Print by Jack Fower

a pocket reference for the discerning student

pocket print

1 2 3

design

production

glossary

format layout colour artwork printing stock finishing costing

05 08 16 24

32 37 41 46

design format

1000 x 1414

707 x 1000

420 x 594

500 x 707

297 x 420

353 x 500

210 x 297

250 x 353

148 x 210

176 x 250

105 x 148

125 x 176

74 x 105

88 x 125

52 x 74

62 x 88

37 x 52

44 x 62

A10

26 x 37

B10

31 x 44

594 x 841

format

841 x 1189

C series, used for envelopes, folders & postcards

B series, used for books & publications

format

A series, used for everything, mainly documents & artwork

standard sizing

917 x 1297

648 x 917

458 x 648

324 x 458

229 x 324

162 x 229

114 x 162

81 x 114

57 x 81

40 x 57

C10

28 x 40

ISO International Organization for Standardization The ISO system is the standard for the majority of the World today, exceptions being the US and Canada. ISO 216 represents the A and B series, ISO 217 represents the RA and SRA series and ISO 269 represents the C series.

other relevant sizing

RA & SRA series

format

Raw format A & Supplementary Raw format A

RA0

860 x 1220

SRA0

900 x 1280

RA1

610 x 860

SRA1

640 x 900

RA2

430 x 610

SRA2

450 x 640

RA3

305 x 430

SRA3

320 x 450

RA4

215 x 305

SRA4

225 x 320

DL Dimensions Lengthwise Dimensions lengthwise, known commonly as DL, is the most common sized envelope. Used for brochures and flyers alongside important documents. DL is exactly a third of A4 measuring 100mm x 210 mm. DL is also used for common products like compliments slips, door hangers, greetings cards and invitations to name a few.

design format

common book sizing

4to pronounced quar-to bound book sizes

8vo pronounced eight-vo

quarto

bound book sizes

octavo

foolscap 8vo

108 x 171

foolscap 4to

171 x 216

crown 8vo

127 x 191

crown 4to

191 x 254

demy 8vo

143 x 213

demy 4to

222 x 286

royal 8vo

159 x 254

royal 4to

254 x 318

Books vary in size with substanitally tall books in Imperial folio, usually used for tables or bottom shelves due to the size versus smaller books like the foolscap octavo.

folio

bound book sizes

fo, abbreviation of folio

crown fo

254 x 381

demy fo

286 x 445

royal fo

318 x 508

imperial fo

394 x 559

The most common sizing for books is ʻcrown octavoʼ, or ʻcr 8voʼ. Roughly 200mm tall, crown octavo is widely used for ﬁction, fact, poetry and biographies.

eye & page relationship

design layout

This spread is set out to recreate 驶hot始 areas of the page that are scanned by the eye.

The densest area of pattern indicates the 驶hottest始 area of the page, leaving the areas with more negative space the areas read last by the eye. Design can be used in ways to exploit this, or potentially, even exaggerate it.

grids are good

design layout

document set up

Creating a grid before placing your content into your document can help stick to guide lines, offering structure to your document and consistency to a publication.

Grids aren始t a must have for every document you set up although they are used by a lot of professionals.

pioneers of the grid

Jan Tschichold

Josef M眉ller-Brockmann

1902 - 1974

1914 - 1996

Max Bill

Emil Ruder

1908 - 1994

1914 - 1970

pocket print.indd

06/11/2012 16:20

design layout

printers marks

tint bar

colour bar

pocketprint.indd

registration marks

Most of these printer marks are essential and can be viewed in context on the opposing page.

06/11/2012 16:20

page information

crop marks

main colour modes

CMYK Cyan Magenta Yellow Key

cyan

green

blue key

yellow

red

magenta

The above diagram represents the subtractive colour mode. Showing the main colours involved within cmyk, 3 primary colours used together to reproduce other colours, including the primary colours in the additive process. Where all the colours overlap in the center is where black is formed, the key in cmyk.

design colour

RGB Red Green Blue

blue

magenta

cyan white

red

yellow

green

The above diagram represents the additive colour mode. Showing the primary colours of rgb, and the colours produced when these primaries are mixed. Due to the additive process, the more colour is overlapped the lighter it becomes until white is achieved.

aspects of colour hue hue is the technical term for colour

brightness brightness refers to the intensity of the colour

saturation saturation refers to the amount of colour

Hue, brightness and saturation all help to clarify communication within print. Accurate colour speciﬁcations enable the designer and printerʼs task at hand to run easier whilst providing a clear and concise portrayal of colour to the client.

design colour

visible colour space

human colour spectrum CIE 1931 chromaticity diagram This diagram is the CIE 1931 chromaticity diagram which, although slightly outdated, represents the range of spectral colours visible to the human eye. This colour space is also known as a 驶gamut始. Colour gamuts help the designer realise the limitations with colour within web and print. RGB can produce around 70% of the visible spectrum whilst CMYK can reproduce a lot less. Quite a vast number of colours cannot used for printing with CMYK, spot colours are a costly way to solve this problem. RGB can be translated into CMYK, usually dulling the image and providing noticeable change, although, some colours translate well. The image of the diagram was originally in RGB and once translated to CMYK, it lost a lot of brightness and a large amount of colour.

colour space

RGB Red Green Blue The RGB colour space is the standard for screen based media, reproducing around 70% of the spectral gamut perceived by the human eye.

sRGB standard Red Green Blue sRGB is a standard colour space devised by HP and Microsoft. Being deviceindependent, these boundaries provide a consistanct colour match across different devices.

ColourMatch RGB

ColourMatch RGB has a wider colour space than sRGB meaning the colour range can simulate CMYK enabling digital work for press.

design colour

spot colour

PMS Pantone Matching System Spot colours are used when a precise colour needs to be used. This could include a logo colour specific to a brand which would have a specific pantone or PMS code. Spot colours are also widely used when a colour that sits outside of the gamut range of possible colours requires printing. Spot colours boast a greater intensity and vibrancy due to the fact a spot colour is a flat colour as opposed to a half tone build up of different layers of inks.

Range of solid metallic, pastel and process colours which can be printed on various stocks and substrates.

Pantone pastels Range of ﬂat and solid pale colours, different to tints due to the solid colour block as opposed to the dot build-up of CMYK.

EC - euro coated C - coated

Pantone solid

U - uncoated M - matte

Pantone has a speciﬁc coding system that helps printers understand the exact colour the designerʼs requesting.

Pantone hexachrome A six colour process adding orange and green to CMYK to create CMYKOG. These additions help recreate 90% of the Pantone PMS colours.

Pantone metallics Range of metallics colours giving a metallic effect. Popular colours such as gold, silver and bronze can be produced.

colour within imagery

half-tones

further increased pixel sizing

larger pixels

standard half-tone

original image

Half-tones are made up from a series of dots which are manipulated in size and angle to reproduce the image.

design colour

multi-tones

duotone PMS 284 C PMS 237 C PMS 284 C PMS 237 C PMS 107 C PMS black 6 C

tritone

PMS 284 C PMS 284 C PMS 237 C PMS 107 C

tritone

monotone

Multi-tone images begin as a monotone and can have colour introduced to them via the duotone options.

types of black

There are different types of black to work with, notably registration and black from CMYK, although other types of black can be produced.

The left image is in greyscale, printing with only black. In comparison, the image on the right is that of CMYK which forms a richer black than the greyscale due to the four colour process overlaying more ink.

magenta

cyan

Black can be altered by adding just one other process colour to create different feelings to the colour. Adding underlayers of cyan or magenta, 驶cool始 and 驶warm始 blacks can be achieved.

design artwork

overprinting

Overprinting is where inks are printed over each other resulting in two colours being mixed to create a new colour.

yellow overprinting cyan produces green

yellow overprinting magenta produces red

magenta overprinting cyan produces blue

channels

Channels can be split in Photoshop or InDesign to show individual colour layers of an image. Splitting an image into separate negatives for CMYK would enable photo reproduction via screen printing for example.

cyan layer

yellow layer

magenta layer

black (key) layer

Black finally completes the coloured image.

Cyan and magenta with yellow added nearly completes the image.

Cyan and magenta form the base of the image.

1 design artwork

resolution

Resolution for images should be set at 300 ppi for print and 72 ppi for screen based working. Although 72 pixels per inch is now not the standard for monitors, it remains the web standard.

300 ppi would relate to 300 dpi in print, 驶d始 replacing pixels for dots, which this image represents in both senses. Set up as 300 ppi in Photoshop which printed in 300 dpi.

This image is 72 ppi which is used for screen based images. Setting the resolution so low has negative effects on the image as shown here.

design artwork

prooﬁng

types of prooﬁng

Prooﬁng is an essential part of the print production process. Different methods of prooﬁng the said document can be performed at different stages throughout the process.

laser proof

A digital laser print of the document, to check screen structure, image and text positioning. Cheap way to mock up/proof but itʼs usually only black & white.

pre-press proof

Another style of digital print, incorporating colour. Inexpensive and good approximation of what the ﬁnal product is to look like, although, the colours may differ to the ﬁnal colouring.

scatter proof

Proof of either individual or groups of photos enabling a check of the images prior to ﬁnal proof or print. But the images arenʼt shown in context and in the layout, which can be a downside.

contract proof

A colour final proof used to form a contract between the client and the printer. This is the final proofing stage prior to print, forming an accurate representation of the final product.

pre-press proofs

12:35 PM

page 17

12:36 PM

page 28

design colour

resolution Resolution for images should be set at 300 ppi for print and 72 ppi for screen based working. Although 72 pixels per inch is now not the standard for monitors, it remains the web standard.

RGB red, green, blue

blue

magenta

cyan

300 ppi would relate to 300 dpi in prbgm% ] replacing pixels for dots, which this image represents in both senses. Set up as 300 ppi in Photoshop which printed in 300 dpi.

white red

yellow

green

This image is 72 ppi which is used for screen based images. Setting the resolution so low has negative effects on the image as shown here.

The above image shows pre-press proofing of a single page in CMYK.

The above image shows pre-press proofing of a single page in black and white.

The page would be printed on the stock that would be used in the final publication. This would enable the client and printer to understand the look and feel of the finished product, including colour, body copy and imagery. Enabling any further amendments to be made.

Again printed on the stock that would be used in the final publication. Although this page is solely black, indicated by the colour swatch at the bottom of the page.

production printing

print order

The order the inks are printed can heavily affect the outcome of a print. This is known as print order. Print order can be manipulated to achieve different outcomes.

CMYK is an acronym for the four colour process. It is the standard print order, when overlaid in the order that the acronym is spelt, reproduction of photographs and the range of colours in the CMYK colour space can be achieved.

There are other print processes or extensions to the standard such as CMYKOG, which adds orange and green to the process. Similarly, spot colours can be added to the process and used instead of CMYK or to aid CMYK.

The printer will have input as to which order colours are printed, if there are better ways to have the ink printed the printer will usually notify the client or at least advise them. Overprints require a different order of the process, dependent on the colours involved. Sealing an image can be achieved by the printer who will print the yellow after the black.

printing methods

printing processes

There are a number of different processes to consider when it comes to printing. Printing processes have stayed the same for large amounts of the print era until digital printing enabled practically unlimited print techniques.

lithography

ﬂexography

digital printing

letterpress

screen-printing

gravure

There are many different substrates that can be thought about when printing although weʼll be focusing solely on paper based print.

production printing

lithography

Lithography was first introduced in 1796 when limestone and wax was used to create printing blocks. The modern way has just advanced the technology within the process and now use laser etching on metal plates to acquire the negatives needed for the process.

inking rollers

dampening rollers

plate cylinder

offset cylinder

stock

impression cylinder

Offset lithography is used for a an extensive range of printed products, mainly focusing on paper based. Posters, books, maps, newspapers and packaging are the main products using the process. The process if best for mass produced items which results in lower overall costs of production due to the plates and initial set up being the most costly part of the process.

flexography

Flexography, or flexo for short, is the modern alternative to letterpress. It features a flexible printing plate which is good for printing on a varying range of substrates including metals, plastics and cellophane. The process boasts advantages over other processes due to a larger range of inks being available due to the water base of the inks. The inks also generally have a low viscosity which enables faster drying resulting in a faster process, ultimately reducing production costs.

flexible plate

doctor blade

plate cylinder

anilox cylinder fountain cylinder

ink tray

stock/ substrate

impression cylinder

production printing

gravure

Gravure is an intaglio style of printing, built upon two different processes. Photogravure uses a copper plate, coated with a light sensitive material and then etched, which creates a high quality plate suitable for photo reproduction and good tonal properties.

The process today is typically used by photographers as opposed to commercial printing, due to the high costs and labour intensive process. Commercial printers do still however usually offer the service when high quality reproductions are required by a client.

impression cylinder stock/ substrate doctor blade printing cylinder ink tray

Photogravure is the predecessor of rotogravure which is a speedier and more cost effective version, although only worthwhile if the quantity required is sufficient. The rotogravure process, pictured to the left, is used commonly today for commercial magazines, postcards and packaging. Although was once the main printing process for newspaper photo features.

digital printing

Digital printing, referring to laser and inkjet printers, is the process that anybody can afford to undertake. This is due to them being widely available to anyone in the world. This process is used for short runs and proofing to some extent. The below image features an inkjet printer, the more common of the two for household use. The ink is replaceable and can be swapped for different kinds of inks achieving different outcomes.

stock

ink

production stock

paper stock

paper quality

Paper is available in all different sizes, colours, textures and a variety of other factors, such as printability, which aid the designer to choose the ideal stock for the job at hand. The main aspects that determine the paper quality are GSM, paper grain and fibre direction.

GSM grams per square metre

GSM is a measurement system for the weight of stock with laser paper at around 120 GSM and business cards at around 400 GSM. A0 is equal to one metre square, so the weight of the stock in A0 gives the GSM rating.

paper grain

Paper has a direction which the grains within run. Paper grain is useful with enabling easier bending, folding and tearing of the stock.

fibre direction

Fibre direction in paper is taken into consideration for commercial, household and office printers alike. The direction has different outcomes and can aid easier and faster printing if the grain runs along the long edge of the paper.

paper types

Cost can be a big factor when it comes to selecting what stock to use within a project so can the different characteristics each stock possesses, such as texture, absorbency and opacity.

texture

Paper surface obviously affects the print outcome. Stocks can be smoothed off and polished with calendering rollers.

absorbency

opacity

The opacity of paper is when printed material can be seen through the reverse of the page. High opacity papers will not show ink through the reverse.

Levels of absorbency differ between stocks, measured by how penetrated the stock is by ink. Inks can dry quicker on more absorbent stocks but can also cause quality issues due to dot gain.

production stock

antique

Clay coated on both sides, making detailed prints better defined. A textured stock with a rough or matt surface.

artboard

An uncoated board, used primarily for flyers and packaging.

cartridge

A thick stock, good for all kinds of drawing dependent upon paper colour. Used for mail shots and sketchbooks.

newsprint

The cheapest paper available that will stand up to print processes but it struggles when reproducing colour.

uncoated

Paper used most commonly in offices and photocopiers. Uncoated has a non-glossy slightly rough surface, good for general use.

sustainability

printing and the environment

Sustainability is in relation to the environment and how to reduce the impact companies have on the Earth. Consumers are pushing for sustainability with free-range this and that, reusing plastic bags, recycling and growing their own vegetables to name a few.

Companies feel the need to satisfy the consumer and in response to the world becoming ʻeco-friendlyʼ look to the likes of graphic designers and printers to ensure they can be as sustainable as possible, whilst sticking to budget.

Accuracy and research into exactly whatʼs required by the client themselves gives them a better understanding of what they want. As opposed to just expecting everything they want is possible and in their price range as well as ensuring the amount of wasted printed material is substantially reduced.

Sustainability to some people and businesses screams low quality, although ways of recycling have drastically changed with a heavy focus on good quality ʻeco-friendlyʼ produce.

production ﬁnishing

ﬁnishing

ﬁnishing processes

There is a wide range of processes available to complete the print process once the ﬁnal design has been printed onto itʼs chosen substrate.

die stamping/cutting

foil-blocking

binding

folding

laminates

varnishes

Finishing processes can be used for many reasons. They can add decoration and textures, help the functionality of the product, enhance aspects of the design and even protect the product or just improve itʼs lifespan.

binding

Binding is the process where all the pages involved within the publication are securely held together so that they perform as desired.

open bind

saddle stitch

belly band

A bound book which has it始s binding exposed due to the fact it has no cover.

Commonly stapled, although can be stitched dependent upon run and desired effect.

A band which incorporates further information or design to accompany or hold together a document, maybe even used within packaging.

production finishing

singer stitch

bolt/screw bind

perfect bind

A single stitch holds the document together with just a single thread. Works well when used in the right projects.

A simple way to bind a book and still keep the content interchangeable, removable and/or replaceable.

Commonly used with a lot of books. Perfect bind uses a flexible adhesive to attach content to the cover and hold it all together.

foil

perforation

deboss

emboss

special finishes

duplex

laser cutting

laminate

spot varnish

2 production finishing

examples

quantities

average cost

costing

Web offset process 12 page tabloid newspaper 52 GSM newsprint

300 copies

£484.00

5000 copies

£925.00

Digital print process 12 page tabloid newspaper 52 GSM newsprint

300 copies

£444.00

1 copy

£14.00

Web offset process 64 page tabloid newspaper 52 GSM newsprint

300 copies

£1567.00

5000 copies

£2615.00

Digital print process 64 page tabloid newspaper 52 GSM newsprint

300 copies

£1680.00

1 copy

£25.00

examples

quantities

average cost

web offset

business cards

production costing

Spot varnish Laminated Duplex 400 GSM silk

250

£160.00

5000

£390.00

Spot varnish Laminated 400 GSM silk

250

£130.00

5000

£300.00

Embossed Uncoated 300 GSM wove

250

£130.00

5000

£270.00

Foiled Uncoated 300 GSM wove

250

£130.00

5000

£270.00

glossary binding

brightness

channels

Various pages of printed work gathered together and securely held to form a publication.

foil

Process applying coloured foil/s to a substrate. Applied with a heated die.

Also known as ĘťvalueĘź, representing how light or dark a colour is.

four colour black

Darkest black producible through CMYK, which is all four process inks overlaid.

Information stored for an image, consisting of channels to correspond to colour.

gamut

Every possible colour that can be accessed either by the human eye or print and web.

CMYK

Main process colours in print also known as the primary subtractive colours.

colour space

Colours that can be reproduced via that colour model.

doctor blade

Used within processes to remove excess ink off the rollers.

dot gain

dpi

duplexing

deboss/ emboss

Spreading and bleeding of ink dots on the page during print.

gradient

greyscale

hue

Gradual increased weight of colour.

Convert colour photographs into approximate levels of grey.

The actual colour of a colour. Main characteristic of a colour formed by wavelengths.

laminate

Layer of plastic coating, smooth and providing an extended lifespan.

Dots per inch, a measurement for print resolution.

laser cutting

Use of a laser to cut, engrave and score designs onto all kinds of substrates.

Created by bonding two stocks to form a single stock with different characteristics.

layers

Levels within a digital image or ďŹ le, enabling easier editing and coordination of your work.

A steel die stamps a design to either raise or indent a design or type onto the substrate.

layout

Management of form and space within the design.

3 overprint

paper grain

perforation

ppi

printing

registration black

resolution

RGB

Ink overlays another causing them to mix and thus create a new colour. Alignment of the ﬁbre in the paper during manufacture.

Cuts in the substrate to enable interactive or decorative design.

Pixels per inch, a measurement for screen resolution.

shiner

stock

text block

tint

Processes in which ink is applied to a substrate via plates and applying adequate pressure.

varnish

Black made from CMYK but not used for anything other than registration/printers marks.

vector

Pixels contained in an image.

Main online colour mode, also the additive primary colours.

rich black

Black that users a shiner to affect the way the black is perceived.

saturation

Also known as ʻchromaʼ, referring to the amount of grey in the colour.

glossary

The underprinting of a colour to strengthen the black.

Chosen substrate for the print.

Sections of publication.

Ten percent increments of a colour, built from half-tone dots.

Colourless coating, to protect and/or enhance the print.

Artwork deﬁned by maths as opposed to pixels. Scalable and always high quality.

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