"?Avec the Covid the situation is delicate, but it was already delicate avant?" With a touch of humour, Odile Coulange, owner of the artisanal printing house La Platine in Marseille, launches Odile Coulange.
Odile Coulange created La Platine in 1999, following the buyout of Jean-Pierre Pramayon's typographic printing company, dating back to 1920. Today, she works with Eric, an offset printer. And despite a drop in business due to the health crisis, the duo has not closed shop during the lockdown. In particular, the printing works has produced two art books for the publishing house The Last Cry .
A new association for the exhibition and sale of works of art
A year ago, the printing house launched an association for artistic purposes. From now on, the workshop includes an exhibition and sales area where only the print shop's productions, especially those made with artists, are presented.
The association has several members, including Pierrgiuseppe Molinar, the designer of Quadridluox, presented as "?un experimental system that uses fluorescent inks for the production of four-colour offset printing, developing a rich colour gamut and expressive?".
"?Nous made our first tests with his inks and his technique, and the result is merveilleux?." Odile Coulange enthused. The tests were carried out on one of the printing company's machines, a Heidelberg Kord mono-colour offset press, and on Fedrigoni paper, the company's main supplier.
The company has also acquired a small proofing press to carry out workshops and training sessions. This activity was temporarily interrupted by the Covid but was able to restart.
Work, but no visibility
Parallel to these activities, the printing works carries out all types of work: leaflets, art books, artists' works, city works... Due to its location in the city centre, the company is aimed at private individuals, as well as craftsmen and companies.
The printer, who is deliberately not digitally equipped, has two letterpresses as well as an Ofmi Garamond Platen and a KSB press built by the Heidelberg plants.
Odile Coulange specifies that she does not subcontract and only carries out work that she can undertake in-house. Only the finishing is done at Pascal Relieur, a printer with whom the printing company has been working for more than 20 years.
Today, Odile Coulange receives a lot of quotes. However, she has no visibility. "?Aujourd 'today we have work to do, but we don't know what tomorrow will be fait?" she concludes.
