A SIMPLE GUIDE TO THE DIGITAL PRINT ROOM
INTRO
“These facilities enable you to produce professional-standard, large-format digital printing and print finishing.” The digital print room in Leeds College of Art is located at the bottom left corner of the building. It’s pretty easy to find from both the entrance of the college and from your studio. It’s run by James who is super helpful in anything and everything you need doing and can solve almost any problem you have when it comes to print issues, which, unfortunately, you will come across. James makes it really easy to go down there and test out different stocks and multiple test prints so
don’t be worried about not knowing 100% what it is you’re after, the range of papers down there means you should find something that suits you work.
submission. If there is a case where you’re unable to book in, there are drop in sessions from 8:45 - 10am and from 1 - 2pm on Monday - Friday but this is when it’s busiest.
The vibe down in the print room is really chilled out most of the time but towards the end of term and basically whenever Graphic Design have a deadline which is pretty often, it gets rather hectic and busy. In these cases it’s always better to book into the print room to make sure you are able to get what you need before
All in all, the print room is a place you’ll be spending a lot of time and possibly a lot of money as a Graphic Design student but don’t let that be a bad thing, it’s always good to experiment with your work. It’s one of the best things about coming to LCA so just make sure to respect it and make the most of it.
TIMES
Monday
8:45 - 12:00
13:00 - 16:30
Tuesday
8:45 - 12:00
13:00 - 16:30
Wednesday
8:45 - 12:00
13:00 - 16:30
Thursday
8:45 - 12:00
13:00 - 16:30
Friday
8:45 - 12:00
13:00 - 16:00
DROP IN TIMES 8:45 - 10:00 & 13:00 - 14:00 The print room can get very busy, especially when certain courses such as photography, illustration and graphic design have deadlines to work for. To avoid not being able to print off your work for a submission or a crit, the best solution is to book in a spot in advance. To do this, just go down to the print room and ask James for a slot that suits you and your timetable, but if it’s fully booked up you can always go to a dropin session. These drop-in sessions can get very busy
and it’s not uncommon for there to be a pretty long line even before it has opened. Overall just stay organised. Plan what work needs to be done and printed and when for and think ahead, this allows you to stay on top of the work load and will make the course a lot easier and slightly less stressful.
STOCKS
One thing I have learned on this course is that you should always try to experiment with options as those experiments should lead you to the best outcome. A key feature of your work is the choice of stock that you decide to use, so you should see which stocks work and which don’t.
own in and if it can be printed on you’re fine to use it. Paper is also available to buy in the library on the top floor. This includes A2 pieces, various coloured paper, mount board and other types that come and go, depending what they have in stock.
There are many different types of paper available in the print room that are ready to be printed on for your work, but if there isn’t anything down there for you, or a specific piece of work, you can always bring your
Experimentation is key.
PRICES
A4
A3
A2
A1
A0
Satin/ Gloss Matt
75p
£1.50
£3
£8
£14
75p
£1.50
£3
£8
£14
Harman FB Matt S/ADH Clear S/ADH Tracing
£1
£2
£4
£8
£14
£1
£2
N/A
N/A
N/A
£1
£2
£4
£8
£16
10p
20p
50p
£2
£4
Acetate
£1
£1.80
£3.50
£10
N/A
Own Paper Laser
20p
50p
£1
£2
£4
25p
50p
-
-
-
Canvas
£25 Per meter
Fireproof
£10 Per meter
Banner
£11 Per meter
Digi Wallpaper
£6 Per meter
“This is just a small selection of papers that I stock, please just ask about any others or any sizes.”
RULES
There aren’t really many rules to follow in the print room because as I said earlier, it’s pretty chilled out. Just make sure you’re not eating and drinking down there because there’s a lot of expensive equipment and other people have to use the computers. A bottle of water with a lid is fine just be careful with it, this rule is standard across all the Mac and PC suites too. Another thing is to not go to the print room with unfinished work. Make sure your work is 100% finished and ready to print so the next person can get their work printed off. As I said it can get very busy, and the queues can get rather long at times. Make sure to follow that queue and let the people who were before you get their stuff printed first if they’re ready. It’s basically first come, first served down there. Last thing is to just let James do all the printing. The printers are expensive and confusing and James knows which printer is being used, which is right for the job etc.
1. No food or drink in the print room.
2. Don’t go to print with unfinished work.
3. Respect the queue when it’s busy.
4. Let James do the printing.
Leeds College of Art