DESIGN FOR PRINT
Luke O’Brien Graphic Design BA (Hons.) OUGD201
DESIGN FOR PRINT
Contents Introduction to Print Design for Print Colour Systems Formats Artwork Stock Print Process Finishing Proof Cost
Introduction to Print
Printing is the technique of making
a rubber blanket, then to the printing
an impression on paper (or on other
surface.
substances such as vellum) from inked type (or as the techniques developed,
When used in combination with the
from plates, blocks, or cylinders).
lithographic process, which is based on the repulsion of oil and water.
From this type, the most important aspect of printing is that it permits a
The offset technique employs a flat
large number of copies to be made from
(planographic) image carrier on which
each setting of type.
the image to be printed obtains ink from ink rollers, while the non-printing area
During the period from the invention
attracts a film of water, keeping the non-
of printing in Europe until 1700, most
printing areas ink-free.
books were printed on wooden printing presses, using metal type.
Types of printing include:
Offset printing is a widely used printing
Lithography
technique where the inked image is
Flexography
transferred (or “offset�) from a plate to
Rotogravure Pad Printing Screen Printing Digital Ink-jet
Images :Team Print
Design For Print
When designing for print you always need to know what the end printed product is going to be and also what you want to achieve. All the way from start to finish you have to specify what you want to your client and the printer. Find out the client deadline and work backwards. Find out delivery time, print time, work out how long it will take you to design and also allow time for mistakes and proofing. Keep a good professional working relationship with your printer, get to know them and ask questions they are the experts on print and you are the expert on design keep it that way. Knowing what you want the final deliverable to be is key to printing.
Colour Systems
Colour works differently for print than it does for screen. This is to do with the amount of colours ink printing processes can produce compared to that of the colours that a screen which uses light can produce. Colours for print are generally created through CMYK but other colours and various other finishes such as spot varnish can be applied. A notable colour system for print is PANTONE. The Pantone Matching System or PMS is a colour system that uses separately mixed inks to achieve colours that are outside that of CMYK, these are called spot colours. Colours such as fluorescent or metallic can be achieved in print through Pantones.
Formats
The ISO paper size concept
raw paper, where SRA stands for “supplementary
In the ISO paper size system, the height-
raw
format
A”
(“secondaries Reformat A”).
to-width ratio of all pages is the square root of two (1.4142 : 1).
These formats are only slightly larger than
the
corresponding
A
series
In other words, the width and the height
formats. Sheets in these formats will be
of a page relate to each other like the
cut to the end format after binding.
side and the diagonal of a square. The ISO RA0 format has an area of 1.05 This aspect ratio is especially convenient
m² and the ISO SRA0 format has an area
for A paper size. If you put two such
of 1.15 m².
pages next to each other, or equivalently cut one parallel to its shorter side into
These formats also follow the sqrt(2)-
two equal pieces, then the resulting
ratio and half-area rule, but the
page will have again the same width/
dimensions of the start format have
height ratio.
been rounded to the full centimeter.
Untrimmed paper formats, all A and
Note that other regions have different
B series formats described so far are
paper sizes and bear this in mind during
trimmed paper end sizes, i.e. these are
a job if it has to work internationally.
the dimensions of the paper delivered to the user or reader.
Also note that if you are designing for a specific purpose such as a mail shot
Other ISO standards define the format
then look into specific sizes for post to
series RA and SRA for untrimmed
make life easier.
Artwork
The
most
important
thing
about
designing for print is preparing your artwork so that you know exactly what you are going to get when it comes out the other end of the litho printer! Check the following and make sure you know everything about your design: Final Printed Size Colours Stocks -weights (gsm)
- laid or woven - boards & cartons - plastics and acetates
-colours
CMYK colour profile
- fisnish
(write down colour values for reference)
-gloss
Specify spot colours
-matte
Fonts (make sure usage is legal)
-coated
Spell check
-uncoated
Printers Marks
-silk
Preflight check (make sure everything is checked right before printing) Mock ups need to be made to show client and also for your own reference Proof Sign off work with client.
Stock
Stock refers to the material that is to
If your clever about stock you can use
be printed on. This is not as much a tip
it to your advantage by using coloured
but a consideration that has to be taken
stock you can then maybe limit your
into account before you begin the print
printing plates to one or two spot
process.
colours to achieve a certain result.
Factors for consideration can include how heavy it is measured by the grams per square metre or gsm, how eco friendly it may be, if its coated or un coated paper, and how much it is.
Generation
press
found
this
so
important to their re brand that they had their own unique coloured stock created by a colour paper technician called Barry.
Print Process
It is important to know the right print
Rotary Printing
process to choose for your job, a good
In this process the image printing plates
dialogue with your printer will help with
are wrapped around a cylinder. This
this but knowing this shows that you
is an automated print process and the
take pride in knowing how things work
material to be printed can be sheet fed
and what is appropriate for your job
or on a roll.
both in the results and cost. Offset Lithography (planographic) Etched aluminium plates wrapped around a cylinder transfer ink to an ‘offset’ rubber blanket roller and then to print surface. Sheet fed or Web fed. This process is one of the most common forms of commercial printing. Rotogravure (intaglio) Copper plates (with mirror image) transfer ink directly to print surface, usually on rolls. Advantage, plates are more durable and so are good for long print runs. This is used for things that need a deep colour and publications that need to last longer. Flexography (relief) A positive, mirror image rubber polymer plate, on a cylinder, transfers ‘sticky’ ink
directly to print surface. Usually roll feed. This is mainly used for printing on packaging and is of a low quality. Digital Printing The
reproduction
of
images
by
translating the digital code direct from a computer to a material without an intermediate physical process. Ideally suited to short run or specials on a range of print media from paper to metal. Screen Print A print making technique that uses a woven mesh to support an ink blocking stencil. Used for prints such as direct on to CD’s. Pad Printing A printing process that can transfer a 2D image to a 3D surface. The advantage of this is that your printing surface does not have to be flat it can be curved. There are also types of speciality prints and print finishes you can consider for your print job. These include things like spot varnish, foil blocking, embossing / debossing and laminating.
Finishing
Print finishing can be the key stage to finalising your printed resolution. It can range from anything that helps to finish off the work, the final stages of bringing together all the printed material to bind, cut, fold, crease, stitch or package your work. This is an important consideration because the way you finish a print job can have a big effect on its cost and ultimately the quality of the finished job. Always look at different kinds of outcomes and resolutions exploring different types of printing and print finishes. This is very important for good practice as a designer.
Proofing & Costing
Proofing is very self explanatory but it
Costing is also a very important part of
is a very important part of designing for
being a professional designer for print.
print, you need to make sure everything is spelt correctly, you need to get hold
Get a quote early on.
of a printers proof to check for errors and also to see how the final result will
Have an identical specification for
come out.
three printers and have them give you estimates so you have something to
It is important that you show this to a
work to.
client and get it signed off by them, a
Learn roughly what things cost so you
problem with the print discovered after
can take this into account when pitching
printing is going to cost you money and
ideas and working to a budget.
the printers time. If the work is signed off and there is an error it is on the fault
Understand viable minimum quantities
of the client but and you should help to
from your printers so you can get an
rectify it.
idea of the smallest and most viable quantity this can then be built upon. Find out if there are any hidden extra fees such as authors corrections. Delivery cost.