Some traditions pass from generation to generation almost without us noticing. In many homes in Murcia, Holy Week cards have spent years stored in drawers, improvised albums or tin boxes. From that everyday image came Estampas de la Pasión, the official collectible of Holy Week in Murcia, produced with Grifoll Print Solutions.
“I thought it would be interesting to bring them together in a carefully designed collection and create a card for every image that takes part in Murcia’s Holy Week processions,” says Francisco Javier Cortés, Managing Director of Estampas de la Pasión. “Until then, it was something unknown in the city.”
The idea took shape in a first edition that sold out before Holy Week even began. This year, the project returns to Murcia and takes a further step with the launch of the first collection dedicated to Holy Week in Cieza. Beyond completing an album, the proposal aims to bring this tradition closer to people of all ages through a carefully produced item with a cultural, educational and charitable purpose.
Each card includes QR codes that expand the information and connect the physical format with digital content. For online orders, the project also includes a welcome pack designed to engage taste, smell, touch and hearing from the moment the collection is received. “We wanted to create meeting points for Nazarenes throughout the year and offer evangelising, cultural and educational content,” Francisco explains.
Behind this experience lies a production process of considerable complexity. The collection brings together 414 front designs and 132 reverse designs, a breadth that requires care at every stage, from preparing the files to collating, mixing and packing the cards.
For this development, Estampas de la Pasión placed its trust in Grifoll Print Solutions. “We had no particular supplier in mind and no previous experience with projects of this kind,” Francisco recalls. “In addition to high-quality printing, we needed the packing, mixing and the entire card-preparation process.”
Albert Dausà of Grifoll Print Solutions explains that the first challenge arose in pre-press. “We work with more than 400 front designs, which means minimising design errors as much as possible and coordinating with the client’s design team to obtain the best possible artwork.” Once the originals are approved, the focus shifts to preparing the mix: “The greatest complexity lies in collation. Different print layouts must be designed to mix the designs and ensure that consumers receive cards without duplicates.”
Packing requires additional precision. Each packet must contain the right combination of cards, with no duplicated designs inside. “It is essential to set up the packing machine correctly so that this does not happen,” Dausà notes.
The final production run consists of 20,000 silver flow-pack packets, printed in four colours and measuring 6.5 × 13 centimetres. Each contains seven 6.3 × 8.8 centimetre cards, also printed in four colours on 350 gsm coated paper. The cards are collated and guillotined in a single cut before being delivered in unbranded packaging.
Technical support was also key to defining the final solution. “In projects of this kind, clients usually rely heavily on us because they trust our expertise,” says Dausà. “As manufacturers and technicians, we advise on the materials best suited to the product and the available budget.”
Francisco especially highlights this advice during development. “We started with a specific idea for the packet, but the Grifoll team recommended a different format that was better suited to our production. We accepted their proposal and the result was spectacular.”
The smoothness of the collaboration was another feature that defined the project. “What we saw was exactly what we received,” Francisco summarises. “Whenever we needed to make an adjustment or raise an additional request, Albert responded with great speed and willingness.”
The trust built through this first experience has already led to ongoing collaboration. Estampas de la Pasión is working with Grifoll on the second Murcia edition and the first Cieza collection, and a third project is planned for next year. “From this moment on, Grifoll has become a strategic partner for Estampas de la Pasión,” Francisco concludes.
The success of Estampas de la Pasión shows that collectible cards are more popular than ever and that there is always a new niche through which to reach an audience. Whether it is a Christmas collection, characters from a favourite series or sports cards, Grifoll is ready to help develop projects like Francisco Javier’s: a window onto tradition that has connected with its land, its people and its celebration.
