Guia de design Canon para impressáo em Inkjet

THE DESIGNER'S GUIDE TO INKJET

BY ELIZABETH GOODING & MARY SCHILLING

As the leader in inkjet, Canon Solutions America has a tradition of working together with print providers, designers, agencies, and the entire industry to ensure everyone succeeds. It’s part of our Kyosei philosophy: harmoniously living and working together for the common good.

About Canon Solutions America, Inc. Canon Solutions America provides industry leading enterprise, production, and large format printing solutions, supported by exceptional professional service offerings. With the technology offerings of the Canon and OcĂŠ brands, Canon Solutions America helps companies of all sizes improve sustainability, increase efficiency, and control costs through high volume, continuous feed, digital and traditional printing, and document management solutions. A wholly owned subsidiary of Canon U.S.A., Inc., Canon Solutions America is headquartered in Melville, N.Y. and has sales and service locations across the U.S. For more information on Canon Solutions America, please visit csa.canon.com.

DEDICATION This guide is dedicated to graphic designers around the world who have – or are about to – discover the digital possibilities of inkjet printing.

A special thanks to the talented writers and designers who made this guide possible.

THE DESIGNER’S GUIDE TO INKJET

By Elizabeth Gooding and Mary Schilling

Canon Solutions America produced this guide to help you get the best results every time. Inside you’ll find tips, tricks, and techniques to make your designs shine. From understanding inkjet media and inks, to design software settings, file preparation, and questions you should ask your print provider, we hope it will be a tremendous resource for you.

Published by Canon Solutions America.

Canon is a registered trademark of Canon Inc. in the United States and elsewhere.

Océ ColorStream, Océ PRISMAproduction, and Océ are registered trademarks of Océ-Technologies B.V. in the United States and elsewhere. All other referenced product names and marks are trademarks of their respective owners and are hereby acknowledged. ©2015 Canon Solutions America, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or in any means – by electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise – without prior written permission.

CONTENTS CHAPTERS

1

Welcome to the World of Inkjet ..................2

2

Getting the Most Out of CMYK..................8

3

The Power of the Drop ............................ 18

4

The Production Process ..........................28

5

You and Your Print Provider – Working in Harmony ..............................38

6

Media is Your Canvas – Choose Wisely ....48

7

The Power of Profiling .............................60

8

Designing for Inkjet – The Elements of Design ..........................72

9

Packaging Files for Production ................98

10

Applying Inkjet to Your Portfolio ............. 110

Appendix ....................................................... 126 Glossary ........................................................134 Index ...........................................................150

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The authors would like to thank the Canon Solutions America (CSA) family for sponsoring the creation and production of this guide, and for recognizing the need to for a comprehensive resource for graphic and information designers looking to optimize their work for high-speed, production inkjet technologies.

We appreciate the many professionals at CSA who were generous with their time and technical expertise.

Special thanks go to David Johannes of IWCO Direct for his vision and ongoing support of this project, and to IWCO’s creative designer Jared Johnson.

As a creative designer in his own right and someone tasked with “fixing the files” from other designers who have not been educated about the world of production inkjet, Jared’s feedback on the guide was invaluable.

We were also privileged to have the support and expertise of Joshua Cole and Nate Matteucci of DST Output who have designed for a broad range of inkjet devices at one of the largest inkjet shops in North America.

And finally, we would like to send a note of appreciation to the many designers who recognized the potential of inkjet long before it reached the levels of quality achievable today. These pioneers pushed the envelope, adapted their design techniques and enabled the case studies that have helped to establish the credibility of production inkjet in the creative world. Designers, we salute you.

INTRODUCTION Achieving quality results on production inkjet printers is dependent on some important interactions and partnerships: paper and ink, printers and profiles and not least of all, the designer and the print service provider. The initial demand for this guide came from the latter, print providers who wanted to receive “clean files” from their customers and, by extension designers. However, success in an inkjet environment starts far upstream from file preparation – it is all about design preparation.

That’s why this guide was developed for graphic and information designers and not as a technical primer on inkjet presses or a simple checklist of file preparation tips (although where would we be without a few checklists?). In order for designers to truly unlock the potential of production inkjet platforms, they need to understand how they do what they do so that designs can take advantage of the weird and wonderful effects that can be created when design settings are adjusted based on an understanding of software, hardware, ink and most importantly paper.

So, while technical information will be covered, the topics addressed are limited to those that will help designers achieve quality results on inkjet presses. We also recognize that for many designers, particularly those involved with direct mail and commercial print, their projects may be produced in more than one type of print environment – and they must deliver a certain level of consistency across those platforms.

While inkjet presses are available with a wide range of ink chemistry options from black only to full CMYK color plus custom inks, for purposes of this guide we are focused on design options using full CMYK color with aqueous dye and pigment inkjet inks.

We anticipate that some readers may already have experience working in a color environment on other types of presses while some readers may have come from a monochrome production environment and the requirements of color management may be new to them. Readers who are already familiar with managing color workflows (and those who always read the end of a novel first) may want to skip to Chapter 10 and review the section for their area of primary design focus: Transaction Print, Direct Mail, Commercial Print or Book Printing, and then jump to sections referenced in the associated tables. Those readers who want to follow along from beginning to the end will also get to see how the design approaches recommended in the guide were applied to this guide. We do as we say and say what we do.

We have tried to organize the guide to be similar to the way a designer would organize a project – gathering the boundary conditions for the design, selecting the palette, creating a concept and tuning it for production.

However design is often an iterative process and certain concepts are relevant at multiple points in the design process – so forgive us if we make a point more than once.

The speed, productivity and flexibility of production inkjet is helping print to maintain its position as a thriving and relevant medium for designers and their clients. We look forward to helping designers take advantage of the power that this exciting technology has to offer.

So go forth, have fun, be creative and get ready for the awesome aqueousness of inkjet!

CHAPTER 1

WELCOME TO THE WORLD OF INKJET It’s Different Here!

WELCOME TO THE WORLD OF INKJET

1

Imagine Imagine shooting a freight train with a squirt gun full of colored liquid. Now imagine that you could hit that train so fast and so accurately that the paint would stay on the train even though the train is moving. That’s what you get when you jet ink through perfectly calibrated print heads onto paper moving at upwards of 800 feet per minute. Pretty amazing, right?

Unlike the squirt gun analogy, print heads used in production inkjet printing are mounted within a machine in a fixed position. The print heads do not move to aim at their target, but jet onto moving media*. The drops ejected can be as small as 3 picoliters; that’s about 39 microns. To put this in perspective, the width of a typical human hair is 80 microns and an inkjet drop is less than half that size.

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PRINT HEAD

Ì

JETTED INK

Ì

PRINTED PAPER

No Pressure Today, most production inkjet printers use continuous rolls of paper running at high speed. A few models are designed to print on various sized media in sheets. These printers are referred to as “continuous” and “sheet fed” printers respectively. This is probably similar to other printers you have worked with. The difference with inkjet is that there is no direct contact between the print head and the media surface. This is known as “nonimpact” printing. Tiny drops of ink are ejected from the print heads while paper, or some other printable substrate, passes underneath. Technically, they can’t really be called a “press”. There is no pressure or direct offset of ink on paper as you may be used to with other print technologies, yet these tiny drops are able to form an accurate image on contact with moving paper. Cool, right?

2

1 Inkjet Ink is Different Understanding how ink gets on the paper is important to understanding how to control the results of your design efforts. It’s also important to understand the qualities of the ink itself.

Believe it or not, the ink used in most production inkjet systems is primarily water.

But don’t confuse water-based inks with watercolors, these inks use highly concentrated colorants that are specifically designed for inkjet. Using water as the carrier for the colorant allows the fluid to be extremely thin. In high-speed printing, keeping the ink thin is important to maintaining consistent jetting without developing clogs in the nozzles that could interrupt or degrade printing.

Inkjet ink also dries differently using a combination of absorption into the media and evaporation into the air. Proper inkjet paper and drying capabilities of the printer allow the excess water to disperse quickly leaving the ink colorant on the paper surface creating more color “pop.” The type of ink and the type of paper will determine just how much pop.

There are two main types of inkjet ink, dye and pigment. While the results vary based on the type of paper used, dye inks will be absorbed more deeply into the paper making the results more scratch resistant than pigment. The colorants in pigment-based inks tend to sit higher on top of the paper and are more light and fade resistant but may be less scratch resistant. There are also “fast immobilizing” pigment inks that are more expensive but allow a higher volume of ink to be used on the page to boost color results.

Most high-speed production printers use Cyan, Magenta, Yellow and Black (CMYK) for color printing. Some may offer a “demand” or “spot” color which is manufactured to match a particular PMS color. Adoption of these PMS colors by print providers is somewhat expensive and therefore fairly rare. Also, the PMS color is typically “tuned” to deliver best results on a particular paper type.

Use of that spot color on a different paper type will yield different results even when using the same PMS color settings. Keep in mind that, unless your print provider tells you differently, all colors referenced in a design file will be printed with CMYK inks.

“

With inkjet there is no direct contact between the print head and the media surface. * Items highlighted throughout the book in Cyan are defined in the glossary.

3

WELCOME TO THE WORLD OF INKJET

1

onitor RGB - page 14

TALK TO YOUR PRINT PROVIDER: Print organizations typically choose dye, pigment, or fast-immobilizing pigment based on the best fit for the majority of work that they do. Many transaction printers choose dye inks since long term color fastness is not a major concern, while book printers will typically choose pigment since durability is key to that market. Ask your print provider if their inkjet press availability includes any special PMS colors and on what paper they have been tested. Don’t be surprised if there is an “upcharge” for PMS color since these inks are usually more expensive.

See Chapter 5 for additional important topics to discuss with your print provider.

Different Color Gamut Creating colors using CMYK with pigment or dye inks delivers a color gamut that is different from toner or offset. The overall size of the color gamut – the number of colors that can be accurately rendered using CMYK inkjet inks – can often be less than offset and toner and also can vary between dye and pigment inks.

TONER - page 8 Gamut GAMUT Toner

OFFSET GAMUT page 8Gamut - Toner Inkjet Gamut - page 8

page8 8Gamut - page 13 -Inkjet Gamut- GAMUT Toner page Gamut Inkjet INKJET

Inkjet Gamut - page 8

The extent of the color gamut is also strongly influenced by the type of paper used. The surface of the paper affects the amount of ink that can be absorbed and the amount of ink colorant that stays closer to the surface.

More ink closer to the surface means more color. The inkjet process works best with paper which has been designed with a surface “treatment” or an “inkjet coating” to keep the colorant nearest to the surface. A typical offset grade paper’s surface is not designed for the aqueous inkjet process. The interaction of paper and ink as well as why Desktop “inkjet” paper is so specialDesktop willProofer be- page 14 Proofer - page 14 Desktop Proofer - page 14 - page 14 Color Monitor theRGBcorrect paper types may be discussed in detail inRGBChapter 6. Choosing - page 14 Color Monitor the most important factor influencing design.

Inkjet Press cmyk (paper and ink dependent) - page 14

4

1 To help you visualize the impact that paper has on color reproduction, consider this test conducted using dye based ink on an uncoated sheet, an inkjet treated sheet and an inkjet coated sheet. There was a 114 percent swing in the number of colors that could be matched from the lowest grade uncoated sheet to the highest grade inkjet coated paper. There was a 55 percent improvement when moving from uncoated to inkjet treated. We will talk more about why in Chapter 6.

Paper used Number of Colors Matched

Uncoated

Inkjet Treated

Gloss Inkjet Coated

147,335

228,854

314,669 Source: Schilling Inkjet Consulting

If you don’t understand what you are working with, you may only be accessing half of the colors available to you!

Inkjet is Different from Offset While there may be a slight sacrifice in color gamut when moving from offset to inkjet, there is also a lot to be gained. The traditional offset process, which requires an image to be transferred by pressing a blanket cylinder directly to the media, only produces static images.

If you want to design a series of direct mail pieces, each must be a separate job with its own films or plates. With inkjet, every print can be created with different text, images and colors. This allows long runs with lots of variability or short static runs to be produced more cost effectively than on offset presses.

Inkjet is Different from Toner If you are currently designing for color toner devices, you already have access to personalization and a fairly wide color gamut but not to the speed or capacity that inkjet printing can offer. Inkjet presses turn jobs around in a fraction of the time that toner machines do. Also, if you’ve ever had challenges with color drifting from one run to another in a toner environment, that problem will be virtually eliminated with inkjet.

The inkjet process allows consistent run to run color because, unlike toner devices, there are no moving parts used to transfer an image onto paper and fewer parts that degrade print quality as they age.

5

WELCOME TO THE WORLD OF INKJET

1

Sometimes Different is Just Different Sometimes different can be better. As this guide is being written, new inks are being formulated, new inkjet papers are being launched and the inkjet color gamut is expanding. At the same time, printers are getting faster, the available finishing is becoming more sophisticated and running costs are dropping, thereby bringing production costs closer and closer to long-run offset presses.

Unlike designing for offset or toner where whatever boundaries existed in the past decade are pretty much what you have to work with now, inkjet is an expanding, vibrant new technology where the boundaries are falling away and your design palette is growing every day.

“

If you don’t understand what you are working with, you may only be accessing half of the colors available to you!

6

CHAPTER 2

GETTING THE MOST OUT OF CMYK

GETTING THE MOST OUT OF CMYK

2

CMYK If you are designing for high-speed production inkjet printers that use Cyan, Magenta, Yellow and Black (CMYK), all of the colors that you are trying to “hit” in your design must be made up of a combination of C, M, Y and K. However, as you are designing, you are viewing those colors on a monitor that renders colors in Red, Green and Blue (RGB). This makes your job as a designer a little complicated.

We certainly wish that every graphic designer had a calibration device to properly color calibrate their monitor and used it at least once a week. We also wish that all graphic designers used the controlled D50 lighting of a light booth to view prints and color matching samples. But wishing doesn’t make it so.

If you are one of the elite designers who diligently follow this process, we applaud you! (And you may want to simply skim this chapter.)

Unfortunately, in the “real world”, most monitors are never changed from the default calibration settings they came out of the box with, and the lighting conditions for viewing the printed piece are the florescent bulbs above the designer’s desk or press room floor. For any printing device – inkjet, toner or offset – this creates quite a challenge when designers are expecting to print what is on their monitors.

Managing Color Expectations

The colors you see on your monitor and the color you get when printed on an inkjet device will differ to varying degrees based on the:

Í Í Í Í Í Í

Calibration of the monitor Specific inkjet device Printer calibration Color management Ink type used (dye or pigment) Paper

As discussed earlier, high speed inkjet ink is water based so colors may be less vibrant than offset printing because the ink dries by absorbing into the paper as well as evaporating. The amount of ink absorption can change the appearance of the ink color as the colorant is dispersed and more of the paper's color is revealed.

8

One key to designing for inkjet properly is to always remember that, depending on the ink and paper type, the ink will be absorbed at varying levels into the paper.

As the ink is pulled into the paper the shade, brightness and saturation of the printed color can change. The deeper an ink absorbs into the paper, the more muted the color becomes.

Understanding these printed color differences as well as how a monitor displays color, is critical to controlling design-to-print color expectations and getting the most out of a CMYK environment. Since we start the design process on our computer monitors, let’s start our discussion there as well.

Color Space and Gamut – What We See A device’s “Color Space” or “Color Profile” simply describes the range of colors, or gamut, that a device can display or print. Think of each device having a different number of colored crayons in its box to use.

A computer monitor uses “projected” light, also called “Additive Color,” meaning you see the graphic on the monitor by the colors which are “projected” to your eyes. Colors can be “added” to intensify its color space. They produce colors with red, green and blue (RGB) light creating a much larger color space than the CMYK inkjet printing process. A monitor will never show the high speed inkjet CMYK color space accurately. It is not physically possible.

Color Monitor

Inkjet Printer

Inkjet Gamut - page 13 9

2

GETTING THE MOST OUT OF CMYK

CMYK printing processes use what is considered “reflective” light or “Subtractive Color”, meaning that light is absorbed into the printed item and you see colors from the light which is “reflecting” from the item. It is subtractive color, so you cannot add colors to the color space, only take them away. The CMYK color space is smaller, a subset, and fits into the RGB space. The CMYK printing process will never accurately print the entire RGB color space.

2

This can create a big difference from what we see on the monitor to the actual printed piece from any of the current CMYK printing processes we Inkjet Gamut - page 8 Toner Gamut - page 8 use today.

Inkje

Inkjet

Inkjet Gamut - page 8

Toner Gamut - page 8

Desktop Proofer - page 14 Color Monitor RGB - page 14 - page8 8 Gamut- page TonerGamut Toner

page 14 Monitor RGB - RGB ColorMONITOR COLOR - page8 8 Gamut- page InkjetGamut Inkjet

Desktop Proofer - page 14

DESKTOP PROOFER CMYK

page 15

- page1313 Gamut- page InkjetGamut Inkjet

TONER

In Inkj - pa

page 15

page 15

page 15

- page1414 Proofer- page DesktopProofer Desktop

OFFSET PRESS CMYK

INKJET PRESS CMYK dependent) inkdependent) andink (paperand cmyk(paper Presscmyk InkjetPress Inkjet - page1414 - page

As you can see, monitors have the largest color space of any of the devices. Monitors have the most crayons in its box to work with.

Depending on the machine, ink and paper chosen, high speed inkjet devices could produce a much smaller color space than toner or offset. This Page 64 is because the subtractive CMYK inks used in this printing process have Page 64 Page 64 page1515hue values and also react differently to the page different paper surface than toner Page 64 or offset inks.

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Page 65 Page 65

WHY SHOULD YOU CARE? If the color space you use on the computer monitor is larger than the color space of the print device, the printed colors will reproduce inaccurately relative to what we see on screen. These colors are considered “Out-of-Gamut,” because they fall outside the color gamut mapping of the device. It’s like asking your GPS for directions in Canada when it only covers the United States.

2

Toner Gamut - pag

What is an Out-of-Gamut Color?

If the color space you have designed in (the monitor’s color space for example) is larger than the printer’s color space, you may have designed with colors that are within the monitor’s gamut but not within the subset of colors available to the printer. The image below shows the difference in color space between a color monitor and an inkjet printer. The “Out-of-Gamut” colors (shown in gray in the illustration below) used in the print file will not be reproduced accurately by the printer. This is especially true for PMS spot colors which are created with a palette of 14 base colors plus white. The base Pantone inks used to mix all of the Pantone colors are: Pantone purple, violet, reflex blue, process blue, green, yellow, warm red, rubine red, rhodamine red, black, 012 yellow, 021 orange, 032 red and 072 blue.

Color Monitor RGB - page 14

Now you see why it is hard to match a Pantone color swatch using just 4 process ink colors!

Color Monitor

Inkjet Printer Out of Gamut Colors

page 15

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De

GETTING THE MOST OUT OF CMYK

2

- page 14

For inkjet printers, the color space is also affected by the machine type, paper pre-coatings (if used), ink formulation (pigment or dye) and paper type used when printing. By comparing the device color space of the monitor to the inkjet coated, inkjet treated and uncoated offset paper in image below, you see the out-of-gamut color values between the paper grades. The inkjet coated paper has the widest gamut and fewer out-of-gamut colors but still 14 monitor. We talk more Proofer Desktop represents a much smaller color space than- page the color in detail about papers in Chapter 6.

Color Monitor

Coated Inkjet Treated Inkjet Uncoated Offset

page 15

WHY SHOULD YOU CARE? The difference in gamut makes it difficult when trying to match a customer’s printed offset or toner sample printed with different inks and paper to a sample printed on inkjet with inkjet inks and inkjet paper. Certain aqueous inks and paper combinations could result in even more out-of-gamut colors. If a customer does not understand the differences between colors on the monitor and colors in print, and the impact that paper will have on the range of colors available, they will be very hard to satisfy; which makes setting expectations up front so important.

12

Proper Lighting and Your “Happy Place”

Light is the key to seeing the world. The quality of the light is incredibly important to viewing color consistently. So, when you are viewing or proofing for any printing processes, the quality of light should be consistent. If you are lucky enough to have controlled lighting conditions such as an ISO compliant D50 light booth, congratulations.

If you don’t, and have been proofing colors at your desk, various areas of your office building and at your printer, you have seen some of the interesting effects different light sources can have on a print.

Let’s look at a simulation of the same image under different lighting conditions.



OUTDOOR NATURAL LIGHT





D50 DAYLIGHT SETTING

13

STANDARD OFFICE LIGHT

2

GETTING THE MOST OUT OF CMYK

2

On the previous page, the top image shows a picture viewed with outdoor natural lighting, the center image shows the same picture in standard office lighting and the image at the bottom shows what the picture looks like in a controlled D50 daylight viewing booth. Depending on which lighting the picture is viewed under it will look different!

Viewing the same image under different viewing conditions can make the same colors look different which can become problematic when trying to please your customer.

Ì

LIGHT BOOTH

So, if you have a D50 daylight setting light booth in your facility, USE IT for all review, matching and customer approvals.

If you do not have a light booth and lack the funds to purchase one of these handy items, there are some manual “work-arounds” that can help:

Í Do all your color matching and proofing in the same place, preferably a place with lots of windows which create good, daylight lighting.

Í Create a proofing station in an area where the lighting stays fairly consistent in which all viewing, proofing and color matching can be done.

Í You can also purchase D50 daylight bulbs which can replace small areas of your office space lighting. This will help remove some of the drastic color shifts seen under various office lighting.

14

While these work-arounds don’t offer a perfect solution, when used consistently they are certainly better than no solution at all.

You will now call this area of controlled lighting your “Happy Place” because it will help you keep your customers happy.

Paper and Surrounding Graphics Affect Viewing

Lighting is not the only thing that affects the perceived color. The color of the paper stock (however subtle it may seem) and the interaction of graphic colors can, too. A color can look different when including the surrounding elements. For example, a slightly yellowish paper makes matching printed blues more difficult because yellow and blue are opposites. So, when trying to match a color, it is best to mask out the surrounding area of the printed color so it is not affected by the paper color or graphics.

If you are trying to color match an inkjet printed color swatch to a color which has been printed with a different process, like a preprinted customer sample or a Pantone Color Bridge swatch, here’s a tip: create a color mask (see Appendix Printing a Pantone Swatch Book).

15

2

GETTING THE MOST OUT OF CMYK

2

Image Color Space Affects Visual and Print Expectations

Forgive us for being redundant, but it is worth mentioning again: CMYK high speed inkjet printers print in a smaller color space than what you are viewing on your RGB monitor.

So, when preparing images, what color space should you save your images in so that the monitor closely represents the printed piece? It makes sense to save your images as the same color space as the device, right? However, sometimes it depends on the image type and printer’s preferences.

Color Pictures. Each printer’s workflow and Raster Image Processor (RIP) processes picture images a little differently. Some printers prefer these images to be in CMYK color space. Others can process RGB images to CMYK more accurately, producing a smaller color shift when printed. Most RGB images, when printed in the smaller CMYK gamut, still offer “pleasing color” if they are color managed properly. This all has to do with the RIP processing of the specific printer. So, always talk to your print provider prior to saving images.

Vector Images. For logos and solid color areas, printers prefer that colors be assigned in CMYK. Any custom or PMS color should be composed of CMYK values. We also have some tips in the Appendix which help with choosing colors that will print accurately.

WHY SHOULD YOU CARE? Getting familiar with the inkjet device as well as your print service provider’s standards will help in creating a more accurate monitor-to-print workflow for all of your graphic images. See Chapter 5 for more tips on communicating with your print service provider.

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CHAPTER 3

THE POWER OF THE DROP

THE POWER OF THE DROP

3

Drop In Chapter 1, we described production inkjet printing as a non-impact process where tiny drops of ink are ejected from print heads while the media passes under at a high speed. We explained that there is no pressure or direct contact with the media as you may be used to with other print technologies.

We barely touched on the importance of paper on quality, but before we get back to paper, we need to talk more about ink, the process of inkjet, and how this affects design.

It’s fairly easy to visualize liquid ink in various colors being dropped onto paper to build an image. What is a little harder to picture is how important every drop of ink is to the overall image quality. That’s the power of the drop.

Defining the Terms When talking about image quality, a variety of terms get thrown around: DPI (Dots per Inch), PPI (Pixels per Inch) and LPI (Lines per Inch). Inkjet is all about the dots and therefore we talk primarily in terms of DPI. Here are a few more terms that are important to understand about the printed image, so let’s get the definitions out of the way:

Drop: An individual unit of ink that comes out of a nozzle within

an inkjet print head. Paper, moving at hundreds of feet per minute, passes underneath print heads which shoot millions of drops through very fine nozzles to make up the printed image.

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PRINT HEAD

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JETTED INK

Drop Size: The size of the individual drops emitted. The ability

to dynamically control drop volume enables images to be created with different sizes of drops. This means that quality levels for individual jobs and media types can be optimized by adjusting these drop sizes. A smaller droplet will allow production of a finer raster of dots on the paper.

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3



BINARY PRINT HEAD: DOTS ARE UNIFORM IN SIZE



MULTI DROP HEAD: LARGER DOTS ARE MADE BY MORE DROPS

Picoliter: The unit of measure for the amount of ink contained in a

drop of ink. A picoliter is one trillionth of liter which can be calculated as very, very tiny. For comparison, an average raindrop contains hundreds of thousands of picoliters.

Dot: The result of a drop of ink hitting the page.

Dot Gain: The amount by which the diameter of a dot of ink

increases when it is absorbed into the paper. As dot gain increases, the printed material will look darker and less crisp since the dots become irregular as they absorb into the paper and spread. Every combination of paper and ink has a different dot gain based on the surface quality of the paper and the viscosity of the specific ink.

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

DOT

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DOT GAIN

THE POWER OF THE DROP

Ink Density: Is the percentage of light reflected from a color.

3

Using a densitometer, a numerical value of the lightness or darkness of a particular printed color can be measured. Dot gain, ink type, paper and the speed in which the ink absorbs into the paper can affect the color density produced on inkjet printers.

Ink Coverage: Is the amount of ink in one area of the page (not the total area of the page that has ink on it). Sometimes referred to as Total Ink Coverage (TIC) or Total Area Coverage (TAC), in full-color applications it controls the total combined printed ink usage of Cyan, Magenta, Yellow and Black.

For purposes of this guide we will use the term TAC throughout.

Maximum TAC represents the volume of ink which a paper or substrate can hold without causing print quality or paper defects.

Think of this as the maximum vertical ink thickness or the amount of ink that can be stacked in one spot on the page. All inkjet printers have a maximum TAC associated with each paper type. TAC is normally controlled through color profiling either through the RIP or at the machine. Color Profiling is discussed in Chapter 7.

Resolution: A measure of text or image quality – usually DPI. While we refer to DPI as the number of dots in a square inch, the vertical resolution and the horizontal resolution of a printer may be different – particularly on ultra-high speed printers.

Whether we are talking about printing text or images, the overall quality of the output will be influenced by the number of dots that can be produced per inch (DPI), the size of the individual drops (which become dots) and the amount that the dots expand when they are absorbed into the paper (dot gain).

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72 DOTS (PIXLES) PER INCH

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20

300 DOTS (PIXLES) PER INCH

The Printing Process

Now that we’ve defined drops and dots and density, oh my, we can talk about how those d-words are controlled to create quality images at high speed. It’s a bit techie, but understanding the process will help you make better design decisions and will define some important terms that will be needed when discussing how to create file settings for your work later in the guide.

The offset printing process uses a Raster Image Processor (RIP) to image a plate, while the image on an inkjet printer is controlled by a RIP that ingests production files in formats such as PDF, Postscript or AFP and “RIPs” each process color into a raster pattern which is then used to directly shoot the ink onto the paper. The raster images are made up of virtual pixels directly communicated to the press. The proportions of the bitmap correspond to the resolution of the printer in DPI. Print heads control the flow of ink passing through individual nozzles and the size and volume of drops ejected onto the paper using the bitmap as a guide. A single raster cell of an image is built through dithering which uses several dot sizes to simulate a continuous tone image.

This is another area where inkjet differs from offset. Offset printers apply AM Screening to images which positions dots within a constant grid pattern, measuring from center to center of each varying sized dot. This AM Screening dot placement produces a rosette pattern when CMYK color planes are combined. In contrast, inkjet uses FM Screening, which randomly spaces variably sized dots producing a dither pattern. This FM Screening dot pattern is also called stochastic.



AM SCREENING



FM SCREENING

21

3

THE POWER OF THE DROP

3

Dithering is a printed pattern in which the dots are placed closer together for solid areas and farther apart for the mid-tone and highlight areas allowing more of the paper white to show through. The printed dots of varying sizes represent color intensities and print detail within the image.

Bit Depth defines the extent of color tones that can be processed by a print head as measured in bits. A single bit can best described as an ON/OFF instruction to the computer or printer in which the print head will shoot only one (1) size drop. As the number of bits increase, the sizes of the drops vary and the clarity of the print improves as well.

While higher bit depths for images have their advantages, the disadvantage is in the necessarily larger file sizes. Giving the printer a lot of detail to work with means it can make a better conversion to the page, but bit depths higher than 24-bit won’t likely produce noticeable improvement when printed.

Binary vs. Multi-drop

There are two distinct types of print heads used on inkjet equipment defined as “Multi-drop” and “Binary.” The difference is that with multi-drop, also called grayscale, the print head shoots drops that can vary in size and with binary, the print head shoots a fixed drop size and volume.

Binary or Multi-drop is determined by the particular print heads used in the printer model. (see graphic on page 23)

22

WHY SHOULD YOU CARE? Because the use of variably sized drops can provide clearer small text, smoother curves, solid color fills and allow more highlight and mid-tone detail for photos and gradations as well as reproducing better color depth.





BINARY - 2 BIT PRINTED IMAGE@1200X

MULTI DROP - 4 BIT PRINTED IMAGE@1200X

ASK YOUR PRINT PROVIDER if their inkjet presses use binary or multi-drop heads and for the resolution of the printer that will be used for the production of your completed design. While you don’t have control of the drop size or type of print head, being aware of the capabilities of the printer will help you to design within the capabilities of that device. Not all inkjet is created equal.

Understanding Ink

While the actual formulation of ink for high speed inkjet presses is highly complex, there are two main components that we care about as designers. First is the pigment or dye colorant and the second is the carrier for that colorant.

As we discussed in Chapter 1, the carrier fluid for most production inkjet inks is water. It doesn’t require a physics degree to understand that spraying water onto a porous material like paper is going to get the paper wet. Therefore, the competitive aspects of ink relate to the ability to cause the water to evaporate quickly, leaving the colorant on the surface without absorbing too fast and disrupting the structure of the paper. Various offset uncoated, inkjet treated and inkjet coated papers are used today. All inkjet treated and inkjet coated paper grades are designed to remain somewhat porous, meaning they are not totally sealed and allow some absorption into the sheet. Remember, absorption is a big component of how the aqueous ink dries. Inkjet papers are also formulated for fast drying and to allow the separation of the ink colorant from the aqueous carrier, thus keeping more colorant closer to the surface.

23

3

THE POWER OF THE DROP

Understanding Ink Plus Paper

3

What do we mean by “disrupting the structure of the paper?” Well, when the carrying fluid is not quickly evaporated from the structure of the paper, evidence of water damage can be seen on the surface in the form of nasty sounding things like Cockle, Curl, Ink Wicking, Ink Dive and Mottle. When a design calls for more ink than the intended paper can handle, ugly things can happen.

Paper Cockle is the term given to ripples occurring in an area of a piece of paper caused by exposure of the paper to moisture. Paper is absorbent, and just like anything else which is absorbent, if you get it too wet then suck all the water out quickly, it will shrink. Since paper is a network of wood fibers which will absorb the ink carrier, if a printed area of the paper is over saturated with ink, then dried quickly, those wood fibers will shrink up causing a visual paper defect.



TIP

PAPER COCKLE LOOKS LIKE SAND RIPPLES

Paper cockle is a print defect which looks and feels like ripples in the sand

Paper Curl is also caused by the paper being exposed to moisture, though it doesn’t just affect an area of the sheet like paper cockle, but affects the overall structure of the sheet. It happens when large areas of the sheet becomes too wet and the wood fibers are saturated and dried too quickly, causing the whole sheet to curl up horizontally and vertically.

Paper cockle and curl not only impact the look of the finished piece but can cause costly post processing and finishing issues if the sheet can no longer run smoothly through equipment.

24

3



EXAMPLE S OF INK WICKING

Ink Wicking or Bleed is the actual movement of ink when in contact with the paper. When ink wicks, it follows the surface fibers of the paper creating a fuzzy appearance called feathering. Wicking happens vertically and horizontally on the paper surface and will cause printed text, lines and images to lose their sharpness.

Ink Dive is a lot like ink wicking, but instead of spreading horizontally and vertically on the paper surface, it is diving down into the paper, causing structural and print quality defects. When the ink dives, it is drawn into the paper’s internal fiber structure causing paper cockle, show-through and/or mottling.

Mottling happens when ink wicking and ink dive are combined causing non– uniform ink absorption that can be seen on the paper surface. Ink colorant, when absorbed at different rates into the paper will cause a blotchy or streaky look as seen in the right hand image below. This effect is mostly seen in solids and image mid-tones. The structure of some uncoated papers is predisposed to mottle as the paper structure does not have a good formation for aqueous inkjet inks.





100% K PRINTED ON INKJET TREATED PAPER MAGNIFIED @ 5UM/PER PIXEL

25

100% K PRINTED ON INKJET UNTREATED PAPER MAGNIFIED @ 5UM/PER PIXEL

THE POWER OF THE DROP

“

When a design calls for more ink than the intended paper can handle, ugly things can happen like: Cockle, Curl, Ink Wicking, Ink Dive and Mottle.

3 WHY SHOULD YOU CARE? There are many formulations of ink as well as types of substrates. Finding the optimal combination to deliver appropriate quality for a particular type of job at an acceptable market price is the challenge for every service provider who has adopted inkjet to serve their customers. As designers, it is important to understand the interaction of these ink and paper combinations to create cost effective, high quality prints. More information can be found in Chapter 6 on how to choose the right paper to avoid these structural and printed defects.

26

CHAPTER 4

IT'S A PROCESS!

IT'S A PROCESS!

Process 4

Have you ever had a design that didn’t print the way you expected? Was it your print provider’s fault? Maybe, but chances are good that that the process requirements were not fully understood. For any print design, the designer’s job is not complete unless they have accounted for the production process.

In Chapter 3 we got into the nitty gritty, drop-size details of the inkjet printing process – but the production process does not begin and end with ink.

Investing the time to fully understand the project and process dynamics before starting to design will increase the value of your design by making it more efficient. Some process considerations referenced here are tangential to the inkjet device but affect the overall process of how your job will run.

Process-friendly designs virtually eliminate design-related print quality and finishing issues, reduce testing times and the potential need for design rework. To create process-friendly designs, you must think about the entire process from back to front.

Consider all of the steps in the production process working backwards from putting the finished piece in the mail (or shipping to a personalization/ fulfillment location.) Each step in the process offers a potential constraint to your design options or perhaps an opportunity to do something different if you plan in advance.

Mailing Information

For transaction print applications such as statements, bills and direct mail other than postcards and self-mailers, an understanding of envelope options is an important part of the design process. Choosing certain types of envelopes may force portions of your production to run into a hand-insertion process that could cost you more money. Your print provider may not use the same inserting equipment for their inkjet printed materials as they do for other printer lines. In many cases, a print provider will upgrade their inserting equipment to keep up with the speed of inkjet and some of the things you thought you knew about your printing partner’s processes could change.

Envelopes: What size envelope will be used? Is there

more than one type? Getting samples of each envelope will tell you where address information needs to be placed and the requirements for clear space around the mailing address and, if applicable, the return address.

28





#10 DOUBLE WINDOW

6X9 SINGLE WINDOW

In some inkjet operations, the envelope is dynamically constructed around the mail piece and the addresses are printed directly onto the envelope. These operations offer the designer greater flexibility in placement of customer address information on the transaction document and may offer full-color personalization on the outside of the envelope as well (using wrap envelopes).

FIRST CLASS US POSTAGE

IMPORTANT: Your monthly statement is enclosed!

PAID

PERMIT NO. 1 NEW YORK

123 Madison Avenue New York, NY 10001

THANK YOU POINTS Update Enclosed ADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTED #9999 9920 0104 276#

||38141334634| FIRST NAME LAST NAME ADDRESS LINE 1 ADDRESS LINE 2 CITY STATE ZIP+4

CHECKING ACCOUNT STATEMENT STATEMENT PERIOD: ACCOUNT NUMBER:

9876.5432.1

ADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTED #9999 9920 0104 276#

||38141334634| FIRST NAME LAST NAME ADDRESS LINE 1 ADDRESS LINE 2 CITY STATE ZIP+4

CHECKING SUMMARY

ACCOUNT TRENDS

Beginning Balance



$5,000.00

Deposits and Additions

$4,000.00

ATM & Debit Card Withdrawals

-$2,000.00

Electronic Withdrawals

-$1,000.00

ENDING BALANCE

$2,000.00

J

J

CHECKING TRANSACTIONS DATE

CHECK NUMBER

DESCRIPTION

WITHDRAWALS/ DEBITS

06/03/2013

1246

Down payment

595.13

1,215.58

ATM Withdrawal

250.00

965.58 920.42

06/03/2013

Restaurant

45.16

06/07/2013

1248

Retail store

67.99

06/08/2013

1249

Electric

43.91

06/05/2013

06/10/2013

06/16/2013

808.52

Restaurant 1252

BALANCE

852.43

Transfer

06/11/2013 06/15/2013

DEPOSITS

1,031.14

1,839.66

300.00

2,139.66

Creditcard payment

98.15

2,041.51

Restaurant

41.51

2,000.00

5 THANK YOU POINTS Earn 5 Thank You Points for every $1 spent at restaurants (including fast food) when you use your WORLDBANK credit card. Scan the QR code for details or go to globebank.com/rewards.

29

A

2D INSERTER BARCODE

INKJET WRAP ENVELOPE AND STATEMENT WITH 2D INSERTER BARCODE AND POSTAL BARCODE

4

IT'S A PROCESS!

Mailing Controls: The process of folding and inserting the

4

envelope and getting it properly into the mail requires a series of controls that typically involve an inserter or quality control barcode and a postal barcode. Postal barcodes contain encoded address information for use by the post office while inserter barcodes provide automated quality control in the inserting process.

Requirements may also include human readable control codes that help the people on the production line to do their jobs in a quality way. All of these controls must be placed in particular areas of the document and often require clear space to allow equipment to read the marks without interference from other information. Ask your print partner for samples of these codes and specifications for positioning on the page. Envelopes and barcodes are not inkjet specific design issues, however, the clear space requirements and ability to trim control codes off of the finished piece may differ based on the process flows for different devices. So, it is important to check this information with your provider.

Finishing Information Folding and Inserting: The type of envelopes, the

potential size of the finished document and the inserting equipment will determine the type of fold used on the finished document.

Nested letter or C folds are most common for transaction documents longer but, documents may be folded in half or mailed flat. The Z Fold can be problematic for some inserters and is more commonly used for hand-fulfilled pieces. A common misperception with tri-folds is that the panels are equal sizes – for C and Z folds one panel is always smaller. If fold position is critical to your design, make sure you understand the specs.



LETTER FOLD (C FOLD)



Z FOLD

30



HALF FOLD

Some mailers do not nest folded pieces as part of their standard inserting process – each sheet is folded and inserted separately. While this approach allows more pages in a single envelope, research shows it is a great irritant to the recipient who must unfold and assemble each individual page. Make sure that you understand whether or not your document will be nested.

Understanding folding and finishing is critical to understanding what the reader will see first when they open the envelope. If you are trying to place key information “above the fold” it’s rather important to know where the fold actually is. Keep in mind that a print operation may have more than one option available to choose from.

Trimming: Some operations trim the edges of the paper prior to

inserting in envelopes. Understanding the starting size of the sheet and the trimming process may allow a larger palette for design. For example, certain quality marks such as those used for maintaining color registration may be trimmed off of the final mail piece. This equipment may also enable bleeds on portions of the page that would not otherwise be possible in an inkjet environment.

Ask your print partner if color registration and other marks can, or will, be trimmed during the finishing process. If they will not be trimmed, you may have options on the placement of those marks relative to your finished piece.



PRINTED PIECE SHOWING REGISTRATION MARKS FINISHED PIECE AFTER TRIMMING

31

Í

4

IT'S A PROCESS!

Dynamic Perforation: If available, this feature will allow designers the following types of flexibility:

4

For Transaction printing: Í Produce multi-page bills in a roll-fed environment where only one page has a perforated tear-off stub. Í Include one or more dynamic coupons on a page, only for specific recipients.

Expires Oct 20, 2013 one or more investment coupons oncalculated assetat check out. Í Include Discount will be applied to qualifying items only and will be automatically Discount does not apply to taxes, shipping and handling charges or any similar processing charges. management accounts for new clients orDiscount those a known Discount cannot be applied to previous pur chases or gift certificates. may with be modified or withdrawn without prior notice. One coupon per customer . only propensity to reinvest. Í Dynamically produce checks in-line on white paper (also requires using inkjet devices with MICR capability.)

For Direct Mail 536715678147 Fresh Picked Club Member 4264151 Í Produce pieces with varied number of coupons. Í Incorporate convenience checks in mailings (also requires using inkjet devices with MICR capability.) pieces such as Í Create variable self-containedMarsh Marigold business reply or post cards for USPS mailings. fused lighting

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536715678147

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Fresh Picked Club Member 4264151

Expires Oct 20, 2013 Discount will be applied to qualifying items only and will be automatically calculated at check out.

Discount does not apply to taxes, shipping and handling charges or any similar processing charges.

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Marsh Marigold fused lighting

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536621678002

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Fresh Picked Club Member 4264151

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a hardy perennial Fresh Picked Club Member 4264151

536621678002

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10%

Expires Oct 20, 2013 Discount will be applied to qualifying items only and will be automatically calculated at check out.

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Fresh Picked Club Member 4264151

selected ground cover

a hardy perennial

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32

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Expires Oct 20, 2013 Discount will be applied to qualifying items only and will be automatically calculated at check out.

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Printing Configuration: As noted earlier, there are a number of printer

features that impact printing quality. Understanding the particular features of your target print device will help you to take full advantage of its capabilities and avoid designing for features that don’t exist on that model. Some information can be gathered simply from knowing the manufacturer and model of the device but, since there are a variety of options on every model, there are still key questions to ask: Binary (fixed drop size) or Grayscale (multi-level/variable-drop) Print heads? If grayscale heads are not available, your design should avoid fine text and gradations. Color reproduction, half-toning and curves will also be more challenging so you may want to simplify design requirements within the tolerance of fixed drop size printing capabilities.

Pigment or Dye? The variation between the results from pigment and dye are narrowing as ink formulation continues to evolve, however there is still a tendency for the output of pigment ink to appear more vibrant than dye ink since more of the colorant sits on top of the page.

As mentioned earlier, pigment is also more color fast than dye and therefore a good choice for projects where finished pieces will have a long shelf life.

Spot Colors available? Some press models offer the capability to add special colors in addition to Cyan, Magenta, Yellow and Black. These options may include specially mixed Pantone spot colors, security inks or MICR (see next page). With spot colors available, potentially out-ofgamut colors can be added back into the mix, allowing a near perfect match for a hard to achieve logo color. However, as noted previously, the color matching will be tied to a specific paper and these colors typically come at significant added cost so many print providers may not have this feature enabled even if the device has the capability.

33

4

o-Pay or nsurance

% Covered

Amount Covered

,500.00

x 25%

= $500.00

,500.00

x 25%

= $500.00

Balance as of 08/03/09 $

Policy 7104 7 03 Volkswagon 07 - COVERAGE DISCONTINUED

IT'S A PROCESS! Policy 7104 7 03 Volkswagon 07

09/03/09

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09/06/09

$

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How To Avoid Fees and Charges

,000.00

$2,500.00

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$0.00

$1,000.00

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$500.00

0.00

$500.00

$100.00

0.00

$500.00

$500.00

$0.00

$2,000.00

$10,000.00

Claim Number

4/30/2010

Control Number

XD-05566777

5004131

4

Summary of Submitted Charges Submitted Charges

$2,500.00

Allowed Amount

10,000.00

Medpulse Healthcare Discount

1,000.00

Co-Pay or Co-Insurance

-5,000.00

800-777-9999

www.medpulse.com

Allowed Amount

Medpulse Healthcare Discount

Not Covered/ Deductible

Co-Pay or Co-Insurance

% Covered

Amount Covered

5,000.00

$250.00

– $500.00

– $2,500.00

x 25%

= $500.00

Washington $250.00

– $500.00

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Co-Pay

$0.00

$201.00

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01708706 10/27/09

Contact Us

Call 1-800-000-0000 or go to Hickory Glen Insurance hickorygleninsurance.com

UNION BANK OF TRUST 1234 Anywhere Street Credittown, MA 02472

1234 Main Street Watertown, MA 02472

Using V6 font Policies Being Billed

Check Us Out Online

Effective Date

Hickory Glen Insurance Auto Policy 7104 7 03 Mitsubsh 02

We’ve created a helpful insurance guide with tips, suggestions and a checklist to help you manage and update your policies.

Hickory Glen Insurance Auto Policy 7104 7 03 Volkswagen 07

Pay To The MONTHLY ACTIVITY Order Of: Balance on last bill Most recent payment

$ $

601.99 1,601.98

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09/06/09

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0.00

With any payment option, we must receive your payment by the due date. If we don’t, we may charge a late fee (up to $15), require you to Pay In Full any remaining balance, or cancel your policy. Any late fee due will be added to your next installment.

Memo: Rebate Policy 3039 03 Volkswagon 07

We also may charge a fee, as permitted by law, anytime a check or other payment of yours is returned for insufficient funds.

Consider our automatic payment options to ensure your payment is received on time.

See reverse for details.

See how much you’ll save when you insure your home and car with us.

Visit Hickorygleninsurance.com/ calculate



David B. Smith

MICR LINE ON CHECK

C7505459C A012346861A 154596861C

Detach here



April 30, 2010

5004131

THIS DOCUMENT HAS A COLORED AND MICROPRINTING. THE REVERSE INCLUDES AN ARTIFICIAL WATERMARK. THIS DOCUMENT HAS A BACKGROUND COLORED BACKGROUND AND MICROPRINTING. THESIDE REVERSE SIDE INCLUDES AN ARTIFICIAL WATERMARK.

Hickory Glen Insurance

Using V6 font

$

133.99

Michael T. Washington

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How To Avoid Fees and Charges

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07/03/09 07/03/09

Total Premium Balance $

Policy 7104 7 03 Volkswagon 07 - COVERAGE DISCONTINUED

$2,500.00

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Policy 7104 7 03 Volkswagon 07 - REBATE CHECK ISSUED

5,000.00

0,000.00

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here

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133.99

$

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MICR enabled? MICR is magnetic ink used on checks and other We also may charge a fee, as permitted by law, anytime a check or other payment of yours is insufficient funds. can produce security documents. A MICR enabled inkjet press Consider our automatic payment options to ensure your payment is received on time. checks andSee MICR encoded coupons in-line with other documents on how much you’ll save when you See reverse for details. your home and car with us. white paper.insure Visit Hickorygleninsurance.com/ Detach Hickory Glen Insurance

EXPLANATION OF BENEFITS

Date

With any payment option, we must receive your payment by the due date. If we don’t, we ma late fee (up to $15), require you to Pay In Full any remaining balance, or cancel your policy. A due will be added to your next installment.

Pay To The Order Of:

UNION BANK OF TRUST 1234 Anywhere Street Credittown, MA 02472

7505459

September 6, 2009

Naomi Mcknight 2258 North Congo Ct. Columbus, LA 19034

Memo: Rebate Policy 3039 03 Volkswagon 07

$

601.99

David B. Smith Authorized Signature

C7505459C A012346861A 154596861C

Maximum print width on paper? Some inkjet devices do not support edge to edge printing on the page. While the required margins may be tiny, they eliminate the option to use bleeds in the design. However, if the overall sheet size used by the printer is larger than the finished page, and edge trimming is part of the production process, the potential for certain types of bleeds may be reintroduced.

In this case, it is important to understand how the virtual finished pages are laid out on the roll or sheet to understand which side of the finished page can bleed and which cannot, or if it can bleed on all sides.

In addition to the capabilities of the printer and finishing capabilities, bleeds must be reviewed for potential interference with barcode clear space along the plane that an optical reader will use to scan the code where inserting and other quality control codes are used – particularly for any document that will be mailed.

34

Authorized Signature

Continuous Feed or Cut-sheet? The majority of inkjet presses on the market today are continuous feed devices, however new cut-sheet models are coming on the market and opening up new opportunities for designers. Using a cut-sheet device, the finished piece can use more than one paper stock or more than one weight of the same stock. The number of different paper sources differs by device. Ask your print partner how many paper types can be used.

Composition and Formatting Software. For many designers of direct mail or commercial print, the design process ends with the creation of a PDF. If an introduction to inkjet also heralds your introduction to variable print and personalization, your PDF may become the first step in creating the print file, not the last.

If you are designing for variable print, you will want to talk to your print provider about the software that will be used to add variable data and produce the final print file. They may require different file settings for compatibility and this may affect your color matching process. We will talk more about preparing files for compatibility with composition tools later in the guide.

35

4

36

CHAPTER 5

YOU AND YOUR PRINT PROVIDER – WORKING IN HARMONY

YOU AND YOUR PRINT PROVIDER – WORKING IN HARMONY

Experience 5

The printing industry is evolving into a more nimble, flexible and digital industry. With these changes comes new technology that needs to be understood by the print providers themselves and also by their customers and designers. As we learned in Chapter 4, the variable workflows, print technology, ink and paper used with production inkjet can all be different from the offset and toner world you may be used to. Designing with an understanding of these differences is the key to a successful print run and bringing harmony to your design and production workflow.

There’s no better way to learn why these process components are important than to see the process in action. The most successful designers understand printing processes and have open communication with the people who will ultimately make their designs a reality. If you’re new to inkjet, your print provider is the guru to seek for inkjet wisdom and best practices within their shop. And you don’t even need to climb a mountain.

In this chapter we will present a lot of questions that will help you to learn about the options your print service provider has available and how you can use them to achieve the best possible results. Here’s your new mantra: Paper, Ink, Printer, Process.

38

Getting to Know You

Communication with your print service provider is vital. The service provider you choose must understand your needs and expected outcome in order to bid effectively and to service the business they win. Part of their ability to provide service is dependent on the designer’s ability create and prepare files accurately for the inkjet device. Developing a good relationship with your print partner will save time and frustration for both of you throughout the process. Here are some good tips for creating this important “friendship.”

Start with a Tour. Even if you have worked with this company

in the past, keeping up with the technology in their facility will help you design properly for the capabilities of each device. Chances are good that they made quite a few updates when they adopted inkjet. There may be new finishing options as well as print capabilities to learn about. If you don’t have the opportunity to tour the production facility in person, see if a virtual tour is available online.

Ask about High Speed Inkjet Technology. Ask your printer about their high speed inkjet device in detail. The more you know, the more chances you have to optimize the design process for a successful print run. Here are some of the key questions to ask: Í What are the Manufacturer and Device Name(s)? Í What is the Ink type – aqueous dye or pigment? Í Do they print in Grayscale (multi-level/multi-drop) or Binary (fixed drop size)? Í What is the maximum resolution or DPI? Í What is the preferred resolution for production? Í What is the maximum print width? Í What finishing equipment is available? Í What are the capabilities and limitations of finishing equipment? Í What papers are available for use with the device? Í Uncoated? Í Inkjet Treated? Í Inkjet Coated? Í Other? Í Are ICC profiles available for these papers? Í What are the differences in cost with these papers? Í What are the minimum and maximum paper weights that can be used for each of the available papers?

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5

YOU AND YOUR PRINT PROVIDER – WORKING IN HARMONY

Í Í Í

Is there a process for testing additional papers on request? Is there a cost associated with this testing process?

How do you estimate print coverage costs prior to printing?

Is there a higher cost for pieces with greater coverage?

See a Real Job Running. A lot of things happen

between sending a design file and seeing it print. Schedule a visit with your printer when the high speed inkjet device is running a job with similar job requirements to yours. This will help you envision the print life cycle your job will go through, and oh, what a marvelous life cycle! It’s like an electronic cocoon which turns into a printed butterfly (or a moth when things don’t go well!)

5

Request a Printed “Reference Chart.”

A reference chart is a printed sheet which helps you evaluate the print quality of a particular paper. Things like minimum text and line weights, halftones, solids, color fidelity and show-through are good things to review in print to ensure the print process is sufficient for your printing needs. Keep this reference chart on file for future paper and print quality evaluations.

Most service providers have a set of image files they use when testing papers, but they most likely will not meet all of the criteria for your project, like specific color matching and level of print coverage.



REFERENCE CHART

40

Designing your own series of custom reference prints which have low, medium and high coverage and include a variety of images, text and line weights as well as vignettes will help determine the proper paper for your specific print requirements. It will also test whether the design will disrupt the structure of the paper causing any of the nasty things we talked about in Chapter 3.

Each reference chart print will look slightly different on each paper it is printed on. That is its purpose; to highlight the differences so that you can select the appropriate paper and make necessary adjustments to get the best quality from the paper you select.

To get a good understanding of the print quality that the inkjet press, ink and paper will produce, ask your printer for images to be printed:

Í

On Various Paper Types – Uncoated, inkjet treated and inkjet coated which will best suit your print quality requirements.

Í

Using All Ink Types Available – Some printers have both dye and pigment presses for different purposes. Ask for tests of both if available and suitable for your needs.

Í

In the preferred resolution and speed running conditions that represent how the job will run in production. Note that some printers have a lower resolution when printing at top speed so if you are shown proofs printed at a lower speed, your results could change in production.

Note the ink, paper, resolution and print speed on the printed sheets for future reference. Changing any of these will affect print quality and color.

Understand Paper Options. Okay, it may seem like we are a bit obsessed with paper (and we are!), but selecting the right paper is critical to achieving your creative expectations. Your print provider may have specific papers that they recommend for different types of jobs: transactional, book, direct mail or commercial. Make sure that you understand the papers that are available and suitable to your application. Your print provider can provide valuable guidance in this area. It is very likely these papers will be different than what you are accustomed to working with in an offset or toner environment.

Always, talk to your print provider about the papers which will work best for your specific project and don’t assume that what you have seen somewhere else will work. We will talk more in depth about paper types for inkjet in Chapter 6.

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YOU AND YOUR PRINT PROVIDER – WORKING IN HARMONY

Request an Inkjet Printed Tint Book. If your

designs require any type of Pantone or other spot color matching and you are planning on printing frequently to a particular printer using specific ink and paper, it is wise to print a tint book. Some printers will already have a swatch file available representing the CMYK Pantone Library. If they do not have such a file, you can always create your own. See the “Color Tips Section” for more information. If making your own custom book, be sure that the printed output shows the CMYK percentage values as you would see them in the Adobe Bridge swatch books. These values, you will find, are very important to matching colors.

5

Being the nice people we are, we have also included a handy Tint Book file that can be downloaded at www.InkjetDesignGuide.com.

Once printed, keep these swatches handy. We will be talking more in-depth about color matching, tint books and making custom Inkjet Color Libraries in the “Color Tips Section” of the Appendix.

Get a Pressman’s View. Talk to a pressman to get their

perspective on differences between inkjet and other devices in their facility. If inkjet is just one part of the pressman’s overall production portfolio, understand when and why they recommend using it. You may end up with portions of your project or campaign that use multiple devices which could affect how you prepare files.

Understand the Print Specs. Print specifications for high speed

inkjet are a little different than conventional offset. It is good to know what the exact print specs are and how they affect the printing process. We’ll talk more about how process affects file preparation in Chapter 9. Ask the printer for all specifications needed for your job. On the next page is a list of the criteria that a print provider will typically look for.

42

JOB DESCRIPTION Project Check Points Í Date mailing is to be received by addressee Í Mail drop date Í Final art delivered Í Paper chosen Type of proof required Í Soft Proof (.pdf) Í Hard Proof (proof from device other than production machine) Í Production Color Proof or “Press” Proof (proof from production machine with specific ink and paper) Ink Coverage Í Specific low, medium or high TAC Í Is spot color match required?

5

Is there a print sample to be matched?

Quantity One sided/two sided Variable Data Requirements Í Define variable data and/or images Í Number of data and/or image records Í File format for data Paper requirements Job Size Í Flat Size (with bleeds) Í Trim Size (without bleeds) Finishing requirements  Cut  Perforation (Fixed)  Score  Perforation (Variable)

 Fold  Binding

 Inserting

Mailing Requirements Special Needs Í Water resistant, scuff resistant, no print show-through Did you find this checklist helpful? Guess what? You can download a job specification template at www.InkjetDesignGuide.com that you can customize for your jobs. (Told you we were nice.)

43

YOU AND YOUR PRINT PROVIDER – WORKING IN HARMONY

Proper Preparation of Files. Speaking of nice, one of the

nicest things you can do for yourself and your print provider is to take care with preparing files. It is especially important that the images and files are designed and saved to the specifications of the inkjet press and the workflow of your specific print partner. Each inkjet device can differ in image resolution, quality and size requirements which all affect the overall file preparation. File preparation is discussed in detail in Chapter 9. Below are key questions to ask your print partner so that you will know what settings to use when you are ready to save final files for your project.

5

What resolution should be used for my images? Í If the job has variable content with many variable images and significant data requirements, your service provider may require images to be provided in 300 dpi or lower. For many devices, file sizes above 300 dpi may not deliver higher quality results anyway.

Í

If a job is fixed or has very few variable images and does not have large data requirements, some inkjet devices require detailed images and barcodes to be delivered at 600 dpi.

What color space should be used for saving images? Í Most service providers ask for all documents and images to be created in CMYK and not RGB. Be sure to ask your printer if they prefer that you use SWOP or GRACoL as the CMYK color space. Í If your service provider does request that you use RGB, be sure you know the correct format. RGB formats can consist of RGB, sRGB and Adobe RGB so get specific instructions.

Do you prefer native files in addition to PDF files? Í Depending on your print requirements, your printer may require different settings in your files. So be sure to ask the printer about the best way to package your print files for exporting to PDF.

Í

If native files are requested, include: 1. Reference files 2. Hard copy color print of files 3. Fonts (verify for MAC or PC) 4. Native files (Illustrator, InDesign, Photoshop) and verify the version of Adobe software the print provider is using.

5. All image links (Photoshop or others)

Í

For variable content, verify the format needed. Variable content should be created on a layer separate from fixed content within the native file.

What format should variable text be saved in?

44

What’s the criteria for bleeds and gutters? Í Knowing the gutter and bleed requirements when choosing paper is important for minimizing paper waste.

Í

A printer’s minimum bleed requirements will add to the overall “flat size” of the print. Some inkjet environments will not support bleeds on all sides depending on the layout of the piece.

Í

The minimum gutter space can vary by service provider and device and will add to the overall image area when the job is nested on the print web. Gutters are often used to show standardized job information for quality control and will be trimmed from final print.

Are Standard Templates Available?

Print providers may offer starter templates showing key guidelines for statements and bills, direct mail pieces such as postcards and selfmailers, business cards, flyers or book covers and book blocks. In book printing, use of a supplied cover template is often required. … And Take your Printer to Lunch! Don’t forget to schedule time for lunch.

Taking time away from the busy work environment will give you time to follow up with more detailed questions. Oh, and food is the fastest way to a print provider’s heart.

WHY SHOULD YOU CARE? Most inkjet technology does not allow you to make adjustments such as print placement changes or color “tweaks” on the press, so any print alterations must be done upstream at the RIP or within the original design file. And knowing what you do now about paper and ink interaction, and how it affects color, it is important to have your print provider as a resource to help you make the inkjet printer and paper work together. Ink, Printer, Paper, Process and Provider all have to work in harmony to deliver top inkjet quality.

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5

YOU AND YOUR PRINT PROVIDER – WORKING IN HARMONY

CHAPTER 5 APPLIED TO THE GUIDE Before final design of this book, the entire creative team formed a circle, joined hands and repeated “Paper, Ink, Printer, Process, Provider.” Well, not really. But we did all get on a call with our print partner to learn about their environment and share our expectations of the results to be achieved. Machine, printhead, ink, paper and finishing requirements were all discussed in detail.

5

Printer: Océ ColorStream® 3500 twin high-speed, digital inkjet press. This machine uses multi-drop print heads with variable drop sizes of 5-12 picoliters. This gave us good flexibility in simulating continuous tones with images in the guide.

Ink: Aqueous pigment ink (CMYK), no additional spot colors.

Paper: We’ll talk more about paper selection in the next chapter but, do you like it? Nice, huh?

Finishing: Our print partner uses a Hunkeler sheeter for sheet finishing then inserts the sheets into perfect bound books using a standard Horizon Perfect Binder and a Challenge Champion 370 TC for final cut/trim of finished books. This provided the ability for book pages to bleed on all sides, but we chose to use this option sparingly.

We were not given a cover template for the book so we needed to calculate the spine ourselves based on the basis weight and finished pages of the book block.

Our print partner requested a resolution of 300dpi for all images and Adobe Bridge color settings of GRACoL Coated; assigned colors, images and document color space CMYK. And that’s what we did.

Plus, we took them to dinner.

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CHAPTER 6

MEDIA IS YOUR CANVAS – CHOOSE WISELY

MEDIA IS YOUR CANVAS – CHOOSE WISELY

Media Most print providers go through a regular process of testing new papers with their inkjet platform and this gives them experience that will be valuable to you as a designer. However, there is no substitute for first-hand knowledge.

It’s not enough to know that inkjet paper is different, you really need to know why it is different in order to make good choices.

6

As we are writing this book, most inkjet devices require the use of “inkjet paper” in order to produce quality output, however, new models are coming on the market that can print on a broader range of media including uncoated and coated offset grade stocks. Just because an inkjet device can print on a particular paper does not mean that it will produce the same result as toner or offset presses would deliver when printing on that same media. The process is completely different so results can never be identical.

For purposes of explaining these differences, we are going to focus on the common characteristics of paper and the specific aspects that make “inkjet papers” work. Some of this information is as dry as the paper it’s printed on, but it’s important so stay with us.

Inkjet Paper is specially formulated to allow the ink colorant to sit higher, closer to the surface of the paper where it can be more easily seen while simultaneously causing the ink carrier (water for aqueous inks) to dry quickly.

These drying characteristics are critical to fast production and proper operation of down-stream finishing equipment which could stretch or tear the paper if wet.

Paper Surface Treatments

Inkjet papers can make a major difference in the quality of production and the amount of ink used to achieve that quality so it’s important to understand the various grades of paper and their specific features. First, let’s look at surface treatments: Uncoated, Inkjet Treated and Inkjet Coated.

Uncoated, as you might guess, means that there is no surface treatment. Uncoated paper is more absorbent than a treated or inkjet coated paper. Since there is no coating or treatment, there is nothing to help keep the ink colorant on the top of the sheet. The printable surface is not as smooth as inkjet coated paper and is

48

more porous. This allows more ink to penetrate the paper creating lower print clarity/sharpness and less color reflection. Bottom line: uncoated paper delivers printed images which are duller with a smaller color gamut. Most so called “offset” or bond papers you may be familiar with are uncoated.

Uncoated allows colorant to flow deeper into the paper fibers.

Uncoated

SEM / ___nm



SCANNING ELECTRON MICROSCOPY (SEM) CROSS SECTION SCAN OF UNCOATED PAPER PRINTED WITH AQUEOUS DYE INK. Treatment of surface and paper fibers traps colorant closer to thepaper naked to the surface.

Inkjet Treated

Uncoated Inkjet Coated

Inkjet Treated papers may look like uncoated paper eye but are specially formulated for aqueous ink. These have surface treatments or coatings which contain fixatives to separate the colorants from the liquid carrier of the ink. This separation allows more colorant to stay near the paper surface while allowing the carrier to migrate into the paper surface and then evaporate. The paper is still able to absorb SEM / ___nm Uncoated allows liquid, but the “porosity” (defined later in this chapter) is reduced enough colorant to flow A semi-porous coating that the colorant does not absorb along with the liquid.deeper Some devices into the layer quickly binds paper fibers. use less ink with an inkjet treated sheet than an uncoated sheet.

So, in colorant on paper those cases, inkjet treated paper may deliver a better surface. result in terms of clarity and color gamut with less ink. On the other hand, some devices, when using inkjet treated paper have less dot gain. Since the area of the dot is smaller in those cases, the combination of device and paper uses SEM / ___nm more ink to create the same visual coverage that would be achieved on SEM / ___nm uncoated paper.

Treatment of surface and paper fibers traps colorant closer to the paper surface.

Inkjet Treated

SEM / ___nm



SCANNING ELECTRON MICROSCOPY (SEM) CROSS SECTION SCAN A semi-porous coating OF INKJET TREATED PAPER PRINTED WITH AQUEOUS DYE INK. layer quickly binds colorant on paper surface.

Inkjet Coated

49

6

paper fibers.

Uncoated

MEDIA IS YOUR CANVAS – CHOOSE WISELY

SEM / ___nm

Inkjet Treated

Inkjet Coated paper is available in a variety of surface finishes that can be very shiny (high gloss) or have a low shine (matte).

Shiny inkjet papers sometimes look like traditional coated paper Treatment of surface and paper grades, but they are very different. The coating chemistry offibers all traps colorant closer inkjet papers is designed for fast drying of aqueous inks.

Fast to the paper surface. drying surfaces restrict the amount of ink that can be absorbed by the paper which allows the ink colorant to stay on the surface.

The result is a broader color gamut than either uncoated or inkjet treated papers. Inkjet coated paper is usually also more resistant to dirt, moisture and wear.

SEM / ___nm A semi-porous coating layer quickly binds colorant on paper surface.

Inkjet Coated

6 SEM / ___nm

ďƒ˜

SCANNING ELECTRON MICROSCOPY (SEM) CROSS SECTION SCAN OF INKJET COATED PAPER PRINTED WITH AQUEOUS DYE INK.

TIP

Before you design, request printed samples using each inkjet paper your provider has available.

Paper Characteristics to Consider

There are a surprising number of characteristics that affect the performance of paper in production. If you are a designer working within a printing organization, you may have the opportunity to participate in the evaluation of papers for your shop in which case there are a wide array of papers to consider. However, if you work outside of a printing organization, chances are good that paper evaluations have already been done and your print provider has selected a few standard papers for each type of job. To run efficiently, a print organization may need to limit the papers available to just a few options.

This means a lot of work has been done for you. Whether choosing the paper yourself or working within the set of options that have been pre-selected for you by your print provider, it is important to understand the properties of the paper you are using so that you can design accordingly.

50

In addition to surface treatment, Porosity, Opacity, Brightness and Shade/ Whiteness are critical properties to understand. These paper characteristics interact with each other and, together and separately, impact your perception of images and text. You will also need to consider the basis weight of the paper.

Porosity measures the ability of the sheet to accept ink or water.

Porosity is inkjet’s true friend, but a friend which must be managed closely. Inkjet papers need some level of absorption so that water from the ink can absorb into the sheet when separated from the colorant.

Without absorption, the entire drop would just roll off the sheet. It’s like putting a drop of Kool-Aid on a piece of glass; the Kool-Aid has nowhere to go. You will get the same effect and make an even bigger mess if you try to use standard offset coated paper, which has no porosity, in an aqueous high speed machine.

6





WETTING & EVAPORATION

PENETRATION &



DRY

EVAPORATION

Papermakers usually measure paper porosity by using a “Gurley Densometer Test.” Gurley measurements determine the time required for a volume of air to leak through a defined area of the paper. The longer it takes a set volume of air to flow through the sheet, the more sealed the sheet. A typical Gurley porosity result for an uncoated offset paper would be 10-20 seconds whereas the result for an inkjet coated paper can be up to 60 seconds. In that example, it takes air 3 to 6 times longer to flow through the inkjet coated paper than to flow through the more porous uncoated offset paper. If you’re thinking that since a less porous sheet traps more air, it will also trap more colorant – you are right.

51

MEDIA IS YOUR CANVAS – CHOOSE WISELY

WHY SHOULD YOU CARE? Because porosity affects print quality. The ability of ink to penetrate the paper will affect color and print quality. Uncoated stocks tend to “dry-back” more than inkjet treated and coated stocks, meaning the color appearance of the image changes as it dries over time. Porosity can sometimes affect the color on only one side of the sheet or both. Some paper mills produce their offset grades using machines which have a “wire side and a felt side.” This causes the paper fibers in the forming process to create a different pattern from one side of the paper to the other, thus causing each side to absorb and dry at different rates. The printed color hue and density could look different from one side of the sheet to the other. Some inkjet machines compensate for this difference but, where others do not, this effect is called “two-sidedness.” If you are printing on two sides of a sheet, make sure to test both sides of the sheet or you might be in for a surprise.

6

TIP

Aqueous inkjet inks need some amount of paper porosity for ink drying.

Opacity is the property of paper which obstructs light and reduces “show-through.” Opacity is expressed as a percentage of light that cannot pass through the sheet. Therefore, 98% opacity means 98% of light cannot pass through the sheet, and is absorbed by or reflected from the surface.

52

 PRINT FROM BACK SHOWS THROUGH



6

HIGH OPACITY



TIP

LOW OPACITY

Paper thickness and porosity can affect image show-through.

WHY SHOULD YOU CARE? Because opacity affects print quality, particularly when printing on both sides of the sheet. Good opacity will prevent “show-through” when printing duplex and becomes increasingly important when applications include graphics in addition to text. Remember, the higher the number, the better the paper opacity.

53

MEDIA IS YOUR CANVAS – CHOOSE WISELY

Brightness is the volume of light reflected off the sheet of paper.

There are different industry measures for brightness. In simple terms, brightness is a measure of the amount of light reflected from the surface of a paper. Brightness is measured on a scale of 0 to 100 so, a 96 bright paper will reflect more light than an 86 bright paper.

100

6

94

90

The beginning brightness range for manufactured base paper pulp is 0-100. Sometimes paper manufacturers will use a brightness value above 100 because of the addition of Optical Brightening Agents (OBAs). OBAs improve a paper’s brightness and can make it appear whiter. On very bright sheets, there is more visible blue light reflected from the surface of the paper than the light source can emit due to extra blue light in the UV part of the spectrum being reflected, creating a measurement over 100. You can bet if the brightness value is over 100, the paper contains OBAs. Brightness Affects Ink Color: Colors printed on less bright (duller) papers can appear noticeably duller.

Note: Brightness is not whiteness or shade – see below.

TIP

Think of the wattage/brightness of a light bulb – light colors in an image can appear washed out on the whitest papers.

Shade/Whiteness: Refers to the quality of light, specifically, the extent to which a paper reflects light of all wavelengths throughout the visible spectrum. Brightness, on the other hand, considers only blue or short wavelengths such as UV.

WARM COOL

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Whiteness/Shade Affects Print Color: Although there are many papers, each with their own shade, there are 3 varieties which work best for high speed inkjet today: “true white”, “cream white” and “blue white.”

Í Í Í

A “true white” or “neutral paper shade,” equally reflects the total color spectrum.

A “cream white” shade absorbs the blues and cooler colors and will usually have a yellowish tint.

A “blue white shade” absorbs the warmer colors and reflects more blues or cooler colors. Have you ever noticed some sheets look “bluer” than others?”

Many papers are designed to a blue white shade because the blue white shade appears both brighter and whiter which is pleasing to the eye.

Using brighter and whiter papers can make darker images appear to have more contrast. Images on brighter/whiter paper can show more vibrant colors. But beware, some really bright white sheets can cause photographic images to look light and make warmer colors in the gamut (red, orange, yellow and light greens) more difficult to reproduce. A shade of “true white” will create more of a reproducible color balance for colored logos, graphics and photographs.

TIP

Think of the hue/color a light bulb gives off

WHY SHOULD YOU CARE? Because Porosity, Opacity, Brightness and Whiteness/Shade work together to affect everything from the amount of ink that can be used on a sheet to how much color will come from the colorant in the ink and how much will be based on the color of the sheet itself.

Choosing a paper that has too much porosity and not enough opacity can result in show-through and paper structure issues described in Chapter 3. Basically, paper is the foundation of every design and you need to understand what that foundation is built on.

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6

MEDIA IS YOUR CANVAS – CHOOSE WISELY

The Importance of Paper Basis Weight

Choosing the proper paper basis weight for the job is crucial to print, image and finishing quality. Many times the weight is chosen to cut costs since lower paper basis weights can be less expensive Using a lighter sheet also can reduce mailing costs. But, if the paper weight selected is too low for the intended level of saturation or color coverage, problems like showthrough, paper mottle, cockle and curl - as well as web breaks and finishing issues can occur. Remember, the ink is mostly water and you know what happens to paper when it gets too wet. Also, very light papers (below 20# text) can actually be more expensive than their heavier kin, but the tradeoff is finished weight for shipping or mailing as well as the thickness of the finished piece such as a book, catalog or prospectus. Choose a paper weight according to your design and printing parameters and understand the tradeoffs.

6

“Basis Weight” is a confusing term because while a paper’s basis weight is determined by the weight of a ream (500 sheets) of that paper’s sheet size, not all papers have the same base sheet size. Because the starting base sheet sizes are different, the basis weights of different categories of paper are difficult to compare, for example (80# Cover is much heavier than 80# Text).

Evaluating paper basis weights can be confusing. Trust us, we see it every day. So being the nice people we are, we have laid out a translation table to define the terms you may hear when talking about paper weight and thickness.

Defining Paper Terms The same paper “weight” in roll or sheet, can often be called by different names as well as different numbers for various stocks.

And, when we use the symbol # we mean pound, not hash tag, for all your Twitter folks out there! Common copy paper is normally referred to as 20# bond, but when not sold for your copier, it can be referred to as 50# text, 28# cover, 46# tag and 42# index. Wow, talk about an identity crisis. The chart on the next page shows the different names used for each paper weight as well as the Grams per Square Meter (GSM) equivalent.

Mills refer to paper weight differently than paper suppliers and printers. From a designer’s view, referring to and understanding the GSM makes the most sense as GSM refers to the actual weight of the sheet. In general, the higher the GSM and weight,

56

the thicker that paper is. Other terms are used more commonly based on the segment you are designing for such as transaction print, direct mail, commercial, books, packaging etc. In the case of books, paper thickness is often referenced as PPI which stands for Pages per Inch and measures how many pages can fit in the cover which has been sized for a particular book. This is important as covers are printed separately from the book block and compatibility of the finished pieces must be maintained for binding purposes.

Basis Weight Comparison Bond Offset Ledger # Text #

Cover #

Tag # Index Points

*Caliper Milli(inches) meters

Metric (gsm)

16

40

22

37

33

3.2

0.0032

0.081

60.20

18

45

24

41

37

3.6

0.0036

0.092

67.72

20

50

28

46

42

3.8

0.0038

0.097

75.20

24

60

33

56

50

4.8

0.0048

0.120

90.30

28

70

29

64

58

5.8

0.0058

0.147

105.35

29

73

40

62

60

6.0

0.0060

0.152

109.11

31

81

45

73

66

6.1

0.0061

0.155

116.63

35

90

48

80

74

6.2

0.0062

0.157

131.68

36

90

50

82

75

6.8

0.0068

0.173

135.45

39

100

54

90

81

7.2

0.0072

0.183

146.73

40

100

56

93

83

7.3

0.0073

0.185

150.50

43

110

60

100

90

7.4

0.0074

0.188

161.78

44

110

61

102

92

7.6

0.0076

0.193

165.55

47

120

65

108

97

8.0

0.0078

0.198

176.83

53

135

74

122

110

9.0

0.0085

0.216

199.41

54

137

75

125

130

9.0

0.0090

0.229

203.17

58

146

80

134

120

9.5

0.0092

0.234

218.22

65

165

90

150

135

10.0

0.0095

0.241

244.56

67

170

93

156

140

10.5

0.0100

0.250

252.08

72

183

100

166

150

11.0

0.0110

0.289

270.90

76

192

105

175

158

13.0

0.0130

0.330

285.95

82

208

114

189

170

14.0

0.0140

0.356

308.52

87

220

120

200

180

15.0

0.0150

0.380

312.00

105

267

146

200

220

18.0

0.0175

0.445

385.06

*Paper specs are for example only and can change per manufacturing mill 57

6

Don’t be “penny wise and # foolish.” You can now see how paper will, not may, affect your creative design and print expectations. If any portion of your project will be printed using an inkjet device, evaluate your paper options before the creative process begins, always request a printed reference chart and consider the impact of paper characteristics throughout the design process.

CHAPTER 6 APPLIED TO THE GUIDE After six chapters you know that we are pretty serious about paper.

We were lucky enough to work with a print partner who was willing to test some new stock for us. We needed a paper that would offer crisp results with low dot spread. We also needed paper that would enable the best color gamut possible on the Océ ColorStream 3000 series press in combination with aqueous pigment ink, and a surface that would not succumb to page curl and cockle on pages with higher ink coverage.

Canon Solutions America's Media & Solutions Lab recommended the Cham Paper Group and specifically the Inkjet Matte Coated 90 gsm PromoPrint P for the book body and the Inkjet Matte Coated 160 gsm PromoPrint P for the cover. (Note that the cover was then offline coated with a soft touch coating to give it an elegant finish.)

We tested the Cham together with our print partner using a reference chart and additional sample graphics and found that it had the whiteness, brightness, opacity and surface characteristics to meet our needs. It is specifically designed for pigment inkjet systems like the Océ ColorStream 3000 series press and ran through the finishing equipment like a dream. There is some fairly high color density on certain pages of the book and Cham came through like a champ.

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CHAPTER 7

THE POWER OF PROFILIING

THE POWER OF PROFILING

Colors Different paper types and weights behave quite differently when printed with pigment or dye inkjet inks. Each combination can handle a different amount of ink without creating the surface issues described earlier. Different combinations also affect the range of colors that can be produced on a particular inkjet device. In order to easily reference the behavior of these combinations of resources, we create a “color profile.� This is fairly technical but it is also quite powerful.

What Profiles Do

Imagine a genie who takes your design file and converts the colors and images to the color space of the ink and paper by modifying color curves, thereby allowing the machine to print to its fullest color potential. That’s what profiles do.

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When created and used properly, profiles can seem like magic, but like a lot of useful design tips, the magic of profiles is really just a combination of math, science and good planning. There are different types of color profiles used in various stages of the color management process which you should be aware of: An Input Profile mathematically defines the characteristics or color space of an input device such as a digital camera or scanner. In some systems, the monitor is also managed under the Input Profile.

A Monitor Profile mathematically represents the way that the monitor is reproducing color and is one of the tools used to calibrate a monitor to show colors more accurately.

Document Profiles are assigned when designing a document.

When using a color managed workflow, these profiles create a reference point for the specific RGB or CMYK color space in which the document is designed. If a document profile is not assigned, colors used in the file are just a set of numbers without a fixed reference point. But when a specific CMYK color space is assigned, the numbers assigned to each color will now specify the actual wavelength of light and therefore create a more accurate rendering of colors on your screen. Each program you use to design and assemble your document should be using the same settings.

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An Output Profile, also called a Machine Profile, characterizes a desktop printer, digital or offset press or a production inkjet device. The Output Profile takes into consideration the specific printing conditions it was made with, such as the type of paper and ink. Creating a color profile and setting the proper ink limit for the particular paper, ink and machine at production speed is imperative to setting color and image quality expectations. Always require your print testing, and production runs to be completed with the proper color profile for that particular paper type and weight. (Remember Chapter 6 and the importance of Basis Weight?)

DOCUMENT PROFILE REFERENCE POINT

INPUT PROFILE

OUTPUT PROFILE

MONITOR PROFILE

All profiles are basically look-up tables that describe the properties of the color gamut of a particular device. They rely on mathematical functions to properly map the colors of one color space to another. Simply put, profiles allow you to design and view color closer color on a monitor, then adjust the color space of the graphic file when prepared for printing. Adjusting desired colors to the available colors which can be reproduced with a specific ink, paper and machine is a way of only showing the available crayons you have in the box labeled “inkjet device.�

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As discussed in Chapter 2, a monitor and printer have different color spaces and the colors we use in designs (characterized within the Document Profile), must be communicated correctly through our monitor or input profile as well as adjusted to the color space of the machine (output profile) easily and automatically. A Machine Profile is not only used to adjust colors printed on an inkjet device, but also to allow those colors to be viewed more accurately (relative to the printed piece) on a monitor. This process of color management between the monitor and the Output Profile is called Soft Proofing, and is discussed later in this chapter.

What Profiles Don’t Do

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Profiles won’t make rainbows appear with a pot of gold or add crayons to your box of colors. In other words, a profile won’t result in a broader color gamut or more saturated colors than the paper, ink and machine combination is capable of. Profiles will though, attempt to match colors assigned in the design file, including spot PMS colors, through converting them to CMYK ink values. Going back to our box of crayons, profiles will help you find the crayon that is closest to the color you are trying to match, even if you don’t have a crayon of that exact color in the box. Be aware that some color’s values may not have a close match because they fall too far “out-of-gamut” when mapped to the machine profile. We talked about “out-of-gamut” in Chapter 2.

Breaking Down the Output Profile

In Chapter 2, we stressed that CMYK inkjet has a much narrower color gamut than an RGB monitor. But a CMYK inkjet machine’s color gamut size is also bounded by the type of paper it is printed on. Technically an inkjet machine doesn’t really have a color gamut, the combination of the print heads, ink and paper do! Paper + ink + printer - it’s the trifecta of inkjet.

Look what happens to the color gamut when different inks or different papers are used on the same machine.

Inkjet Coated Paper – Different Inks When using a high end inkjet coated paper grade formulated for the ink type, you see a difference in the color gamut between dye and pigment ink. The example color gamuts show that the inkjet color space from one ink type to another is different even when it is printed on a similar high grade sheet.

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Color Monitor

Color Monitor

Dye Pigment

Pigment Dye

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Page 64 Printed on Inkjet Coated Paper formulated for pigment ink

Printed on Inkjet Coated Paper Page formulated for dye64 ink Page 64

Why don’t the inks look the same on a similar paper, you ask? Well, each ink is very different and so is the formulation of the paper surface to accept each ink. The ink, the colorants, additives and the amount of water used in each one is different, as well as the speed needed for it to dry. Each paper surface has been manufactured to keep more of the ink’s colorant on the surface while drying quickly. Even though they are the same “type” of paper, they are so different that the ink printed on each has a different maximum volume that will dry without damaging the paper surface. In other words, each has its own color profile with a different TAC setting resulting in different color gamuts.

Same Ink – Different Papers Now, let’s now look at different papers, same ink. The picture on the 76 page shows Pagenext Page 76the color gamut resulting from printing on 3 different papers with the same aqueous pigment ink. Look at the difference in color gamut and number of colors each can reproduce. Each inkjet machine will print a little differently on the same paper which will vary the amount of reproducible colors or the “number of crayons in the box.”

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Color Monitor

Coated Inkjet = 314,669 colors Treated Inkjet = 228,854 colors Uncoated Offset = 147,335 colors

Printed with aqueous pigment inks

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Are you asking why again? Well, remember how we said that paper absorbs light and reflects back the color you see, including the paper color? The whiteness, brightness, porosity, opacity, Page 65 shade and the level to which the inks colorant dives into the paper structure all affect what colors are reflected back. So, any deviation in the paper properties or how it reacts to the ink will change the amount of colors it can reproduce thus affecting the size of its color gamut.

Using an Inkjet Output Profile in Photoshop If you want try to color correct using soft proofing on your monitor, a bit of advice. The accuracy of soft proof monitor rendering relative to printed output depends on the type of paper you will be using and how the colorant absorbs into the paper. Although it can be done, soft proofing for inkjet output is not particularly effective unless you are using high-end inkjet coated paper and even this will not be entirely accurate.

There are also inherent limitations in trying to represent the color of paper using a monitor. The software will try to adjust for the dullness of an uncoated sheet by adjusting the actual color of the paper – however a monitor can never truly be dull since it is made up of lights shining in your face.

The best use of soft proofing for color correction in Adobe Photoshop is to simply show the actual “out-of-gamut” colors before you print. Again – this is like saying “here are the crayons missing from the box. Pick a different crayon.” But, before any alterations

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can be done (see below) be sure your monitor is calibrated otherwise it will be a shot in the dark.

Ready? Calibrate. Correct.

Your print provider may have the color profile from their machine(s) printed with the specified paper and ink. These profiles can then be used with Adobe Creative Suite programs to show how the colors will be affected when printed. Soft proofing is an attempt to show a close representation of how the printer profile affects the image and how the printed image will look. The accuracy of the soft proof will vary considerably from paper to paper and based on the calibration of the monitor and the quality of the monitor you are using.

SCREEN CAPTURE: ACTUAL PPI 72, EFFECTIVE PPI 168

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SCREEN CAPTURE: ACTUAL PPI 72, EFFECTIVE PPI 112

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To start, get a profile from your print provider and save it in the proper folder location for Adobe Bridge or the design program you are using if Bridge is not available in your workflow.

Note: Macintosh and PC profile location requirements are different, so double check the location needed for Adobe to see the profile.

You can softproof in any of Adobe programs by going to “View/ Proof Setup”.

2. For example, Adobe Photoshop, go to: “View” then “Proof Setup” “Custom” 3. Under “Device to Simulate” choose the printer profile you saved in step 1.

4. Under “Rendering Intent” choose “Relative Colorimetric” 5. Check the box for “Black Point Compensation”.

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THE POWER OF PROFILING

SCREEN CAPTURE: ACTUAL PPI 72, EFFECTIVE PPI 188

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SOFT PROOF WITH SIMULATE PAPER COLOR TURNED ON SCREEN CAPTURE: ACTUAL PPI 72, EFFECTIVE PPI 189

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SOFT PROOF WITH SIMULATE PAPER COLOR TURNED OFF

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If you want to use soft proofing for more than checking out-of-gamut colors, make sure to use the “Simulate Paper Color” option.

This feature maps the White Point in your profile. When this option is left off, the maximum white (RGB=255) in the file is mapped to the maximum white of the monitor (Monitor RGB=255). So the white you will see is the white point of your monitor, not the paper.

If you wish for a closer paper white point, you can turn Simulate Paper Color ON. You still are not going to get a fully accurate proof, but it will attempt to show how the colors and brightness will change from absorbing into the paper.

Note: Simulate Black Ink is defaulted to ON if you choose “Simulate Paper Color.” It maps the Black Point inside your Profile to the monitor display in an attempt to reproduce the actual black density of your print.

While softproofing, one way to pinpoint the areas of color which need correction without affecting the colors that do not, is to turn on Gamut Warning. This setting calls out colors you have included in your document design which will be printed a bit differently than what you see on the monitor because they fall outside of the reproducible colors EXAMPLE: GAMUT WARNING OFF

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SHOWS OUT OF GAMUT AREAS

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EXAMPLE: GAMUT WARNING ON

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THE POWER OF PROFILING

in the printer’s color gamut. You can then apply various tools within Photoshop to bring the individual colors back into gamut, such as the “Saturation Control”. This feature is particularly helpful when trying to produce consistent corporate colors on different types of paper with different inks.

While Soft Proofing is enabled, Gamut Warning can be turned on by selecting “Gamut Warning” under “View”. Colors which are out-of-gamut colors will be indicated by a gray mask as shown on previous page.

The example "out-of-gamut" image is printed on a very absorbent uncoated paper and highlight to midtone bright red and orange areas are out-of-gamut – meaning the colors will be shifted within the color gamut of the inkjet machine. Often when you see a large color value range that is out-of-gamut, it means that a particular ink’s colorant, in this case magenta, is absorbing quickly into the sheet and taking on more paper color.

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So what can you do about this? You might want to adjust the colors included in the gamut warning. But, you don’t know how far out-of-gamut they are. Just because a color is out-of-gamut doesn’t mean that it is so far out that it is unacceptable. Some colors may be just outside the gamut with little visual color difference. Others indicated could be much farther out, showing a drastic color change. Correcting the gray areas globally can lead to image areas which are desaturated. Understanding how the ink’s colorant reacts to the paper takes some time and experience.

YOUR BEST BET? Ask for a color reference chart from the target machine to get a better understanding of what the differences are between the printed output and what you see on the monitor. Then correct areas of color which show undesirable color shift either by changing your design or applying tools in Photoshop such as Hue and Saturation adjustment to individual colors.

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TIP

To understand the color and gamut differences of Soft Proofing an image, compare a printed sheet which used the same output profile.

It is important though, if you are printing to multiple devices and editing color values and images for high speed inkjet, to keep these images and documents separate, as they now contain color modification for an exact high speed inkjet machine, ink and paper and will not print as expected on any other device.

If you are really committed to using soft proofing, take the time to make a custom monitor setting for the specific inkjet machine, ink and paper combination. Every monitor is a bit different but will have a feature which allows custom settings. This can be done only if you have a printed sample created under the same machine, ink, profile and paper conditions to use for comparison.

The Benefits of Qualified Inkjet paper grades

Print manufacturers invest significantly in testing and qualifying available papers for use with their inkjet devices. Sticking to qualified papers which the manufacturer has tested and approved is another way to keep color and image quality consistent from run to run. By choosing just a few house papers, project color and print requirements will become easier to manage.

Each inkjet manufacturer, as well as your print provider, has completed a series of qualification tests on a wide range of paper stock and weights to ensure quality results and avoid production issues. Your printer should have these printed paper samples, as well as information on any other testing they have completed, to help you choose the right paper at the right cost for your project.

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Managing Expectations

Okay, let’s say you followed all of the steps above and you have received printed samples from your print provider and done your paper homework. The paper has been chosen based on having characteristics which best suit your project and you know what the color and image quality will be when printed.

Your design is complete and you and the customer are positive about the print expectations. You have project sign off.

7 Then the customer says they found a cheaper paper that is “just as good.”

You probably want to scream – but this happens a lot (the paper issues, not the screaming.) After you successfully navigate the five stages of grief, you have 2 choices, restart the process by getting printed samples and modifying the design, or accept the customer’s wishes and run the production job “as is” on the customer’s chosen paper. Either way, you MUST talk to your customer about how it will affect color and image quality before moving forward. Have printed samples on both papers ready to discuss. Chances are that the customer will see that the paper they picked is not “just as good” but, if they want to use it anyway, then have them sign off that they understand it will look different than the paper you recommended. Not that your client has a bad memory, but you can bet he won’t remember the conversation you had about that paper when someone starts complaining to him that the brand colors aren’t right. Remember “penny wise and # foolish? Consider having your customer read Chapter 6 of this Guide.

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You must also make sure that your print provider is in the loop and willing to run the paper your client wants. If it is not an OEM qualified paper and has not been tested on the device, it may not work all the way through the finishing process.

On the other hand, the paper may work, but there may be a cost to put it through the testing process which requires some production downtime on some very expensive print and finishing equipment. All of a sudden your customer’s “cheaper� paper may not be that cheap after all.

In the past many customers, particularly those in the transaction printing segment, wanted to supply their own paper to the print provider. In the evolving era of inkjet, the print provider needs to take the lead on testing, approving and managing paper options for customers. This is a change that will take some getting used to for customers and designers but it is the fastest path to quality, consistency and best pricing as well. Helping to educate your customers on this will make projects run more smoothly for everyone.

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CHAPTER 8

DESIGNING FOR INKJET – THE ELEMENTS OF DESIGN

DESIGNING FOR INKJET – THE ELEMENTS OF DESIGN

Design Once you understand how paper and ink work together, it’s time to drill down on how your understanding of that interaction should affect your design decisions. The profile you are working with (paper, ink and device) directly affects the ability to produce specific type sizes, line weights and colors – so you want to design within that palette. Since you are now working in a variable print environment, it is also important to understand how design decisions can have a domino effect on production speed and quality.

Always start your design process armed with the printed samples you received from your print partner based on the paper and ink that will be used in final production. These prints will be extremely helpful when choosing fonts, colors, images and placement of solids.

Designing with Proper Document Color Settings

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You might design a variety of things - books, direct mail, literature, brochures, posters, business cards or bills and statements. Right now, all of these projects might be produced using different CMYK printing processes which produce different sized color gamuts than high speed inkjet. You want your document to represent a color space wide enough to include all of the different machines, papers and inks which you may use.

As we said in Chapter 7, documents also have profiles. Each profile describes the color space of RGB images differently than CMYK images and document colors used in text and vector graphics. Better known as Document Color Settings, each individual Adobe program requires this profile information.

Once color profiles are assigned to your document, it is called your Working Color Space. Your working color space is the reference point for on screen rendering and also defines the color spaces for document and graphic elements enabling a more accurate conversion to the printer.

What Document Color Settings Should You Use? Suprisingly, few designers know what working color space they are designing in or which are the best settings to represent the printing processes which will produce the final output from their designs.

Most likely you design for many different processes such as offset, digital or wide format inkjet and are currently using

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predefined color settings such as North America Prepress 2, US Web Coated (SWOP) V2, a newer standard version SWOP_2006 or GRACoL_2006, all of which are available with the release of Adobe CS4. These settings include the correct working space profiles needed for various printing processes. However, the gamuts for SWOP and GRACoL are most likely larger than the high speed inkjet gamut you are targetting, so be prepared for some color shifts to occur.

When applied in Adobe Bridge or individual Adobe CS programs, these color settings assign the proper working space to your document as well as defining color management policies and conversion settings for your images. Profiles are assigned to render the color space for your document as well as define image color for the conversion to a printer’s color space.

In case you are not familiar with Bridge, it is a program which will automatically synchronize the color space for all of your Adobe programs creating a Color Managed Workflow. Think of Bridge as a “translator” of color spaces between programs. A Bridge color managed workflow translates the rendering of image and color data to your display as well as setting a color reference point to convert to a printer’s output color space across multiple programs. It ensures your design programs, documents, images, vectors and text colors are synced to the same color language. 

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SCREEN CAPTURE: ACTUAL PPI 72, EFFECTIVE PPI 178

CHOOSE CUSTOM ADOBE .PDF SETTINGS AS DIRECTED

BY YOUR PRINT PARTNER

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Good News: Although high speed inkjet’s color space is smaller, it generally fits within the standard SWOP and GRACoL document color spaces you use today. So, you don’t have to change a thing to include it into your multi-printer-process workflow. However, since the inkjet’s gamut is smaller, you may lose some colors when your document color space converts to inkjet. Vibrant or saturated colors on the edge of the gamut may become muted. Once again having a “reference print” run with the ink and paper you will be printing on will help prepare you for this reduced gamut.

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Color Monitor

GRACoL SWOP HS INKJET

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ILLUSTRATION SHOWS COLOR GAMUT SIZES LARGER THAN HIGH SPEED INKJET

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The size of different high speed inkjet printer’s color spaces vary depending on the ink and paper used in the process. While your printer’s color space will always be smaller than your display’s, and is usually also smaller than your document SWOP and GRACoL color space, this can create a larger gap between display color and printed color than you may be used to. Even if an inkjet device prints a smaller gamut than the color space you are working in, the printer’s profile will attempt to minimize the differences between your document color space and the available gamut of the printer.

Once you have set up your color managed workflow, you can design using a printer’s profile as a soft proof and you will be working with colors inside the final gamut. See Chapter 7 for more on Soft Proofing.

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If you don’t have these predefined color management settings, talk to your print provider. They should be able to provide you with an actual settings file or advise you on what the individual settings should be for best results on the target equipment.

Synchronizing Document Color Settings Taking the time to align the setting across all your Adobe programs will make your life as a designer much easier. Ensure that all graphics and images have been produced with the same color settings as the program they will be assembled in. It is best practice to synchronize all your programs to the same color settings as we discussed earlier. Switching back and forth between color settings within a document or between programs can cause color problems, confusion and headaches. If you have Adobe’s full Creative Suite then you have access to Adobe Bridge which is ideal for this purpose.

Once synched, Bridge assures that any new documents created, will automatically be set to a common color space, creating a color managed workflow between Adobe programs.

If you don’t have Bridge, you can still manually configure color settings for each of the programs you use in your design process by selecting “Edit”, “Color Settings”. This is more time consuming but will ultimately create the same color managed workflow as Bridge.

Applying consistent color management across all programs is key to ensuring the best document color space transition from all Adobe design programs to the printer.

Document Color Mode for Adobe Illustrator.

You may already know this but, it is worth mentioning, design programs like Adobe Illustrator have an additional setting for document color space. This setting, under “File”, “Document Color Mode,” should always be in CMYK mode for any type of printing. If not set correctly all color assigned to text or vector elements will be in RGB color space which will not print as expected. Finding yourself in the RGB color space can also cause a lot of confusion when trying to “tweak” colors for CMYK printing.

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So, let’s recap setting up document color space:

Í All of your programs are synced for color management by using predefined settings or using instructions from your print provider;

Í These settings have been applied in Adobe Bridge for automatic program color synchronization or by applying the same settings in each individual program;

Í Your document color space is CMYK so colors are made of CMYK values and not RGB.

Now, Let’s Talk About Images

If you’re involved in designing basic statements, bills or personalized letter mail you may never use an image more complex than a 2 color logo – but, if you create more complex pieces with photos or layered images you will want to pay careful attention to the tips in this section.

First of all, understand that images need to be processed natively.

Prescreened images which have been previously RIPed or converted into a pattern should never be used. These images will not process or print correctly.

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Choose the Correct Image Resolution for the Process Each printer, as well as type of project, may require images to be prepared at a different resolution. Designs which contain a lot of variable images may require a lower resolution than the printer’s top resolution in order to avoid “clutching.” If there are a lot of high resolution images coming to the printer, sometimes the printer’s RIP can’t process as fast as the printer can print causing the printer to “downshift” to reduce speed or “clutch”. Some printers come to a complete stop wasting large amounts of paper and causing issues with downstream processes. Reducing the size of the image files by making them lower resolution can improve the processing speed for the file. Depending on the size of the image and the amount of resolution reduction needed to maximize speed, you may not even see an image quality difference. Often images saved at 300 dpi look virtually the same as those saved at 600 dpi. However, for highly detailed, fixed images and barcodes within your design it is best to create and save the images at the maximum resolution of the printer. This will ensure there will be no unintentional image degradation. Remember, this is one of those important topics to discuss with your print provider.

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The type of file you use will also affect file size and therefore, processing speed. Bitmap image file sizes are larger than vector images because each pixel in a bitmap has a color value assigned. More details on the best image formats for inkjet are provided later in this chapter.

Print providers often have their own internal guidelines on the types of image files they prefer and for handling specific types of images in order to balance quality with productivity. Talk to your provider about the file types and resolution which will streamline file processing and ensure image clarity for variable or fixed images.

Sizing Bitmapped Images While you can reduce a bitmap image without losing clarity, because bitmap images are made up of square pixels, when enlarged from its original resolution a bitmap can lose print quality. The image below shows that when the sizes of individual pixels in a bitmap are increased they become fuzzy and cause a pixilated (jagged) effect at the edges.

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BITMAP IMAGE CAN BECOME FUZZY AS IT IS ENLARGED

Enlarging bitmap images is never recommended but, if you find it necessary, it is best to use a native photo program such as Adobe Photoshop so smoothing effects can be added, reducing the pixilated appearance.

Cropping to Improve Efficiency Images should be cropped and prepared to the exact final width and height, as well as resolution and color space, in Adobe Photoshop before placing them in the document to avoid processing excess image data.

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Challenges with Very Small Detailed Pictures Bitmap picture images smaller than 1" x 1" will present challenges when the goal is to show fine detail. This is because of the relatively few pixels available in an image of this size.

Think of it this way: If an image which is 1"x1" and is at 300dpi resolution, it has 300 pixels across and down, so 90,000 colored pixels.

If that same image is ½" x ½" at 300dpi there will only be 150 pixels across and down, therefore only 22,500 colored pixels. So if you take the math a step further, you have a space that is half the size, but you only have one quarter of the pixels. Bottom line, a lot less pixels to create the detail.

In order to avoid “losing pixels and detail,” best practice is for any area of a picture image which requires fine detail to be 1"x 1" or larger within the overall picture. The larger the detailed area, the more pixels it has to reproduce the image detail... Get it?

Photoshop – You’re my Best Friend!

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When you’re trying to get the best image and color quality out of an inkjet printer, Photoshop is a huge help. When used in a color managed workflow, Photoshop can display the color space of your inkjet device through soft proofing to help with color correction, plus it has wonderful filters and effects that make images and colors pop even when they are printed on uncoated and treated papers.

Color Settings for Photoshop Earlier we talked about synchronizing the same color settings across Adobe programs by using Adobe Bridge or manually in each individual program. If you synchronized in Bridge, you have automatic color management set up for all programs including Photoshop. If you had to do it manually, be sure Photoshop’s settings match the program you will be designing in.

RGB or CMYK Color Space for Photoshop Images Your Adobe document can include images in different color spaces of RGB and CMYK. Choosing the correct color space of your images should be determined by your print provider’s workflow.

Even though your document can accept RGB and/or CMYK images, your print provider will prefer one or the other. Images

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should not be mixed between color spaces or you will get unexpected color when printed. Ask your service provider which color space is best before any image editing is done to avoid potential rework.

Enhancing images and photos in Photoshop Images printed on some inkjet papers can become dull, lose color and image definition just by the nature of how the ink spreads and pulls into the fibers of the paper. To help with these image issues, Photoshop offers many filters and image adjustments that will become an inkjet designer’s best friend.

TIP

Convert images to the color space required by your workflow or printer, before applying image effects.

Applying Image Filters and Plug-Ins to Picture Images We recommend that any adjustments be tested on your color reference document prior to applying to your design project because this is a complex process and will yield different results when used in a production inkjet environment.

Remember to apply filters and image adjustments to the correct image resolution and final color space recommended for your workflow because applying any color correction effects or filters will affect color in a manner that is specific to your color space. A few Photoshop filters can only be applied to an RGB color space image, so be sure to review filter rules before converting an image’s color space.

Although not a good practice, if an image has been converted to CMYK, and a Photoshop filter or effect can only be applied to an RGB image, you can convert back to RGB. Just be sure to preserve your original color definitions upon RGB conversion; then convert the image to the preferred production color space before final color correction and soft proofing.

Filters and Plug-Ins: Here are a Few Favorites:

Í Applying Contrast to an image provides richer overall color definition for images that would otherwise become flat with minimum depth when printing. Dark or low contrast- images can be edited in Photoshop to lighten shadow areas and apply more contrast to ensure these areas do not become flat or lose detail.

Í Exposure will increase mid-tone and shadow color saturation to areas which are flat.

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Í HDR Toning intensifies the images detail and sharpness with color saturation adjustments.

Í Photo Filter colorizes highlight and mid-tone areas which are likely to take on the paper color. Choose a hue which adds color to areas which are dirtied by the paper color.

Í Selective Color allows hue colors to be adjusted separately.

Losing magenta color intensity? Crank up your image reds!

Í Sharpening increases the sharpness and detail without large color saturation differences. Great for images which are flat and lost image detail. Use this in combination with any of the above. Great for uncoated and treated papers.

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When using uncoated or treated papers, don’t be shy about using Photoshop and image effects.

Your printed images will thank you!

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CONTRAST APPLIED

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HDR TONING ADDED

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SHARPENING

Layering, Transparency, Ghosting Effects When these effects are applied to fixed or variable bitmap images, they should be flattened in Adobe Photoshop prior to using them in a design or variable workflow. This creates a smaller composite, standalone image which is not dependent on cross program actions.

The result is more efficient processing of bitmaps images.

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Color Correction applied on screen to your images can be time consuming and frustrating if you are not working on a profiled monitor in a color managed workflow. Utilizing soft proofing can be helpful with image color correction if you are familiar with how the printer, ink and paper represents what you see on your display (see Chapter 7).

The color difference between the display and the printed image depends on how much smaller the color space of the printer is than the GRACoL or SWOP color space profile assigned in the color management settings.

When you soft proof, you temporarily change the working document color profile from SWOP or GRACoL to the printer profile, thus making the display attempt to render the document in the color space which the printer, ink and paper can produce.

Assuming your monitor is calibrated correctly and you are working in a color managed Adobe workflow utilizing the inkjet printer’s output profile for soft proofing (with your printed sample as reference), you are ready to adjust color on screen. There are many ways to adjust color in Photoshop, but the most common when adjusting color to compensate for absorbent paper is through “Image”, ”Adjustment”, “Curves”.

Photoshop color curves allow you to modify RGB or CMYK bitmap images, editing the combined color channels or each color separately based on a 1-100% editing curve. Using Curves helps open up mid-tone or shadow areas if they become too dark and lose detail. 

SCREEN CAPTURE: ACTUAL PPI 72, EFFECTIVE PPI 258

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As we stressed in Chapter 7, use caution when correcting an image which will print in a smaller color space. Imagine, if you are color correcting a CMYK (4 color channels) bitmap image, each with 99 points of color for each channel affecting the other color channels once printed. This means 99 x 99 x 99 x 99 = 96,059,601 ways to manage color in a single file.

This also leads to over 96 million ways to screw up the color of an image! That may sound dramatic, but it is true.

As complex as all of this may seem, the 96 million points of color data you modify, which are then represented on screen, will still not truly be an accurate representation of the aqueous ink’s dot spread when absorbed into the paper. But, it is a good step towards understanding the differences between what you see on screen and the printed piece.

As we mentioned earlier in the book, requesting a “Reference Print” is the best way to see how the inkjet machine and paper perform together allowing a better benchmark for future color correction.

Best Image File formats for Inkjet 8

Image file formats differ in the way they compress files and how well they retain the color data in the saved file. Different file formats compress bitmap data in different ways, some at the cost of image quality.

Think of file compression as a sweater in a bag after all the air is sucked out of the bag. The bag is smaller than it was before the air was sucked out, but what will the sweater look like when you open the bag? Will it be wrinkled and messy or perhaps damaged in some way, or will it puff right back up and look great? Some compression algorithms will give you a sweater that looks like you slept in it for a week.

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The most common image file formats for fixed bitmap images are .JPG and .TIF. For transactional markets, JPEG is used for its compression and file size features.

But they also use a lot of solid and logo colors, which JPEG does not convert very well. If applying variable data images, each composition workflow has a preferred file and compression format for images, so check with your print provider.

The most common file formats and their pros and cons are explained below.

JPEG (Joint Photographic Expert Group) This is a very common file format for workflows which have to process a large number of color images at a high rate of speed. JPEGs use adjustable compression (low, medium, high and maximum) sometimes called “Lossy”, which allows a selectable tradeoff between storage size and image quality.

Continuous tone photo images stored as JPEG (.JPG files) are very small and efficient, but JPEG is poor for solid image graphics like logos.

For all JPEG images, do NOT repeatedly edit and save your JPEG images as artifacts are added each time and quality is lost. Repeat, every time you save a JPEG file, quality is reduced. Complete your edits using a lossless (see below) file format and then save as JPEG when final. If further edits are required, use the original file format and create a new JPEG. Note: If you are planning to assign PMS colors to your bitmap and/ or vector images, and your print provider’s workflow supports it, do not use JPEG as it does not retain the PMS data and converts automatically to CMYK or RGB. TIFF (Tagged Image File Format) TIFF images stored as .tif or .tiff files use “Lossless” (meaning no loss) compression which is considered the highest quality format for print work. TIFF’s are not "higher quality” images, it just means that upon compression, there is no a loss of color data or added artifacts which degrade the image like JPEG. TIFFs are larger than JPG files and work with both in RGB and CMYK bitmap and vector images.

Vector EPS (Encapsulated Postscript) EPS is the format for graphic elements which are created and exported from Adobe Illustrator or InDesign and shared across all Adobe programs. Many designers work with .EPS files until ready to save final files in the format best suited to the production workflow.

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To Sum it up, we recommend using:

Í JPEG for Variable Bitmap Images - Choose a “Low or Medium” Quality Setting if you need small sized files and are not so concerned with image quality

Í JPEG for Static Bitmap Images - Choose a “High or Maximum” Quality setting for static images which need to be smaller in file size but better quality.

Í TIFF for Static Bitmap Images, Solids and Logos - RGB or CMYK bitmap images which require the highest print quality.

Í EPS for Static Solids and Logos - use for the smoothest color solids.

More on Variable Images

Using variable images within your design can add powerful personalization to your marketing message, but it can also slow down or choke the data processing if images are not prepared correctly. Here are a few good tips for preparing variable images: Color Space. Images should be in the correct RGB or CMYK color space determined by your workflow prior to variable processing. This will help reduce time and image processing requirements for the printer.

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Quantity of Images. If you are processing large quantities of variable images, keep variable images and text separate.

Overlapping text and image overlapping elements will increase file processing requirements.

Variable and Fixed Combined. Please note a fixed image with variable data text included, or extended from the fixed image, is considered a variable image. The image will be processed each time with the variable text affecting file processing time.

FLOAT YOUR BOAT AT MISTY'S MARINA

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Adding properly prepared images to your color managed document workflow is key to the proper color conversion of images when printed.

Now, let’s add your properly prepared images to your color managed document as we did earlier:

Í Í Í Í

Ask your printer about color space, and file formats Ensure correct resolution Assign correct color space Add any image filters or plug-ins

Í Color correct or edit Í Flatten image (if necessary) Í Save in preferred file format (and compression setting)

Vignettes

When creating vignettes as a bitmap or as a vector image, be sure to allow enough room for the gradation to smooth between colors. Too many color transitions in a short area can cause banding effects.

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GRADATION BECOMES BANDED WHEN TOO MANY COLOR TRANSITIONS ARE INCLUDED



YOUR VIGNETTE SHOULD APPEAR SMOOTH FROM THE HIGHLIGHT THROUGH THE SHADOW.

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COLOR GRADATION IS SMOOTHER WHEN SPACE IS GIVEN FOR THE TRANSITIONS

If creating and saving vignettes in Photoshop, they are considered bitmaps and should follow the same Photoshop image requirements outlined earlier.

Diagnosing Vignette Problems Blotchiness and banding in printed vignettes can also be caused by the profile, print heads, paper or resolution. A vignette’s mottling or blotchiness may be due to applying too much ink within the profile combined with using an absorbent paper. Banding in the cross direction of the paper may be due to low resolution at the RIP. These effects may only be visible in certain sections of the vignette.

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Now Let’s Add Some Document Color

To this point, you have applied color management to an Adobe program design workflow; you are working in the correct CMYK document color space and have added images with the proper Photoshop image and color space requirements. Adding colors to your document or vector images is the next element which requires correct values.

When adding color blocks to a document or vector images, be sure the CMYK process or PMS swatch value’s “Color Type” is set as process and “Color Mode” to CMYK. Use the Adobe Color Bridge Swatch book or the library contained within Adobe when initially choosing document PMS colors as it has the corresponding CMYK process values. Be sure to verify Adobe's CMYK color values match Adobes printed Color Bridge Swatch book. If color values are different, use the CMYK numbers from the printed Bridge Swatch book. We assign colors as CMYK because we will be printing with CMYK inks. Remember?

When assigning colors for color matching, some document color values will need to be tweaked. We included an Appendix on Creating Your Own Tint Book which will help you achieve a closer color match when printed.

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Managing dynamic blocks of color Blocks of color can direct your reader’s eye and give a dramatic effect to your statement, but they also use more ink and, if used in excess, can create paper saturation and finishing issues. There are a few things to keep in mind when creating blocks of color: Dark solid colors use more ink, as they require a higher amount of each process color to create the dense printed color. Dark solid color blocks will usually require a heavier weight when printing on uncoated paper, or an inkjet treated as it absorbs less ink and will help avoid over saturation.

If using solid blocks of color in a design, experiment with lighter solid colors which will use less ink and help avoid any paper saturation issues. “Backing up” images on the back side of the paper balancing side to side coverage differences can also help reduce paper curl. Also, try vignettes or blends instead of solid colored blocks or bars. Another trick is to put “noise” or a pattern into the solid block of color to better distribute the ink.

If using lighter weight uncoated or treated paper, it is best practice to limit use and size of all blocks and bands of light and dark colors, keeping them small and away from document edges. Large bands 88

used within and along the side of light weight paper can cause the paper to curl due to saturation. Paper curl can cause finishing and inserting issues downstream in the process. One of the keys to a successful inkjet design is to be sure the paper chosen can handle the ink volume used.

It is not advised to use rich blacks as solid blocks or bands of color when using thin papers because large solids can cause the visual appearance of paper mottle, paper saturation and cause drying and post processing issues. But, for heavier weighted papers, sometimes using rich blacks will add density and can hide issues such as mottling and banding. Be sure to test different “enhanced blacks” (rich black CMYK combinations) before adding them to your design. Different paper types and weights will handle rich blacks differently so in some cases defining a black that uses 100K plus just 20 to 40 percent Cyan could improve results You will need to test the impact on a case by case (or paper by paper) basis.

Using Large Areas of Color Using large background images and solids requires “High Ink Coverage”.

Producing designs with high ink coverage can sometimes cause image, paper and finishing issues if the right paper stock and weight is not used.

It is extremely important to test your high coverage artwork out on paper which is manufactured specifically for aqueous inks as well as a thicker paper before going to production Tips and Techniques for Reducing Coverage Using lighter colored images and solids which require less ink will help with the paper saturation. Any papers used should have a custom profile created with the proper TAC setting applied when printed. Your print provider can also reduce a TAC setting within a profile to help with issues caused by ink and paper saturation. But be aware, reducing the TAC limit can also reduce the darker shades reproducible in your color gamut.

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Applying Typography and Fonts with Care

As you know, ink absorbs into paper and, depending on the surface of the paper, a dot of ink can spread a little or a lot. A little bit of dot gain can drastically affect the clarity of small or fine text. Text at 4, 6, 8 or even 10pt can be unreadable with certain ink and paper combinations.

Remember the color reference chart we talked about earlier? If you had it printed using the ink and paper chosen for production showing different type sizes and treatments, you will easily be able to see the Minimum Text Sizes which are appropriate for your project.

Most design projects use Positive Type for any long passages of text.

Inverse Type, sometimes called Reverse Text, printed in aqueous inkjet should never be used for body copy or text which requires extensive reading.

Inverse type is commonly used for headline or call out copy which is larger than 14 pt for serif and 12pt for san serif fonts. Since inverse type is visually challenging, adequate letter spacing (kerning) is important for maintaining clarity (see section Leading and Kerning below).

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Dot gain affects the readability of inverse type even more than positive type.

Reversed out text is essentially a hole in a block of color. When ink drops spread in the X and Y direction of the sheet, filling in those holes, the letters can become unreadable. Dot gain filling in the letters of inverse text is called Plugging. Its good practice to set text size for inverse text a point size or more larger than positive text when using aqueous inkjet, and always, refer to a printed sample to ensure best text size to be used.

Know your minimum sizes for inverse text and apply adequate spacing for legibility to allow for dot spread and absorption into the paper. Talk to your print service provider if you are considering using reverse type smaller than the suggested minimums.

Variable text is a dynamic and “alive” element of the design. It will flow differently as the copy content changes within its intended boundaries.

Naturally, the same text will also flow differently if a different font is applied.

Review the text content and identify the record data which contains the largest number of characters. Sample this data with the actual font, leading and kerning that will be used in the final artwork so enough room is allotted in the assigned white space.

The sample image at the right shows how text can flow differently just from changing the font style. If your assigned bounding box is not large enough for the new flow of the text, copy can be cut off or “clipped”.

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EVERY GOOD BOY DOES FINE EVERY GOOD BOY DOES Kerning and Leading Kerning and leading are two wonderful typography adjustments which can be used to open up solid and reverse body copy for better legibility and to compensate for dot gain.

Kerning Kerning Kerning 

SHOWS A RANGE OF -30, 0, AND 50

Kerning is the adjusting the spacing or “elbow room” between the letters in a line or within a block of type. Reducing kerning fits more letters on a line but decreases legibility. Adding kerning gives a sense of airiness and openness between letters, but will increase space needed for the text block. When printing with uncoated or treated paper, it helps to better define the letter improving clarity. Increased kerning will also command attention providing a “boldness” to an area.

Leading is the distance between lines of type as measured from baseline to baseline. Closer leading fits more text on the page, but decreases legibility.

Looser leading creates more space above and below the lines of text and makes the document easier to read, but requires more space dedicated for the text block. See what we did here?

Fun fact: The term comes from the days when a pressman would place an actual lead bar below a line of text on the press to add space.

TrueType Fonts vs. Vector As we mentioned, in the world of variable printing, the file needs to look good and run well too. That’s why it’s best to use a TrueType Font for variable applications. This means you are depending on the 91

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font data (code) to modify the font to things like, flush left, right and center, type size, leading, kerning, reflow, etc. This creates a smaller file size and, of course a TrueType font is needed for text when data content is variable and needs to automatically reflow for copy differences. A smaller file size will process more quickly.

Text Colors Using colors in text is great for helping the reader navigate the page or just to add a little visual excitement. When text is not in color, many designers still like to use color in the form of “rich black.” Rich Black uses all 4 process colors combined to achieve a darker/denser black color. However, when designing for inkjet, rich blacks should never be assigned to any body copy. Rich blacks can cause paper saturation, text raggedness and possible registration issues for very small text. Overall, it is safer to specify black as 100%K instead of Rich Black for inkjet devices. And by now it should go without saying, never make text or any document color with RGB. Black created in RGB will automatically convert to Rich Black. If you may require Rich Blacks for certain treatments – make sure to include a sample on your printed reference chart.

Minimum line weights 8

Solid or reverse minimum line weights are another design factor affected by the wonders of dot gain. In addition, some ink color combinations and paper will cause solid lines to increase in spread and reverse lines to close up based on their different rates of absorption into the paper. This absorption variance can increase or decrease the size of printed lines as well as cause them to become ragged on the edges.

Solid line weights printed on uncoated stocks using a single process color (ie. black) should a line setting of .375pt or larger. If a line contains multiple process colors to make up the line shade, the minimum should be .5pt. This will help with line raggedness as well fine trapping.

Reverse line weights should be .75pt or higher when using uncoated stocks. As mentioned above, multiple process colors in a printed color block can absorb at different rates making a reverse out line to shrink and become jagged. The thicker the reverse outline, the less ragged effect you will visually see.

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TIP

Because ink spreads at different rates, fine solid rules will print thicker and reverse out lines will appear thinner than specified.

The line weight recommendations are based on fairly extensive testing, however nothing beats running your own samples on the target printer (have we mentioned that before?)

Understand the Flow in Workflow

One of the key things to understand about a color managed workflow is that it flows. The decisions that you make about color, in the form of settings in your file, will flow throughout the whole process. On a smaller scale, it’s important to remember that the decisions you make to control one aspect of print can flow and affect other aspects of your design. For example, if you have your heart set on using a large area of rich black in one part of the design and your paper can’t handle the level of ink that is required, the TAC settings in the document will be dialed back to accommodate the black coverage to the degree necessary to avoid mottling or other paper damage. This TAC adjustment can flow to other colors on the page, reducing the overall gamut and possibly making certain colors less vibrant, or a poorer match to brand targets. So, instead of making large changes that flow through the process with big impact, try making changes that limit impact to the intended artifact where possible. In the case of Rich Blacks, for example, rather than adjusting TAC for the entire document, create one or more custom blacks that use the minimum additions of Cyan (and Magenta or Yellow if needed) to improve image contrast. In general, avoiding global changes in favor of localized “tweaks” will offer better control.

WHY SHOULD YOU CARE? Because the care and effort you put into all the elements of your design determines what you will get out of it.

Taking time to provide your print provider with designs which will process accurately will result in a final printed piece that provides the color and print quality which you expect. Remember the old saying, “you only get out what you put in?” It’s true!

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CHAPTER 8 APPLIED TO THE GUIDE As noted previously, we had the opportunity to work with a really top end paper so we didn’t have many restrictions in terms of line and text sizes (see below) but, we still had to make a lot of decisions on individual images and treatments. For example, we cut back our print coverage by only applying bleeds to the chapter content pages for the "thumb tabs". For the chapter dividers, we chose images with relatively low page coverage and, if needed for aesthetics, only allowed bleed at the bottom and left side, keeping the right side clear. Avoiding bleeds on the outer margins of the book block allows the "thumb tabs" to stand out. Cutting images back or reducing coverage from the edge (along with great paper) also helped to avoid paper curl and cockle.

Because we wanted the book to have both visual and tactile appeal, we tested the printed Cham Inkjet Matte Coated 160 gsm PromoPrint P cover stock with a matte nylon soft lamination to ensure compatibility with the inkjet chemistry, as well as, adhesion characteristics of the lamination to the inkjet coated paper. Testing prior to production ensured a streamlined process and as you can “feel” it was a nice addition to the design of the book.

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As we selected images, we discarded many because of areas of fine detail smaller than 1x1 that would not have reproduced well – but were still able to find strong, detailed images to support the overall design of the book. To make sure that the design came together the way we wanted, we first configured our Adobe Bridge color managed workflow to GRACoL2006_Coatedv2 (do not pass go – set the color space in your workflow!) All picture images were color corrected in Adobe Photoshop format at 300dpi in CMYK color mode. We did a “Save As” for final images, which were flattened, saved as .JPG with maximum compression, with GRACoL2006_Coatedv2.icc profile assigned. If changes were needed to an image, the original Photoshop file was altered and a new .JPG file was saved to avoid quality degradation.

Í To make sure that the native image quality of inkjet was shown, Photoshop filters were only used on images in Chapter 7 which demonstrate filtering.

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Í Where 72 dpi screen captures of software settings were used, the images were modified by re-addressing to attempt increased clarity (these are called out where used).

Í We used Adobe InDesign for composition. The minimum text size used is Akzidenz Grotesk Light 7pt with body copy at 10pt, 12pt leading and 0 to -10 kerning. All text is set at 100%K color.

Minimum line weights used are .375 and .5 stroke weights.

Í Margins and bleeds for right and left pages were assigned independently to ensure printed content was spaced appropriately from the bound spine when opened.

Í All colors were built from process CMYK Wow! We covered a lot in this chapter didn’t we?

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CHAPTER 9

PACKAGING FILES FOR PRODUCTION

PACKAGING FILES FOR PRODUCTION

Handoff Are you familiar with the “Tylenol phone call?” That’s the one that you get from your print provider telling you that the production file is missing fonts and images, or that it won’t process correctly, and now they can’t possibly make your deadline. This call is generally followed by a pounding headache (and occasionally screaming and gnashing of teeth.) To avoid this sort of drama in the future, make sure you get all the answers to the nifty questions we posed back in Chapters 4 and 5 to create an inkjet-friendly design and then save those design files in a process-friendly way.

Remember, print is the end result but printing is a process. If you understand the process your file goes through once it leaves your creative hands, and follow a few guidelines, then headaches can be avoided. We’re here to help, but, we’re not allowed to give you any painkillers so take the advice in this chapter instead.

Understanding the Process

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For purposes of understanding what really goes on in the print process, let’s take a little walk in the print provider’s shoes. Your print provider has a bunch of very expensive equipment and a finite amount of staff to keep that equipment running. They plan out their day with an understanding of how quickly they can prepare jobs to run, and how quickly those jobs will process through the equipment. When they receive files that conform to their specifications and process efficiently, life is good. When they receive files that do not conform to their specifications they can experience anything from a hiccup to full on heartburn. A hiccup might be a file that requires manual intervention to bring it into conformity. A hiccup costs them a little time and money but, is manageable if it only happens on occasion. Heartburn is when the file can’t run at all and they have to make the “Tylenol phone call” to the customer. There is also the potential for the heart attack when they get a file that is so inefficient that it hangs up the press and delays the schedule for multiple customers.

The bottom line is that file inefficiency hits the print provider in their bottom line. When the files they receive need work, it costs them money that sometimes isn’t directly charged to the customer who caused the problem.

When it slows down the printer or delays the start of a job it eats away at their profitability – particularly for inkjet due to the high processing speeds these printers are capable of.

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THE RIGHT "PACKAGING" FOR YOUR FILES KEEPS YOUR DESIGN LOOKING THE WAY IT SHOULD.

Lost Speed Means Lost Money for Service Providers

Let’s say you’ve got an inkjet printer that will process at 800 feet per minute, 2 pages wide. That means that the controller or Digital Front End (DFE) sending data to the printer must Raster Image Process (RIP) at least 1600 images per minute – about 27 pages per second (or one page every 3.7 milliseconds).

Inefficiencies in files cause inefficiencies in the RIP – effectively adding anywhere from a few milliseconds to maybe 2 or 3 seconds PER PAGE. So if you have a job that is 100,000 pages that takes an extra tenth of a second per page to RIP – you took up to 2.7 hours out of that print provider’s production time. Some presses can begin printing while the job is RIPing but if the job can’t RIP as fast as the printer can print, downtime can happen. This might cause the print provider to kill your job and send the files back to you, or they may process the job and charge you more next time, or they may eat the costs on these types of work (and eventually go out of business.)

In Chapter 8, we covered many of the key decision points that affect the efficiency of your finished file:

Í Selecting the right document color space; Í Assigning CMYK color values from a printed image using correct paper, ink and output profile;

Í Preparing static and variable images; Í Selecting an appropriate image file format and compression setting.

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While these issues have an impact on high-quality static jobs, they are of great concern when running variable data jobs since every inefficiency is multiplied by the number of pages (and resources) that have to be individually RIPed. Let’s look more closely at the processes for static and variable files.

Static and Variable Data Files are Handled Very Differently Static designs For designs which do not require any variable processing, the file is “preflighted” for any color, font or image assignment issues. Colors defined with PMS color numbers will be converted to CMYK values.

The entire file is then RIPed and sent to the printer followed by any required post-print finishing operations. The file is only RIPed once and essentially copied for every page of the finished job. This means that all the processing work is complete before the first page prints.

Variable designs Designs with variable data or images are processed quite differently.

Variable printing starts with a preflighted static design but, this file breaks out static elements and variable areas separately for each piece to be printed. Static elements appear exactly the same way on each piece but, the variable areas are filled in with text or images as directed by information from a data source.

Dynamically Handled Variable Content Overview

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A Record 1 2 3 4 5 6

B Name Susi Mario Jessica Michael Alma Jason

C Address 123 Main 100 East 40 Oak 215 Maple 100 Liberty 207 White

D Offer Offer A Offer B Offer A Offer A Offer B Offer A

E Language English Spanish English English Spanish English

DATA SOURCE

<Name> <Address> <Language>

<Offer> TEMPLATE

Susi 123 Main

Mario 100 East

Jessica 40 Oak

Hello Susi,

Hola Maria,

Hello Jessica,

Free Oil Change

Libre cambio de aceite

Free Oil Change

RECORD 1

RECORD 2

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RECORD 3

The data source could be a Microsoft Excel workbook, text file, copybook or other data file format which is supported by your print provider.

Depending on the printer being used, a print provider can process Variable Data Printing in several different ways: Streaming Variable Content Only One way is load a static document into the printerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s memory. The printer is instructed to always print the static document when sending pages to the printer driver or RIP. Variable data is then added on top of the static document when the files are printed. Think of the static document as a fixed form with variable data added on top. This is common when a preprinted form is replaced by an electronic form stored on the printer.

This approach is generally used when the variable data being overlaid on the â&#x20AC;&#x153;formâ&#x20AC;? is text with limited formatting. When variable formatting becomes more complex, generally another level of processing is added to create a combined variable file.

Combined Variable File For any but the most simplistic variable designs, the static and variable elements are combined into print files, prior to RIPing, using specialized Variable Data Processing (VDP) software sometimes called composition software. This process produces optimized print files, such as a Postscript Page Markup Language file (PPML), which maximizes print speed as the RIP only processes static elements once.

It may also produce a PDF/VT file which is a standard PDF file but contains all the variable information for each page, or for transaction documents often the print files are delivered as AFP (Advanced Function Printing). While the composition software will do a lot of the heavy lifting in combining design instructions and data sources into composed pages, each of those pages still has to be processed individually through the RIP in order to print.

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What Stands Between Your Design and the Printer?

If you are creating bills, statements or direct mail with variable data, chances are good that there is a composition tool sitting between your design in PDF and the pages that will fly off the back of the printer. As noted earlier, that piece of software takes a lot of the heavy lifting off of the RIP when it comes to combining variable data with static components, but it requires another layer of commands that may interpret your PDF settings differently than the printer would. To ensure that your design intentions can pass cleanly through the filter of the composition software, here are a few things to consider: Fonts: Make sure that the complete font sets are available for all fonts used in your design, even if embedded. Often fonts are loaded as “restricted” which means that they only embed the actual characters used in the PDF file. If the PDF is to be married with text from an external data source, you are likely to need characters that were not used in the PDF “template” for the design – if those characters are not part of the embedded fonts, your job will error out in production – or worse, print with letters missing.

In the past, printers sometimes asked for fonts to be outlined before saving to avoid font compatibility issues. For purposes of the documents described in this guide, never outline the font for readable text within the document – the only exception is large elements which are used as graphics. Processing text from the actual font will provide more printed clarity to readable text.

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Colors: You took the time to soft proof on your monitor, hard proof with your printed reference chart using the target ink, paper and printer combination and compared the soft proof and hard proof.

If you made color corrections and set CMYK values based on this proof process, it is important to make sure that this color information is carried through the entire workflow. Many composition tools have a setting that tells them to use the color definitions from the input file or to override with the software’s color management settings. If you actually want to use the settings that you so carefully specified – make sure that this is clear to your print provider.

Testing: Ask for a soft-proof showing your design with variable data applied. This test file will usually be a PDF file generated from the composition software (in contrast to the PDF that you generated from your design software.) While it may not be an exact match for the printer output (note previous apologies on the limits of soft

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proofing for color management), the color should be consistent. Use Adobe Reader or Adobe Acrobat to compare the two soft proofs â&#x20AC;&#x201C; the original you created and the PDF created by the composition tool. If the colors in the two PDFs do not look the same when viewed side by side, your settings are not being carried through the composition portion of the workflow.

Bringing Your Processes Together

Now that you understand a bit more about the print providerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s process and profitability, it should be clear how important your files are to making their operations run smoothly. Naturally your first priority is to deliver the results that your customers expect. As we have said before, the key to this is communication.

In addition to talking with the print provider before, during and after completing your design, provide written instructions that accompany your files. The more information you give the print provider, the less questions, delays, confusion and headaches you will have when it is time for them to process and print the file.

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Consider the following when creating specifications: Provide a visual PDF Sometimes called a “functional prototype,” this PDF is not the high resolution, press ready file with all the elements prepared for final printing. This is an instructional document which the printer can use to visualize the concept and get a general understanding of where variable data and images will be placed – there may even be comments embedded in the file. Always note in the file name ”Low Res Proof” so it will not be mistaken for the correctly prepared print file.

Document Settings Used Yes, the person receiving the file can open the file and check your settings, but it is useful to indicate what you intended to do. It can save time for the print provider, trap any unintended settings on your side, and quickly flag any miscommunications on preferred file formats or settings for optimal performance on the printer.

Remember to indicate whether you have used the print provider’s preferred PDF format setting or a custom PDF setting in your final “process-friendly” file (see below.)

Process-Friendly Packaging

9

As you know, a project can change dramatically from the beginning to the end of the design process. Even though you talked with your printer at the start, it is good to review project requirements when the design is complete since changes may have occurred that affect how the design should be packaged for print. Depending on your revised design requirements, the file may take longer to prepare or process or may need more finishing time which impacts the print provider’s scheduling and workflow.

Depending on how the file will be processed on their side, a print provider may ask for a packaged, print-ready PDF file or they may prefer your native design files with all the fonts and high res images included. (It is usually best to have both prepared since if the first has issues, the latter will likely be required to diagnose any problems.)

In addition to differences in overall approach, each company may have different requirements within the file itself. Here are a few things to consider:

104

Creating a Packaged Print-Ready .PDF Each printer requires different PDF settings. Ask your print provider for their preferred PDF format setting or a custom PDF setting file which you can use to streamline your workflow. This will ensure you are saving your PDF files correctly each time.

Important settings you should know when printing or saving to a PDF file:

Í Turn OFF “downsampling color images” when saving a PDF

for print. Do not downsample your images at this stage of the process. Your images should already be properly saved from Photoshop earlier in the process to the resolution specified by your print provider.

Í Compress Images. Check with your print provider for the right compression format for your images.

Í Embed “All” fonts. If using variable data, ensure that the fonts are not restricted to the characters used in the PDF.

9



SCREEN CAPTURE: ACTUAL PPI 72, EFFECTIVE PPI 165

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PACKAGING FILES FOR PRODUCTION

Í Clear out any unused fonts. Take pride in a clean file! Í Set Color Space. Check with your printer on proper working color space to be used.

Í Tag Objects for Color where needed. Check with your print provider for proper “Tagging” for color management.

Color Management Policies. If your files are going to be processed through a composition tool, your print provider may require machine output profiles to be attached to document elements when the PDF file is created. This is called “Early Binding”. Since this is not used universally and settings vary from one composition product to another, we don’t go into detail in this guide. All composition products handle image and color processing differently, so proper document preparation is the key to a consistent result.

Ask your print provider if the composition software they use has the option to work with attached profiles from your document. If yes, they will advise you on the proper settings.

In any case, you should always ask your print provider for specific PDF settings needed to optimize their workflow since color management policies are constantly being enhanced, particularly in the world of inkjet.

9

Delivering Native Design Files If you are “packaging” the file from an Adobe program or a different program such as Quark Express, ensure that all images are updated within the file and that all images and fonts are included when packaged. Double check that colors are specified as CMYK (or as PMS/Process only if instructed by your print provider.)

Don’t embed images into the files unless the print provider requests this. Print providers have ways to enhance images that could look flat from the ink and paper choice, but they can’t make those improvements to embedded files. Also, if you don’t want anyone to “enhance” your images without an opportunity to review– make sure that is included in your instructions.

Fonts should be provided for the platform on which the design was created. So if you have designed your file on a MAC, provide the

106

MAC fonts which were used within the document. If you design on a PC, provide the PC-based fonts.

Packaging Files from InDesign 1. Choose File>Package.

The Package dialog box will open displaying all images and fonts used in the document.

2. Click “Fonts” in the list on the left side of the Package dialog box. Select fonts from the list and then click the “Find Font” button to discover where they’re located. These fonts will be saved o the package folder when you finish.

3. Click “Links and Images” in the list on the left side of the dialog box. The Links and Images screen lists the images within your document. Find each image, update it, and repair links before packing the file. If any images aren’t properly linked, your document will print with any unlinked pictures missing.

4. When you’re finished, click the “Package” button at the bottom of the dialog box. Your document and all its associated files will be saved into a folder. You can name the folder and specify its location.

Don’t Fumble the Hand Off

Don’t just send everything off, cross your fingers and hope everything will be OK. Review the written instructions as well as the visual-only PDF with your print provider and make sure that everything has been received and understood.

9 WHY SHOULD YOU CARE? At this point your print provider can either be your hero or a villain. If you followed our suggestions throughout the book, your project should process as smooth as silk. If you didn’t, well, get out the Tylenol.

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PACKAGING FILES FOR PRODUCTION

CHAPTER 9 APPLIED TO THE GUIDE Our print partner asked for a high resolution PDF for processing as well as native files as a back-up. Since this guide does not contain variable data or images (although we really wish we could have personalized it for you since that’s one of the really cool features of inkjet) we didn’t have to worry about interfacing with a composition tool or creating inefficiencies for the RIP. In order to deliver the best image quality possible with the paper, ink and printer combination used, the following .PDF settings were submitted by the printer and used for PDF generation.

Í Settings: High Quality Digital Options Í All Images: Downsample: Off (our images were correctly prepared at 300dpi) All Compression: ZIP

Í Fonts / Embed all fonts with Subset included Í Color / Adobe Color settings: None Í Color Management Policies: Leave Color Unchanged Document Rendering Intent: Preserve Working Spaces: Gray: Dot Gain 20% RGB: Adobe RGB (1998) CMYK: GRACoL2006_Coated1v2

9

Í Preserve CMYK values for calibrated CMYK color spaces Í Device-Dependent Data - checked Preserve under color removal and black generation - checked We did not receive a Tylenol phone call and I hope you agree that the results speak for themselves.

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APPLYING INKJET TO YOUR PORTFOLIO

Portfolio As of this writing, well over 90 percent of printed pages are still generated on offset presses and the majority of transaction printing and personalization of direct mail is created using monochrome toner devices.

However, more and more print operations are investing in inkjet because it offers breadth and depth to their portfolio of options and offers more and better choices to their customers.

Inkjet printing allows smaller jobs to be run more cost effectively and at the same time enables personalization at all levels - from simple versioning of campaigns to individually relevant personalization of text, color and imagery on every page.

As a designer familiar with the capabilities of production inkjet printers, you will have more creative options available to you and more opportunities to solve problems and improve results through design. In this chapter we will take a segment by segment look at the opportunities that open up when using high speed CMYK inkjet devices to produce statements, direct mail, commercial print and books and summarize the key inkjet considerations when applying inkjet to your design portfolio.

Since many of the design considerations we have described apply at some level to all segments, there is a significant amount of repetition from one section to the next in this chapter. Our goal is to enable each section to be used as a stand-alone â&#x20AC;&#x153;quick cross-referenceâ&#x20AC;? for those who have completed their review of the Guide â&#x20AC;&#x201C; or for those who want to work back to front.

10

110

Opportunities with Transaction Printing

Designers of customer communications like statements, bills and notices (Transaction Printing) understand that customer experience and efficiency are both extremely important in this segment due to rising postal costs and shrinking communications budgets. While the majority of these documents are currently printed on continuous monochrome toner devices using a single, plain or preprinted paper stock, as of 2014 over 55 billion pages of transaction print was produced on inkjet devices and that trend is continuing. By 2017, I.T. Strategies projects that more than one third of transaction print pages will be produced on production inkjet printers. You might expect that the push for full color inkjet would have come from marketing professionals or designers who wanted color – but it didn’t. It came from I.T. and print operations professionals because full color production inkjet enabled tremendous efficiency gains in the form of reduced inventory and the ability to cut postal expenses.

10 While the technical folks paved the road, it’s now clear for designers to drive on it. With the availability of full color, transaction documents are evolving to take full advantage of sophisticated messaging tools and “big data” for increased personalization. More than ever, businesses are using statements as a customer messaging platform to support cross-selling and upselling. Rather than designing a statement once every few years and moving it into production – the next generation of transaction documents produced on full color inkjet presses will require continuous input from designers who understand the marketing opportunities presented by statement messaging and the technical requirements of full color inkjet design.

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A designer may create a template or functional prototype of the statement design that will be programmed in a composition tool, and then continue to provide additional content blocks to support ongoing messaging campaigns.

As time goes by, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s easy for people to lose track of the specifications of the inkjet-friendly design that you will have created for your statement template and start trying to place content that was designed for other channels such as the web, email or perhaps direct mail.

With transaction printing it is especially important to pay attention to design issues that affect efficiency since every piece of variable content on every page must be processed through the printerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s RIP. If the design process used at the beginning is not maintained with an efficient ongoing message and campaign design, your statement processing can quickly become bogged down and visual quality may suffer.

Applying Inkjet Design Tips to Transaction Printing

Traditional transactional and statement printing is characterized by short text segments, logos with dense solids and text with low overall page coverage. With those characteristics in mind, here are some key issues to consider when transitioning your transaction print projects to an inkjet production platform.

Ink

Inkjet and Transaction Printing Process Considerations

Paper Selection

10

Consideration

Chapter

Keep ink coverage relatively low to avoid issues with drying and finishing on lower end or lighter papers.

2, 3, 6

Understand the tradeoffs between paper choice and ink consumption.

2, 6

Ask if your print provider is using dye or pigment ink and use this information when evaluating papers.

1, 5

If water resistance is required, test ink on different papers.

The level of resistance is determined by the ink and paper in combination.

5

Transaction print requires a balancing act â&#x20AC;&#x201C; managing mailing costs and print quality.

4, 6

Choose a paper weight to correspond to desired mailing thickness and weight. Lighter paper allows more pages in one envelope. Using lower weight stock can cut postage costs however, make sure that the paper has a high enough weight to create sufficient opacity for two sided print.

4, 6

Using lighter weight papers will require lower Total Area Coverage (TAC) limits to avoid paper curl and cockle.

4, 7

112

cont'd

Paper Selection

Consideration

Chapter

Choose paper according to overall cost and print quality needs. The paper surface, surface treatment, porosity, opacity, brightness, whiteness and basis weight all have an impact on the quality of the finished piece.

6

Both uncoated and inkjet treated stocks are commonly used for transaction printing, but inkjet treated is recommended to improve print quality.

6

For certain projects you may also want to ask about the water fastness of the ink and paper combination.

5

More

Design

Choose paper compatible with the ink type used (pigment, dye).

Start with proper CMYK document and color space definitions.

2, 3, 6 7, 8

Review a printed reference chart to choose appropriate colors, line and text sizes for the ink, printer, paper combination being used.

5

Define text color as 100% K to increase small text legibility.

8

Use spot color matching and TAC controls to adjust solid CMYK colors or images to achievable color based on the chosen ink and paper combination. Remember that the color gamut for inkjet is smaller than offset or toner.

2

Keep bands of color away from edges unless your print provider gives a green light since transaction printing often requires clear margins.

4, 5, 8

Often papers selected to reduce overall costs, including postage, may not be suitable for large areas of color or heavy coverage. If you plan on adding marketing messages or other design elements with graphics, test carefully.

5, 6, 8

Create design specifications for variable design components such as campaign messaging and â&#x20AC;&#x153;onsertsâ&#x20AC;? to avoid degradation of design performance over time.

4, 8

Separate variable text from images to reduce processing time.

8

Understand how composition tools impact the design and color management process.

4, 8

Make sure that your design can accommodate all possible variations of variable content.

8, 9

Remember that small inefficiencies with graphics or file packaging can have a major downstream impact on processing times with variable data applications.

9

Prepare final files or PDFs to print providerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s specifications.

5, 9

Also give the print provider your design specifications in writing to make sure you are both on the same page.

5, 9

Your transaction print provider will likely limit the paper choices and offer only two or three in order to manage production efficiency. Spend some time understanding the tradeoffs with available papers before choosing the paper.

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Opportunities with Direct Mail

While direct mail is sometimes an outlet for a print designerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s creativity, recent increases in postal costs for any mail piece designs that cannot be machine processed have driven major mailers to stay within the boundaries of automatable formats. However, the outlet for creativity in direct mail is coming through another avenue â&#x20AC;&#x201C; the drive for personalization. Most high volume direct mail campaigns currently use preprinted shells, potentially with a handful of different versions to maintain economic order quantities for each job. Each version can then be addressed or further personalized using black toner. While the traditional presses used to create the shells is fast, the process overall is quite slow because it requires two passes to complete the job. Personalization is also extremely limited.

As major direct mailers have increased their appetites for more granular levels of versioning and fully personal direct mail, which cannot be accomplished on traditional printing equipment, print providers serving the direct mail market have begun investing in full color inkjet coupled with data analytics to drive personalization.

This frees designers to create variable design frameworks that tailor color, messages, imagery and even language to the intended recipient. While the cost per piece will be marginally higher than traditional printing, this is usually more than offset by the lift in response rates gained from relevant personalization and the improved time to market for time sensitive material such as credit offers, investment rates and retail sales. In addition, the focus on data analytics tends to reduce list sizes so that the overall mailing size may decrease. Direct mail design today is about helping marketers mail smarter and full color production inkjet is a great way to mail smart.

10

While the drive for personalization is one of the best reasons to design for inkjet, many print providers are also turning to inkjet based on the order quantity. As the speed and web widths of inkjet printers grow, the size of the break-even order quantity between inkjet and traditional presses also grows.

Experts estimate that order quantities of 1 to 5,000 are more efficient on inkjet than traditional presses, and order quantities as high as 10,000 may be cost equivalent on inkjet printers and traditional presses (depending on the specific devices and pricing strategy of the printing organization) even before considering personalization opportunities. This means the likelihood of your static design being produced on an inkjet press is growing daily.

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Ì

VERSIONED DIRECT MAIL CAMPAIGN EXAMPLES

MARILYN, WHY PAY MORE FOR THE BRANDS YOU ADORE? AT THE SHOE SHOP, YOU DON’T HAVE TO.

PHILLIP, WHY PAY MORE FOR THE BRANDS YOU ADORE? AT THE SHOE SHOP, YOU DON’T HAVE TO.

RACHEL, WHY PAY MORE FOR THE BRANDS YOU ADORE? AT THE SHOE SHOP, YOU DON’T HAVE TO.

Applying Inkjet to Direct Mail Projects

Today’s direct mail designer needs to take a page from the transaction print world and become more familiar with Variable Data Printing and Composition tools to get the most out of personalization opportunities with inkjet. However, inkjet may also be used to produce economic order quantities of preprinted shells (see Commercial Print section of this chapter).

When you start planning any direct mail project or campaign, your print provider is likely to have valuable suggestions on how to manage your files and data correctly to ensure your project elements stay organized and color matched across multiple versions and potentially multiple platforms (digital and traditional).

Campaign planning is becoming more complex and it is common to see portions of a campaign run across different production platforms based on timing, order size, quality requirement and level of personalization. Each platform will likely use slightly different paper stock – even though they may look very similar to the naked eye. It is important to understand how ink and paper work together and how this differs from the colorant and paper for other processes you may be using. This makes planning, file management and a color managed workflow more important than ever before.

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Inkjet and Direct Mail Process Considerations

Ink

Consideration

Chapter

Direct Mail tends to fill a higher percentage of white space with text, imagery and color blocks making TAC management critical.

Fast immobilizing pigment inks (if available) will enable higher TAC relative to regular pigment or dye on the same paper.

Paper Selection

Pigment ink will enable higher TAC relative to dye on the same paper but has lower dot gain.

Design

1, 2, 3, 7 2, 3, 7

Choose paper according to overall cost and print quality needs. The paper surface, surface treatment, porosity, opacity, brightness, whiteness and basis weight all have an impact on the quality of the finished piece.

6

Understand that Inkjet Coated stocks are not the same as regular coated stocks. Most direct mail pieces use inkjet treated or inkjet coated stocks to maximize color gamut.

2, 6

For certain projects you may also want to test the water fastness of the ink and paper combination.

Choose paper compatible with the ink type (pigment, dye) that will be used in production.

10

7

3 2, 3, 6

Using lower weight stocks can lower postage and paper costs. However, using lighter weight papers will require lower Total Area Coverage (TAC) limits to avoid paper curl and cockle.

6, 7

Reduced TAC to accommodate lighter weight papers will reduce the available color gamut and can make color matching more difficult.

7, 8

Choose a paper weight to correspond to desired mailing thickness and USPS guidelines where applicable.

4

Start with proper CMYK document and color space definitions.

7, 8

Review a printed reference chart to choose appropriate colors, line and text sizes.

5

Define text color as 100% K to increase small text legibility.

8

Use Adobe Photoshop filters to enhance image clarity and definition.

8

Use spot color matching and TAC controls to adjust solid CMYK colors or images to achievable color based on the ink and paper combination.

116

Appendix,

8

Design

cont'd

Consideration

Chapter

The color gamut for inkjet devices is different than toner or traditional presses so make sure to adjust out-of-gamut colors and monitor soft proof using the output profile on paper selected for production.

2, 7

Bleeds may not be available on any, or all sides of the page depending on web width and available finishing. Check with print provider before adding bleeds.

4, 5

Also be aware of where print registration marks will be shown if marks will not be trimmed from finished piece.

More

If variable images will be used, test color settings for all images.

5 5, 8

Separate variable text from images to reduce the processing time for personalized campaigns.

8

With inkjet, less is better. If considering heavy solids, select appropriate paper and test carefully. Take advantage of Photoshop filters and plugins for best results.

8

Understand how composition tools impact the design and color management process.

4

Make sure that your design can accommodate all possible variations of variable content.

8, 9

Prepare final files or PDFs to print providerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s specifications.

5, 9

Remember that even small inefficiencies with graphics or packaging of files can have larger downstream effects on the processing time for variable data direct mail applications.

9

Make sure to give the print provider your design specifications in writing to make sure you are both on the same page.

5, 9

Remember that the performance of ink, paper and the color settings used in your design files can have an effect on downstream finishing equipment.

If more ink is used than can be smoothly absorbed into the paper, you may have issues with folding, cutting, perforating or mailing equipment. Make sure to test the target ink coverage through the entire process.

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Opportunities with Commercial Print

In the world of commercial print, inkjet devices are competing with sheet and web-fed presses that have six or even eight colors armed only with C, M, Y and K. Since the majority of print is produced using traditional offset lithography, there is a wider array of papers available and tested for this platform. So, with a smaller color gamut and fewer papers, why are commercial printers starting to invest in inkjet? Several reasons:

Í Individual order sizes are falling; Í Make ready times for traditional presses make smaller order sizes unprofitable on traditional equipment;

Í Customers are moving business to shops that can offer enhanced personalization;

Í The production quality of inkjet is continuously improving.

This means that if you are working with a traditional commercial printer making the bulk of their revenue from high-volume, static work – chances are good that your job may be going on inkjet because of the order size. You may do a lot of business with that print provider but, if your large book of business is made up of batches shipped over a long period, the warehousing may be more expensive than “just in time” printing in smaller batches. You may also be in a situation where portions of your order will be produced on traditional presses and the remainder, or certain versions, of your campaign will be produced on inkjet.

10



OFFSET PRINTED COVER

INJET PRINTED BODY PAGES

Í

118

Looking at this from the print buyer’s and designer’s perspective, in the past it was necessary to print in very large quantities to get economies of scale with print pricing. But this also required storage costs if print was not all mailed or distributed immediately – and in turn also led to significant waste. With inkjet, printed materials can be ordered in quantities needed for a shorter time period improving cash-flow and avoiding waste. Once work is committed to the inkjet platform, many other opportunities exist such as versioning of materials to support sub-branding and partner branding on collateral.

Applying Inkjet to Commercial Printing

A key consideration for a commercial print design such as a form, brochure, poster, catalog or business card project is whether the job will be committed to inkjet or partially produced on inkjet. Many commercial printers also produce shells for direct mail as described earlier, but we have covered those issues under “Applying Inkjet to Direct Mail.”

If the design will be dedicated to inkjet, then the process is a lot easier because you only have one set of rules to follow. When there are two (or more) platforms, maintaining consistency is more of a challenge. If your project will be dedicated to inkjet and you want to take advantage of the versioning aspects of inkjet to vary color for portions of a job, or to print items like business cards in groups in a single pass, also review the variable data tips included in the “Other” section of the Direct Mail table earlier in this chapter.

Paper Selection

Ink

Inkjet and Commercial Print Process Considerations Consideration

Chapter

Pigment ink will enable higher TAC relative to dye on the same paper but has lower dot gain.

2, 3, 7

If water resistance is required, test ink on different papers as the level of resistance is determined by the ink and paper in combination.

5

Choose paper according to overall cost and print quality needs. The paper surface, surface treatment, porosity, opacity, brightness, whiteness and basis weight all have an impact on the quality and cost of the finished piece.

6

Understand that Inkjet Coated stocks are not the same as coated stocks used in traditional offset. If trying to produce a job on both offset and inkjet devices look for an inkjet treated or inkjet coated stock similar to the offset stock’s characteristics but don’t expect an exact match.

2, 6

Choose paper compatible with ink type (pigment, dye).

For certain projects you may also want to ask about the water fastness of the ink and paper combination.

119

10

2, 3, 6 5

APPLYING INKJET TO YOUR PORTFOLIO

Design

cont'd

Paper Selection

Consideration

Chapter

Using lower weight stocks can lower postage and paper costs.

6

Using lighter weight papers will require lower TAC limits to avoid paper curl and cockle.

6, 7

Lower TAC will reduce the available color gamut and can make color matching more difficult.

7, 8

Higher weight papers can accept more ink (higher TAC) without damaging the paper surface.

6

While more media is being tested on inkjet every day, very heavy and very light papers may not run on inkjet. Check supported paper weights with your print provider.

5

Understand the CMYK inkjet process as compared to 4 plus spot color(s) offset lithography.

1

Start with proper CMYK document and color space definitions.

7, 8

Review a printed reference chart to choose appropriate colors, line and text sizes.

5, 8

Define text color as 100% K to increase small text legibility.

Use color matching and TAC controls to adjust solid CMYK colors or images to achievable color based on ink and paper combination.

10

More

Use Adobe Photoshop filters to enhance image clarity and definition.

8 Appendix,

8 8

The color gamut for inkjet devices is different than toner or traditional presses so make sure to adjust out-of-gamut colors and test using the output profile on paper selected for production.

1, 7

Bleeds may not be available on any, or all sides of the page depending on web width and available finishing. Check with print provider before adding bleeds.

4, 5

With inkjet â&#x20AC;&#x201C; less is better. If considering heavy solids, select appropriate paper and test carefully.

Take advantage of Photoshop filters and plugins for best results.

5, 8

Prepare final files or PDFs to print providerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s specifications.

4, 9

Also give the print provider your design specifications in writing to make sure you are both on the same page.

4, 9

Commercial print projects often use paper weights that are heavier (business cards, catalog covers) or lower (newspaper circulars and inserts) than direct mail or transaction print. The surface treatments also go outside the range of papers that will work well on inkjet from full coated at the high end to very rough uncoated surfaces at the low end. Coordinating papers that work well in both traditional and inkjet production environment requires careful testing.

120

Opportunities with Book Design

If there is an aspect of the printing market that has changed most dramatically in the past decade, it is quite possible that book printing would take the prize.

In addition to the overall erosion of the volume of printed books by e-readers, the entire ordering and distribution process has changed requiring book printers to manage an “economic order quantity” of one. “Onesy-twosy” order quantities in the book market are becoming the norm and therefore books too can be versioned and even personalized. The flip side of this change in ordering is that each small order has to be incredibly efficient. Each job of “few” has to run as a seamless part of a much larger print run. Inkjet is the platform that offers the necessary flexibility, scalability and production quality to keep book printing profitable.

Applying Inkjet to Book Printing

Currently, the primary use of production inkjet in the book industry is for the printing of book blocks in black. (Say that five times fast!) A book block (the book’s content pages) must be a fixed thickness so it will fit into the binding setting. This means that when the book contents and the premade cover are combined, they fit exactly. If the PPI (pages per inch) of the book block changes, the cover will be either too large or too small resulting in an additional manufacturing step or an entire rerun of the cover, and that can get pricey.

Even in inkjet shops, most covers are printed on devices other than inkjet.

Regardless of the platform, print providers typically will provide designers with a cover template with the back, spine and front printed set up as a single page. The width of the spine must be calculated based on the weight of the paper selected and the resulting pages per inch (PPI). As more papers become available and newer inkjet models are released, covers too are likely to be printed on inkjet.

In addition to cover templates, there are also typically tight standards on the set up of margins and gutters for the book block.

The need to become efficient with small order sizes mentioned earlier makes standard formats a must.

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6"

0.7 " (VARIES)

BACK

SPINE

6"

FRONT

9"

2" 1.2 "

BAR CODE

0.125 " BLEED LINE 0.255 " MARGINS

ď&#x192;&#x2DC;

0.075 " SPINE MARGIN SAFE ZONE

6" X 9" PAPERBACK BOOK COVER TEMPLATE EXAMPLE

Despite the frequent use of templates, there is still a great deal more flexibility when using inkjet than with book printing on traditional presses. Many educational texts, graphic novels and childrenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s books are making use of versioning and even personalization. Some books can be ordered personalized with a name or a selectable ending. Books can be made available in multiple languages. For processing efficiencies, publishers make use of personalization to print customized inventory numbers on orders.

Inkjet and Book Printing Process Considerations

Ink

10

Consideration

Chapter

Most book printers use pigment or fast immobilizing pigment to achieve crisp text and improve readability.

1, 2

Fast immobilizing pigment inks (if available) will enable higher TAC relative to regular pigment or dye on the same paper.

1, 2

If water resistance is required, test ink on different papers as the level of resistance is determined by the ink and paper.

5

122

Design

Paper Selection

Consideration

Chapter

For production books paper quantities are typically limited to enable fewer paper changes and improve workflow efficiency.

5, 6

The porosity of the paper affects how fast the ink carrier dries. Inkjet treated papers will leave more colorant on the surface, creating higher color density as well as sharper text.

A treated inkjet sheet can provide improved image quality over the uncoated paper.

6

For books containing just black text (or very small areas of color) uncoated paper grades can be used with a very low ink TAC – but color may not be very bright.

6

Opacity prevents content from the back side of the sheet from showing through to the front. Show-through can be reduced by choosing a paper with a higher basis weight or thickness.

6

Paper shade affects readability of text. Cream white creates a softer reflection for easier readability. A true white or neutral shade allows all graphics and halftone images to reflect the color spectrum equally with a neutral value to eliminate eye strain for large content reading.

2, 6

If water resistance is necessary, choose papers which provide resistance printed with compatible ink.

5

Paper thickness is very important in book printing as particular books have a certain “Page Per Inch” requirement that will be determined by the basis weight of the paper.

6

If designing for books, be sure to ask about the PPI of the paper, as it can get very thin. Thin paper can accept less ink (lower Total Area Coverage - TAC) and can affect your color fidelity. If a paper was manufactured with PPI in focus, that information should be included in the paper specs.

6

Using lower weight stocks can lower paper costs but will also require lower TAC limits to avoid paper curl and cockle.

6, 7

Higher weight papers can accept more ink (higher TAC) without damaging the paper surface.

6

Very heavy and very light papers may not run on inkjet. Check supported paper weights with your print provider.

5

Ask your print provider for book block and cover templates before starting your design.

5

Start with proper CMYK document and color space definitions.

7, 8

Review a printed reference chart to choose appropriate colors, line and text sizes.

5

Ask if your print provider has fast immobilizing pigment in Dense Black. If not, consider using a treated paper.

5

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More

Design

cont'd

Consideration

Chapter

Use Adobe Photoshop filters to enhance image clarity and definition.

8

If the book contains a combination of text and imagery, make sure to test using pages with the highest coverage, not average coverage. The paper and TAC settings must work for all pages in the book.

5, 8

We have discussed TAC in terms of CMYK applications however, TAC considerations apply to monochrome/black only applications like book blocks as well. Some paper and ink combinations will not deliver crisp black text.

5, 6

Use color matching and TAC controls to adjust solid CMYK colors or images to achievable color based on ink and paper combination.

5, 7

If inkjet is your target platform, ask your print provider if opportunities to version or personalize your books exist. If variable data will be applied, refer to the direct mail section of this chapter for further information.

5, 10

Since the color gamut for inkjet is different than either toner or traditional presses, you may need to adjust out-of-gamut colors. Make sure to test changes using the output profile on the paper selected for production.

1, 5, 7

Prepare final files or PDFs to print providerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s specifications.

5, 9

Some print providers will automatically adjust TAC settings to ensure proper workflow (sometimes as low as 140 or 160 depending on the paper selected). This is not much of an issue for black text, however it will have an impact on full color work. Talk to your provider about their automated processes because you will have better results on any color adjustments if you color manage to the desired TAC setting yourself rather than letting the machine do it automatically.

10

Like transaction printers, book printers have a complex process that is made even more complicated by paper changes. Your print partner will likely have a limited selection of papers available for book blocks to streamline workflow and manage quality. Limiting paper selection or charging for deviations from the standard is important to running a profitable operation and therefore common industry practice.

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APPENDIX

APPENDIX

Printing an Inkjet Tint Book

If your print provider’s workflow includes a large Pantone color database, or “auto color swap” library, it may detect that a color is assigned as a process Pantone color and automatically adjust the CMYK color values for the particular ink and paper combination to best match the Pantone color specified. An “auto color swap” library will take a lot of the guess work out of color matching but, not all print providers have this capability.

If your print provider’s workflow does not include this library, finding the right CMYK process color combinations to best match a pantone color takes a little more work – but the results are worth it.

The key is choosing the CMYK values which will most closely match the desired color when printed. This takes knowing how paper will affect the ink colors and vice versa (which is why we spent so much time on those topics in the guide).

Colors can be assigned as a Pantone color as long as “Process” is selected as the “Color Type” and “Color Mode” is “CMYK”. This means that the color will be made out of CMYK process colors and not printed as a 5th color.

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SCREEN CAPTURE: ACTUAL PPI 72, EFFECTIVE PPI 182

It is best to reference a printed production Inkjet Tint Book before choosing colors rather than just specifying a Pantone color when designing.

A

With a Tint Book, choosing accurate colors can then be as easy as PIES: Í Print an Inkjet Tint Book Í Identify closest matching color Í Enter CMYK values into a Adobe swatch color Í Select and share an Adobe swatch library

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Printing an Inkjet Tint Book. As we said in Chapter 5, your print provider should have some sort of Tint Book as a PDF file which they can print for you.

Printing a large tint book with the particular ink and paper you will be using in production will help with choosing colors which will best match specified colors needed in your design.

Since weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re always looking for ways to make life easier for you, we have created a PDF Tint Book for you. It is a handy color chart with 84 pages showing mixes of CMYK values at 5% increments. This approach allows a broader range of matching and helps direct which way a color may need to be tweaked. Go to www.InkjetDesignGuide.com to retrieve this handy file and have it printed at the same time as your reference chart.

ď&#x192;&#x2DC; SAMPLE PAGE FROM TINT BOOK Once your Tint book has been printed on the target inkjet device with the ink and paper which will be used in production, follow the steps below to find the closest color match to your desired pantone color.

Note: It is best practice to match colors by using a color spectrometer but, since one is likely not available, here's the next best solution.

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APPENDIX

Identify Closest Matching Color 1. First, go to your area of controlled lighting. Remember your "Happy Place" we talked about in Chapter 2.

2. Using the unprinted stock paper chosen for production, cut out a square window the size necessary to show a single inkjet printed tint swatch to make a mask. It doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have to be perfect, Picasso, it just needs to allow you to look at one color at a time.

3. Visually find the closest match by overlaying the CMYK Pantone swatch over the inkjet printed color. Think its close?

4. Now place the mask you made above, over the colors and see if they are still a best match. You will find some colors trick our eyes when visual tonal shifts occur in relation to their surrounding colors. This quick mask effect helps eliminate visual color shifts caused by the surrounding paper or graphics. This technique is handy when explaining to customers why same colors look different printed on the same page.

A

Remember to match the swatch printed in CMYK process values from your pantone book and not the spot color, as some Pantone colors cannot be matched even in offset with just CMYK colors.

Note: Make sure each color you are comparing is equal in size. Large size differences in solid color blocks can spread at variable rates into absorbent papers causing slight tonal shifts. For areas which are color critical and different in size, slight CMYK percentage value changes may need to be applied. It is best to print small and large areas to be color matched 128

Ì

USE THE CMYK VALUE SWATCH FOR COMPARISON NOT THE SPOT

separately. The Tint Book we made for you can be opened in Adobe Illustrator and the color blocks increased to adjust for matching larger bands of color.

Now let’s enter the CMYK values into an Adobe color swatch.

Enter CMYK values into an Adobe swatch color 1. When adding a custom swatch to Adobe, be sure to name each color by the PMS Color, Paper Name and Weight it represents. Remember that the ink values used for one paper and weight may not look the same on others, so identify each swatch separately.

2. Example –Your printed inkjet color matched PMS 340 printed on Cham Promo Print 90 gsm paper at 90% C, 0% M, 100% Y, 20% K percentages.

If you print to different production inkjet printers with different pigment and dye inks, be sure to add this data into the color swatch name also.

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SCREEN CAPTURE: ACTUAL PPI 72, EFFECTIVE PPI 171

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3. Swatches should be created as “Color Type: Process” and “Color Mode: CMYK”

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SCREEN CAPTURE: ACTUAL PPI 72, EFFECTIVE PPI 172

Select Colors and Share an Adobe Swatch Library To save colors as a sharable custom inkjet color library, “Select and Highlight” the swatches you would like to include in the custom library (it only saves colors selected) and “Save Swatches”. Be sure to include the machine, ink, paper type and weight in the name when saving the library.

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SCREEN CAPTURE: ACTUAL PPI 72, EFFECTIVE PPI 136

When the library is saved, it is called an Adobe Swatch Exchange (ASE) file and can be used in any of the Adobe Creative Suite programs.

This creates a standardized color swatch library (for a specific ink, paper and machine combination) for communicating color information across applications and processes. Be sure when saving your Exchange file to include the machine, paper type, weight and ink in the name.

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ADOBE SWATCH EXCHANGE FILE

Sharing your custom Adobe Swatch Exchange File. Share this file with other designers who are using the same machine, ink and paper type and weight to standardize your approach to a particular customer’s brand colors (or if designing within a service provider organization, save your customers some time by providing this to their designers for each paper type you support.)

They can now “Load Swatches” in any Adobe program and choose the custom color library which corresponds with the ink, paper and printer they are printing to and design with confidence that the colors used will be printed as expected.

Now you, your colleagues and your clients, can choose tested color values for a particular ink, paper and machine from your new library when designing. Your colors may not look totally accurate on screen, but they will print as expected – and setting expectations properly is the first step in keeping customers happy.

Be sure to talk regularly with your print provider if you are using this process. If the printer changes ink, paper or profile settings on the machine, this could change how the CMYK values print.

What About Out-of-Gamut Colors?

As we talked about in Chapter 2, some Pantone colors may not have a good printed match and would be considered “Out-of-Gamut”. These colors could be unachievable using the ink, paper and machine combination you chose for your design. If the colors you are seeing in your printed Tint Book are not close enough, and you want to try to achieve colors which are closer to your Pantone target, try test prints on a different paper that has a surface formulated for the aqueous ink type you are using (pigment or dye.) The right paper can bring hundreds or even thousands of colors back into gamut.

A

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A

132

GLOSSARY

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P ca i r me A rth o N

g din lea

bitation ur sat

P AF

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b ot c a th sp di t boo gain ap me ligh dot m

lor g co ttliitny th mpooros ep it dolor

CM ut am fg to ou

n o i t a r k b c i a l l b a h c c ri

ing n r ke

YK

ive dit ad

ed e p k s lac nt i B r p

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or aria ress 2 t c ve v rep

G

GLOSSARY

A Additive Color

Additive color is color created by mixing light of two or more different colors. Red, green, and blue are the additive primary colors used in additive color system. A color monitor is considered additive color.

Adobe Bridge

Adobe Bridge is a digital asset management program developed by Adobe Systems and first released with Adobe Creative Suite v2. Bridge offers â&#x20AC;&#x153;Color Managementâ&#x20AC;? settings which synchronize the document and working color space across Adobe programs to create a Color Managed Workflow.

Adobe Swatch Exchange

A custom Adobe color library of color swatches created using Adobe programs and stored as a .ASE file.

AFP

Advanced Function Printing (AFP) is a page definition language (like PDF) which is used primarily in large production print operations for variable data printing (VDP).

AM Screening

AM screens, or amplitude modulation, refers to halftone dots that are fixed on a grid, angled in 30 degree increments (except yellow: 15 degrees) and grow in size based on tonal value. Process colors when combined and printed creates a Rosette pattern. Offset printing uses AM Screening.

Apparent Resolution

Refers to the perceived image quality which multidrop (grayscale) print heads achieve. Describes how images are perceived by the human eye. The visual rendition of the printed piece appears to be finer and more exact than the specified printed DPI. This is a direct result of variable dots being controlled by individual droplet size which, in turn, leads to a smoother end print and the perception of higher quality.

ASE File

An Adobe Swatch Exchange file. A shareable custom color matching library created within the Adobe Creative Suite.

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B Binary Print Head

Inkjet head which uses a fixed drop size (as compared to multi-drop or level, grayscale print head.)

Bit Depth

Defines the extent of color tones that can be processed by a print head as measured in bits. A single bit can be best described as an ON/OFF instruction to the computer or printer in which the print head will shoot only one (1) size drop. As the amount of bits increase, the size of the drops varies and clarity of prints increases as well.

Bitmap Image

Also known as raster images, bitmap images are made up of pixels in a grid. Pixels are picture elements; tiny dots of individual color that make up what you see on your screen.

Black Point Compensation

A feature found in Adobe design software, including Adobe Photoshop. Adobe Systems implemented Black Point Compensation (BPC) to address color conversion problems caused by differences between the darkest level of black achievable on one device and the darkest level of black achievable on another.

C Calibration

Is the process of measuring and adjusting the color response of an input or output device to a known or benchmark state.

Clutching

A problem that occurs when data files can’t be processed as fast as a printer can print, forcing the print engine to “down shift” to a slower speed or stop while waiting for input.

Carrier

The base solution of an ink used to distribute dye or pigment color. Water is the carrier for aqueous inkjet ink.

Cockle

Cockle or Cockling is the term given to ripples occurring in a piece caused by applying too much moisture to a sheet. See Paper Cockle.

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GLOSSARY

Colorant

Colored particles or dyes added to inks giving them vibrancy and hue value. Properties such as optical density, vibrancy, color gamut, dry time and color to color bleed are partly controlled by the particle chemistry within the ink formulation.

Color Channel

A CMYK image has four channels: cyan, magenta, yellow, and black. These channels are combined to produce printed color image.

Color Correction

Process of making shade, tint and tone adjustments to a hue in order to achieve a desired target.

Color Gamut

Mapping the range of colors that can be accurately achieved by a viewing or print device. In the context of inkjet, color gamut refers to the range of colors that a particular combination of inkjet machine, ink type, and paper can accurately produce relative to the number of colors the human eye can perceive.

Color Plane

Describes the jetting of one process color. Cyan, Magenta, Yellow and Black are considered separate color planes. Multiple color planes are combined to create a printed color image. Also see Color Channel.

Describes a range of colors, or gamut that a device can display or print. See also Profile, Input Profile, Machine Profile, Document Profile and Output Profile.

Color Profile

Color Curve

A mechanism for displaying color measurements and for making color changes to an image. User adjustments to the angle and slope of the curve implement color changes to one or all of an imageâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s color channels.

Color Managed Workflow

A method for providing color consistency and predictability throughout the entire pre and post production processes by synchronizing all programs used for the design process.

Color Tint Book

A reference source of CMYK printed colors produced by a specific production machine, ink and paper combination.

Composition Software

Software which combines an incoming file format such as PDF and variable data and/or images into a composed print stream for print production or electronic delivery.

Continuous Tone Image

A photographic image, which has not been screened and contains gradient tones.

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D Designer

A creative genius who seeks to bring ideas to life in the visual world.

Document Color Space

Color space setting assigned by the document profile which determines on screen color rendering.

Densitometer

A device that measures the light reflected from a printed surface.

Desaturated

Desaturation of color is achieved by adding white (light) to a color. A desaturated color will look dull, muted or have a grayish appearance relative to a fully saturated color.

Dithering

A printed pattern in which dots are placed closer together for solid areas and farther apart for midtone and highlight areas allowing more of the paper white to show through. The printed dots of varying sizes represent color intensities and print detail within the image.

Dot Gain

The amount by which the diameter of a dot of ink increases when it hits the paper. As dot gain increases, the printed midtones will become darker and less crisp since the dots become irregular and bridge as they absorb into the paper and spread.

Document Profile

A reference point for the specific RGB or CMYK color space in which a document is designed. If a document profile is not assigned, colors used in the file are just a set of numbers without a fixed reference point. See also Color Profile.

Down Sample

The process of creating a reduced resolution or miniaturized duplicate copy of a master image.

DPI â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Dots Per Inch

The most common measure of print resolution described as the number of dots in a square inch.

Also see Resolution.

Dry Back

An inkâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s printed color appearance and density changes as it dries over time.

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GLOSSARY

Dye Ink

Dye inks are made from colorants that completely dissolve in solution. A dye colorant is a single molecule, typically made of an organic chemical compound. Dye based inks are more fragile and have less resistance to UV light and will rewet and dissolve in water if not bound by the chemistry of the paper surface.

Dynamic Perforation

Adding perforated areas to a sheet(s) in various locations.

E Early Binding

The process of applying color management at the document level prior to the deviceâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s RIP.

F

G

Fast Immobilizing Pigment Ink

Ink formulation which keeps more of the inks colorant on the surface of the paper creating a higher color density.

Felt Side

In papermaking, the top side of the sheet formed away from the papermaking machine's forming wire and typically containing more fillers, and sizing than the Wire Side (see also Wire Side.)

Fine Trapping

Process of taking multiple CMYK colors and aligning them perfectly to create small areas of color.

Fingerprint

Test image used for creating output that tests minimum text and line weights, halftones, solids, color fidelity and maximum TAC to create standardized comparison across paper types and weights. Also called a Reference Chart.

FM Screening

FM screening or frequency modulation, sometimes called Stochastic screening, uses randomly spaced dots which are consistent (binary) or varied (multi level) in size, and varies the distance between the dots to get darker or lighter shades. Stochastic means â&#x20AC;&#x153;randomâ&#x20AC;? in Greek. The random dot pattern prevents the eye from seeing a repeated pattern in an image.

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G Gamut

Representation of the range of colors which can be reproduced on a specific device. Also see Color Gamut.

Gray Levels

The number of density levels in an image. Offset and toner typically contain 8 gray levels per color channel (CMYK=64), where as production inkjet printing 2 and 4 levels of gray per color channel are typically used, together with error diffusion (dithering) to simulate a continuous tone image.

Also called a multi-drop print head, uses varied drop sizes to print images that have smoothness and detail in printed halftone images.

Grayscale Print Head GRACoL

Is an acronym for General Requirements for Applications in Commercial Offset Lithography and is a standard working color space used by most North American printers.

Gradation

A vector or bitmap image which fades into its background without a defined border. Also called a Vignette.

Gurley Densometer Test

A paper test performed to determine the time required for a volume of air to leak through a defined area. The longer it takes a set volume of air to flow through the sheet, the more sealed the sheet.

H Halftone

A halftone image is made up of a series of dots rather than a continuous tone. These dots can be different sizes, different colors, and sometimes even different shapes. Larger dots are used to represent darker, denser areas of the image, while smaller dots are used for lighter areas.

Headache

The pain experienced when a job is rejected by the printer prior to production or printed with lower than expected print and color quality.

Hue

Describes the color family on the basic color wheel which is in its purest form without any tinting, toning or shading. Also referred to as Color.

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G

GLOSSARY

I

G

ICC Profiles

A data set that characterizes a color input or output device, or a color space. See also Profile.

Ink Bleed

Movement of ink within or on the surface of the paper. Ink can bleed vertically and horizontally on the paper following paper fibers causing plugging and wicking. Also see Plugging and Wicking.

Ink Coverage

The amount of ink in one area of the page.

Sometimes referred to as Total Ink Coverage (TIC) or Total Area Coverage (TAC), in full color inkjet applications it controls the total combined printed ink usage of Cyan, Magenta, Yellow and Black.

Ink Density

The percentage of light reflected from a color.

Using a densitometer, a mathematical value of the lightness or darkness of a particular printed color can be measured. Lower densities will cause light or washed out looking prints; whereas high densities will create rich vibrant colors and images.

Ink Dive

When ink dives down, or absorbs vertically, into the paper, causing structural and print quality defects. Ink is drawn into the paperâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s internal fiber structure causing paper cockle, show-through and/or mottling. Also see Cockle, Show-through and Mottling.

Ink Wicking

Movement of ink when in contact with the paper fibers. Wicking happens vertically and horizontally as it follows the pattern of the paper fibers thus causing printed text, lines and images to lose their sharpness.

Inkjet Coated Paper

Paper with a smooth surface that contains a coating chemistry designed for fast drying of aqueous inks.

These fast drying surfaces restrict the amount of ink that can be absorbed by the paper which allows the ink colorant to stay on the surface.

Inkjet Treated Paper

Paper with a surface or internal fiber chemistry that contains a fixative treatment to separate the colorants from the liquid carrier of the ink in order to hold more colorant near the paper surface.

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Input Profile

A profile which mathematically defines the characteristics or color space of an input device such as a digital camera or scanner.

Inserting Equipment

Equipment used for inserting finished printed pieces in envelopes or other protective coverings.

Inverse Type

Area of color which has the image of a letter formed by the paper color. Also called Reverse Text.

K Kerning

The spacing between letters of text.

L Leading

The spacing between the lines of text.

Light Booth

A controlled environment for viewing printed output under color neutral lighting. (A highly recommended tool for designers!)

Lightfastness

The ability of a color or ink to resist fading on exposure to light, especially sunlight.

M Media

Any printable surface such as paper, plastic.

MICR

Magnetic Ink Character Recognition. MICR ink is specially formulated for compatibility with MICR readers to enable automated capture of information from checks, coupons another documents necessary to process them.

Minimum Text Size Smallest size of text that can be printed clearly using a specific printer, ink and paper combination.

Multi-Drop Print Head

An inkjet head which uses varied drop sizes to produce smoother halftone transitions than a binary print head.

Machine Profile

Characterizes the color reproducible by a desktop printer, digital or offset press or a production inkjet device. The Machine Profile describes the color gamut of the specific printing conditions it was made with, such as type of paper and ink. Also referred to as Output Profile.

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GLOSSARY

Monitor Profile

A profile which mathematically characterizes the way that the monitor reproduces and displays color.

Mottling

A visual print defect caused when ink wicking and ink dive are combined causing non–uniform ink absorption that can be seen on the paper surface in the form of blotching or streaking. Also see Wicking and Ink Dive.

N Native Resolution

The original pixels per inch in an image or the number of nozzles per inch on a printhead.

North America Prepress 2

A generic color working space which represents general settings for general offset printing.

Noise

Random pixels added to an image to hide defects such as cross process print unevenness, banding and mottling.

O Opacity

Property of paper which obstructs light and reduces “show-through.” Opacity is expressed as a percentage of light that cannot pass through the sheet.

Out-of-Gamut

Is a phrase which refers to a color or range of colors which cannot be properly reproduced by the output device. See also Color Gamut.

Output Profile

Characterizes a desktop printer, digital or offset press or a production inkjet device. The Machine Profile describes the color gamut of the specific printing conditions it was made with, such as type of paper and ink. Also referred to as Machine Profile.

P

G

Pantone Color Bridge

A printed color swatch book developed by Pantone which represents both the spot PMS color as well as the reference CMYK process mix.

Paper Basis Weight

Basis weight is a term which refers to the thickness and sturdiness of the paper.

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Paper Brightness

The volume of light reflected off the sheet of paper. Brightness is a measure, on a scale of 0 to 100, of the amount of light reflected from the surface of a paper.

Paper Cockle

Term given to ripples occurring in an area of a piece of paper caused by exposure of the paper to moisture.

Paper Curl

When large areas of the sheet become too wet and the wood fibers are saturated and dried too quickly causing the whole sheet to curl up horizontally and/ or vertically.

Paper Shade/ Whiteness

Refers to the quality of light, specifically, the extent to which a paper reflects light of all wavelengths throughout the visible spectrum.

PDF/VT

It defines the use of PDF as an exchange format optimized for variable and transactional printing.

Personalized Print Markup Language (PPML)

PPML is a standard printer language defined by the Print On Demand Initiative (PODi) specifically for Variable Data Printing (VDP).

Pico liter

The unit of measure for the volume of ink contained in a drop of ink. A pico liter = one trillionth of a liter.

Pigment Ink

Water based ink which contains solid, opaque pigment particles suspended in ink to provide color.

Pigment particles tend to sit higher on top of the paper and are more light and fade resistant but may be less scratch resistant. Pigmented colorant made of tiny insoluble tiny particles suspended in a solution which will not rewet or dissolve.

Plug-Ins

Adobe add-on programs aimed at providing additional image effects or performing tasks that are impossible or hard to fulfill using Adobe Photoshop alone.

Plugging

Where image areas begin to fill from ink bleed or wicking causing text, lines and images to lose their sharpness.

Porosity

Porosity is created from random fiber layers within the paper which have varying degrees of absorption.

Porosity is an indication of the ability of the sheet to accept ink or water.

Positive Type

Text which is a solid image area and produced with solid color. Positive text is the opposite of Reverse Text.

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GLOSSARY

G

PPI

Known as Pages Per Inch. PPI is a term used by book printers which describes how many pages if stacked will equal and inch.

Print Artifact

An objectionable visual effect visual on a printed image which was not in the original processed file such as banding, jaggedness and mottle.

Print Engine

Custom designed software and mechanics which controls the print head to fire properly.

Print Head

Is the component of a print device from which the ink is fired.

Print Speed

The speed at which the print heads and printer can print.

Preflight

Process which confirms digital files have the correct format and type. Preflight can either be a manual or electronic software process.

Prescreened images

Describes images which have been run through a Raster Image Processor (RIP) or film process in which actual “dots” have been applied at a set resolution.

Pressman

Technical operators of conventional offset or inkjet devices. Value sources of color management advice. Should only be approached with donuts or sandwiches.

Primer

Intentionally jetting or applying a clear coating which “primes” the paper surface previous to printing CMYK inks to improve ink colorant hold out. Also called pre-coating.

Print Service Provider

A business that produces printed output as their primary service. Referred to also as PSP’s, they require open communication to provide efficient service.

Process Colors

A printed color which is created by the combination of 4 subtractive colors (CMYK).

Profile

See also Input Profile, Output Profile, Machine Profile, Machine Monitor Profile, Document Profile and Paper Profile. In the context of inkjet, the “Profile” refers to the input or output machines reproducible color space.

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R Raster Images

Images which are made up of individual dots or piixels which have a defined value which identifies its specific color size and place within the image.

Also known as bitmapped images.

Resolution

A measure of text or image quality – usually in Dots Per Inch (DPI). Also see DPI.

Reference Chart

Test image used for creating output that tests minimum text and line weights, halftones, solids, color fidelity and maximum TAC to create standardized comparison across paper types and weights. Also called a Fingerprint.

Reverse Type

An open space in an area of color in which the image of a letter is formed by the paper color not the printed area. Also called Inverse Text. Reverse Text is the opposite of Positive Type.

RGB

Short for red, green and blue; the primary additive colors used to simulate natural color on computer monitors.

Rich Blacks

Rich black created when values of CMYK are combined to creat a denser “black” color than can be achieved with K (black) alone.

RIP - Raster Image Processor

Process of converting an image into a pattern which corresponds with dot assignment for the print head.

RIP process can be software or executed inside the inkjet printer.

S Satellite Drops

Saturation

Shade/Whiteness

Unintended drops which are jetted between or around intended drops. Satellite drops can cause areas of detail to become blurred.

Saturation describes a range from fully saturated, pure color to unsaturated (gray). Saturation is also described as the colorfulness of a color relative to its own brightness. Saturation, Hue and Brightness are the three terms generally used together to describe a color or tint.

Refers to the quality of light, specifically, the extent to which a paper reflects light of all wavelengths throughout the visible spectrum.

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GLOSSARY

Soft Proofing

The process of applying an output profile to visually see an image and color representation from a display closer to the device, ink and paper.

Spot Color

A printed solid color which is not made from process CMYK. Also called a demand color.

Static Images

Images which stay the same throughout the printing process. Opposite of Variable Images.

Static Text

Text which stays the same throughout the printing process. Opposite of Variable Text.

Stochastic Screening

See FM Screening.

Subtractive Color

Subtractive Color, is considered Reflective Light which starts with light absorbed into the printed surface and subtracting colors by absorbing and reflecting back the visual colors that are not absorbed. The sum of all subtracted colors is black.

Printing is a subtractive color process. See also Additive Color.

Swatch Book

See Tint Book.

Swathe

The width of a print head that prints as one pass; can be one print head or a print bar containing multiple printheads.

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Tint

The process of lightening one of the basic Hue colors from the color wheel or a custom created color by adding white.

Tint Book

A book of various CMYK color blocks printed from a specific device, ink and paper to represent reproducible colors or color match.

Tonal Range

Range of reproducible highlights, midtones and shadows in a halftone image. Areas of tonal range are measured by density or gray levels.

Tone

Is the process of â&#x20AC;&#x153;graying downâ&#x20AC;? a color by adding both white and black to a Hue.

Total Area Coverage

Referred to as TAC. This term refers to the maximum combined CMYK ink thickness set in a color profile when printed. Also refered to as Total Ink Coverage, TIC.

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True Resolution

Refers to the actual inkjet printer’s resolution which is measured in dots per inch (dpi). A 600-dpi printer means that each dot is truly 1/600th of an inch in size, placed in a 600-space/in. x 600-space/in. grid.

U Uncoated paper

Paper which does not contain any special treatment or coating on its surface. Uncoated papers are considered “open fiber” or “naked” papers.

US Web Coated SWOP

Stands for Specifications for Web Offset Publications and is a set of specifications used in the U.S. intended to improve the quality of printed material (It also refers to the organization that produced the specification.)

V Variable Images

Images which change with each page printed.

Variable images are part of a variable printing process. Opposite of Static Images.

Variable Text

Text which changes with each page printed.

Variable text is part of the variable printing process.

Opposite of Static Text.

Vector Image

Images which are made up of points, curves and lines. Vector images are based on paths or strokes containing control points which can be edited in X and Y coordinates to custom modify an element.

Vector elements are not resolution dependent and can be increased without any image degradation.

Vignettes

A vector or bitmap image which fades into its background without a defined border. Also called Gradation.

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GLOSSARY

W White Point

Refers to the reference or target white in an image.

White point is defined as being the point of the whitest value in an image which can define a substrate color or a preprinted white ink. White point measurement is the value for all areas of highlight, midtones color to be created properly when printed.

Photoshop uses White Point to show color shifts when printing on different shades of substrates.

Wire Side

When making paper, the side of the sheet that was formed in contact with the papermaking machine's forming wire. Opposite of Felt Side. Also see Felt Side.

Working Color Space

The color space a designer is working in when the document color space of the design or image editing software is applied. Defines monitor RGB and CMYK color rendering data.

Wrap Envelope

An oversized printed piece which is folded around itself to make a self contained envelope.

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Additive Color 9, 134, 146 Adobe Bridge 42, 46, 65, 75, 77, 78, 80, 94, 134 Adobe Swatch Exchange 130, 131, 134 AFP 21, 101, 134 AM Screening 21, 134 Apparent Resolution 134 ASE File 134

Densitometer 20, 137 Dithering 20, 22, 137 Document Color Space 46, 76-78, 88, 99, 137 Document Profile 60-62, 136, 137, 144 Dot 19, 20, 21, 49, 58, 90, 108, 137 Dot Gain 19, 49, 90-92, 108, 137 Down Sample 105, 108, 137 DPI - Dots Per Inch 10, 18, 20, 39 44, 46, 78, 80, 94, 137 Drop 2, 18, 20, 22-24, 51, 141 Dry Back 52, 137 Dye Ink 3, 4, 33, 63, 138 Dynamic Perforation 32, 138

B Binary Print Head 19, 22-23, 33, 39, 135, 141 Bit Depth 135 Bitmap Image 21, 79-87, 135, 145, 147 Black Point Compensation 65, 67, 135

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E Early Binding 106, 138

C

F

Calibration 8, 65, 135 Carrier 3, 23, 24, 48, 49, 135 Clutching 78, 135 Cockle 24, 26, 135, 140, 143 Colorant 3, 4, 23, 33, 136 Color Channel 136 Color Correction 64, 80, 81, 83, 84, 102, 136 Color Curve 60, 83, 84, 136 Color Gamut 4, 5, 6, 10, 11, 49, 50, 61-64, 68, 74, 76, 89, 136, 139, 142 Color Managed Workflow 60, 75-77, 80, 83, 93, 94, 134, 136 Color Plane 21, 75, 134, 136 Color Profile 9, 136, 137 Color Space 9-12, 16, 44, 60-62, 74, 75-81, 83, 84, 86-88, 94, 99, 106, 113, 116, 120, 123 GRACoL 44, 46, 75, 76, 83, 139 North America Prepress 2 75, 142 US Web Coated SWOP 147 Composition Software 101, 102, 106, 136 Continuous Tone Image 21, 46, 85, 136

Fast Immobilizing Pigment Ink 34, 138 Fine Trapping 92, 138 Finishing 30, 43, 46 FM Screening 21, 138, 146 G Gamut 4, 9-12, 34, 63, 67, 68, 131, 136, 139, 142 GRACoL 44, 46, 75, 76, 83, 139 Gradation 87, 139, 147 Grayscale Print Head 22, 33, 39, 134, 139 Gurley Densometer Test 51, 139 H Halftone 40, 139 Hue 68, 139, 145, 146

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ICC Profiles 39, 140 Image Filters 80-82, 87 Ink Aqueous 3, 8, 20, 23, 24, 25, 26, 38, 39, 41, 43, 45, 46, 54, 63, 67, 89, 112, 116, 119, 122, 138, 140, 141, 142, 143, 146 Dye Ink 3, 4, 33, 63, 138 Ink Bleed 140 Ink Coverage 20, 43, 89, 140, 146 Ink Density 20, 140 Ink Dive 24, 25, 26, 140, 142 Ink Wicking 24, 25, 26, 140 Pigment Ink 3, 4, 23, 33, 39, 62-64, 138, 143 Inkjet Coated Paper 5, 12, 23, 39, 48, 50, 51, 62, 63, 94, 116, 119, 140 Inkjet Treated Paper 5, 12, 23, 25, 69, 41, 48-50, 52, 88, 113, 116, 119, 140 Input Profile 60, 136, 141, 144 Inserting Equipment 141 Inverse Type 90, 141

Noise 142 North America Prepress 75, 142 O Opacity 51, 52, 55, 123, 142 Out-of-Gamut 11, 12, 62, 64, 67, 68, 131, 142 Output Profile 61, 62, 64, 136, 141, 142, 144 P Pantone Color Bridge 15, 142 Paper Inkjet Coated 5, 12, 23, 39, 48, 50, 51, 62, 63, 94, 116, 119, 140 Inkjet Treated 5, 12, 23, 25, 69, 41, 48-50, 52, 88, 113, 116, 119, 140 Paper Basis Weight 51, 56, 57, 142, 143 Paper Cockle 24, 26, 140, 135, 143 Paper Curl 24, 143 Paper Selection 112, 116, 119, 123 Uncoated 5, 12, 25, 39, 41, 48, 49, 51, 52, 64, 68, 82, 88, 91, 92, 147 Paper Shade/Whiteness 51, 54, 55, 143 Picoliter 2, 19, 46 Pigment Ink 3, 4, 23, 33, 39, 62, 63, 64, 138, 143 Plugging 90, 140, 143 Porosity 49, 51, 52, 53, 55, 143 Positive Type 90, 143, 145 PPI 18, 57, 65, 66, 75, 83, 105, 121, 123, 126, 129, 130, 144 Preflight 100, 144 Prescreened images 78, 144 Print Engine 144 Print Head 2, 18, 21, 22, 23, 33, 46, 135, 139, 141, 144 Print Speed 21, 22, 23, 33, 46, 144 Profile 60 - 69, 136, 137, 140, 141, 142, 144

K Kerning 90, 91, 141 L Leading 90, 91, 141 Light Booth 8, 13, 14, 141 M Machine Profile 61, 62, 136, 141, 142, 144 MICR 32, 33, 34, 141 Minimum Text Size 40, 90, 95, 141 Monitor Profile 60, 142, 144 Mottling 25, 140, 142 Multi-Drop Print Head 22, 23, 39, 46, 141

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Reference Chart 40, 41, 58, 92, 138, 145 Resolution 20, 78, 134, 137, 145, 147 Reverse Type 145 RGB 8, 9, 10, 16, 44, 60, 62, 67, 74, 77, 78, 80, 81, 83, 85, 86, 92, 108, 137, 148 Rich Blacks 89, 92, 93, 145 RIP - Raster Image Processor 16, 20, 21, 45, 78, 87, 99, 100, 101, 112, 145

Uncoated paper 5, 12, 25, 39, 41, 48, 49, 51, 52, 64, 68, 82, 88, 91, 92, 147 US Web Coated SWOP 147

S Saturation (color) 56, 68, 81, 82, 145 Shade/Whiteness 51, 54, 55, 143, 145 Soft Proofing 62, 64, 65, 67, 68, 69, 80, 83, 146 Spot Color 3, 11, 33, 42, 146 Static Images 86, 146, 147 Static Text 146, 147 Stochastic Screening 21, 146 Subtractive Color 10, 146 Swatch Book (see also Tint Book) 15, 136, 146

V Variable Data Printing (Variable Print) 35, 74, 91, 100, 101, 115, 143 Variable Images 86, 146, 147 Variable Text 146, 147 VDP 101, 134, 143 Vector Image 16, 74, 75, 77, 79, 85, 87, 88, 147 Vignettes 41, 87, 88, 139, 147 W White Point 67, 148 Working Color Space 74, 106, 148

T Tint 42, 88, 126, 127, 129, 131, 146 Tint Book 42, 88, 126, 127, 129, 131, 146 Tone 136, 146 TAC â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Total Area Coverage 20, 43, 63, 89, 93, 112, 113, 116, 117, 119, 120, 122, 123, 124, 138, 140, 145, 146 True Resolution 147

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR Elizabeth Gooding lives in Newton,

Massachusetts where she delights in making the business world more interesting, enjoyable, and efficient. As a master of many creative endeavors and a natural problem solver, Elizabeth is driven to improve experiences and outcomes. She has applied her golden touch professionally to designing, writing, public speaking, management consulting and cooking.

Ms. Gooding is the President of Insight Forums and its subsidiary Gooding Communications Group. She is known as a “Curious Consultant and Professional Problem Solver” and is widely sought after for her down to earth approach towards highly complex business communications and process design initiatives.

While dedicated to the improvement of seemingly pedestrian communications such as statements, bills, policies and other regulated customer communications, she raises those endeavors to a strategic level – allowing enterprises to dramatically improve the efficiency and effectiveness of their communications initiatives.

Nurturing the evolution of production inkjet platforms and evangelizing for inkjet-friendly design is just one of the ways she has helped raise the business communications bar. As an advisor to the Inkjet Summit and through numerous inkjet related engagements she has helped companies to intelligently enter the world of production inkjet printing with eyes wide open.

Over the past twenty years, Elizabeth has had the opportunity to implement major design and automation projects for many of the world’s leading brands in finance, healthcare, telecommunications and insurance. While she was the editor of E.Bill magazine in the nascent stages of the e-delivery market and continues to be a strong proponent of multi-channel marketing, printing is her touchstone.

She would also want you to know that she has a B.S. in Economics from Northeastern University, has owned and sold successful businesses, is a certified design and print geek, loves a colorful world and has a quirky sense of humor that is dryer than ink on a page.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR Mary Schilling can be found in the tiny town

of Fountaintown, Indiana surrounded by 500 acres of corn, her husband Randy, son Christopher and an accident-prone Labrador retriever named Max. Mary is the CEO of Schilling Inkjet Consulting and has been dubbed the “Inkjet Genie” by her peers.

Mary’s infatuation with print began while running conventional offset in vocational school. She continued developing the craft of creative designer while attending Heron School of Art as a Visual Communications major and working for a Fortune 200 packaging company whose clients included some of the top alcohol, junk food and agricultural producers.

Realizing she enjoyed playing with moving objects more than colored markers, she rejoined the machine side of the creative industry where she began consulting with various print head, ink, RIP and machine manufacturers. Mary’s consulting practice initially focused on UV and aqueous color and print quality for label and commercial markets to ensure the new wave of single pass and flatbed industrial inkjet devices were simple and easy to use by printers. She received several awards for the development of an Internet package printing process called Package Genie.

Over the past decade, Mary has aspired to improve application and communication within the inkjet industry. Working with designers, prepress professionals, pressman and sales organizations, Mary’s down to earth training and whimsical spirit has eliminated drama from many inkjet installations and ensured that print quality and color implementation was synchronized across print devices. For Mary G7 is a methodology, a mantra and a way of life.

Despite her own accolades such as winning 1st Place Innovator of the Year Award – XPlor International, 2nd Place Innovator of the Year – Association of Integrated Corrugated Converters for Package Genie and JetPak inkjet packaging process, the achievement she is most proud of is her son Christopher.

Look for her as Advisory Council Member for the Inkjet Summit as well as a public speaker at various print trade shows and a blogger for Printing Impressions magazine.

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PRODUCTION NOTES: Printed on: Océ ColorStream® 3000 series inkjet press Workflow: Océ PRISMAproduction® Ink: Pigment Cover Stock: Cham PROMOPRINT P Inkjet Matte Coated 160gsm Body Stock: Cham PROMOPRINT P Inkjet Matte Coated 90gsm Finishing: Hunkeler Sheeter, Horizon Perfect Binder, and covers laminated with soft touch finish