Legibility is…
the ability to distinguish one letterform from another.
Readability is…
the ability to understand a piece of type or design.
A typeface is…
a collection of characters, letters, numbers, symbols and punctuation which have the same distinct design.
A font is…
the physical means to create a typeface, be it computer code, lithographic film, metal or woodcut.
A F d T G O A f K p
Typeface anatomy
Apex The point formed at the top of a letter, such as the ‘A’, where the left and right strokes meet.
Arm A horizontal stroke that is open at the end, as seen on the ‘T’, ‘F’ and ‘E’.
Ascender The part of the letter that extends above the x-height.
Bracket The curved part of the serif that connects it to the stroke.
Chin The angled terminal part of the ‘G’.
Counter The empty space inside the body of a stroke.
Crossbar A horizontal stroke on the ‘A’ or ‘H’. The crossbar joins to stems together.
Cross Stroke This is sometimes called a crossbar. A cross stroke intersects a singles stem.
Crotch Where the leg and arm of the ‘K’ and ‘k’ meet.
Descender The part of the letter that falls below the baseline.
f v K g p
v
Vertex The angle that forms at the bottom of a letter where the left and right stroke meet.
Typeface classification
Black Block, Blackletter, Gothic, Old English, Black or Broken typefaces are based on the ornate writing style prevalent during the middle ages. They tend to be difficult to read in large text blocks and seem antiquated.
ROMAN Roman type has proportionatly spaced letters and serifs, it was derived from Roman inscriptions. It is the most readable type and is commonly used for body text.
GOTHIC
Gothic, sans serif or lineale typefaces do not have the decorative touches that typify Roman typefaces. Their clean and simple design makes them ideal for display text, but make them more difficult to read in long passages.
SCRIPT
Roman type has proportionatly spaced letters and serifs, it was derived from Roman inscriptions. It is the most readable type and is commonly used for body text.
Typeface Styles A typeface family contains the range character styles and weights which can be applied to the same basic typeface. The typeface I have used for examples below is Helvetica Neue.
ROMAN Originates from inscriptions found on Roman monuments.
ITALIC
A version of the Roman cut that slopes to the right. Most typefaces have an italic version.
MEDIUM A middle weight between the Roman and Bold.
BOLD
Uses a wider stroke than Roman and is also called black, super and poster.
L GHT A variation of the Roman cut with a lighter stroke.
CONDENSED
A narrower version of the Roman cut.
Absolute measurements
Absolute measurements are measurements of fixed values. A millimetre is a precise measurement. Points and pica, the basic typographic measurements have fixed values. Absolute measurements are shown in finite terms and cannot be altered.
Relative measurements
In typography many measurements such as character spacing are linked to type size. Ems and Ens are relative measurements that have no prescribed absolute size. Their size is relative to the size of type that is being set.
Em An em is a unit of measurement derived from the width of a of the cast upper case ‘M’. The em equals the size of a given type (the em of 60 point type is 60 point, the em of 12 point is 12 points). It is used to accurately space paragraph indents.
Loop The stroke that encloses, or partially closes a counter in a roman.
A h s T o Y
Serif The small stroke at the end of a main vertical or horizontal stroke.
Shoulder The arch formed on the ‘h’ or ‘n’.
Spine The left-to-right curving stroke in the ‘S’ and ‘s’.
Stem The main diagonal or vertical stroke of a letter.
Stress The direction is which a curved stroke changes weight.
Stroke The diagonal portion of letters such as ‘N’, ‘Y’ and ‘M’. Stems, bars etc are collectively referred to as strokes.
Q
Tail The descending stroke on the ‘Q’.
T
Terminal The finish of a stroke.
Centre-Aligned Type can be set in a variety of horizontal alignments. When used effectively alignment can harmonise text with other elements in the design. Large blocks of text that are not left aligned may become tiring and confusing to read. Right-Aligned Type can be set in a variety of horizontal alignments. When used effectively alignment can harmonise text with other elements in the design. Large blocks of text that are not left aligned may become tiring and confusing to read. Justified Type can be set in a variety of horizontal alignments. When used effectively alignment can harmonise text with other elements in the design. Large blocks of text that are not left aligned may become tiring and confusing to read.
Value How light or dark a colour is. A colour that is mixed with white is called a tint, a colour mixed with black is called a shade.
Layout & grid
Layout concerns the placement of text and image elements within a design. How these elements are positioned, both in relation to one another and within the overall design scheme will affect how the content is viewed and received. Layout can help or hinder the communication of information in a piece of design.
Colour symbolism
Colours possess a wealth of symbolic meanings that are derived from cultural and social associations. For this reason people from different countries will have different reactions to colours.
Intensity Intensity refers to how crowded a layout is.
Simplicity Peace
Verso is…
Home
The left-hand page of an open book.
Recto is…
The right-hand page of an open book.
Energy
Additive & subtractive
Type hierachy is a logical and visual guide. It distinguishes headers from body text, and can highlight the importance of text through using varying; typefaces, type weights, point size or colour. Below I will show the hierachy used throughout this publication.
The golden section
The golden section forms the basis for paper sizes and it’s principles can be used to achieve balanced designs. The golden section was deduced by ancients to represent the infalable proportions of beauty.
B-Head The B-head is a secondary heading, in this publication the B-Head is 8 point and bold. I am using this for sub-headers and pull quotes. C-Head The C-Head in this publication is used in the body text. The point size is point as with the B-Head, however, the type is set to regular rather than bold. This allows the headers and sub-headers to be distinguished.
Paper characteristics
Reliability Sophisticated Optimism
Colour combinations The colour wheel can be used to select combinations of colour for a design. Colours chosen from different points of the wheel will provide a variety of complementary colours or analogous colours.
Subordinate A visually weaker colour that complements or contrasts with the dominant colour. Dominant The principle colour that is used to capture the viewers attention. Accent A colour that is used to provide a visual detail.
Two Dissect it.
Basic paper types
Bold A palette that uses black with one or two authoritative colours. These colour combinations make a statement. Three Form an isocseles triangle.
Sustainability is a key concern in modern society. Methods that reduce the environmental impact of production are highly sort after by manufacturers, including printers, worldwide.
Image
In modern design images tend to be supplied in an electronic format, even if they have been hand-rendered and later scanned in. The following section of the book will go through the setting required for an image that is to be printed.
Pastel This combination creates diffused colours that are subtle. The combination can express immaturity and vulnerability.
Four Extend an arc from The apex of the triangle to the baseline.
Colour wheel selections
Raster A raster image is any that is composed of pixels within a grid, each pixel contains colour information for the reproduction of the image. Rasters have a fixed resolution, which means that an enlargement of the image results in a quality decrease. Raster images are usually saved as TIFF or JPEG files for print, and JPEG or GIF for use on the web.
Vector A vector image contins many scalable objects that are defined by mathematical formulae (bezier curves) or paths rather than pixels. Vectors are scalable and not affected by resolution. Vectors can be enlarged indefinitly and remain crisp and clear. Vector files must be saved as EPS format to retain their scalability. They are used for corporate logos and other graphics as they are easily portable and cannot be altered within publishing programs.
Five Draw a line perpendicular to the baseline from the point at which the arec intersects it and complete the rectangle to form a golden section.
Fibonacci numbers
Fibonacci number sequences are a series of numbers in which each number is the sum of the two proceeding numbers. Fibonacci numbers are linked to the 8:13 ratio in the golden section.
Refined Colours close to black are combined with cream, greys and metallics to make a powerful contrast.
Alternative substrates
Vibrant A loud colour combination. The bright and vivid tones give this combination a childlike quality.
Three different page sizes are formed using sequential pairs of fibonacci numbers. 0, 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, 34, 55, 89, 144, 233, 377, 610, 987, 1597, 2584, 4181, 6765, 10,946…
Artworking, sometimes referred to as reprographics, encompasses a range of different processes through shich the raw for which the raw elements of a design are brought together and prepared for the printing process.
File formats Capture RAW The format for capturing maximum continuous-tone colour information when taking photographs. RAW captures the maximum output from the sensor in a digital camera and can produce files with many times the size of a JPEG file as the file is not compressed or processed. RAW files need to be converted to RGB files to be used.
Grids
Mystical Uses blues, purples and greys. These colours exide energy and suggest forms of spirituality and/or religion.
Columns A column is an area into which text is flowed so that it is presented in an organised manner.
Colour Mode CMYK Resolution 300dpi CMYK Mode CMYK images are made from Cyan, Magenta, Yellow and Black subtractive primaries and have 4 channels, one for each colour. An image stored as CMYK is larger than a RGB file as it has one extra channel. CMYK images are used for printing as each colour corresponds to one of the printing plates.
X-Height The ‘x-heght’ is a term applied to the distance between the baseline and the mean line of nonascending or lower case letters. The letter ‘x’ is used as a gauge because it is flat at both the top and bottom. The X-height is a relative measure specific to the typeface in question. Cap Height and Ascender Height Cap height (the height of capital letters) and ascender height (the height of ascenders, such as the ‘h’). They can be equal height although in some typefaces the heights vary slightly.
Saved
Running heads Running heads, the header, running title or straps are the repeated lines of text that appear on each page of a work or section, such as the title of a chapter or publication.
lines of type. Leading Leading is a hot-metal printing term that refers to the strips of lead that were inserted between text measures in order to space them correctly. Leading is specified in points and refers to the space between the lines in a block of text.
Kerning is the space between t wo letters. Kerning Kerning is the space between two letters. Certain letter combinations have too much or too little space between them, this can make some words difficult to read. Two Rules of Kerning One As the type gets bigger you will need to reduce the space to compensate.
EPS A file format for scalable graphic elements. used for web applications.
Margin A margin is the empty space that surrounds the text block.
GIF A file format for compressing line art and flat colour images that are to be used for web images.
Folio numbers Folio or page numbers are usually placed at the outer edge of the bottom margin. This makes them noticeable when flicking
Neutral Uses drab greys which are combined with neutral creams and greens. The combination offers simplicity that works with most other colour combinations.
JPEG A continuous-tone file format for lossy compression images that are to be used for web images. PSD Photoshop file format, which stores all of its layer and selection and miscellaneous other image data.
The bezold effect
The Bezold effect is an optical illusion in which two colours, juxtaposed in small doses, distort the impression of each colour’s shade, just by proximity to another hue.
TIFF A continuous-tone file format for lossless compression of images to print.
Screen
Portable
Stock
RGB Mode RGB images are made from red, green and blue additives, they have 3 channels, one for each colour. RGB images are smaller than CMYK images as they have one fewer channel. RGB files are used on screen because of their lower file size.
Both cyan bars above are the same hue, however the background is different. The background colour changes how the cyan bar appears. The cyan almost vibrates when placed on the magenta background. When placed on the yellow background the colours are harmonious.
PPI Pixels per inch, a measure of the resolution of an image on screen. Images to be used on screen typically have 72 pixels per inch.
How paper is made
Format ISO The ISO system is based on a height-to-width ratio of the square root of 2 (1:1.4142) which means that each size differs from the next or previous by a factor of 2 or 0.5. The ISO standard provides for a range of complementary paper sizes in order to cater for most common printing needs,as shown in the tables above. Generally speaking, A sizes are used for printing everything from posters and technical drawings to magazines, office paper, notepads and postcards; B sizes are used for printing books; while C sizes are used for envelopes that will hold the A sizes.
Bitmap A bitmap or raster is any image that is composed of pixels in a grid. The images are a fixed resolution so quality will be affected . Converting a greyscale image in to a bitmap will reduce the tonal palette to black and white only.
Greyscale A greyscale is a tonal scale or series of achromatic tones that have varying levels of white and black to give a full range of greys. A greyscale is used to reproduce contious tone photographs. It does this by converting colours into the most approximate levels of grey. Up to 256 shades. The intensities of these greys are reproduced on the printing plate throught he use of a halfone screen.
Half-tone A half tone image is created by reproducing a continuous tone image as a composition of dots. This can be seen in enlarged image above.
PDF A portable document used for sending files from the designer to the client for checking and the printer for printing. A PDF embeds all the necessary font and graphic files for the design.
Print resolution
Tracking is the space between l e t t e r s . Tracking Tracking refers to the amount of space that exists between letters. This can be adjusted to make characters more or less distinguishable. Reducing the tracking lessens the space between letters, this condenses the text, if the tracking is too tight the letters will crash into one another which can affect legibility.
BMP A format for uncompressed 24- or 32-bit colour image file sused for graphic manipulation.
Natural Uses warm, earthy colours that are rich in tone. These combinations have a rustic feel.
Letter spacing
Leading is the space between
FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) FSC is an international, non-governmental organisation dedicated to promoting responsible management of the world’s forests. It was founded in 1993 in response to public concern about deforestation and demand for a trustworthy woodlabelling scheme. There are national working groups more than 50 countries including the UK. FSC UK is a registered charity. It is supported by NGOs including WWF, Greenpeace and the Woodland Trust.
Artworking
Calm Uses light to midtones of blue, green and lavender, they are contrasted with white or off-white. The colours are quiet unassuming and serene.
The grid is used as a way to consistently organise elements on a page. There are two common types of grid, module based and column based.
RA and SRA series These 2 paper sizes are based on the ISO printers that are slightly larger than the A series to provide the grip, trim and bleed. To produce an A1 full bleed poster you need to print on an SRA1 sheet of paper to allow for trimming.
The above image visualises the mathematical formula behind the paper sizes. Each size is scaled by 141%, the paper sizes are
The black produced by the black printing plate can look pale and washed out. To overcome this large areas of black can be given a 50–60% cyan bouncer. Flat Tint A flat tint features dots of the same size and spacing. 16-Bit (Original Image) 16-bit pixel depth means that each of the RGB colour channels has 16 bits. The result is a 48-bit image. This file is capable of containing billions of colours. 16bit channels contains the maximum amount of colour information. First Order Stochastic Printing This method features a fixed dot size but varied spacing.
24-Bit (RGB) 24-bit pixel depth produce about 16 million colours. This gives a more realistic continuous tone image than 8-bit images.
Printing requirements are dictated by the final quality and detail required. Posters usually print at a minimum of 100dpi and a maximum of 150dpi. Print jobs such as flyers and brochures print with a minimum resolution of 300dpi and a maximum of 2400dpi. Resolution is also determined by pixel depth: the number of bits available to generate a colour for each pixel. Greater bit depth means that more colours are avaiable and a more accurate colour reproduction can be expected.
Black The black produced when using 100% ink on the black printing plate.
8-Bit (Indexed) 8-bit pixel depth means it
B2 pages per view
B2 (707mm x 500mm) is a common format used in commercial offsetlithography printing. This gives trim and bleed for most A series paper sizes. Below are examples of pages-per-view on a B2 sheet.
Magenta Plate Magenta is the second press plate to be printed.
1 A2 594mm x 420mm Sheet can fit on a B2 press sheet.
Rub-Removable Inks Normally used on scratch cards or other promotional items, rub-removable ink is latex based. It is supplied as a metallic, as it’s function it to obliterate what it overprints. The ink is quite fragile and difficult to work with, but it can be effective when printed in solid areas. It gives a rubberised feel and communicates that the area should be handled with care.
Yellow Plate Yellow is the third press plate to be printed.
Folding is used for almost all multi-page print jobs in some form or another.
Mountain One of the two basic folds that are the basis of all the other folds. In a mountain fold, you fold the paper towards yourself.
Scented Inks Scented inks can be supplied in a wide selection of smells and can also be synthesised to use a specific fragrance. As scented inks are water based they can only be printed on unsealed paper (paper not plastics). On other surfaces water-based ink does not adhere to it and will scratch off. The scent has will usually lose potency over time.
Conventional Half-Tone Varied dot size with fixed dot spacing.
Cyan and Black The black produced when using 100% ink on the black printing plate with a 50% cyan kicker.
2 A3 420mm x 297mm Sheets can fit on a B2 press sheet.
Vegetable-Based Inks Inks that are made with vegetable based oils (as opposed to mineral-based such as pertoleum) and that, as a result, are more environmentally friendly.
Valley The second of the two basic folds that are the basis of all the other folds. In a valley fold, you fold the paper away from yourself.
Pad printing
Gatefold A gatefold has extra panels that fold in to the central spine of the publication with parallel folds so that they meet in the middle of the page. The extended pages are folded and cut shorter that the standard publication pages so they can nest correctly.
Proofing is one of the most important aspects in the artwork stage of the printing process.
32-Bit (CMYK Print Image) 32-bit images are used for printing. The image contains 8-bit more, this is because the CMYK colour mode has once extra colour than RGB. The image will be duller than the RGB alternative.
Resolution terms
DPI (Dots Per Inch) The number of dots a printers deposits on the substrate per inch. 300 dpi is required for standard offset printing.
Second Order Stochastic Printing Varied dot size and spacing.
Colour layers
There are three techniques that can be used to combine or layer foreground and background elements. These are explained below.
LPI (Lines Per Inch) Measures the number of cells in a half-tone grid. Half-tone grids are used to reproduce continuous tone images. The more lines per inch the smoother an image reproduction will be. PPI (Pixels Per Inch) The number of pixels, both horizontally and vertically, displayed per inch in a digital image. The higher the value the more information an image contains. This makes pixelation less likely.
Black (Key) Plate The black plate, often referred to as key, is applied to print last.
9 A5 210mm x 148mm Sheets can fit on a B2 press sheet.
Gradients
Scanning is a process that converts and image into an electronic file. There are different types of scanning methods that give varying results.
Flatbed Scanning Flatbed scanners are cheap and are commonly used with home computers. This method is cheap, easy to use and produces good reproductions of flat tone artwork. It is not suitable for high quality reproduction as flatbed scanners have lower resolution capacity when compared to other scanning methods.
16 A6 148mm x 105mm Sheets can fit on a B2 press sheet.
Surprint A surprint is two elements which print on top of each other, and that are tints of the same colour.
Reverse Out A reverse out removes part of the flood colour, leaving white space in a part of the design.
Work and turn Printing one side of a sheet, turning it from front to back and printing the second side with same sheet-edge alignment on the press.
49 A8 74mm x 52mm Sheets can fit on a B2 press sheet.
The above three images show examples of gradients. Between the three subtractive primaries.
Overprint An overprint describes two elements that are printed on top of each other, usually a darker colour is printed over a lighter colour.
Registration
The production of colour is achieved by screening the the three trichromatic process colours, cyan, magenta and yellow. There are 1,300 tints available from these three process colours. Nearly 15,000 are available when incorporating black also.
Registration is the alignment of two or more printed images that will appear on the same page.
100 A9 52mm x 37mm Sheets can fit on a B2 press sheet.
Work and tumble Both sides of the sheet are set on one plate. The sheet is printed and turned over side to side to be printed again (backed up).
Mis-registration The two colours have become misaligned, leaving an unsightly overlap of colours. Work and twist Printing one half of the sheet, turning it 180º and then going back through to print the other side.
B1 pages per view
Imposition
Printed Pages Printed Pages (PP) refers to the total number of pages that will be printed in a document. Pages to View Pages to view refers to the pages that will be printed on one side of the press sheet.
Registration The two colours have aligned, the word is clear with no unsightly overlap of colour.
B-1 (1000mm x 707mm) is a common format used in commercial offsetlithography printing. This gives trim and bleed for most A series paper sizes. Below are examples of pages-per-view on a B1 sheet.
Solution Ink trapping, spread and choke are all techniques to avoid mis-registration. This can be seen on the next page.
Ink trapping
The overlapping of coloured elements to account for misregistration on the printing press. This process is required because the halftone dots that form printed images are made up of different size dots which are arranged at different angles. The colours being overlapped prevent the appearance of white gaps where colours were supposed to meet. The main trapping options used to prevent small gaps appearing between blocks of colour are spread choke and centred trapping.
Colour Fall The pages of a publication which will receive a special colour, varnish or will be printed on a different stock.
The chart to the left shows combination of cyan and yellow. They are shown in 10% increments. When both process colours are mixed at 100% value green is created.
Screen angle refers to the inclination or angle of the rows of half-tone dots that are used to form colour images in the 4-colour printing process.
1 A1 841mm x 594mm Sheet can fit on a B1 press sheet.
Mis-registration The yellow circle has misaligned with the blue background. This leaves an unsightly white gap.
4 A3 420mm x 297mm Sheets can fit on a B1 press sheet.
182 A10 37mm x 26mm Sheets can fit on a B2 press sheet.
16 A5 210mm x 148mm Sheets can fit on a B1 press sheet. Spread The yellow circle is enlarged slightly. This will help stop the risk of mis-registration.
Stochastic or frequency modulation printing is a method that uses different dot sizes and placements as alternative method to help prevent the appearance of moire patterns. The overall effect is similar to the grain in photographic film. It can give a very good continuous tone. This is because half tone dots in prints have very little visibility and produce a high quality, detailed reproduction. As stochastic printing removes the barriers of screen angles you can print with more than the 4 process colours. Such as the hexachrome system. Stochastic printing also allows for more accurate
Knock-out & overprint
Overprint When you print one element of a design over another. Overprinting different inks will create different colours.
Knockout A knockout is the gap left in the bottom layer
32 A6 148mm x 105mm Sheets can fit on a B1 press sheet.
64 A7 105mm x 74mm Sheets can fit on a B1 press sheet.
121 A8 74mm x 52mm Sheets can fit on a B1 press sheet.
Printing plate order
In commercial printing, similar to screen printing, screen colours are printed separately. In commercial printing cyan, magenta, yellow and black are deposited on the substrate on separate plates. The order the colours are printed is; Cyan Magenta Yellow Black Registration black is made from 100% cyan, magenta, yellow and black. This means that registration marks will appear on every plate. Press plates are made from aluminium or copper depending on the printing process being used. Printing processes will be explained in the next chapter.
Back/Front Folder Wings either side of the central panel have a double parallel fold so that they can fold around and cover both sides of the central panel.
Scatter Proof A proof of an individual photo or group of photos not included as part of the individual page layout.
Disadvantages Images not seen in the layout.
49 standard business cards 85mm x 55mm Sheets can fit on a B2 press sheet.
Advantages Very accurate colour proof produced from the colour separation film used to make printing plates.
Resource A useful resource for imposition plans can be found at www.re-nourish. com.
Disadvantages Time consuming and labour intensive as an additive proof takes about 30 minutes to produce.
Special process colours
Press or Machine Proofs A proof produced using the actual plates, inks and paper.
The 4-colour printing process can produce a wide range of colours, however it is sometimes desirable to use a special process (spot) colour. The are specially made inks. A special colour is solid colour, rather than made a CMYK colour which is created by using a series of dots. As a result the colour is much more vibrant than CMYK mixed colours. Special colours are also used to produce metallic and flourescent colours. When using special colours an extra plate needs to be used in the production process. This means extra cost to a project. Such things must be taken into account when considering the use of special colours.
Metallics Metallic inks are made with copper, zinc and aluminium pigments in order to produce copper, bronze, silver and gold colours which cannot be produced by standard process inks.
The Pantone Colour Matching System (PMS) has developed to include a wide range of different colours, including special solid, hexachrome, metallic and pastel colours.
PANTONE® Wa m Red C
The chart to the left shows combination of cyan and black. They are shown in 10% increments. You can see how the value of a colour changed when mixed with white and black.
The chart to the left shows combination of yellow and black. They are shown in 10% increments. You can see how the value of a colour changed when mixed with white and black.
Advantages Rapid as no processing is involved and pages can be folded, trimmed and stitched to approximate the finished job.
Double Gatefold The double gatefold has three panels that fold in towards the centre of the publication.
The circled ‘C’ refers to the stock the colour will be printed on. There are four options available in the colour matching system; Uncoated (U) Coated (C) Euro-Coated (EC) Matte (M) Solid A range of solid metallic, pastel and process colours that can be used on different paper stocks and substrates. The flourescent opposite would be Pantone 806U, 806C or 806M depending on whether it is to print on uncoated, coated or matte stock.
Metallics A range of over 300 special colours that give a metallic effect including copper, silver and gold colours. Metallics are available in both varnished and unvarnished coated swatches.
Inks
210 A9 52mm x 37mm Sheets can fit on a B1 press sheet.
360 A10 37mm x 26mm Sheets can fit on a B1 press sheet.
Heat-Sensitive Inks These inks are supplied in a limited range of colours. Black is the preferred colour as it creates dramatic results. Heat sensitive inks are suspended in a semi-clear base and works best when screen printed. The reactive temperature can be varied according to climactic conditions. As with scented inks, the system is water based and is supplied for printing on paper based substrates. It can be used on plastics but a number of layers of varnished will need to be applied for it to key in. This is time consuming and not very cost-effective. Heat-sensitive ink also has a tendency to scuff if not properly sealed.
Duelling Z-Fold Z-Fold wings fold in to the centre panel and meet in the middle.
Front/Back Accordion Three parallel folds, the two panel outer wings fold in to and out of the centre. The double panel centre serves as the cover.
Advantages Accurate representation of the final print job.
Front/Back Gatefold The same as a normal gatefold, but with an extra panel inside the front or back.
Disadvantages N/A
Production processes
There are seven basic printing methods that are used to produce most of the printed material you see around you in the world today.
Digital
Web-offset
Digital printing refers to methods of printing from a digital based image directly to a variety of media. It usually refers to professional printing where small run jobs from desktop publishing and other digital sources are printed using large format and/or high volume laser or inkjet printers. Digital printing has a higher cost per page than more traditional offset printing methods but this price is usually offset by the cost saving in avoiding all the technical steps in between needed to make printing plates.
Half Cover from Behind An accordion fold where the penultimate panels forms a back cover that the other panels fold in to to create a book. The other half size panel folds around the book from behind to cover the front with the first half size panel.
Harmonica Self-Cover Folder An accordion fold where the first two panels form a cover that the other panels fold into. The first two panels need to be larger than the others to allow for creep.
Advantages The printing set-up is quicker as no plates are needed. Print-runs that require limited quantities are best suited to digital printing. Disadvantages The digital file need to be available, unlike other print methods which can be produced from a physical plate.
Mock Book Fold Essentially an accordion fold, where the penultimate two panels form a cover that the other panels then fold in to to create a book.
Flexography Print finishing
Advantages The relief printing plate is suitable for printing on non-porous surfaces, such as metal. It is used to print drink cans, plastic bags and much more. Disadvantages Large print runs are required using this process.
Offset-lithography
A printing process where
Plastic comb Probably the least aesthetically pleasing binding method of them all. The plastic comb looks cheap and the books do not lie flat.
Saddle stitch The cover and pages are folded and stapled. As the entire book is folded in half there is a maximum thickness of roughly half an inch for effective saddle stitch binding. Saddle stitched books lie flat and are a low cost binding technique.
Screw and post Covers and pages are drilled and bound with a threaded post and screw. The cover then turns on itself to hide the fastening. Pages can added and subtracted. Books have to be hand assembled, screw and post bound books do not lie flat.
Side stitch Pages and covers are stapled through from front to back. As the binding runs on the edge of the book. This means that a lot of space is lost on the inner margins. Side stitched books do not lie flat.
Spiral Hole are punched through the pages with a machine, and then a wire coil is spun up the spine of the book. Spiral bound books lie flat.
Stab Stab is also referred to as Japanese binding. Sheets are sewn together so that the thread is visible on the spine and sides of the book.
Tape A cloth tape is treated with heat-senstive glue is wrapped around the assembled covers and pages. Heat is applied, causing the glue to adhere to the pages and cover. Tape bound books lie flat.
Special finishes can range from die-cuts to varnishes.
Contract Proof A colour proof used to form a contract between the printer and the client, final proof before going to press.
Flexography (often abbreviated to flexo) is a form of printing process which utilises a flexible relief plate. It is essentially a modern version of letterpress which can be used for printing on almost any type of substrate, including plastic, metallic films, cellophane, and paper. It is widely used for printing on the non-porous substrates required for various types of food packaging (it is also well suited for printing large areas of solid colour).
Perfect Loose pages are adhered with glue along their bound edge. The cover is then wrapped around and glued. Perfect bound books do not lie flat.
Special finishes
Disadvantages Costly as the plates have to be set up, particularly if another proof is required following changes.
Pastels A range of flat, solid, but very pale colours. These are different to tints as they print as a solid colour without visible dots. They are available in both coated and uncoated swatches. Hexachrome A range of 6 colour process colours used for hexachrome printing. In addition to the CMYK process colours, the system adds green and orage process colours allowing it to reproduce 90% of the Pantone PMS colours.
Screen printing
Advantages Realistic impression of the final print. Can be produced on actual print stock.
Pantone PMS Colours
9 A4 297mm x 210mm Sheets can fit on a B1 press sheet.
The chart to the left shows combination of magenta and black. They are shown in 10% increments. You can see how the value of a colour changed when mixed with white and black.
Rotogravure
Concertina Each fold runs opposite to the previous one to obtain a pleated result. The outer panel needs to be bigger than the inner panels, this hides the rough folding edges of the final piece.
Advantages For checking colour before the final proof. Many photos can be proofed at once to save time and materials.
Flourescents These are special colours that have a particular vibrancy and cannot be produced using the standard 4-colour process inks. 2 A2 594mm x 420mm Sheets can fit on a B1 press sheet.
The chart to the left shows combination of magenta and yellow. They are shown in 10% increments. When the process colours are mixed at 100% value red is created.
Screen angles
Why angles? Rows of half tone dots are set at different angles to prevent them from interfering with each other. If the dots were set at the same angle moire patterns would form. By setting the rows of half-tone dots at different screen angles this interference can be avoided, and it gives each colour a better coverage of the printed surface.
The chart to the left shows combination of cyan and magenta. They are shown in 10% increments. When both process colours are combined at 100% values purple is created.
Disadvantages Colour not as accurate as press proof as does not use actual printing inks.
Composite Integral Colour Proof High quality proofs (such as match print of chromalin) produced using 4 sheets (one for each colour) laminated together in register.
The above graphic shows tints of cyan, magenta, yellow and black in 10% increments.
Register Marks Cross-hair lines or marks on film, plates, and paper that guide strippers, platemakers, pressmen, and bindery personnel in processing a print order from start to finish.
Planning Planning is an important part in any print job. Communicating details of the print job with the printer can enable an imposition that saves money. This can be down to print order, having monotone pages printed on the same print sheet can heavily reduce the cost of a print job.
Tip-in A tip-in is a means to attach an insert into a book or magazine by gluing along the binding edge.
Disadvantages One colour and does not reflect paper stock or true colour. Proof has a blue colour and the image fades with time.
Process colour tints
Bleed The printing of a design over and beyond it’s trim marks, this reduces the likelihood of unwanted white borders. 3mm bleed is the commercial standard for printers in the UK.
Imposition simply means the order in which a series of pages are printed. Imposition for a one or two page document is obvious, however imposition becomes more complicated when extra pages are added, and/or different stocks, finishes and spot colours are used throughout a document.
Pre-Press Proof An analogue or digital proof that gives an approximation of what the finished piece will look like.
Blueline, Dylux or Salf Proof A contact print produced from film.Shows imposition, photos and text as will appear when printed, together with trim and binding edges.
Bleed, trim & register marks
Trim The process of cutting away the waste stock around a design to form the final format once the job has been printed.
Disadvantages Low resolution and may not reprduce at actual size.
Advantages Inexpensive, particularly digital proofs. 30 A7 105mm x 74mm Sheets can fit on a B2 press sheet.
Pamphlet stitch The cover and pages are sewn together with thread and then tied off. The knot and ends remain visible. This is a process done by hand and is typically used for publications with 36 pages or fewer. Pamphlets lie flat.
Throw-outs/Throw-ups Throw-ups and throw-outs are sheets of paper folded into a publication. They allow for larger scale images than can be used in the original design size.
Advantages Shows photos, text and position. Cheaper than a blueline.
Types of sheet work Sheet work refers to how a press sheet is turned to enable double-sided, multi-page documents to be printed in the correct order.
Disadvantages Screening must be erformed before a screen proof is printed and printing data contains no screen information. Laser proof A black and white computer print.
Final Printed Image The image when all the colours have been printed.
SPI (Samples Per Inch) Refers to the number of samples a scanner head takes as it passes over the source image. The higher the number of samples the more information the scanned image will contain.
Scanning
Soft/Screen Proof A proof used to check layout and colour information and to check the screen structures of a print. Advantages Intended to eliminate moire, rosette and other undesired effects.
Cyan, Magenta, Yellow and Black The black produced when using 100% ink on the black printing plate with a 50% cyan, magenta and yellow kicker.
A gradient is a fill colour that allows colour to be applied and creates a transitional effect that flows from one colour to the other.
4 A4 297mm x 210mm Sheets can fit on a B2 press sheet.
tape for flexibility and strength. Case-bound books lie flat and are extremely durable.
Folding methods
Proofing methods
Stochastic printing
How paper is described
Cyan Plate Cyan is the first press plate to be printed.
100 standard business cards (85mm x 55mm) Sheets can fit on a B1 press sheet.
Soy-Based Inks Inks derived from soy bean oil as opposed to petroleum.
Centring The yellow circle is enlarged and the blue aperture is reduced slightly, this is the most consistent way to avoid mis-registration.
8-Bit (Greyscale) 8-bit pixel depth means it is possible to reproduce 256 shades of grey. 8-bit pixel depth can reproduce a continuous tone photograph.
or a wheel so that an embossed ridge is formed on the substrate. Heavy substrates that are to be folded should always be scored. Scoring is also important to avoid cracked ink on fold lines when using coated stocks with heavy ink coverage.
Pearlescent and Iridescent Inks These inks can be printed on all substrates and create a different shade of metallic colour depending on how close the viewer is to the print.
image so that when an image that overlaps it is printed, it appears without interferance from the other ink
Undercolour addition
1-Bit (Bitmap) 1-bit pixel depth means the image is made up of black and white pixels only. This means that continuous tones are not achievable, bitmaps are best suited to line art for this reason.
Colour
Colour gamut
reproduction of pastel colours and light tints can be achieved.
Choke The apeture in the blue background is tighten. This reduces the risk of mis-registration.
DL Th DL envelope allows for an A4 sheet with 2 horizontal, parrallel folds to fit comfortably inside. The DL compliment slip are the same as A4 sheet of paper.
Describing colour
is possible to reproduce a palette of 256 colours. This is used for basic screen reproduction and was used for older computer monitors.
Drum Scanning A drum scanner uses photomultiplier tubes rather than a charged couple device to obtain an image. Drum scanners can produce very high resolution results from both artwork and transparencies but are more expensive to use.
Refreshing A clean and crisp combination. Deep blues are contrasted white shades of white, the green is there to add warmth to the colours.
DPI Dots per inch, a measure of the resolution of an image on screen or the printed page. Printed images typically require a setting of 300dpi. Hyphen A hyphen is typically one-third the length of an em. It is used to separate parts of compound words, to link the words of a phrase in adjectival hyphenation and to connect the sylabbles of a word that is split across two lines.
Wood In the majority of cases where wood is used it needs to be thin, have a grain and be capable of being printed on. A type of wood that is suitable for print work is tulipwood, which can be stained and varnished to look like any wood and has a good grain to it. Silk-screen printing is a tried and tested method of applying ink to wood, if the wood is hard enough it should be possible to foil block it. Shop-fitting companies will be able to give you valuable information and help you understand issues surrounding getting the right sizes and finish you require.
Sustainable materials
Module A single square or field that comprise a grid.
En An en is a unit of measurement equal to hald of one em. It can be used to mean ‘to’ in phrases such as chapters 10–11, and years 1989–2012. An en rule is also used to mean ‘and’.
Tyvek A synthetic material made of high-density polyethylene fibres, these make tyvek lightweight yet strong, resistant to moisture and tear resistant. Tyvek resembles paper as it can be written and printed upon, it was used for New Zealand driver’s licences between 1986 and 1999, some countries have printed their currency on it. Tyvek cannot be recycled in noral recycling facilities. Very few printers have a set-up that allows for tyvek to be printed on lithographically. It has a tendency to curl if the wrong inks are used when screen printed. Whilst it can be foil blocked, the heat of the process can cause the material to cockle. Rigid versions are available, but these are often used for clothing. Tyveks application is limited to jobs that require a futuristic or industrial feel currently. Velcro Velcro has many applications across a spread of industries. In design it can be used as an alternative closure device, it being readily available in strip and dot form. It is available in a wide variety of colours from pastels to brights. Further development from velco companies is velcro that can be printed on digitally, lithographically or by silk screen.
One Take a square.
A-Head
The A-head is a primary heading usually reserved for the titles in the text. In this publication I use 16 point type for the main header.
Royalty Passion
Type hierachy
Print & screen images
Leg The lower, downward sloping stroke of the ‘K’, ‘k’ and ‘R’.
Link The part that joins the 2 bowls of the doublestorey ‘g’.
Left-Aligned Type can be set in a variety of horizontal alignments. When used effectively alignment can harmonise text with other elements in the design. Large blocks of text that are not left aligned may become tiring and confusing to read.
Line art A line art image is one that is drawn with only lines and has no fill colour or shading. A line image has no tonal variation so rquires no screening for print.
10 point type. Type Point Size The point size of a typeface is measured from the ascent line (highest ascender) to the descent line (lowest descender). The point system was created for metal type. Metal type blocks leave space at the top and bottom to allow space, the point size is a measure of the block, not the letter.
Saturation The purity of a colour. At maximum saturation the colour contains no grey, and so is vivid and bright. At low saturation the colours tend to be dull and muted.
Type alignment
Type can be set in a variety of horizontal alignments. When used effectively alignment can harmonise text with other elements in the design. Large blocks of text that are not left aligned may become tiring and confusing to read.
Self adhesive materials are made with a waterbased adhesive, this is roller coated on a silicone-coated backing or release paper. The adhesive is allowed to dry off and the nominated top sheet applied. The adhesive then transfers itself to the top sheet. The range of adhesives available is very wide, from industrial to domestic, it is advisable to state the application you will need the material for. This helps avoid overpaying for the material. Self adhesive materials are available in a number of finishes and colours. All self adhesive products can be printed and finished by any process, and do not pose any problems.
by different wavelengths of light.
The Point System The system was developed in the 19th century by Pierre Fournier and Francis Didot. The modern point is 1/72 of an inch.
Ear The right side of the bowl of the ‘g’, also the end of the ‘r’ and ‘f’ for example.
Hairline The thinnest stroke in a typeface that has varying widths.
Two Do not kern type until the tracking values and typeface selections have been set. Kerning can be a time consuming practice and kerning values rarely transfer between typefaces.
Triple Parallel Parallel folds that create a section that nests within the cover panels, with a front opening. This type of fold is commonly used with maps.
Binding techniques
Binding is needed for multiple page documents. There is a wide variety of binding techiniques, ranging from simple to elaborate solutions. Capacity When a planning a publication, the capacity of a cover to contain its pages. The dimensions of the spine will vary depending upon the number of pages in the publication.
Bellyband A plastic or paper substrate that wraps around the ‘belly’ of a publication.
Case The pages form signatures that are sewn using thread and then glued to linen
Die-Cut A process that uses a steel die to cut away a section of a page. Die-cuts have many uses and are mainly used for decorative purposes to enhance the visual performance of a design. They may also serve a physical function, such as making unusual shapes or creating apertures that allow users to see inside a publication. Die-cuts produce a range of effects from the striking to the subtle. Die-Stamp The traditional way to emboss, using an engraving plate or die. The die is pressed into contact with the paper. Inks used in die-stamping have traditionally been oil based and slow drying. A die can be used without ink, this procedure is called blind embossing. Die stamping, like thermography offers an alternative to more conventional print processes, creating a tactile and luxurious finish. Dip Moulding Dip moulding lends itself to low-volume production runs and the development of projects. It is versatile enough to cope with high volume production when needed. It has cheaper tooling costs for both prototypes and production tooling. The preferred material for tooling is aluminium, with more complex shapes being made with a wooden pattern then cast in aluminium. The dip-moulding process does not lend itself to forming text out of the tooling as it is difficult to strip the finished mould without damaging the finished product. The surface can be printed, with silk-screen offering the greatest flexibility. Pad printing can be employed for more complex, 3 dimensional surfaces. The process offers a very specific finish and feel. Given it’s synthetic and tactile nature.ing a tactile and luxurious finish.
Commercial costings
Pricing a print job
Embossing and Debossing Paper is pressed between two moulds called dies. The moulding of paper between the dies results in a raised impression. If an impression is moulded so that it is lower than the paper’s surface it is called a deboss. Embossing can be combined with a printed image or foil stamping to enhance the three-dimensional appearance of an image. An embossed impression made independend of a printed or foil-stamped image is called a blind emboss. Soft, uncoated papers generally take a better embossed impression than hard or smooth coated papers. Foil Blocking Foil blocking operates as an addition to other printing methods, allowing metallic finishes to be applied to a surface. There is a huge range of foils including metallic, colour and clear and some holographic or decorative foils. There are strict rules to follow for foil block, this should ne be ignored. You cannot foil on top of foil; if you apply foil on the reverse side, the foil on the front will be removed. Foil blocking can be used on stationary and letterheads. A potential is that the foil reheats and peels away from the paper depending on the printer used. If planning to use this method for such purposes, it is important to check compatability with all office printers on-site beforehand. Foiling can sometimes be considered an overdecorative process. HF Welding HF (or high-frequency) welding is also known as RF (radio-frequency) welding or dielectric sealing. The principle behind the process is the use of high-frequency radio energy to produce a molecular agitation in the materials being processed to the point that they melt and weld together, typically forming a bond as strong as the original
Printing print.