For the love of print 2

what is print?

01

As a creative there are so many printing proccess and techniques for you to explore.

That will help you to produce innovative and eye catching designs.

Printing is the process in which ink is transfered onto a substrate to produce an image or design. However it’s up to you as a designer on what the outcome will be.

The methods you choose to do depend on practical factors such as time, cost, effeciency and volume.These are important things to consider before making any final decisions.

This book is an introduction to show you all the little things that are avaible for you out there in the wonderful world of print, to understand and experiment with.

02

Cont ents 03

Substrates 05 07 08 09 11

What is a substrate?

Paper types.

GSM. Alternative stock.

Stock pallet.

Printing 13 Screen printing 15 Letterpress 17 Digital printing 19 Lithography

Colour 29 31 33 35

RGB + CMYK Duo Tone Panetone Spot Colour

Format 37 39 41 43

What is format?

A size B size C size

04

Finishing 21 Foiling 23 Emboss + deboss 25 Laser cut 27 Vasnishes

sub strates 05

A substrate is any stock or material that is going to be printed on during the printing process.

They can range from a standard sheet of paper to mount boards and even extends to other items which can be used in promotion such as bags, cups and t-shirts.

A magazine cover would use a more expensive paper with a sheen to recreate it’s high quality colour images, compared to a newspaper which will use a more cheaper stock because of the amount of copies are made and the nature of the item which is generally free and disposable.

A substrate is selected for print and is chosen by it’s ability to hold a printed design affectivley.

Choosing a substrate is a really important part in the production of a printed item.

You have to consider what you are aiming to make and the message you want achieve which can also be based on the look of your paper.

Think about your audience, their needs and the nature of where the product is going to be distributed before you buy your stock.

06

There are so many different substrates to choose from, giving wider and more creative possibilities. Below are some of the most common and reliable, for designing for print to use as a begginer.

paper types Name

Description

Uses

Coated

A reflectivity and produces sharper, brighter images.

varied, depending on type of coating

Uncoated Plain paper without coating that has a unique ink receptivity and absorbency. It has a matt finish

forms, business cards, letterheads

Newsprint This low-cost, non-archival paper has an off-white cast and distinctive feel.

newspaper, advertisint material

Art Board Uncoated board

cover stock

Chromo

A waterproof coated on a single side

Cartridge A tick white paper, which is useful for illustative work

07

embossing, labels, and wrappings to add texture to work. cover stock

GSM Name

Uses

90 – 100

stationery, text for magazines and booklets, flyers and brochures.

120 -170

text for booklets, flyers and brochures.

The heavier the weight, the more “upmarket” it will feel.

200 – 250

ideal for magazine and booklet covers

280 – 420

cards of all sorts and book and booklet covers

Another important factor to consider when choosing a stock is it’s gsm. A gsm in it’s simplest for is how thick the paper is.

Before choosing a stock check with your printer if it is compaitble. This will save a lot of time and money.

08

alter native 09

There are a alternative stocks that can be printed on aside from paper, that create a interesting and innovative design for print.

Alternative stocks are mainly used for covers, packaging and one off bespoke pieces.

Name

Description

Uses

Wood

A substrate from a tree, that can come in various formats from MDF to oak.

objects, signs, packaging, laser cut, screen printing

Acrylic

A transparent thermoplastic, often used as a lightweight or shatter-resistant alternative to glass

Accessories, Signs, Laser cut

Metal

A solid material, which is hard and shiny.

Objects, Signs, Screen printing, Die cut, Transfer

Fabric

cloth produced by weaving or knitting textile fibres.

Clothing, banners, Die cut, Screen print, Laser cut

10

stock pallet 11

Here are some stocks and substrates to look at and touch. Certain stocks have a certain texture, weight and feel. It’s important to know what a stock is like in order for you to decide what you would like to choose.

12

SCREEN PRINT 13

Screen printing is a printing technique that uses a woven mesh screen to support an ink-blocking stencil, that can create a image or design.

The process is caried out through exposing the design or image to a scr een which forms open areas of mesh so that the ink or other printable materials can be pressed through onto a substrate.

Screen printing is not a high volume printing process because each colour that is in an image has to be applied and has to dry before going over the design with another colour. However the process is very flexible in allowing you to transfer a design on a range of substrates, A silk screen is used for printing on fabric and a normal screen is used to print on paper.

14

LETTER PRESS 15

Letterpress printing is a technique of relief printing were an inked, raised surface is compressed against a substrate using a printing press.

This printing process was the first in commercial print in 1463 and was created by Johannes Guttenburg.

A letter press plate is created through composing and locking movable type into the bed of a press, inking it, and pressing paper against it to transfer the ink from the type.

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digital print 17

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 with or high-volume laser or inkjet printers.

This printing process is one of the most popular ways to print and can be quite expensive. It is generally charged per page and certain colours.

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offset litho 19

Offset lithography is a process used for printing on a flat surface, using plates. An image is transferred to a printing plate, which can be made of a variety of materials such as metal or paper.

In industry it is a fast process, however it doesnt come cheap. A offset lithography job can range from ÂŁ95 +, but producess precise results.

The main uses for this print method are for newspapers, magazines, brochures, stationery, and books.

This process is a high-volume and speedy process and produces clesn results.

Lithography presses typicall use a four colour process (see RGB and CMYK chapter.)

20

foil blocking 21

Foil blocking is a dry process in which a metallic material is transferred from a continuous roll to the object being decorated.

The application of controlled pressure and heat, releases the colour from the foil and bonds with the chosen object permanently.

22

emboss deboss 23

Embossing and debossing are the processes of creating a raised or indented images or designs. This process is used generally in paper but can be applied to other materials. The process creates a three-dimensional feel to print work creating a unique and interactional finish.

An embossed pattern is raised against the background, while a debossed pattern is sunken into the surface of the material.

This process generally works better with thicker stocks to see the finish.

24

Working with an emboss or deboss design you need to consider the weight of your type or image. The wider and deeprer the design, the bettwe the outcome will also be.

laser cut 25

Laser cutting is a process that uses a laser to cut materials.

This process is created by directing the output of a high-power laser, by computer, at the material to be cut.

The material then either cuts, burns or etches leaving a design with a high-quality surface finish.

26

varni shes 27

A varnish is a colourless coating that is applied to a print to protect the substrate from wearing away.

Varnish is also used to enhance the visual aesthetic of a design, or elements within it, such as type or an image.

28

There are three main finishes a varnish can produce - gloss, dull and satin. Another one of these finishes which is not specifically a varnish is a UV coating which can also be applied to add a decorative touch.

cmyk RGb 29

The RGB color model is an additive color model in which red, green, and blue light are added together in various ways to reproduce a broad array of colours. The name of the model comes from the initials of the three additive primary colours, red, green, and blue.

The main purpose of the RGB colour mode is for digital display work for designs such as TV’s and computers.

30

The CMYK color model (process color, four color) is a subtractive color model, used in color printing, and is also used to describe the printing process itself.

CMYK refers to the four inks used in some color printing: cyan, magenta, yellow, and key (black). Though it varies by print house, press operator, press manufacturer, and press run, ink is typically applied in the order of the abbreviation.

duo tone 31

Duotone is a halftone reproduction of an image using the superimposition of one contrasting colour halftone (traditionally black) over another color halftone. This is most often used to bring out middle tones and highlights of an image. The most common colors used are blue, yellow, browns and reds.

Duotone is a halftone reproduction of an image using the superimposition of one contrasting colour halftone (traditionally black) over another color halftone. This is most often used to bring out middle tones and highlights of an image. The most common colors used are blue, yellow, browns and reds.

Now due to recent advances in technology, duotones, tritones, and quadtones can be easily created using image manipulation programs.

Now due to recent advances in technology, duotones, tritones, and quadtones can be easily created using image

32

spot colour 33

A spot colour is a specially mixed ink used in printing.

Spot colour inks come in a rainbow of colours, including some specialty inks such as metallic and fluorescent.

Spot colours are chosen through a system called Pantone, which is a company that specialises in mixing inks out of the CMYK range.

These colour can really define a piece of work and make it stand out from other printed items due to each colour being different.

Using spot colours can be quite expensive when used in lithographic printing, because each colour has to applied to a serperate plate. Also some printers, for example ink jet printers might not take panetone colours because it works with CMYK.

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pan tone 35

The Pantone colour matching system is largely a standardized colour reproduction system. By standardising the colour’s, different manufacturers in different locations can all refer to the Pantone system to make sure colours match without direct contact with one another.

One use is standardising colours in the CMYK process. A majority of the world’s printed material is produced using the CMYK process, and there is a special subset of Pantone colors that can be reproduced using CMYK. Those that are possible to simulate through the CMYK process are labeled as such within the company’s guides.

However, most of the Pantone system’s 1,114 spot colours cannot be simulated with CMYK but with 13 base pigments (15 including white and black) mixed in specified amounts.

36

The Pantone system also allows for many special colours to be produced, such as metallics and fluorescents.

When choosing a pantone colour it’s important that you tell your printer how much it will cost to repoduce because certain colours have to mixed to recreate the colours.

These colours are also know as spot colours.

for mat 37

Format is the size of a printed item. Formats typically run is sizes from A - C. There are set of measurements for the designer to follow by to get the right size for a printed piece.

A format can range from posters, pamphlets and even envelopes depending on what is being created.

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It’s important to figure out what format and scale you want to work with before designining as it is a big part on what our work will look like when it’s printed,

a size 39

The A Series paper size chart is commonly used and gives a visual explanation of how the sizes relate to each other - for example A5 is half of A4 size paper and A2 is half of A1 size paper.

The A series size format is the most commonly used in design. ISO 216 is a metric format and has been adopted by all countries in the world, except the United States and Canada.

a8

a7

a6

a5

a4

a3 Size Height - Width A0 A1 A2 A3 A4 A5 A6 A7 A8

1189 x 841 841 x 594 594 x 420 420 x 297 297 x 210 210 x 148 148 x 105 105 x 74 74 x 52

mm mm mm mm mm mm mm mm mm

a2

aO a1

40

b size 41

The B series is also used for envelopes and passports. It is widely used in the printing industry to describe both paper sizes and printing press sizes, including digital presses.

The B series paper sizes were created in order to provide paper sizes that weren’t covered by the A series.

It is used for a variety of special situations. Many posters use B-series paper or is a relatively common choice for books. b8

b7

b6

b5

b4

b3 Size Height - Width B0 B1 B2 B3 B4 B5 B6 B7 B8

1414 x 1000 mm 1000 x 707 mm 707 x 500 mm 500 x 353 mm 353 x 250 mm 250 x 176 mm 176 x 125 mm 125 x 88 mm 88 x 62 mm

b2

bO b1

42

c size 43

The C size is most commonly used for folders, postcards and envelopes.

C4

The C series folds into an A size, making the envelope fit perfectly for what ever A size document needed.

The following diagrams show C4, C5 and C6 envelopes compared to A4 paper size. The red represents the envelopes and the white represents the A series paper.

C5

a4

One of the most widely used business envelopes, the DL format does not fall under the C series sizes as it has a different aspect ratio

C6

dl

the DL envelope will hold an A4 sheet of paper folded into 3 equal sections parallel to its shortest sides.

44

The diagram below shows the size of each of the envelopes when compared to a sheet of A4 paper

c8

c7

c6

c5

c4

c3 Size Height - Width C0 C1 C2 C3 C4 C5 C6 C7 C8 DL

1297 x 917 mm 917 x 648 mm 648 x 458 mm 458 x 324 mm 324 x 229 mm 229 x 162 mm 162 x 114 mm 114 x 81 mm 81 x 57 mm 110 x 220 mm

c2

cO c1

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