1. Paper sizes
- Standardised paper sizes
I'm always getting paper sizes wrong so it was quite useful to go over this again. The image above is probably the best as it give you a good idea, would be better if the dimensions were in the image too. Going to look at having this within the print manual.
2. Overprinting
- What is overprinting / have example
Overprinting refers to the process of printing one colour on top of another in reprographics. This is closely linked to the reprographic technique of 'trapping'. Another use of overprinting is to create a rich black (often regarded as a color that is "blacker than black") by printing black over another dark colour.
Not found a great deal of stuff about overprinting but got enough to make a start with. Got a copy of the production manual from the library and it was a shame to see so many of the pages I needed missing.
3. Stock
- Different types of stock
- Choosing the right stock
(page 160 - the production manual)
(page 12 - print + finish)
Never really questioned how many different types of stock there actually is, both the production manual and the print and finish book cover pretty much the same types of stock. It's great to know how they're produced as well as the primary uses.
http://www.printingforless.com/paperdescriptions.html
4. Colour // CMYK/Process Colours // Pantone Matching System
- What are process colours?
- Pantone Matching System
(page 31 / 37 - 4 colour printing - CMYK - getting it right in print)
(page 127 - pantone - getting it right in print)
(page 80 - the production manual)
Need to get some more information on colour as well as some primary photographs of the pantone matching system. Think it would be a good idea to cover both CMYK and RBG.
5. RGB > CMYK
- How to convert from RBG to CMYK
(page 31 / 37 - 4 colour printing - CMYK - getting it right in print)
6. File types
- Different files types
- Which file types to use when sending items to print
(page 164 - print and finish)
(page 32 - files types - the production manual)
Got a brief description of most of the different file types - need to get some more research as to which ones are best for sending files to print.
7. Monotone / Duotone / Tints
(page 106 - the production manual)
8. Printing Methods
- Different types of commercial print processes
(page 152 - the production manual)
Offset printing is a commonly used printing technique in which the inked image is transferred (or "offset") from a plate to a rubber blanket, then to the printing surface. When used in combination with the lithographic process, which is based on the repulsion of oil and water, the offset technique employs a flat (planographic) image carrier on which the image to be printed obtains ink from ink rollers, while the non-printing area attracts a water-based film (called "fountain solution"), keeping the non-printing areas ink-free.
Development of the offset press came in two versions: in 1875 by Robert Barclay of England for printing on tin, and in 1903 by Ira Washington Rubel of the United States for printing on paper.
Flexography (often abbreviated to flexo) is a form of printing process which utilizes a flexible relief plte. It is basically an updated version of letterpress that 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 the non-porous substrates required for various types of food packaging (it is also well suited for printing large areas of solid color).
Screen printing is a printing technique that uses a woven mesh to support an ink-blocking stencil. The attached stencil forms open areas of mesh that transfer ink or other printable materials which can be pressed through the mesh as a sharp-edged image onto a substrate. A rolleror squeegee is moved across the screen stencil, forcing or pumping ink past the threads of the woven mesh in the open areas.
Screen printing is also a stencil method of print making in which a design is imposed on a screen of silk or other fine mesh, with blank areas coated with an impermeable substance, and ink is forced through the mesh onto the printing surface. It is also known as silkscreen,serigraphy, and serigraph printing.
Rotogravure (Roto or Gravure for short) is a type of intaglio printing process; that is, it involves engraving the image onto an image carrier. In gravure printing, the image is engraved onto a cylinder because, like offset printing and flexography, it uses a rotary printing press. The vast majority of gravure presses print on rolls (also known as webs) of paper, rather than sheets of paper. (Sheetfed gravure is a small, specialty market.) Rotary gravure presses are the fastest and widest presses in operation, printing everything from narrow labels to 12-foot-wide (3.66-meter-wide) rolls of vinyl flooring. Additional operations may be in line with a gravure press, such as saddle stitching facilities for magazine or brochure work. Once a staple of newspaper photo features, the rotogravure process is still used for commercial printing of magazines, postcards, and corrugated (cardboard) product packaging.
Digital printing refers to methods of printing from a digital based image directly to a variety of media.[1] It usually refers to professional printing where small run jobs from desktop publishing and other digital sources are printed using large format and/or high volume laser orinkjet printers. Digital printing has a higher cost per page than more traditional offset printing methods but this price is usually offset by the cost saving in avoiding all the technical steps in between needed to make printing plates. It also allows for on demand printing, short turn around, and even a modification of the image (variable data) with each impression.[2] The savings in labor and ever increasing capability of digital presses means digital printing is reaching a point where it will match or supersede offset printing technology's ability to produce larger print runs at a low price.[3]
These are pretty much the print processes I'm going to cover in the print manual. Would be a good idea to find some more illustrations that help explain the process a bit better.
Digital printing refers to methods of printing from a digital based image directly to a variety of media.[1] It usually refers to professional printing where small run jobs from desktop publishing and other digital sources are printed using large format and/or high volume laser orinkjet printers. Digital printing has a higher cost per page than more traditional offset printing methods but this price is usually offset by the cost saving in avoiding all the technical steps in between needed to make printing plates. It also allows for on demand printing, short turn around, and even a modification of the image (variable data) with each impression.[2] The savings in labor and ever increasing capability of digital presses means digital printing is reaching a point where it will match or supersede offset printing technology's ability to produce larger print runs at a low price.[3]
These are pretty much the print processes I'm going to cover in the print manual. Would be a good idea to find some more illustrations that help explain the process a bit better.
9. Print Finishing
- Different print finishes
(page 170 - 174 - the production manual)
(page 66-108 - print and finish)
Embossing is typically accomplished by applying heat and pressure with male and female dies, usually made of copper or brass, that fit together and squeeze the fibers of the substrate. The combination of pressure and heat raises the level of the image higher than the substrate, while "ironing" it to make it smooth. In printing this is accomplished on a letterpress. The most common machines are the Kluge Letterpress and the Heidelberg Letterpress.
"Debossing" is similar to embossing, but recesses the design rather than raising it.
Most types of paper can be embossed, and size is not normally a consideration. Embossing without ink, so that the image is raised but not colored, is called "blind embossing." Embossing used in conjunction with ink, so that the raised area is colored, is called "color register embossing." Embossing used in conjunction with foil stamping is called "combination stamping" or "combo stamping."
Embossing involves a separate stage in the production process, after any varnishing and laminating. It requires a separate press run, and is priced accordingly. In addition to being used as a design element, embossing can be used to improve the performance of paper products like napkins, diapers, and tissue paper.
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.
| UV Varnishing | |||||
Ultra Violet (UV) Varnishing is a process for achieving an even more striking type of coating on your printed material. Requiring the use of special Ultraviolet drying machinery, a UV coating is like a deluxe version of the non-UV varnishes, with the varnish appearing noticeably richer and more luxurious. A UV varnish can be applied as either an all-over coating, or as a spot varnish:
| |||||
Found a lot of information about print finishing, might look at including some examples of finishes in the book.
10. Commercial Costings
http://www.print4biz.org.uk/
11. Trapping // Registration Marks
(page 126 - the production manual)
(page 124 - bleed / registration / trim)
Thought it would be relevant to cover trapping and imposition within the book, need to get some more information on this to understand it a bit better.
12. Imposition
(page 132 - the production manual)
Having covered imposition last year I think it's quite relevant to cover. Again could do with getting some more research.
No comments:
Post a Comment