the in’s and out’s of
Prnt.
Content. 1. Colour
RGB, CMYK, multitone, pantone and spot colour
2. Print processes
offset litho, flexography, digital, screen print, gravature and pad printing
3. Stock
coated, uncoated, wove and bond.
4. Paper sizes
ISO A series, B series and gsm
5. File Format
TIFF, PDF, JPEG
6. Proofing
proofings, bleeds, crop marks and sign off
7. Finishing
embossing, foil blocking, debossing, die-cutting and spot varnished
8. Costings
ink, print and finishing costs
colour. Understanding colour systems is essential knowledge for control over design for print.
1.
RGB. Digital cameras, scanners and computer monitors create images using combinations of three colours; Red, Green and Blue (RGB). These are primary colours of visible light, this is how your computer screen displays images. RGB colours appear brighter and more vivid on a screen.
RGB is only used for digital formats and the colours will not look the same when printed.
RGB addictive
CMYK. The CMYK colour model (otherwise known as the process colour or four colour system) is a subtractive colour model, used in commercial print.
Everything you see in print is usually comprised of these four colours.
CMYK uses four inks in the print process; cyan, magenta, yellow and the key (black.)
CMYK subtractive
Spot colour. Spot colours is the use of one colour ink. Spot colours are used to ensure that a particular colour in a design will print. This may be necessary if the colour is outside the range (gamut) of the CMYK printing process, or because there is a need for a specific colour such as for a company or corporate logo. Spot colours have greater
intensity and vibrancy, they print as a solid colour rather than half-tone dots.
158 U
229 U
Spot colour single ink
227 U
138 U
Pantone. The Pantone colour system includes a wide range of different colours, including special solid, hexachrome, metallic and pastel colours. The Pantone system has a unique reference number to each hue and shade to allow communication between designers and printers.
U- Uncoated C- Coated EC- Euro Coated M- Matte
363 U Pantone premixed
Multitone. Multitone is a process of composing an image with ether one, two or three inks. This process requires that the printing press is set up with special inks, usually Pantone colours, instead of the standard CMYK inks. Using one, two or three colour inks that are not CMYK may reduce the cost of printing. There are 3 techniques within the Multitone techniques.
Monotone- Single ink Duotone- Two inks Tritone- Three inks
Multitone 1, 2 or 3 inks
Black variations. There are many variations of black which differs when printed, however looks the same on screen. This is because there is only one way to represent 100% blackabsent of light. Standard- C0,M0,Y0,K 100 Rich- C68,M52,Y51,K100 Cool- C60,M0,Y0,K100 Warm- C0,M60,Y30,K100 RegistrationC100,M100,Y100,K100
The standard black creates a more duller black (dark grey). To create a rich black you will have to set CMYK settings as shown. Registration Black
Standard Black
Black black variations
process. The key ways industry apply ink onto printable substrates.
2.
Offset Litho. Offset lithography is a process used for printing on a flat surface, using printing plates. An image is transferred to a printing plate, which can be made of a variety of materials such as metal or paper. The plate is then chemically treated so that only image areas (such as type, colours and shapes) accept ink.
Benefits:
1. Versatile 2. Flexible 3. Range of inks and stocks Ink
Plate
Water Feed
Blanket
Impression
Offset Litho printing plates
Rotogravure. Rotogravure involves engraving the image onto an image carrier. In gravure printing, the image is engraved onto a cylinder because it uses a rotary printing press. The rotogravure process is used for commercial printing of magazines, postcards, and corrugated (cardboard) product packaging.
Benefits:
1. High volume and durable 2. Mass printing 3. Detail prints Printing cylinder
blade
form cylinder
ink tray
Rotogravure cylinder plate
Flexography. Flexography is a form of printing which utilises a flexible relief plate. This 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 substrates required for various types of food packaging.
Benefits:
1. Prints large areas of solid colour. 2. Good quality prints 3. Any type of stock
Plate Cylinder
Ink Plate
Substrate
Flexography flexible plate
Screen print. Screen printing is a technique that uses a woven mesh to support an ink blocking stencil. The stencil forms open areas of mesh that transfers ink, which is pressed through the mesh to create an image onto a substrate. The squeegee is moved across the screen, pressing ink through the meshed surface.
Benefits:
1. Not as expensive 2. shorter runs 3. high quality prints
squeegee Screen
Ink
Screen Printing woven mesh
Digital. Digital printing refers to methods of printing from a digital based image directly to a variety of media. Digital printing is for small run jobs from desktop publishing. Digital printing has a higher cost per page than more traditional offset printing methods, however avoiding all the technical steps needed for printing plates.
Benefits:
1. Short runs 2. Specialise Printing 3. No offset or plate needed
Stock
Digital standard Print
Pad Printing. Pad printing is a process that can transfer a 2D image onto a 3D object. This is accomplished using an indirect offset (gravure) involving an image being transferred from a silicone pad onto a substrate. Pad printing prints on otherwise impossible products.
Benefits:
1.Transfers onto 2D and 3D objects 2. Any surface printing 3. Easy application
Pad component
Pad Printing 3D objects
stock. Designers can chose from a wide range of stocks to add quality to their work.
3.
Coated. Coated stock is fairly smooth to feel and appears better quality. Coated paper does not absorb the inks printed as much as uncoated stock will. The inks will stay on the top of the coating surface. Inks appear glossy to the eye. Coated stock are mainly Photographs and high quality brochures.
Coated coated surface
Uncoated. Uncoated stocks are commonly classified as bonds, offsets, card and newsprint. Uncoated papers soak much more larger quantities of ink, based on the surface area of the uneven finish of the uncoated stock. Uncoated stocks are ideal for quick and less precise printing.
Uncoated none coated surface
Wove. Wove paper is made on a closely woven wire roller that has a faint mesh pattern on the surface. Wove paper is a writing paper that has a uniform surface. It is also used for stationary and book publishing, this is a premium quality paper.
Wove hand made
Bond. Bond paper is an economic, uncoated paper type. Bond paper is a high quality durable writing paper. This is commonly used for letterheads and stationery. Widely used for graphic work involving pencil, pens and felt tips. This is a stronger tougher paper then wove paper. Bond economic paper
size. Understand paper sizes and how to use size.
4.
ISO series. ISO international standards ensure that products and services are safe, reliable and of good quality. They are strategic tools that reduce costs by minimising waste, errors and this inturn increases the productivity. International standard (ISO) paper sizes are used in most countries in the world today.
The standard defines the "A" and "B" series of paper sizes.
ISO international sizes
A series. The A series of paper is the most commonly used worldwide, with A4 the most frequently used paper size in this series.
A0 A1 A2 A3 A4 A5 A6 A7 A8 A9 A10
1189 x 841mm 841 x 594 mm 594 x 420 mm 420 x 297 mm 297 x 210 mm 210 x 148 mm 148 x 105 mm 105 x 74 mm 74 x 52 mm 52 x 37 mm 37 x 26 mm
A series common sizes
B series. B series paper is less common than the A series. This is most often used for posters, books, envelopes and other important documents.
B0 B1 B2 B3 B4 B5 B6 B7 B8 B9 B10
1414 x1000mm 1000 x 707mm 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 62 x 44 mm 44 x 31 mm
B series less common
gsm. GSM is the weight of paper, mass per unit area. Paper board is expressed in terms of grams per square meter. The unofficial unit symbol is "gsm" instead of the standard is widely encountered in English speaking countries.
gsm paper weight
file types. Helps transfer your design from the computer to the printer.
5.
File types. Most file types are made to handle a specific kind of artwork, typically ether vector (Illustrator) or raster art (Photoshop). A designer will typically use just two file formats JPEG for when working with images that are to be used on screen and TIFF for work to be printed. There are also other file types that can be used with saving
graphic content, these file types are not used very often within design. File Types:
1.TIFF 2.PDF 3.JPEG
File types file formats
TIFF. An industry standard file format, designed for the handling of raster or bitmap images. TIFF- (Tagged image File Format) this is a file format commonly used for lossless compression of images for print.
TIFF
TIFF printing format
JPEG. JPEG-(Joint Photographic Experts Group) A commonly used file format for lossy compression images that are to be used for web images.
JPEG
JPEG screen based
PDF. PDF-(Portable Document Format) a portable format used for sending files from the designer to the client used for checking and the printer for printing.
A PDF embeds all the necessary fonts and graphics into the file.
PDF proofing format
proofing. Helps to ensure accurate reproduction of your design.
6.
Proofing. A Pre-flight check is one way of noticing problem areas within the document. This checks that all used images and fonts can be found in its location area. It also checks if the colours are in the correct mode for printing. This can be accessed by going to file>pre-flight. In the dialogue window, a small warning icon will indicate a problem.
Pre-flight does not indicate all the problems, so it is important to carry out general proof checks. General issues: 1.Is the size of your document correct? 2.Spelling mistakes 3.Is the bleed correct? 4.Is the resolution of the image set at 300dpi?
Proofing double check
Bleed. Bleed is used for all objects overlapping the border off the document. Such as when you are working on a magazine with images against the sides of your pages. You will have to supply the printer with a document larger then the final document. There are alot of things that could go wrong if you weren't using bleed when cropping,the images
wouldn't be neatly aligned with the side of the document. Standard measurements for bleed is 3mm.
3mm
Bleed unprinted edges
Crop marks. Crossed lines placed in the corners of an image or a document to indicate where to trim the page known as crop marks. Crop marks can be placed manually or automatically using software such as InDesign and Illustrator. Crop marks are typically used when printing to a larger sheet of paper than the final trim size of the
document, especially when doing bleeds. They indicate where to cut the paper.
Crop Marks trimming guides
Sign off. Getting sign off, in writing, is a vital part of best practice when sending designs, copy or code to clients. If changes need to be made later then, with sign-off completed, it is the client’s responsibility not yours. If, for example, there is a typo in a design for a flyer (perhaps the date is wrong!) and the client spots the mistake
after printing 1000s of copies the responsibility for the cost of re-printing is the clients not yours.
Sign off approved
finishes. Add the finishing touch to your design and make it stand out on the page.
7.
Embossing. Embossing makes something stand out from the page. It impresses an image or text onto the stock using an engraved metal die. This creates a raised impression on the paper. Tips: 1.The image has to be three times thicker compared to the stock. 2.Use thicker stock as it will hold the emboss better.
Embossing raised surface
Foil Blocking. Foil blocking is a process where foil is pressed onto a stock through a heated die which causes the foil to separate from its back. Foil blocking is also referred to as foil stamp, heat stamp, block print or foil emboss.
Foiling metallic surface
Spot Varnish. Spot varnish is a special effect that puts an overprint varnish only on specific areas of a printed piece, spot varnish is often used to make a photograph pop off the page.
Spot varnished ultraviolet coating
Debossing. Debossing is opposite to embossing. Debossing applies pressure to the front side of the paper, forcing the material away or down from the paper surface. Debossing is not as commonly used compared to embossing.
Debossing depressions
Die cutting. A die cut is a process that uses a steel die cut away a section of a page. It is mainly used for decorative purposes to enhance the visual performance of a design rather then serving a physical function. Die cuts have uses from creating pieces with unusual shapes to creating aperture's that allow the user to see
inside a publication. Die cuts produce a range of effects from the striking to the subtle.
Die cutting cut out sections
costings. Making sure you get your moneys worth in printing.
8.
Costings. It is important to know exactly what it is your going to produce ahead of time. This will allow you to contact printers and see if it is possible with the budget you may have. Discuss you requirements with the printers to ensure they will be no mistakes (mistakes can be very costly!). Get 2 or 3 quotes from different printers in order to make
the most cost efficient decision. It is important to plan well in advance to get the most out of your print. Also consider the print process carefully as this could have a big difference on price, including the number of inks used.
Costing financial awareness
finishing costs.
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This can be represented in the price, due to the labour and costing requirements. Make sure you know the budget before planning a job.
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Print finishes can be very expensive, sometimes more then the print itself. Foil blocked, die-cut, embossed and spot varnished prints can improve the quality of the design.
Finishing costs financial awareness
Notes.
This swatch book has been designed to help you understand the print process and how to produce your prints effectively for commercial use.