papers. It later used sintra board material until it shifted to its present material made of medium-density fiberboard (MDF).
According to Chris Marhall’s Woodworking Tools & Techniques: An Introduction to Basic Woodworking (Creative Publishing Editors, 2004), MDF is “a general-purpose building material..., essentially [a] particleboard made with finely ground wood fibers” and “hardly looks like wood at all.” “MDF is hard to beat,” Marshall added, as “the fibers are pressed together under such extreme pressure that MDF machines and sands without voids and tearout.”
Arlechino Concepts, Inc., a long-time partner of Project Saysay in providing economical yet quality prints for Philippine classrooms, offered the new material. Consideration to this was the high number of print rejects in sintra board due to dents and scratches.
Arlechino maintains the price at Php 250.00 per print (updated February 2020) for Project Saysay—the same price with the 12”x18” matte-laminated sticker of 3mm sintra board offered to Project Saysay since 2017. The only difference is that the thickness is reduced to 2.5mm. For such a dimension, the MDF market price is between Php 500.00 to Php 600.00.
The latest innovation to Project Saysay prints is the introduction of quick response (QR) code containing audio-visual, digitized publications, and other authoritative materials available online about the honoree that are curated by Project Saysay. This is available in every 6”x6” bionote card accompanying each print.
John Paul Abellera, Executive Director of Project Saysay, announced this innovation during its 6th anniversary event at the Gateway Gallery, Gateway Tower of the Araneta Center in Cubao on 11 June 2019. Arlechino was also recognized in the event.
Project Saysay has to keep on innovating its material in an aim to provide Philippine schools with quality, weather-resilient Philippine history visual aids. These prints are distributed free through benefactor system.
