ONE
COLOURMODES
CMYK- is the colour
format for screen. RGB is an additive colour which means the colours are illuminated from some source - Monitor, tv screen.
RGB - is the colour
mode used for screen. RGB is an additive colour which means the colours are illuminated from some source - Monitor, tv screen. The
When printing you always want to make sure you set your images to be CMYK and not RGB. EXAMPLE - If you wanted to print this photo of a field, the screen can render those bright green and blues beautifully but a printer isn’t going to be able to.
TWO
PRINTMETHODS In the age of the computer and digital printing its often forgotten that there are much more printing methods out there.
LITHOGRAPHY
(Offset) lithgography is the most common used method of printing. It’s a process that has gone reletivly unchanged since the late 1800’s. The only thing that has changed is the technology which, over the years has become more sophisticated.Lithographic printing is a process through which the inked image from a printing plate is transferred or offset onto a rubber blanket roller, which is then pressed against the substrate. The basic principle of offset is that you HAVE to have ink and you HAVE to have water to make it work. When the plate passes under the ink roller, non-imahe areas that have a water film repel the oily inks that stick to the image areas.
WEB PRINTING Instead of printing on individual sheets, web printing uses stock that is supplied on massive rolls. This allows for higher volume printing speeds and lower costs per unit for high volume print jobs.
USED FOR FLYERS BROCHURES MAGAZINES
DISADVANTAGES OF LITHO AND WEB Only avaliable for long print jobs to justify setting up machines and plates. (LITHO) Long print runs can deteriorate due to wear on the plate.
SCREEN PRINTING Screen printing is one of the early methods of printing. It involves the passing of ink or any other printing medium through a mesh or ‘screen’ that has been stretched on a frame, and to which a stencil has been applied. The stencil openings determine the image that will thus be imprinted. Screen printing is a long and expensive process but allows the printer to print on a wide seletion of stock.
FLEXOGRAPHY Flexography s a form of printing process which utilizes a flexible relief plate. It is basically an updated version of letterpress that can be used for printing on a most 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 color).
USED FOR FOOD/SWEET PACAKGING MILK CARTONS PLASTIC BAG. Often printed at a low quality because most of the stuff printed using flexo is thrown away (food wrappers)
THREE
STANDARDSIZES Standard paper sizes provide a convenient and efficent means for designers and printers to communicate product specifications and control costs.
PAPER & ENVELOPE SIZES Standardised sizes provide a ready means for selecting product formats that work together, such as 14 and C4 envelopes.
FORMAT [MM] A0 841 X 1189 A1 594 X 841 A2 420 X 594 A3 297 X 420 A4 210 X 297 A5 148 X 210 A6 105 X 148 A7 74 X 105 A8 52 X 74 A9 37 X 52 A10 26 X 37
FORMAT [MM] B0 1000 X 1414 B1 707 X 1000 B2 500 X 707 B3 353 X 500 B4 250 X 353 B5 176 X 250 B6 125 X 176 B7 88 X 125 B8 62 X 88 B9 44 X 62 B10 31 X 44
FORMAT [MM] A0 841 X 1189 A1 594 X 841 A2 420 X 594 A3 297 X 420 A4 210 X 297 A5 148 X 210 A6 105 X 148 A7 74 X 105 A8 52 X 74 A9 37 X 52 A10 26 X 37
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
BLEED When preparing documents for print you need to be aware of your bleed and crop marks. Bleed is a printing term that refers to printing that goes beyond the edge of the sheet after trimming. The bleed is the part on the side of a document that gives the printer a small amount of space to account for movement of the paper, and design inconsistencies. Bleed ensures that no unprinted edges occur in the final trimmed document. Bleeds in the UK and Europe generally are 2 to 5mm from where the cut is to be made. This can vary from print company to print company. Some printers ask for specific sizes; most of these companies place the specific demands on their website.
FOUR
STOCKCONSIDERATIONS Stock is a term used in the printing industry and refers to the material that is to be printed on, for example, paper, card, vinyl etc. Different type of stocks have different characteristics and will often change the look of the image of the resulted print. This is why when preparing for print, it is important to consider how you want your image to appear when printed.
The most common stock choices are coated and uncoated.
As the name suggests, coated stock has a coating and this is usually of china clay, this gives the paper/card a smooth surface which can be gloss or silk in finish (gloss being shiny and silk offering more of a matt finish). Coated stock is used for projects that require a high quality finish such as presentation folders, leaflets, flyers and brochures, the list goes on! Coated stock does have its downsides, it cannot be printed on with a home printer and neither gloss or silk coated stock offer a perfect writing surface, with biro’s tending to smudge on both (especially gloss). Uncoated stock is typically used for letterheads and compliment slips as they can be printed on at home and written on without problems. A single side coated stock is also available and ideal for postcards and greetings cards, as the name suggests single side coated stock has a coating to one side only, this leaves the other side uncoated and perfect to write on.
FIVE
GSM The gsm (or g/m2) is a measure of the weight and type of paper. An A0 sheet of 80gsm paper will weigh 80 grams, an A0 sheet of 100gsm paper will weigh 100 grams and so on. Note gsm is commonly used rather than g/m2 in most day to day use. This came about because of the inability of early computer packages to display superscripted characters - especially stock control, accounting and invoicing systems. Paper that is used in offices is usually between 70gsm and 80gsm, with 80gsm being the most commonly found weight. Some accountants and solicitors use heavier weight paper ranging from 90gsm to 120gsm for formal correspondance. Above 120gsm come various thicknesses of card with 160gsm and 200gsm being most commonly used for file dividers. Newspaper ranges between 45gsm and 50gsm.
SIX
PRINTPROOFING
Proofing a print is often an overlooked part of printing, and some people don’t even bother with proofing a job before it goes to print. But it is one of the most important parts of the printing process. There is nothing worse then having your colours, design, and type come out far different than you expected or having an a far worse problem that you cannot persuade your client to just overlook. If you do not proof print you could be looking at tons of mistakes on a very expensive print.
USED FOR FOOD/SWEET PACAKGING MILK CARTONS PLASTIC BAG.
SEVEN
PANTONE When colour is critical in your design, dont rely on your screen, rely on a colour matching system. Designers use pantonte colour matching system to match colours and to ensure particular colours print.
EIGHT
SPELLCHECK Always, always ALWAYS check for spelling errors. They are not as obvious as colour erorrs and are harder to find. One little letter in the wrong place could cost you thousands.
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PRINTFINISHES Finishing includes a wide range of processes to provide the finishing touches to a design once the substrate has been printed. These processes include die cutting, binding, special print techniques, laminates, varnishes, folding, foil blocking and screen printing, all of which can transform an ordinary-looking piece into something much more interesting and something you can really appreciate.
EMBOSSING & DEBOSSING
Embossing is a technique to really make your work stand out from the sheet. With the use of a male and female tool, a little bit of heat and a lot of pressure, you can also sink the artwork into the sheet. This is known as a deboss. Both embossing and debossing can be coupled with printing or foiling.
FOILING Foil stamping, typically a commercial print process, is the application of pigment or metallic foil, often gold or silver , but can also be various patterns or what is known as pastel foil which is a flat opaque color or white special film-backed material, to paper where a heated die is stamped onto the foil, making it adhere to the surface leaving the design of the die on the paper. Foil stamping can be combined with embossing to create a more striking 3D image.
DIE CUTTING
Piece of cardboard, paper, or other material that has been cut into a special shape or design in a process similar to printing, except that a sharp steel die (embossing plate) is used in place of a printing plate. Die cuts are used in the production of greeting cards; labels and tags; direct-mail promotional pieces, such as calendars; novelty items; cutouts; and folding boxes or displays.
TEN
COSTING THINGS TO CONSIDER WHEN IT COMES TO COSTING. Get 3 quotes to see who is providing the best deal. All need to be given exactly the same specification. Make sure to get a quote early before you start the job.. This gives the client a rough idea of how much it would cost. be aware that finishes also add to cost quite significantly. Learn what each unit would cost. There are different stages in print production such as preparation setting up the machine costs labour and stock costs and more. If you were to print 5000 copies a unit, it would actually cost more than if you were to print 10,000. This is because the setting up is the most expensive part. Make sure there is NO errors. You can’t go to the printers mid print and tell them to cancel the job because you would still have to pay up. Delivery adds to the bill.