DESIGN FOR PRINT
CONTENTS This manual will introduce the things to know, consider or think about in order to successfully print your designs. 1 - print process 2 - colour 3 - format 4 - stock 5 - file types 6 - binding 7- imposition 8- finishing 9 - costing 10 - proofing
PRINT PROCESS Before sending your documents to print, it’s vital to know about the print process that would be most suitable. LITHOGRAPHY Inked image from a printing plate in transferred on to a rubber blanket roller
FELXOGRAPHY
offset printing and flexography, it uses a rotary printing press
with movable type and pressed into a sheet of paper
PAD PRINTING
This is a printing technique that uses a woven mesh to support an ink-blocking stencil
This is a printing process which utilizes a flexible relief plate
An image is transferred from the printing plate via a silicone pad onto a substrate
OFFSET
DIGITAL
This uses stock that is supplied on massive rolls rather than individual sheets
ROTOGRAVURE The image is engraved onto a cylinder because, like
A digital based image is directly printed onto a variety of print media
LETTERPRESS This uses a press with a “type-high bed” printing press
SCREENPRIN
COLOUR Knowing how to apply colour within your designs is vital when it comes to ensuring your designs come out as intended. CMYK
RGB
The subtractive primary colours; when two of these subtractive colours overlap they create the additive primaries, these (RGB) where all three subtractive colours overlap black is produced because no light escapes.
The additive colours; when two of these overlap they create the subtractive primaries (RGB) each additive colour represents a component of white light, so where all colours overlap, white is produced.
When preparing to send the designs for print, you must make sure the final designs are in CMYK colour mode to ensure the files are not using a screen-based colour.
CMYK
RGB
FORMAT ISO paper sizes are all based on a single aspect ratio of square root of 2, or approximately 1:1.4142. Series A is used for standard printing
Series B is used for posters etc..
The C series is used for envelopes etc.
A0 - 841 x 1189 A1 - 594 x 841 A2 - 420 x 594 A3 - 297 x 420 A4 - 210 x 297 A5 - 148 x 210 A6 - 105 x 148 A7 - 74 x 105 A8 - 52 x 74 A9 - 37 x 52 A10 - 26 x 37
B0 - 1000 x 1414 B1 -Â 707 Ă— 1000 B2 - 500 x 707 B3 - 353 x 500 B4 - 250 x 353 B5 - 176 x 250 B6 - 125 x 176 B7 - 88 x 125 B8 - 62 x 88 B9 - 44 x 62 B10- 31 x 44
C0 - 917 x 1297 C1 - 648 x 917 C2 - 458 x 648 C3 - 324 x 458 C4 - 229 x 324 C5 - 162 x 229 C6 - 114 x 162 C7 - 81 x 114 C8 - 57 x 81 C9 - 40 x 57 C10 - 28 x 40
STOCK
Stock is a consideration that, if applied correctly, can imrove the aesthetics and feel of a design. WEIGHT
COLOUR
The weight of stock is a description of the density of fibers that make up the paper. It’s measured in grams per square meter. something to take into consideration is that usually, the heavier the paper the more durable it is.
Coloured stock is more expensive then white paper. there are bright, parchment, and pastel shades, along with metallics.
THICKNESS This is measured in caliper (inches) or millimeters. the thickness does not effect the quality of the stock.
OPACITY This refers to the density and thickness and it’s measure on how much image and text can be seen on the
FILE TYPES Before sending your work to the printer you must make sure the designs are in the correct format with the best wanted resolution. FORMAT Every printer is different which makes it really important to send off the designs in the right file format. the standard file types tend to be a PDF, EPS, JPEG and TIF. The adobe Portable Document Format (PDF) is the standard file format for print and proofinf unless specified otherwise.
RESOLUTION The resolution of your design all depends on how much information the file contains. Pixel depth is another factor that effects the resolution. the greater the bit depth, the more colours there are that become available and therefore improve the quality of your image. It’s important to have an understanding of the relationship between pixel dimension and print resolution in order to print your design in the highest quality.
IMPOSITION It consists in the arrangement of the printed product’s pages on the printer’s sheet, in order to obtain faster printing, simplified binding and less waste of paper. FORMAT Correct imposition minimizes printing time by maximizing the number of pages per impression, reducing cost of press time and materials. To achieve this, the printed sheet must be filled as fully as possible. Imposition is affected by five different parameters: - format of the product: - number of pages of the printed - product - stitching/binding method: - paper fiber direction - finishing and binding
FINISHES Having a good understanding of finishes will improve the visual appearance of your designs. Finishing is the general term used to define anything done to a print after it is printed. It is considered a value-added process and includes foiling, embossing, image transfer, trimming and coating. Finishing is a process applied to a design’s substrate, or surface, that can provide your work with a specific look and feel, add decorative elements, alter its shape and size or provide functionality and presentation enhancements
PROOFING
COSTING
Proofing compromises a range of different methods used at different stages of the print production process to ensure accurate reproduction of a design
Being aware of the costings behind printing will aid you as a designer and allows you to print efficiently.
Different proofs check the colour, registration and layout output of print production processes.
TIPS
Some of these prrof checks can include laser proof, screen proof, scatter proof and press proof.
Communicate with the printers. The more you do, the less confusion their’ll be.
The first price you get might not be the best one so get quotes from other printers to ensure