COLOUR MODES
CMYK
CMYK
is the colour mode used when producing work for digital print. Only colours
that can be made up from the inks Cyan, Magenta, Yellow and Key (Black) can be
printed. It is crucial that when designing for digital print that the colours
are made up of these 4 inks as otherwise, when printed, the colour will change.
SPOT
COLOUR
Spot
colours (Solid colours) are colours that are created without screens or dots.
It is also commonly used to refer to any colour created by non-standard ink,
such as metallics, fluorescents or hand-mixed inks.
HEXACHROME
Is
a six-colour printing process designed by Pantone. As well as the standard
cyan, magenta, yellow and key there are two more inks, green and orange. The
reason for the additional inks are to expand the colour gamut, creating a
greater range of printable colours.
PANTONE
(PMS)
The
Pantone Matching System is a standardized system in both Europe and America.
The system means that manufactures, printers and designers in different locations
can all refer to the same colour exactly, so that there will be no change when
printed.
Pantone
have a selection of swatches that can be printed through CMYK but also swatches
for spot colours.
It
is important to use the Pantone when producing work for clients, especially
when using external print resources, so that the colour does not vary.
PREPARING COLOUR FOR PRINT
Clear communication between client, designer and printer id crucial
PRINTED PAGES
- Actual number of pages to be printed.
- Not number of sheets printed on.
- One sheet printed double sided is two printed pages.
PRE-PRINT
- Delete all unused colours.
- Ensure anything in black is black and not registration, as registration will print on all plates.
- Ensure all registration marks are in registration rather than black, as otherwise they will only print on the black plate.
- Spot Colour: If it is being printed in a special colour leave it, if it is to be printed CMYK all spot colours must be converted to this colour mode.
- All images must be in CMYK and not RGB.
- Colour-fall should match the printers expectations.
- All imported swatches are the right value.
TINTS
- Tints below 10% and above 90% may not print due to the effect of dot gain.
- Tint bar can be printed on the trim edge of the wet proof.
- Adjustments can then be made prior to final printing.
- Wet proofs use the actual press, pressure, ink, stock and printing conditions of the final job.
OVERPRINTING
- Process of layering inks to produce different colours.
- Must bear in mind the order in which the process colours are printed.
- Can also overprint on graphics and images.
TYPES OF BLACK
FOUR-COLOUR BLACK
- Darkest black.
- All four process colours overprinted on each other.
- Heavier.
WARM AND COOL BLACKS
- Flat blacks enhanced by applying a shiner of another colour underneath.
- Warm black - Magenta shiner.
- Cold black - Cyan shiner.
RICH BLACK
- Practical solution to 'bounce'.
- 'Bounce' is a registration error that can occur when an area with no colour is next to an area of heavy coverage.
- Printing with 50% cyan, magenta and yellow produces grey colours that avoid any registration errors.
- Areas now have shared colours.
FORMATS
IMPERIAL//METRIC
The
imperial system is a measuring system used in Britain. It is used to measure
both weight and distance, although only one is applicable to print. In the UK
and using the imperial system the common measurements are inches, feet, yards
and miles. This system is becoming dated and the much more popular system, the
metric system, is being used.
The
metric system, or its modern counterpart, the International System of Units, is
the most widely used system of measurement. This system is a measure of time,
length, mass, electricity, light and temperature, however, only one really
applies to design for print. The most common length measurements are
millimetre, centimetre, metre and kilometre.
TABLOID//BROADSHEET//BERLINER
These
are all common newspaper sizes.
-
Broadsheet
-
750 x 600 mm (29.5” x 23.5”)
-
Term derives from single sheets of political satire and
ballads sold on the street.
-
Became popular after Britain placed a tax on newspapers
by the number of pages.
-
Becoming increasingly less popular.
-
Berliner
-
470 x 315 mm (18.5” x 12.4”)
-
Also known as Midi.
-
Commonly used by newspapers across Europe.
-
Tabloid
-
430 x 280 mm (16.9” x 11.0”)
-
Referred to as ‘half a broadsheet’.
-
Similar in size to that of the A3 paper size.
-
Compact stories in short, easy to read, exaggerated
forms.
-
Globally used.
-
Many papers are now changing from the broadsheet to the
tabloid.
PAPERS
SIZES
There
are many different paper sizes and scales. The most common is the international
standard. The international standard is the A Series, B Series and C Series
with the most used being the A Series – A6, A5, A4, A3, A2, A1, A0.
In
America they use a different system that has different sizes. Their common
sizes are: letter, legal, ledger and tabloid.
It
is important to consider paper sizes when designing for print as work may
require cropping, folding or binding.
OTHER STANDARD SIZES
European (3048mm x 3962mm)
- Square format.
- Same vertical dimension as 48- and 96-sheet billboards.
Golden square (6096mm x 6096mm)
- Square format.
- Typically illuminated at night.
- Breaks boundary of standard rectangle.
- Huge space.
PUBLICATION
– ZINE//MAGAZINE//BOOK//LEAFLET//ETC
LAYOUT
RECTO//VERSO
- Refers to the pages in a spread.
- Recto - Right-hand page.
- Verso - Left-hand page.
- Also a printing method in which both sides of the stock are printed.
PRINTING ON RECTO//VERSO
- Economical method.
- Uses waste from main job.
- Can limit printing plates used - saving money.
- Can limit passes through the press - saving money.
THE ACTIVE & PASSIVE AREAS OF A DESIGN
- Controlled by how we read//scan//view.
- Most active area is the top left.
- Most passive bottom right.
- The eye processes from left to right and top to bottom.
IMAGE TYPES
RASTER IMAGES
- Composed of pixels in a grid.
- Each pixel contains colour information for the reproduction of the image.
- Fixed resolution.
- Enlarging the image results in a decrease in quality.
- Commonly saved as TIFF or JPEG file formats for print.
VECTOR IMAGES
- Scalable objects.
- Defined by mathematical formulae or paths.
- Can be enlarged infinitely without any loss of quality.
- Saved as EPS formats.
BITMAPS
- Any image that is composed of pixels in a grid.
- Not easily scalable.
- Fixed resolution.
- Reduces tonal pallet.
GREYSCALE
- Series or Scale of achromatic tones.
- Varying levels of black and white to produce a range of greys.
- Produce continuous tone photographs.
- Converts colours to the most approximate grey.
HALF-TONES
- Reproducing a continuous-tone image as dots.
- Different sized dots are used to create tones.
- Can change the angles, frequency and shape of the dots.
FILE FORMATS
CAPTURED FILES
RAW
- Maximum continuous-tone colour information.
- Not compressed or processed.
- Need to be converted to be used (RGB//CMYK).
SAVED FILES
TIFF
- Continuous-tone file format.
- Lossless compression.
- Print.
EPS
- Suitable for scalable graphic elements.
GIFS
- Flat graphic//colour.
- No tonal values.
- Preserves sharp lines.
- Web.
JPEG
- Compresses file information.
- Makes images suitable for web.
- Can result in a loss of information.
- Web.
BMP
- Uncompressed.
- 24- or 32-bit.
- Colour image.
- Used for graphic manipulation.
SENDING FILES
PDF
- Portable format.
- Embeds all necessary information.
RESOLUTION
SPI
- Number of samples taken by a scanner as it passes over an image.
- The higher the number of sample per inch the more pixels the file will contain.
PPI
- Number of pixels displayed horizontally and vertically in each square inch of the image.
- A low ppi image will appear pixelated due to a lack of information.
DPI
- Number of ink dots a printer can deposit on a substrate within an inch.
- 300dpi is the common standard.
- Different printing techniques and methods may require a different dpi.
LPI
- Number of cells in a half-tone grid used to produce continuous-tone images.
BLEED, REGISTRATION & TRIM
PRINTING A FOUR-COLOUR JOB
- Bleed prevents a white edge when the work is trimmed.
- Normal design requires a 3mm bleed but more can be used depending on the job.
- Discuss bleed with printers.
- Registration problems occur when plates are not quite aligned.
REGISTRATION BLACK
- Registration black is obtained from 100% coverage of all 4 process colours.
- Using registration colour for work instead of black is a common mistake.
- This is an issue as anything in registration colour will appear on all plates.
REGISTRATION PROBLEMS
- Only occur when two or more colours are printed.
- Can distort or blur due to mis-registration.
- Poor registration.
- Can make text illegible.
TRAPPING
SPREAD AND CHOKE
- Prevent small gaps appearing between different block of colour.
- Options are: Spread, choke and centre trapping.
- Spreading is the most common, where lighter objects are made larger to spread into a darker one.
- Choke can be used to reduce the size of the aperture that an object will print in.
- Centred trapping uses a combination of enlarging the object and reducing the aperture.
KNOCKOUT AND OVERPRINT (UNTRAPPED OPTIONS)
- Overprint is when one colour prints over another.
- Knockout is where a gap is left in one colour for another colour to print in.
- The colours will mix when using overprint.
- Can be used as part of the design.
Can be used to change the presentation of the image.
Treat the image frame and its background seperately.
Not limited to blocks of colour.
Use images and half-tones.
OVERPRINT, REVERSE OUT & SURPRINT
Three ways that ink can be laid out in the print process
OVERPRINT
- One ink is printed on top of another.
REVERSE OUT
- Instead of the design being printed it is removed and left as an unprinted area.
SURPRINT
- Two elements that are printed on top of on another that are tints of the same colour.
IMPOSITION
How various pages of a publication are arranged to print.
Information needed by the printer:
- Any change in stock through the job.
- Colours used.
- How and where any spot colours are used.
How it helps the designer:
- Calculate colour fall - pages with certain colours can be grouped together.
- Improve efficiency.
- Reduce cost.
PAGES TO VIEW
- Number of pages that will be printed on to one side of stock.
PRINTER'S PLANS
- Describe how different sections of a publication will be printed.
- Pages grouped together according to how they will print, the stock they will be printed on and how the sections back.
- Allows printer to easily see which pages a special colour will print on.
- Also show the PAGES TO VIEW.
IMPOSITION PLANS
- Some pages can appear up-side-down.
- Printed on an area that will be folded or cut.
- Easier to think of the publication as horizontal strips of pages if you know how it is going to be printed.
- Provides a visul key for planning.
- Colour coding can be used.
- Show sections that will be folded.
- Show pages that use a specific//special colour.
- Show which pages are to be printed on a different stock.
GATEFOLDS
- Folded sheet of four panels.
- Bound into a publication.
- Used to provide extra space.
- Inner panels have the same dimension of the page.
- Outer panels are slightly narrower to allow them to fit when folded.
- Numbered with letters from the page they start.
- Example: 32a, 32b, 32c and 32d.
THROW-OUTS
- Half a gatefold.
- Bound into a publication.
- Opens only one side.
- Throw-out sheet must be narrower so that it fits in the publication when folded.
- Turns a 2-page spread into a 3-page spread.
TIP-INS
- Attachment of a single page to a publication by wrapping it around the central fold of a section and glueing along the bottom edge.
TIP-ONS
- A page or another element is poster in a publication - reply card.
- Can be located anywhere on the host page.
- can be either temporary or permanent.
PROOFING
SOFT OR SCREEN PROOF
- Used for layout and colour control.
- Check the screen structures of a print.
- Intended to eliminate undesired effects such as moire and rosette.
- Screening must be performed before a screen proof is printed as printing data contains no screen information.
LASER PROOF
- Black and white computer print.
- Shows photos, text and positions.
- Cheaper than a blueline.
- Low resolution.
- May not be actual size.
PRE-PRESS PROOF
- Analogue or digital proof.
- Approximation of what the finish piece will look like.
- Inexpensive.
- Colour not as accurate.
- Does not use the actual inks.
BLUELINE, DYLUX OR SALT PROOF
- Contact print produced from film.
- Shows impositions, photos and text that will appear when printed.
- Shows the trim and binding edges.
- Rapid.
- Pages can be folded, trimmed and stitched to approximate the finished job.
- One colour.
- Does not reflect stock or true colour.
- Proof has blue colour.
- Image fades with time.
SCATTER PROOF
- Proof of individual photo or group of photos.
- Not included as part of the design.
- For checking colour before final proof.
- Many photos can be proofed at once to save time and materials.
- Images not seen in situ in the layout.
COMPOSITE INTEGRAL COLOUR PROOF
- High quality proofs (such as Matchprint or Chromalin).
- Produced using 4 sheets.
- One sheet for each colour.
- Laminated together in register.
- Very accurate colour proof.
- Produced from the colour separation film used to make printing plates.
- Time-consuming.
- Labour-intensive.
PRESS OR MACHINE PROOFS
- Produced using the actual plates, inks and paper.
- Realistic impression of the final print.
- Can be produced on the actual stock.
- Costly, especially if another proof is required after changes.
CONTRACT PROOF
- Colour proof used to form a contract between the printer and client.
- The final proof before going to press.
- Accurate representation of the print job.
PRINTING AND PRINT ORDER
UNDERSTANDING PRINT ORDER
- Order in which different colours are laid down during the printing process.
- Four colour process: Cyan, magenta, yellow and then black.
- Printers may change the print order depending on the artwork.
- Often changed if there are large panels of flat colour.
- Often changed if there are overprints.
- Changed if inks are required to be printed out of sequence.
STANDARD PRINT ORDER
If the job is printed in the wrong order the image will appear in the wrong colour.
SELECTING AN ALTERNATIVE PRINT ORDER
- Special colours are printed where makes the most sense.
- Large areas are often printed first.
- Yellow is often printed last to act as a seal.
- Printing black last can cause pickering problems and leave uneven patches.
- Discuss the order with printers when using special colours or overprint.
- This would prevent any problems.
PRINTING IMPOSITION
DESCRIPTIONS
- Plots where the different pages of a design will be printed.
- Depend on how it will be printed and folded.
- Big print jobs, such as books, benefit the most from imposition planning as it allows optimisations of special colours, tints and varnishes.
- How a printer imposes the job for printing.
- Different methods may be used, such as work and tumble.
- Work and twist is when there are two passes of the same design on the same side but the stock is rotated 180 degrees between each pass.
PRINTING PLATE
- Each time a sheet goes through the printing press to receive an image is called a pass.
- Double sided jobs require two passes.
- Technology is developing so that a double sided job can be printed in one pass.
GRIPPER EDGE
- Grabs a sheet of paper on its gripper edge to draw it into the printing press.
- On the printed imposed sheet, space needs to be allocated for the gripper edge.
SHEET WORK
- Printing one side of a sheet.
- Turning it over and printing it on the other side with a separate plate.
WORK AND TURN
- Printing one side of a sheet.
- Turning it from front to back.
- Print the second side with the same sheet-edge alignment on the press.
WORK AND TUMBLE
- Both sides of a sheet are set on one plate.
- The sheet is printed and turned over side to side to be printed again.
WORK AND TWIST
- Printing one half of a sheet.
- Turn it 180 degrees.
- Go back through to print the other side.
SCREEN ANGLES
WHY ANGLES?
- Rows of half-tone dots are set at different angles to prevent them from interfering with each other.
- If they were set at the same angle they would cause a moire pattern.
- Prevented by changing the angle.
- Different colours give a better coverage of the printed surface.
- Lighter colours are set at the most visible angles.
- Yellow at 90 degrees and cyan at 105 degrees.
- Stronger colours are set at less visible angles.
- Magenta at 75 degrees and black set at 45 degrees.
- This prevents the less visible colours being drowned out by the stronger colours.
STOCHASTIC PRINTING
- Stochastic or frequency modulation printing is a method that uses different dot sizes as an alternative method to help prevent the appearance of moire patterns.
- Effect is similar to that of the grain of photographic film.
- Can give very good continuous-tone reproduction.
- This is because half-tone dots it prints have very little visibility and produce a high quality, detailed reproduction.
- Removing the barriers of screen angle interference from the printing press, it makes it possible to use more than the basic four process colours.
- Hexachrome printing has been added to give a wider gamut of colours.
- Also means that a more accurate reproduction of pastel colours and light tints can be achieved.
FLAT TINT
- Fixed dot size.
- Fixed dot spacing.
- Uniform dots of the same form and spacing.
1ST ORDER STOCHASTIC PRINTING
- Fixed dot size.
- Varied dot spacing.
- Allows some dots to touch.
CONVENTIONAL HALF-TONE
- Varied dot size.
- Fixed dot spacing.
- Gives different colour tones.
2ND ORDER STOCHASTIC PRINTING
- Varied dot size.
- Varied dot spacing.
- Thoroughly mix things up.
- Prevent the formation of moire patterns.
GRADIENT
- Uses one or more colours that combine to create the colour effect.
- Two-colour gradient.
- One is darker//stronger.
- One is lighter//weaker.
- Banding pattern created by half-tone printing screens.
- Can be avoided by adding noise into the gradient.
- Disperses or dithers the colour.
TINT
- Colour printed at a percentage of the full solid colour.
- Created using half-tone dots of different sizes.
- Creates colour dilution from the substrate.
LINE WEIGHTS
PROCESS LINES
- Line of solid process colour.
- Provides an accurate print.
- Even a hairline setting produces a solid, visible line.
CMYK
- Less accurate.
- Two screens are used.
- Uses half-tones and dots at different sizes.
- Aligning these dots in a line causes visible problems.
REVERSING OUT OF A PROCESS COLOUR
- Good results.
- Problems may occur with fine line due to dot gain.
REVERSING OUT OF CMYK
- Less accurate.
- Potential registration problems.
- Difficult to produce fine lines.
PRINT PROCESSES & METHODS
LITHOGRAPHY
- Inked image from a printing plate is transferred or offset on to a rubber blanket roller.
- Then pressed against the substrate.
- Uses a smooth printing plate.
- Functions on the bases that oil and water repel each other.
- When the plate passes under the ink roller, non-image areas that have water film repel oily inks.
- Good photographic reproduction and fine linework on a variety of stocks.
- Printing plates are easy to prepare and high speeds are achievable.
- Low cost printing.
WEB PRINTING
- Uses stock that is supplied on massive rolls rather than sheets.
- Higher volume printing speeds.
- Low production cost per unit for high-volume jobs.
- Can be used with lithography.
- Commonly used with relief printing methods such as rotogravure and flexography.
- This is because the plates are more durable.
- Not suitable for low-volume prints.
Different printing applications require different half-tone screens:
(higher quality printing uses finer screen values)
Printing Method - Lines per inch
Newsprint - 85-100
Web offset - 133
Standard sheet-fed offset - 150
Fine quality - 175-200
COMMON PROBLEMS WITH WEB AND LITHO PRINTING
HICKEYS OR BULLSEYES
- Spots or imperfections on the printed image.
- Caused by dried ink, dirt or other particles on the press.
MIS-REGISTRATION
- Misalignment of one or more printed images.
- Possibly caused by the presence of water in the lithographic process.
- Can distort stock.
SETOFF
- Also called offset.
- Ink from one printed sheet unintentionally mark or transfer to the next.
COLOUR VARIATION
- Failure to maintain a constant and adequate ink//water balance on the printing plate.
- Particularly happens over a long print run.
- Can cause banding.
LETTERPRESS
- Relief printing.
- Inked, raised surface is pressed against a substrate.
- First commercial printing method.
- Raised surface can be made from single type blocks, cast lines or engraved plates.
- Identified by the sharp and precise edges to letters and their heavier in borders.
ROTOGRAVURE
- Relief print process.
- Image is engraved onto a copper plate.
- Pressed directly against the substrate.
- Using a laser or diamond tool, small cells are engraved into the plate.
- These cells hold the ink that will transfer onto the stock.
- Separate printing unit for each colour.
- High speed printing process.
- Highest production volume.
- Widest printing presses.
- Used for very large print runs.
FLEXOGRAPHY
- Creates a rubber relief image.
- Inked and then pressed against the substrate.
- Developed for printing packaging materials.
- Traditionally lower quality.
- Now competes with lithograph and rotogravure.
- Can print on a wide range of substrates due to the flexibility of the plate.
- Used for medium to large print runs.
SCREEN-PRINTING
- Relatively low-volume printing method.
- Viscous ink is passed through a screen.
- Screens were originally made from silk.
- The screen holds the design.
- Relatively slow.
- Relatively expensive.
- Images can be applied to a wide range of sunstrates.
- Can print on cloth, ceramics, metals, etc.
- Can use specific colours.
- Used to create a raised surface and a tactile element.
ON-PRESS
PROOF MARKING
- Designers need to review a wet proof of a job so they can mark up any changes to the colours.
- Use an eye glass to check the colour production against the control strips.
- Uses symbols to accurately specify changes required to print colour.
COLOUR CHECKING, BASIC TOOLS
- To check the colour of a job, a printed sheet is pulled from the press.
- Checked using a colour densitometer.
- Uses a light source and a photoelectric cell to measure optical density, or a spectrophotometer.
- Measurements obtained can be compared with those obtained from the colour proof, a test strip or a Pantone colour swatch.
- Printer will also use a loupe or eyeglass to check colour registration.
STRIKE BAR
- A printed sheet has a striker bar containing a series of predefined colours printed along its edge for colour checking.
- The bar includes additive primaries, subtractive primaries and overprints.
- Star targets allow the printer to test for dot gain.
- Even though a densitometer mau say the job is running accurately, whether the jobe needs more or less colour is human instinct.
STOCK
- Preserves sharp lines.
- Web.
JPEG
- Compresses file information.
- Makes images suitable for web.
- Can result in a loss of information.
- Web.
BMP
- Uncompressed.
- 24- or 32-bit.
- Colour image.
- Used for graphic manipulation.
SENDING FILES
- Portable format.
- Embeds all necessary information.
RESOLUTION
SPI
- Number of samples taken by a scanner as it passes over an image.
- The higher the number of sample per inch the more pixels the file will contain.
PPI
- Number of pixels displayed horizontally and vertically in each square inch of the image.
- A low ppi image will appear pixelated due to a lack of information.
DPI
- Number of ink dots a printer can deposit on a substrate within an inch.
- 300dpi is the common standard.
- Different printing techniques and methods may require a different dpi.
LPI
- Number of cells in a half-tone grid used to produce continuous-tone images.
BLEED, REGISTRATION & TRIM
PRINTING A FOUR-COLOUR JOB
- Bleed prevents a white edge when the work is trimmed.
- Normal design requires a 3mm bleed but more can be used depending on the job.
- Discuss bleed with printers.
- Registration problems occur when plates are not quite aligned.
REGISTRATION BLACK
- Registration black is obtained from 100% coverage of all 4 process colours.
- Using registration colour for work instead of black is a common mistake.
- This is an issue as anything in registration colour will appear on all plates.
REGISTRATION PROBLEMS
- Only occur when two or more colours are printed.
- Can distort or blur due to mis-registration.
- Poor registration.
- Can make text illegible.
TRAPPING
SPREAD AND CHOKE
- Prevent small gaps appearing between different block of colour.
- Options are: Spread, choke and centre trapping.
- Spreading is the most common, where lighter objects are made larger to spread into a darker one.
- Choke can be used to reduce the size of the aperture that an object will print in.
- Centred trapping uses a combination of enlarging the object and reducing the aperture.
KNOCKOUT AND OVERPRINT (UNTRAPPED OPTIONS)
- Overprint is when one colour prints over another.
- Knockout is where a gap is left in one colour for another colour to print in.
- The colours will mix when using overprint.
- Can be used as part of the design.
Can be used to change the presentation of the image.
Treat the image frame and its background seperately.
Not limited to blocks of colour.
Use images and half-tones.
OVERPRINT, REVERSE OUT & SURPRINT
Three ways that ink can be laid out in the print process
OVERPRINT
- One ink is printed on top of another.
REVERSE OUT
- Instead of the design being printed it is removed and left as an unprinted area.
SURPRINT
- Two elements that are printed on top of on another that are tints of the same colour.
IMPOSITION
How various pages of a publication are arranged to print.
Information needed by the printer:
- Any change in stock through the job.
- Colours used.
- How and where any spot colours are used.
How it helps the designer:
- Calculate colour fall - pages with certain colours can be grouped together.
- Improve efficiency.
- Reduce cost.
PAGES TO VIEW
- Number of pages that will be printed on to one side of stock.
PRINTER'S PLANS
- Describe how different sections of a publication will be printed.
- Pages grouped together according to how they will print, the stock they will be printed on and how the sections back.
- Allows printer to easily see which pages a special colour will print on.
- Also show the PAGES TO VIEW.
IMPOSITION PLANS
- Some pages can appear up-side-down.
- Printed on an area that will be folded or cut.
- Easier to think of the publication as horizontal strips of pages if you know how it is going to be printed.
- Provides a visul key for planning.
- Colour coding can be used.
- Show sections that will be folded.
- Show pages that use a specific//special colour.
- Show which pages are to be printed on a different stock.
GATEFOLDS
- Folded sheet of four panels.
- Bound into a publication.
- Used to provide extra space.
- Inner panels have the same dimension of the page.
- Outer panels are slightly narrower to allow them to fit when folded.
- Numbered with letters from the page they start.
- Example: 32a, 32b, 32c and 32d.
THROW-OUTS
- Half a gatefold.
- Bound into a publication.
- Opens only one side.
- Throw-out sheet must be narrower so that it fits in the publication when folded.
- Turns a 2-page spread into a 3-page spread.
TIP-INS
- Attachment of a single page to a publication by wrapping it around the central fold of a section and glueing along the bottom edge.
TIP-ONS
- A page or another element is poster in a publication - reply card.
- Can be located anywhere on the host page.
- can be either temporary or permanent.
PROOFING
SOFT OR SCREEN PROOF
- Used for layout and colour control.
- Check the screen structures of a print.
- Intended to eliminate undesired effects such as moire and rosette.
- Screening must be performed before a screen proof is printed as printing data contains no screen information.
LASER PROOF
- Black and white computer print.
- Shows photos, text and positions.
- Cheaper than a blueline.
- Low resolution.
- May not be actual size.
PRE-PRESS PROOF
- Analogue or digital proof.
- Approximation of what the finish piece will look like.
- Inexpensive.
- Colour not as accurate.
- Does not use the actual inks.
BLUELINE, DYLUX OR SALT PROOF
- Contact print produced from film.
- Shows impositions, photos and text that will appear when printed.
- Shows the trim and binding edges.
- Rapid.
- Pages can be folded, trimmed and stitched to approximate the finished job.
- One colour.
- Does not reflect stock or true colour.
- Proof has blue colour.
- Image fades with time.
SCATTER PROOF
- Proof of individual photo or group of photos.
- Not included as part of the design.
- For checking colour before final proof.
- Many photos can be proofed at once to save time and materials.
- Images not seen in situ in the layout.
COMPOSITE INTEGRAL COLOUR PROOF
- High quality proofs (such as Matchprint or Chromalin).
- Produced using 4 sheets.
- One sheet for each colour.
- Laminated together in register.
- Very accurate colour proof.
- Produced from the colour separation film used to make printing plates.
- Time-consuming.
- Labour-intensive.
PRESS OR MACHINE PROOFS
- Produced using the actual plates, inks and paper.
- Realistic impression of the final print.
- Can be produced on the actual stock.
- Costly, especially if another proof is required after changes.
CONTRACT PROOF
- Colour proof used to form a contract between the printer and client.
- The final proof before going to press.
- Accurate representation of the print job.
PRINTING AND PRINT ORDER
UNDERSTANDING PRINT ORDER
- Order in which different colours are laid down during the printing process.
- Four colour process: Cyan, magenta, yellow and then black.
- Printers may change the print order depending on the artwork.
- Often changed if there are large panels of flat colour.
- Often changed if there are overprints.
- Changed if inks are required to be printed out of sequence.
STANDARD PRINT ORDER
If the job is printed in the wrong order the image will appear in the wrong colour.
SELECTING AN ALTERNATIVE PRINT ORDER
- Special colours are printed where makes the most sense.
- Large areas are often printed first.
- Yellow is often printed last to act as a seal.
- Printing black last can cause pickering problems and leave uneven patches.
- Discuss the order with printers when using special colours or overprint.
- This would prevent any problems.
PRINTING IMPOSITION
DESCRIPTIONS
- Plots where the different pages of a design will be printed.
- Depend on how it will be printed and folded.
- Big print jobs, such as books, benefit the most from imposition planning as it allows optimisations of special colours, tints and varnishes.
- How a printer imposes the job for printing.
- Different methods may be used, such as work and tumble.
- Work and twist is when there are two passes of the same design on the same side but the stock is rotated 180 degrees between each pass.
PRINTING PLATE
- Each time a sheet goes through the printing press to receive an image is called a pass.
- Double sided jobs require two passes.
- Technology is developing so that a double sided job can be printed in one pass.
GRIPPER EDGE
- Grabs a sheet of paper on its gripper edge to draw it into the printing press.
- On the printed imposed sheet, space needs to be allocated for the gripper edge.
SHEET WORK
- Printing one side of a sheet.
- Turning it over and printing it on the other side with a separate plate.
WORK AND TURN
- Printing one side of a sheet.
- Turning it from front to back.
- Print the second side with the same sheet-edge alignment on the press.
WORK AND TUMBLE
- Both sides of a sheet are set on one plate.
- The sheet is printed and turned over side to side to be printed again.
WORK AND TWIST
- Printing one half of a sheet.
- Turn it 180 degrees.
- Go back through to print the other side.
SCREEN ANGLES
WHY ANGLES?
- Rows of half-tone dots are set at different angles to prevent them from interfering with each other.
- If they were set at the same angle they would cause a moire pattern.
- Prevented by changing the angle.
- Different colours give a better coverage of the printed surface.
- Lighter colours are set at the most visible angles.
- Yellow at 90 degrees and cyan at 105 degrees.
- Stronger colours are set at less visible angles.
- Magenta at 75 degrees and black set at 45 degrees.
- This prevents the less visible colours being drowned out by the stronger colours.
STOCHASTIC PRINTING
- Stochastic or frequency modulation printing is a method that uses different dot sizes as an alternative method to help prevent the appearance of moire patterns.
- Effect is similar to that of the grain of photographic film.
- Can give very good continuous-tone reproduction.
- This is because half-tone dots it prints have very little visibility and produce a high quality, detailed reproduction.
- Removing the barriers of screen angle interference from the printing press, it makes it possible to use more than the basic four process colours.
- Hexachrome printing has been added to give a wider gamut of colours.
- Also means that a more accurate reproduction of pastel colours and light tints can be achieved.
FLAT TINT
- Fixed dot size.
- Fixed dot spacing.
- Uniform dots of the same form and spacing.
1ST ORDER STOCHASTIC PRINTING
- Fixed dot size.
- Varied dot spacing.
- Allows some dots to touch.
CONVENTIONAL HALF-TONE
- Varied dot size.
- Fixed dot spacing.
- Gives different colour tones.
2ND ORDER STOCHASTIC PRINTING
- Varied dot size.
- Varied dot spacing.
- Thoroughly mix things up.
- Prevent the formation of moire patterns.
GRADIENT
- Uses one or more colours that combine to create the colour effect.
- Two-colour gradient.
- One is darker//stronger.
- One is lighter//weaker.
- Banding pattern created by half-tone printing screens.
- Can be avoided by adding noise into the gradient.
- Disperses or dithers the colour.
TINT
- Colour printed at a percentage of the full solid colour.
- Created using half-tone dots of different sizes.
- Creates colour dilution from the substrate.
LINE WEIGHTS
PROCESS LINES
- Line of solid process colour.
- Provides an accurate print.
- Even a hairline setting produces a solid, visible line.
CMYK
- Less accurate.
- Two screens are used.
- Uses half-tones and dots at different sizes.
- Aligning these dots in a line causes visible problems.
REVERSING OUT OF A PROCESS COLOUR
- Good results.
- Problems may occur with fine line due to dot gain.
REVERSING OUT OF CMYK
- Less accurate.
- Potential registration problems.
- Difficult to produce fine lines.
PRINT PROCESSES & METHODS
LITHOGRAPHY
- Inked image from a printing plate is transferred or offset on to a rubber blanket roller.
- Then pressed against the substrate.
- Uses a smooth printing plate.
- Functions on the bases that oil and water repel each other.
- When the plate passes under the ink roller, non-image areas that have water film repel oily inks.
- Good photographic reproduction and fine linework on a variety of stocks.
- Printing plates are easy to prepare and high speeds are achievable.
- Low cost printing.
WEB PRINTING
- Uses stock that is supplied on massive rolls rather than sheets.
- Higher volume printing speeds.
- Low production cost per unit for high-volume jobs.
- Can be used with lithography.
- Commonly used with relief printing methods such as rotogravure and flexography.
- This is because the plates are more durable.
- Not suitable for low-volume prints.
Different printing applications require different half-tone screens:
(higher quality printing uses finer screen values)
Printing Method - Lines per inch
Newsprint - 85-100
Web offset - 133
Standard sheet-fed offset - 150
Fine quality - 175-200
COMMON PROBLEMS WITH WEB AND LITHO PRINTING
HICKEYS OR BULLSEYES
- Spots or imperfections on the printed image.
- Caused by dried ink, dirt or other particles on the press.
MIS-REGISTRATION
- Misalignment of one or more printed images.
- Possibly caused by the presence of water in the lithographic process.
- Can distort stock.
SETOFF
- Also called offset.
- Ink from one printed sheet unintentionally mark or transfer to the next.
COLOUR VARIATION
- Failure to maintain a constant and adequate ink//water balance on the printing plate.
- Particularly happens over a long print run.
- Can cause banding.
LETTERPRESS
- Relief printing.
- Inked, raised surface is pressed against a substrate.
- First commercial printing method.
- Raised surface can be made from single type blocks, cast lines or engraved plates.
- Identified by the sharp and precise edges to letters and their heavier in borders.
ROTOGRAVURE
- Relief print process.
- Image is engraved onto a copper plate.
- Pressed directly against the substrate.
- Using a laser or diamond tool, small cells are engraved into the plate.
- These cells hold the ink that will transfer onto the stock.
- Separate printing unit for each colour.
- High speed printing process.
- Highest production volume.
- Widest printing presses.
- Used for very large print runs.
FLEXOGRAPHY
- Creates a rubber relief image.
- Inked and then pressed against the substrate.
- Developed for printing packaging materials.
- Traditionally lower quality.
- Now competes with lithograph and rotogravure.
- Can print on a wide range of substrates due to the flexibility of the plate.
- Used for medium to large print runs.
SCREEN-PRINTING
- Relatively low-volume printing method.
- Viscous ink is passed through a screen.
- Screens were originally made from silk.
- The screen holds the design.
- Relatively slow.
- Relatively expensive.
- Images can be applied to a wide range of sunstrates.
- Can print on cloth, ceramics, metals, etc.
- Can use specific colours.
- Used to create a raised surface and a tactile element.
ON-PRESS
PROOF MARKING
- Designers need to review a wet proof of a job so they can mark up any changes to the colours.
- Use an eye glass to check the colour production against the control strips.
- Uses symbols to accurately specify changes required to print colour.
COLOUR CHECKING, BASIC TOOLS
- To check the colour of a job, a printed sheet is pulled from the press.
- Checked using a colour densitometer.
- Uses a light source and a photoelectric cell to measure optical density, or a spectrophotometer.
- Measurements obtained can be compared with those obtained from the colour proof, a test strip or a Pantone colour swatch.
- Printer will also use a loupe or eyeglass to check colour registration.
STRIKE BAR
- A printed sheet has a striker bar containing a series of predefined colours printed along its edge for colour checking.
- The bar includes additive primaries, subtractive primaries and overprints.
- Star targets allow the printer to test for dot gain.
- Even though a densitometer mau say the job is running accurately, whether the jobe needs more or less colour is human instinct.
STOCK
WEIGHT
(GSM)
- Grams per square metre
- Higher the GSM value, the more weighty a stock feels.
- An A0 page is equal to one meter square, meaning that grams per square metre equates to the weight of a single A0 sheet.
PAPER GRAIN
- Paper produced on a machine has a grain.
- The grain is because the fibres from which it is made line up during the manufacturing process.
- They line up in the direction that it passes through the paper-making machine.
- The grain is the way that most of the fibres lay.
- Means paper is easier to fold, bend or tear along the grain.
DIRECTION
- Higher the GSM value, the more weighty a stock feels.
- An A0 page is equal to one meter square, meaning that grams per square metre equates to the weight of a single A0 sheet.
PAPER GRAIN
- Paper produced on a machine has a grain.
- The grain is because the fibres from which it is made line up during the manufacturing process.
- They line up in the direction that it passes through the paper-making machine.
- The grain is the way that most of the fibres lay.
- Means paper is easier to fold, bend or tear along the grain.
DIRECTION
- The direction of fibres in paper for laser printers typically has a grain that runs parallel to the long side of the paper.
- This allows it to pass through the printer with greater ease.
PAPER TYPES AND PRINT QUALITY
- This allows it to pass through the printer with greater ease.
PAPER TYPES AND PRINT QUALITY
SMOOTHNESS
- Smooth surface of stocks is obtained through the use of filler elements.
- Polished with calendering rollers.
- Typically glossy.
OPACITY
- Describes the extent to which whatever is printed on on side of a sheet shows through and is visible on the other.
- High-opacity papers have no show-through.
ABSORBENCY
- The degree in which the ink penetrates the stock.
- Printing inks tend to dry quicker on absorbent stocks.
- Absorbency can cause problems such as dot gain.
INK HOLDOUT
- Degree to which a stock resists ink penetration due to its lack of absorbency.
- Coated stocks are particularly prone to ink holdout as the ink sits on the surface.
- Increases drying time.
TYPES OF PAPER
- Smooth surface of stocks is obtained through the use of filler elements.
- Polished with calendering rollers.
- Typically glossy.
OPACITY
- Describes the extent to which whatever is printed on on side of a sheet shows through and is visible on the other.
- High-opacity papers have no show-through.
ABSORBENCY
- The degree in which the ink penetrates the stock.
- Printing inks tend to dry quicker on absorbent stocks.
- Absorbency can cause problems such as dot gain.
INK HOLDOUT
- Degree to which a stock resists ink penetration due to its lack of absorbency.
- Coated stocks are particularly prone to ink holdout as the ink sits on the surface.
- Increases drying time.
TYPES OF PAPER
ANTIQUE
- High-quality paper.
- Clay coating on both sides.
- Good printing surface - especially half-tones.
- Adds texture to publications.
- Textured stock with a rough or matt surface.
ART
- High-quality paper.
- Clay coating on both sides.
- Good printing surface - especially half-tones.
- Colour prinitng.
- Glossy, high brightness surface that is smooth to touch.
ARTBOARD
- Uncoated board.
- Cover stock.
- A stiff stock.
CARTRIDGE
- Thick white paper.
- Stiff feel.
- Available in several colours.
CAST COATED
- Wet-coated paper is pressed against a hot, polished metal drum.
- High-quality paper.
- Clay coating on both sides.
- Good printing surface - especially half-tones.
- Adds texture to publications.
- Textured stock with a rough or matt surface.
ART
- High-quality paper.
- Clay coating on both sides.
- Good printing surface - especially half-tones.
- Colour prinitng.
- Glossy, high brightness surface that is smooth to touch.
ARTBOARD
- Uncoated board.
- Cover stock.
- A stiff stock.
CARTRIDGE
- Thick white paper.
- Stiff feel.
- Available in several colours.
CAST COATED
- Wet-coated paper is pressed against a hot, polished metal drum.
- Obtains a high gloss.
- Smooth glossy surface.
CHROMO
- Waterproof coating is applied to one side of the paper.
- Allows for embossing and varnishing processes.
- Clay coated on one side.
- Can be glossy or matt.
FLOCK
- Coated with flock.
- Very fine woolen surface.
- Used for decorative covers.
- Refuse or vegetable fibre dust gives a velvety or cloth-like appearance.
- A textured, decorative surface.
GREYBOARD
- Lined or unlined board.
- Made from waste paper.
- Packaging material.
- Rough texture.
- Good bulk.
- Grey colour.
MECHANICAL
- Produced using wood pulp and acidic chemicals.
- Suitable for short-term use.
- Yellows and fades quickly.
- Higher brightness and smoothness than newsprint.
- Uncoated and matt.
NCR (NO CARBON REQUIRED)
- Carbonless coating to make duplicate copies.
- Avaliable in two- to six-part.
- Application of pressure produces an impression on the subsequent parts.
NEWSPRINT
- Made primarily of mechanically-ground wood pulp.
- Cheapest paper that can withstand printing processes.
- Short life-span.
- Reproduces colour poorly.
- Absorbent.
- Rough surface.
PLIKE
- Rubberised substrate.
- Rubbery texture.
UNCOATED WOODFREE
- Non-commercial printing.
- White pape.
- Slightly rough texture.
- Non-glossy surface.
SUSTAINABILITY
- Use of recycled paper.
CHROMO
- Waterproof coating is applied to one side of the paper.
- Allows for embossing and varnishing processes.
- Clay coated on one side.
- Can be glossy or matt.
FLOCK
- Coated with flock.
- Very fine woolen surface.
- Used for decorative covers.
- Refuse or vegetable fibre dust gives a velvety or cloth-like appearance.
- A textured, decorative surface.
GREYBOARD
- Lined or unlined board.
- Made from waste paper.
- Packaging material.
- Rough texture.
- Good bulk.
- Grey colour.
MECHANICAL
- Produced using wood pulp and acidic chemicals.
- Suitable for short-term use.
- Yellows and fades quickly.
- Higher brightness and smoothness than newsprint.
- Uncoated and matt.
NCR (NO CARBON REQUIRED)
- Carbonless coating to make duplicate copies.
- Avaliable in two- to six-part.
- Application of pressure produces an impression on the subsequent parts.
NEWSPRINT
- Made primarily of mechanically-ground wood pulp.
- Cheapest paper that can withstand printing processes.
- Short life-span.
- Reproduces colour poorly.
- Absorbent.
- Rough surface.
PLIKE
- Rubberised substrate.
- Rubbery texture.
UNCOATED WOODFREE
- Non-commercial printing.
- White pape.
- Slightly rough texture.
- Non-glossy surface.
SUSTAINABILITY
- Use of recycled paper.
- Chlorine-free paper.
- 'Waterless' technology.
- (Soya) Vegetable oil inks - less toxic and easier to remove.
- Linseed ink.
AS DESIGNERS:
- Reducing point size.
- Sending PDFs rather than print outs.
- Obtaining print estimates at the start of a job.
- May be cost-saving flexibility related to format size.
AS PRINT CUSTOMERS:
- Specifying the use of recycled and//or environmentally friendly products.
- Providing more precises job specifications.
- More accurate print run.
- Using smaller formats.
- Minimising the use foils, varnishes, specials and other treatments that have higher resource usage.
No longer a trade off between quality and environmental processes.
Many environmentally friendly processes and technologies produce high quality results.
ENVIRONMENT ISO 14000 ACCREDITED
- International standard.
- Certifies that a company follows environmental management standards.
- Minimising the negative operations the company has on the environment.
- Also a compliance with all relevant local and international legislations.
FINISHING
COMB BINDING
- Spine of plastic rings.
- Allows the document to open flat.
SPIRAL BINDING
- Metal wire that winds through punched holes.
- Allows the publication to open flat.
WIRO BINDING
- Spine of metal rings that bind.
- Allows the document to open flat.
OPEN BIND
- Book bound without a cover.
- Leaves an exposed spine.
BELLY BAND
- Printed band that wraps around a publication.
SINGER STITCH
- Pages are sewn together with one continual thread.
ELASTIC BANDS
- Informal binding.
- Elastic band holds the pages together.
- Sits in the centre fold.
CLIPS AND BOLTS
- Fastening device that holds loose pages together.
- Requires punched or drilled holes for the bolt or clip to pass through.
PERFECT BOUND
- Backs of sections are removed and held together with a flexible adhesive.
- Adhesive also attaches the paper cover to the spine.
- Fore edge is trimmed flat.
CASE OR EDITION BINDING
- Common hard cover bookbinding.
- Sews signatures together.
- Flattens the spine.
- Applies endsheets, head and tailbands to the spine.
- Hard covers attached.
- The spine is usually rounded.
- Grooves along the cover edge act as hinges.
CANADIAN
- Wiro bound publication with a wrap-around cover.
- Cover encloses the spine.
- Full wrap-around is a CANADIAN.
- Partial wrap-around is called a HALF CANADIAN.
SADDLE STITCH
- Signatures are nested and bound with wire stitches.
- Applied through the spine and centre fold.
BOOKBINDING
HEAD AND TAILBANDS
- Patterned and//or coloured.
BULK
- Dust jacket spine measurement must take into account the book block bulk.
- The bulk includes the number of signatures and 3mm boards.
- As a rule the spine will measure whatever the bulking dummy measures and an additional 6-7mm.
TEXT BLOCK
- Also known as the book block.
- Comprised of the printed signatures that will form the publication pages.
FLAPS
- Extensions of the cover or dust jacket.
- Fold back into the publication.
- Usually carry information about the author, a synopsis of the work or othere information.
- 75mm is considered the optimum for a dust jacket to grip the cover.
END PAGES
- Pages that secure the text block to the cover.
- Typically made of strong stock.
- Can be printed on.
- Add a visual element to the inside cover.
RIBBON
- Attached to the headband to be used as a page marker.
SPINE ORIENTATION
- Spine text can be orientated to read top to bottom or bottom to top.
- The European standard is to read bottom to top.
- In the UK it commonly reads top to bottom.
- This is so when a book is laid on a table, both the spine and cover are readable.
- Also easier to read when publications are kept in a book case.
- Can also be printed horizontally.
- This usually occurs on larger//wider volumes with broader spines.
Z-BIND
- 'Z' Shaped cover.
- Joins two separate text blocks.
- Typically uses PERFECT BINDING.
- Clear and functional way of separating different types of content.
- This can cause problems in larger publications if the cover stock is not of sufficient strength.
SPECIALITY PRINTING
PERFORATION
- Perf cutting.
- Creates a cut-out area in a substrate to weaken it so that it can be detached.
- Decorative effect.
DUPLEXING
- Bonding of two stocks to form a single substrate.
- Different colours and//or textures on each side.
FOILS
- Foil blocking.
- Foil is pressed onto a substrate via a heated die.
- Foil stamp//heat stamp//foil emboss.
- Adds a shiny finish to specific design elements.
THERMOGRAPHY
- Print-finishing process that produces raised lettering.
- Fuses thermographic powder to a design in an oven.
CUTTING METHODS
DIE CUTTING
- Uses a steel die to cut away a specific section of a design.
- Adds a decorative element to a print job.
- Enhance the visual performance.
LASER CUTTING
- Uses a laser to cut shapes in the stock.
- Can produce more intricate cut-outs.
- Cleaner edge.
- Heat of the laser can burn the cut edge.
- Faster set up times.
- Faster job turnaround.
KISS CUTTING
- Die cutting method used with self-adhesive substrates.
- Face stock is die cut but the backing sheet is not.
- Makes for easy removal of the face stock.
- Commonly seen in the production of stickers.
- Artwork needs to include a gutter guide.
VARNISHES
GLOSS
- Colours appear richer and more vivid.
- Photographs appear sharper and more saturated.
- Often used in brochures.
MATT (OR DULL)
- Opposite of gloss.
- Soften the appearance of the printed image.
- Makes text easier to read as it defuses light, reducing glare.
NEUTRAL
- Basic, almost invisible coating.
- Seals the printing ink without affecting the appearance.
- Accelerates the drying of fast turnaround print jobs on matt and satin papers.
PEARLESCENT
- Subtly reflects myriad colours.
- Gives a luxurious effect.
SATIN (OR SILK)
- Mid-point between gloss and matt.
TEXTURED SPOT UV
- Creates a texture on the stock.
- Sandpaper.
- Leather.
- Crocodile skin.
- Raised.
UV VARNISH
- Ultraviolet varnish.
- Creates a coating that is glossier than any other.
- Page will feel shiny and slightly sticky.
- Can be full-bleed UV or spot UV.
LAMINATES
MATT
- Helps diffuse light.
- Reduce glare.
- Increase readability.
SATIN
- Finish between matt and gloss.
- Provides some highlight.
- Not as flat as matt.
GLOSS
- Highly reflective.
- Enhances appearence of graphic elements.
- Increases colour saturation.
SAND
- Creates a subtle sand grain within a design.
LEATHER
- Gives a subtle leather texture to a design.
SUPPLYING ARTWORK FOR A LAMINATE OR A DESIGN
- Must send separate file indication where they are required.
- The varnish or laminate area should be presented in black as it will run as a solid colour.
- Speak to printers prior to sending the job off.
FOLDING
VALLEY FOLD
- Held horizontaly.
- Central crease at the bottom.
- Panels rising upwards to form the sides.
MOUNTAIN FOLD
- Opposite to a VALLEY FOLD.
- Held horizontaly.
- Central crease at the top.
- Panels falling downwards.
FRONT//BACK ACCORDION FOLD
- Three parallel folds.
- Two-panel outer wings fold into and out of the centre.
- Double-panel centre serves as the cover.
HARMONICA SELF-COVER FOLDER
- ACCORDION FOLD.
- First two panels form a cover for the other panels to fold in to.
- First two panels need to be larger than the others to allow for creep.
MOCK BOOK FOLD
- ACCORDION FOLD.
- Penultimate two panels form a cover for the others to fold in to.
DOUBLE GATEFOLD
- Three panels.
- All fold in towards the centre of the publication.
FRONT//BACK GATEFOLD
- Extra double panel.
- Folds inside the front and//or back panel.
INCLINED TAB
- Stock top is cut away at an incline.
- ACCORDION FOLDED.
- Present panels of increasing size from front to back.
TRIPLE PARALLEL FOLD
- Parallel folds creating a section that nests within the cover panels.
- Front opening.
TAB FOLD
- Top of stock is cut away horizontally.
- ACCORDION FOLDED.
- Each pair of panels decreases in size from the full-size panel.
BACK//FRONT FOLDER
- Wings either side of the central panel.
- Double parallel fold.
- Fold around and cover both sides of the central panel.
ASCENDING FOLDER
- ACCORDION FOLDED.
- Increasing widths between folds.
- Each panel increases in size from front to back.
HALF COVER FROM BEHIND
- ACCORDION FOLDED.
- Penultimate panel forms the back cover.
- Other panels fold in to create a book.
- Half-size end panel folds around the book from behind.
- Creating a cover with the half-sized first panel.
STAGGERED FOLDER DESIGN
- ACCORDION FOLDED.
- Stock is cut away horizontally from the top and bottom.
- Makes each successive panel smaller than its predecessor.
DUELLING Z-FOLD
- Z-wings fold into the centre panel.
- Meet in the middle.
BOXED STEP
- Stock top is cut away horizontally.
- Each panel decreases in size from the full sized panel.
- ACCORDION FOLDED.
TRIMMING
CUTTER DRAW
- When cutting a large number of sheets the cutter blade has a tendency to slide forward.
- May cause bowing in the block stock.
- This happens in the middle as it is securely fastened at either end.
- More of an issue with lighter stocks.
AMENDING ARTWORK TO COMPENSATE FOR CREEP
- Creep is a process where the inner pages extend beyond the puter pages.
- Modern print finishing workshops have computer controlled guillotines that ensure trim constancy and accuracy to within 1/10 of a millimetre.
- High-print-run books or magazines are usually trimmed on 3-knife trimmers.
- This type of trimmer cuts all 3 edges in two cuts.
- The fore edge knife makes the first cut then the other two knives cut the top and bottom simultaneously.
OVER-RUNS AND QUANTITIES
- Many copies go to waste whilst the printing press is being run up.
- Printers usually print more copies to allow for the wastage at the finishing house.
- Printers may overprint depending on your relationship with them.
- Must specify a minimum as otherwise you may not get enough.
- Printers will not restart the press for a missing 50 copies and do not legally have to.
- Speak with the printer.
- Uses a steel die to cut away a specific section of a design.
- Adds a decorative element to a print job.
- Enhance the visual performance.
LASER CUTTING
- Uses a laser to cut shapes in the stock.
- Can produce more intricate cut-outs.
- Cleaner edge.
- Heat of the laser can burn the cut edge.
- Faster set up times.
- Faster job turnaround.
KISS CUTTING
- Die cutting method used with self-adhesive substrates.
- Face stock is die cut but the backing sheet is not.
- Makes for easy removal of the face stock.
- Commonly seen in the production of stickers.
- Artwork needs to include a gutter guide.
VARNISHES
GLOSS
- Colours appear richer and more vivid.
- Photographs appear sharper and more saturated.
- Often used in brochures.
MATT (OR DULL)
- Opposite of gloss.
- Soften the appearance of the printed image.
- Makes text easier to read as it defuses light, reducing glare.
NEUTRAL
- Basic, almost invisible coating.
- Seals the printing ink without affecting the appearance.
- Accelerates the drying of fast turnaround print jobs on matt and satin papers.
PEARLESCENT
- Subtly reflects myriad colours.
- Gives a luxurious effect.
SATIN (OR SILK)
- Mid-point between gloss and matt.
TEXTURED SPOT UV
- Creates a texture on the stock.
- Sandpaper.
- Leather.
- Crocodile skin.
- Raised.
UV VARNISH
- Ultraviolet varnish.
- Creates a coating that is glossier than any other.
- Page will feel shiny and slightly sticky.
- Can be full-bleed UV or spot UV.
LAMINATES
MATT
- Helps diffuse light.
- Reduce glare.
- Increase readability.
SATIN
- Finish between matt and gloss.
- Provides some highlight.
- Not as flat as matt.
GLOSS
- Highly reflective.
- Enhances appearence of graphic elements.
- Increases colour saturation.
SAND
- Creates a subtle sand grain within a design.
LEATHER
- Gives a subtle leather texture to a design.
SUPPLYING ARTWORK FOR A LAMINATE OR A DESIGN
- Must send separate file indication where they are required.
- The varnish or laminate area should be presented in black as it will run as a solid colour.
- Speak to printers prior to sending the job off.
FOLDING
VALLEY FOLD
- Held horizontaly.
- Central crease at the bottom.
- Panels rising upwards to form the sides.
MOUNTAIN FOLD
- Opposite to a VALLEY FOLD.
- Held horizontaly.
- Central crease at the top.
- Panels falling downwards.
FRONT//BACK ACCORDION FOLD
- Three parallel folds.
- Two-panel outer wings fold into and out of the centre.
- Double-panel centre serves as the cover.
HARMONICA SELF-COVER FOLDER
- ACCORDION FOLD.
- First two panels form a cover for the other panels to fold in to.
- First two panels need to be larger than the others to allow for creep.
MOCK BOOK FOLD
- ACCORDION FOLD.
- Penultimate two panels form a cover for the others to fold in to.
DOUBLE GATEFOLD
- Three panels.
- All fold in towards the centre of the publication.
FRONT//BACK GATEFOLD
- Extra double panel.
- Folds inside the front and//or back panel.
INCLINED TAB
- Stock top is cut away at an incline.
- ACCORDION FOLDED.
- Present panels of increasing size from front to back.
TRIPLE PARALLEL FOLD
- Parallel folds creating a section that nests within the cover panels.
- Front opening.
TAB FOLD
- Top of stock is cut away horizontally.
- ACCORDION FOLDED.
- Each pair of panels decreases in size from the full-size panel.
BACK//FRONT FOLDER
- Wings either side of the central panel.
- Double parallel fold.
- Fold around and cover both sides of the central panel.
ASCENDING FOLDER
- ACCORDION FOLDED.
- Increasing widths between folds.
- Each panel increases in size from front to back.
HALF COVER FROM BEHIND
- ACCORDION FOLDED.
- Penultimate panel forms the back cover.
- Other panels fold in to create a book.
- Half-size end panel folds around the book from behind.
- Creating a cover with the half-sized first panel.
STAGGERED FOLDER DESIGN
- ACCORDION FOLDED.
- Stock is cut away horizontally from the top and bottom.
- Makes each successive panel smaller than its predecessor.
DUELLING Z-FOLD
- Z-wings fold into the centre panel.
- Meet in the middle.
BOXED STEP
- Stock top is cut away horizontally.
- Each panel decreases in size from the full sized panel.
- ACCORDION FOLDED.
TRIMMING
CUTTER DRAW
- When cutting a large number of sheets the cutter blade has a tendency to slide forward.
- May cause bowing in the block stock.
- This happens in the middle as it is securely fastened at either end.
- More of an issue with lighter stocks.
AMENDING ARTWORK TO COMPENSATE FOR CREEP
- Creep is a process where the inner pages extend beyond the puter pages.
- Modern print finishing workshops have computer controlled guillotines that ensure trim constancy and accuracy to within 1/10 of a millimetre.
- High-print-run books or magazines are usually trimmed on 3-knife trimmers.
- This type of trimmer cuts all 3 edges in two cuts.
- The fore edge knife makes the first cut then the other two knives cut the top and bottom simultaneously.
OVER-RUNS AND QUANTITIES
- Many copies go to waste whilst the printing press is being run up.
- Printers usually print more copies to allow for the wastage at the finishing house.
- Printers may overprint depending on your relationship with them.
- Must specify a minimum as otherwise you may not get enough.
- Printers will not restart the press for a missing 50 copies and do not legally have to.
- Speak with the printer.
Wow.. Great information. PrintMagic Also Choose to add UV coating to one or both sides of your Accordion Fold Brochure printing and also add final durability to the best product apart from a beautiful glossy sheen. You also have the best option for adding Aqueous coating or a Satin Aqueous coating as well for enhancing the design further.
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