Top 10 Print Manual

TOP 10 MANUAL FOR SUCCESSFUL PRINT

1) COLOUR MODES 2) PRINTABLE COLOURS 3) DOCUMENT SET UP 4) COSTING 5) PRINTERS 6) FORMATS 7) STOCK 8)PROCESSES 9)FINISH 10)MOCK UP / PROOF / SIGN OFF

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G N I T S

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Learn roughly the costs of printing sizes and finishes GET 3 QUOTES FROM 3 DIFFERENT PRINTERS Make sure that you give the same specification for what you want to each of these printers Get the quotes BEFORE you start the job Special sizes (other than A sizes) will be more expensive The print finish could be cost more than the actual printing AUTHOR CORRECTION - the sign off prevents you being held for other corrections, but the Client may want to change after the first print has gone through, this will be at a additional cost Delivery cost - the country/continent may varey. It may be cheaper to print in China, but the delivery costs may not make it economical

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S R E T IN

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You should know early on which commercial print process is appropriate, there are advances in specifications

ROTARY PRINTING -

image printing plates are wapped around cylinders

Lithography -SMALLER number of prints, but higher QUALITY

job e.g. leaflets, mailshots, comics etc

Rotogravure - high volume and durable prints e.g. newspapers and lino floors

Flexography - packaging, lower quality

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OTHER PRINTING Digital -

reproduction of image by translating the digital code direct from a computer to a material without intermediate physical process e.g Billboards, Designs on Cars (stickers), you are totaly incharge of the outcome

Screen - done by hand or machine, high quality and durable prints e.g

T-shirts

Pad

- placing a 2D image onto a 3D object, printing onto impossible surfaces e.g. stationary, work hats

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S E OD

M R U O L

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CMYK - for PRINT This is an additative process, ink based where the more ink you apply to the page the darker the colour becomes RGB - for SCREEN The is a reductive process, screen based so the more colours you have in an area, the lighter it becomes until it is white.

GREYSCALE - black with shades of gray continuously throughout the image MONOCHROME - same as greyscale but the black/grey is replaces with a colour

DUOTONE - mix of 2 spot colours over image m

Colour differences between screen (RGB) VS print (CMYK)

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S R U O L

SP

O C OT

This is part of OFFSET LITHOGRAPHY printing where a PURE ink is mixed It is a colour that cannot be mixed from CMYK It can be used in logos for companies to ensure that the same colour is used throughout It is Spot colour uses another plate, so the more spot colours you have, the higher the cost of printing

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S T N I T

You can increase the lightness of a colour by changing the tint without changing the hue.

It is economically benificial - you can produce as many tints of a colour from one printing plate instead of using various spot colours

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S T A RM

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ALWAYS make sure your work is in CMYK before printing RESOLUTION - should be 300 dpi (dots per inch) Know what size your print will be before you create it to be more creative and economical

The uses and sizes of paper sizes.

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K R O W

T R A

Talking to the Printers - The printers need to know what you want to give them - Give them an actual size mock up with all the images in place - Points to check before you send off as correcting them will be expensive

Document Set up (resolution, CMYK) Files, Formats, Fonts Spell Check Colour specification Printer Mark Pre-flight check Mock up

PROOF This is the MOST important part of printing if you are working for a cleint.

You must get them to sign off the first copy before you give the go-ahead to print the rest.

This will serve as an INSURANCE policy for you incase the client changes their mind again.

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K C O T

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You can print on practically anything so ensure your stock is appropriate - having the correct weight and finish of a paper are essential to the feel of the job Have an idea of the stock you want to have on your print when chosing colours because there is a different between the strength of colour between an uncoated and a coated stock Try other stock colours - it may save the cost from using a flood colour.

Coated Uncoated Matt Gloss

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S E S S E

C O PR

Closely linked to print process and should always be discusses with your printer as they are likely to do this IN HOUSE; BINDING FOLDING & CREASING DIE STAMP / DRILLING EMBOSSED DEBOSSED

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S E H S I

N I F

Be aware that print finishes are expensive They make the print look better When sending a varnish to print, make the colour a translucent spot colour and tell the printer which colour you have chosen to use as a varnish

Die cut Spot ink UV varnish Emboss Laminate