LZ record sleeve print production

[Newfield Road]

I love all the original Led Zeppelin record sleeve designs. But it wasn’t until recently that I realised that most of them must of cost a lot more to produce than your standard 70s record sleeve.

The print production on The Song Remains The Same sleeve that I bought in the early 80s has to be the most lavish of all of their sleeves and therefore the most expensive to produce. Is anyone out there from the print industry able to confirm this or correct me please?

So as a print designer here is my spec for the TSRTS sleeve:
4 process colour
1 PMS metallic, silver colour
blind-embossed
8pp inner booklet, 2 wire stitch, glued (hand finish)
2 inner sleeves, print black (i.e. they are not off-the-self black sleeves)

On my cover there is leather-like texture, which I always assumed was on the stock/board. But more recent inspection makes me think this is blind-embossed too(?)

I think In Through The Out Door might be a close contender for most expensive print costs, but I think TSRTS takes the crown.

The only thing that dissapoints me about the sleeve is that on mine they didn’t put on a sealant, which  would prevent finger-marks. 

[sam_webmaster]

With the decline of vinyl, it's definitely a lost art and it's a shame many fans aren't able to experience the sleeves the way they were intended.

I was looking through some of the original LZ sleeve production correspondence etc in the archives, when doing the recent box sets. It's interesting to see how they pushed the boundaries with each album.  I don't think I have The Song Remains the Same final production info, so I'm unable to confirm the exact specs you mentioned for that one.