PRINT MANUALTHE

CONTENTSChapter 1// COLOUR pantone CMYK & RGB spot colour monochrome duotone tints & shades colour glossary

Chapter 2// PRINT PROCESSES flexography lithography rotogravure screen print pad

Chapter 3// STOCK paper sizes & weights types of stock choosing the right stock

Chapter 4// TECHNIQUES & PROCESSES embossing foiling lamination spot varnish die-cutting

Chapter 5// COMMERCIAL PRINTING talking to printers commercial printers

Chapter 6// CONTACT INFORMATION Leeds London

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COLOUR

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PANTONEMATCHING

SYSTEM

The accuracy of colour is critical in design. Because what you see on your monitor is never what will appear on a printed sheet, designers need a standard-ized color key.

A way to prevent this is by using a standardized color matching system, such as the PANTONE MATCH-ING SYSTEM.

Though PANTONE is not the only color standardiza-tion system, it is the most widely used and the one that most printers under-stand.

Aside from being able to have consistency, PAN-

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CMYK

RGB

The CMYK colour model (process colour, four colour) is a subtractive color model, used in colour printing, and is also used to describe the printing process itself.

CMYK refers to the four inks used in some colour printing:

cyan magentayellowkey

The CMYK model works by partially or entirely masking colours on a lighter, usually white, background. The ink reduces the light that would otherwise be reflected. Such a model is called subtractive because inks "subtract"brightness from white.

The RGB colour model is an additive colour model in which red, green, and blue light are added together in various ways to reproduce a broad array of colours.

The main purpose of the RGB colour model is for the sensing, representation, and display of images in electronic systems, such as televisions and computers, though it has also been used in conventional photography.

Typical RGB input devices are colour TV and video cameras, image scanners, and digital cameras. Typical RGB output devices are TV sets of various technologies (CRT, LCD, plasma, etc.), computer and mobile phone displays, video projectors, multicol-our LED displays, and large screens such as JumboTron, etc.

The name of the model comes from the initials of the three additive primary colours:

redgreenblue

Generally the cost and potential for problems for a print job increase as one adds more spot colors, due to the increased cost and complexity of added process inks and films, and requiring more runs per finished print. However, because of the complicated process, spot colours are effective at preventing for-geries of money, passports, bonds and other important documents.

In offset printing, a spot col-our is any colour generated by an ink (pure of mixed) that is printed using a single run

Spot colour can also refer to any colour generated by a non-standard offset ink such as metallic, fluorescent, spot varnish or custom hand-made inks

SPOTCOLOUR

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MONO-CHROME

A monochromatic object or image has colours in shades of limited colors or hues. Images using only shades of grey (with or without black and/or white) are called grayscale or black-and-white.

However, scientifically speaking, "Monochromatic light" refers to light of a narrow frequency.

print in one colour or shades of one colour

DUOTONE

the halftone reproduction of an image using the superim-position of one contrasting colour halftone over another colour

halftone is used to bring out middle tones and highlights of an imagetritones and quadtones can also be created

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TINTS &SHADES

a tint is the mixture of a colour with white-

increases lightness

a shade is the mixture of a colour with black-

reduces lightness

COLOUR

GLOSSARY

CMYKcyan, magenta, yellow, black

RGBred, green, blue

Spot Coloura method of specifying and printing colours in which each colour is printed with its own ink

Monochromeprint in one colour or shades of one colour

Duotonea reproduction of an image in which the various tones of gray or colour are pro-duced by dots of ink

Tritoneimage printed with three colours using dots of ink

Qaudratoneimage printed with four colours using dots of ink

for quick and easy referencing

Tintthe mixture of a colour with white

Shadethe mixture of a colour with black

Tonecreated by adding black and white (grey) to a colour

Huesynonym for colour

Additive Colourwhere colour is created by mixing the visible light emitted from differently coloured light sources

Subtractive Colourwhere light is removed from various part of the visible spectrum to create colours

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PRINTPROCESSES

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FLEXO-GRAPHY

Flexography is a form of printing process which utilizes a flexible relief plate. It is essentially a modern version of letterpress which 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.

The inked plates with a slightly raised image are rotated on a cylinder which transfers the image to the substrate. Flexography uses fast-drying inks, is a high-speed print process, can print on many types of absorbent and non-absorbent materials, and can print continuous patterns (such as for giftwrap and wallpaper).

Some typical applications for flexography are paper and plastic bags, milk cartons, disposable cups, and candy bar wrappers. Flexography printing may also be used for envelopes, labels, and newspapers.

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For offset lithography, flexible aluminum, polyester, mylar or paper printing plates are used. Modern printing plates have a brushed or roughened texture and are covered with a photosensitive emulsion. A photographic negative of the desired image is placed in contact with the emulsion and the plate is exposed to ultraviolet light. After develop-ment, the emulsion shows a reverse of the negative image, which is thus a duplicate of the original (positive) image. The positive image is the emulsion that remains after imaging.

High-volume lithography is used presently to produce posters, maps, books, newspapers, and packaging—just about any smooth, mass-pro-duced item with print and graphics on it. Most books, indeed all types of high-volume text, are now printed using offset lithography.

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ROTO-GRAVURERotogravure (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. Once a staple of newspaper photo features, the rotogravure process is still used for commercial printing of magazines, postcards, and corrugated (card-board) product packaging.

ADVANTAGES

printing cylinders that can last through large-volume runs without getting worn out

good quality image repro-duction

low per-unit costs running

DISADVANTAGES

high start-up costs: hun-dreds of thousands of copies needed to make it profitable

rasterized lines and texts

use of chemicals in the ink.

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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 fill blade or squeegee is moved across the screen stencil, forcing or pumping ink into the mesh openings for transfer by capillary action dur-ing the squeegee stroke.

screenprinting is used in many different industries, including:

balloonsclothingdecalsmedical devicesprinted electronicsproduct labelssigns and displayssnowboard graphicstextile fabric

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PADPad printing is a printing process that can transfer a 2-D image onto a 3-D object. This is accomplished using an indirect offset (gravure) printing process that involves an image being transferred from the cliché via a silicone pad onto a substrate.

Pad printing is used for printing on otherwise im-possible products in many industries including medical, automotive, promotional, apparel, and electronic ob-jects, as well as appliances, sports equipment and toys. It can also be used to deposit functional materials such asconductive inks, ad-hesives, dyes and lubricants.

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STOCK

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PAPERSIZES &WEIGHTSpaper thicknessThickness of paper is speci-fied by its weight in grams per square metre (GM or GSM).

Low grade photocopier paper is around 80gsm; let-terheads 100-120gsm with good quality letterhead around 120gsm. Business cards are around 350gsm and flyers around 300gsm-350gsm.

Some papers seem thicker or bulkier than others, despite being the same weight. Uncoated papers are bulkier than coated and matt and silk coated papers are bulkier than gloss.

Card, is often measured in microns (one micron is 1,000th of a millimetre.3

what are the main paper sizes?

The most common system of paper sizes in Europe

is the ISO standard. The A series sizes are:

A0 - 841 x 1189mmA1 - 594 x 841mmA2 - 420 x 594mmA3 - 297 x 420mmA4 - 210 x 297mmA5 - 148 x 210mmA6 - 105 x 148mm

Other paper sizes you may hear are the SRA paper

sizes used by commercial printing companies. These

are slightly larger than the A series to provide room for

grip, trim and bleed. Sizes are:

SRA0 - 900 x 1280mm

SRA1 - 640 x 900mmSRA2 - 450 x 640mmSRA3 - 320 x 450mmSRA4 - 225 x 320mm

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coated paperThis has a smooth finish because it has a coating (usually china clay) and is available in gloss, silk (or satin) or matt. It is used for leaflets, glossy brochures etc and are sometimes called ‘art’ paper.

uncoated paperBecause it doesn’t have a coating it is less smooth and therefore is suitable for laser printing and photo-copying. Premium quality uncoated paper is used for business stationery, but it can also be used for brochures etc. Available in a range of finishes.

laid paperPremium quality paper with textured pattern or parallel lines. Often used for busi-ness stationery.

wove paper This premium quality paper has a smooth surface and is mostly used for business stationery.

bond paperThis is usually cheap un-coated wove paper and is used for photocopiers and faxes.

TYPESOFSTOCK

CHOOSINGTHE

RIGHTSTOCK

Generally letterheads, compliment slips etc are printed on uncoated paper at 100gsm.

120gsm is classier but more expensive Remember to get inkjet or laser compat-ible paper if you are going to print your own station-ery.

Consider using the same stock throughout ie if you go for uncoated, make sure letterheads, busi-nesses cards and compli-ment slips are all uncoated. This will help maintain a unified look across your range, and help with mar-keting later on.

If you want to create full colour documents with photographs and illustra-tions use a coated paper for vibrant colour. Gloss paper will produce vibrant colour reproduction, but use silk or matt if you prefer.

Your printer will stock a range of paper so take your time and get samples. If you want a particular brand not stocked by the printer it can be ordered.

A good printer will take time to advise you and help you get the right paper for your business. It is worth building a relationship with a printer you like and can rely on, even if this does not match the cheapest price you can get on the internet.

On the other hand, remain vigilant, check prices remain competitive and be pre-pared to change if neces-sary.

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TECHNIQUES&PROCESSES

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EMBOSSING& DEBOSSING

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 thesubstrate, while "ironing" it to make it smooth. In printing this is accomplished on a let-terpress. The most common machines are the Kluge Letterpress and the Heidelberg Letterpress.

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FOILING

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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 colour 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.

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LAMINA-TION

This process coats the printed sheet with an extremely thin layer of either glossy or matt plastic. It should not be confused with encapsulation which uses much thicker plastic, and which extends beyond the edges of the item be-ing encapsulated.

The advantages of lamination are that it provides a highly profes-sional, extra smooth finish, as well as protecting the paper or card surface from markings such as fingerprints and scratches caused by everyday handling.

Lamination also removes the danger (which is otherwise pre-sent) that ink in heavy ink cover-age areas may come off slightly if rubbed. Additionally, lamination is especially recommended if the design in question features a dark colour which bleeds, in order to preserve clean edges where the dark ink meets any very slight roughness in the edges of the paper or card itself.

gloss & matt

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SPOTVARNISHA Varnish is a liquid coating that is applied to a printed document. The varnish can be Glossy, Matte or Satin giving a variety of different finishes.

A varnish is an additional process and cost due to the fact it is not normally applied on the same print-ing press as the original document.

Before saying no on a cost basis alone it is always worth asking your printer or designer to show you some examples.

Other benefits include the speeding up of the drying process and prevention of ink rub off.

Adding a varnish is a straight forward process but it can really make your work pop and gleam with vitality. Photography can really shine with a varnish applied to it making the col-ours appear more vibrant and lush.

The addition of a varnish can also give a business card or brochure cover a tactile feel otherwise lacking on a normal print run. Two cards sat side by side can stand apart and give an in-centive to pick up one over the other just by adding a varnish.

DIE-CUTTING

Die cutting is a manufactur-ing process used to gener-ate large numbers of the same shape from a material such as wood, plastic, metal, or fabric. The die cut shapes are sometimes called “blanks,” because they are usually finished and deco-rated before being sold. The process is widely used on an assortment of materi-als all over the world, and many manufactured prod-ucts contain several die cut components, often assem-bled together in a series of steps to create a finished product.

Sharp specially shaped blades are used in die cutting. The blade is bent into the desired shape and mounted to a strong back-ing. The result is known as a die. The material being cut is placed on a flat surface with a supportive backing, and the die is pressed onto the material to cut it.

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COMMERCIALPRINTING

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TALKING TOPRINTERS

You can design a beautiful piece but unless you have an understanding of how the printing process works and printing requirements, it won't look its best. This section can serves as a helpful guide of top tips when designing for print and talking to printers

When you talk to a pro-spective printer, be pre-pared to tell them the following information:

1. The name of your project.

2. The dimensions and num-ber of pages of the project.

3. The number of colors, process or spot, for the project.

4. The quantity of finished pieces that you'll want.

5. The color, feel and weight of the paper that you want the project printed on.

6. The materials that you will be supplying to the printer (computer files or pasted-up documents).

7. When you need the pro-ject completed or delivered.

Your printer will be able to offers some recommenda-tions in terms of paper, matching colors, software acceptability, etc. You can ask if there are any ways that you can save a few dollars by altering the page size of the finished piece, using different colors, etc.

To ensure that you get quotes that you can easily compare, make sure that you give each of the per-spective printers the exact same specifications to bid on.

This information, combined with your knowledge of the printer, should ensure that your project looks great and is delivered both on budget and on time.

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Commercial printing services provide high volume web or sheet fed printing, duplication and publication of magazines, newspapers, catalogs, brochures, graphics, drawings, im-ages and other printed media. The printing processes may include digital printing, laser printing, offset printing, flexographic printing, lithographic, screen printing, thermal transfer, letterpress, gravure, reverse roll, and other printing processes. Commercial printers can print original media and/or duplicate or copy existing materials. Text, images, graphics, techni-cal drawings may be printed or duplicated.

Many organizations use commercial printing services for their promotional or marketing materials. Commercial printing services may also include design and editing services, and direct mailing or distribution services. Large commercial printing services providers may also offer marketing and promotion services, such as managing the creation of trade show booths and materials. A commercial printing company typically offers a variety of printing technologies that an organization can choose from to meet budget and design criteria, rang-ing from simple reprographic techniques to full color printing. Lithographic commercial print-ing or offset printing involves using a plate of zinc or aluminum that is treated to retain ink in the image part of the plate and repel ink in the non-image part of the plate. Flexographic commercial printing uses a rubber cylinder with a relief of the image on it to transfer the image to the paper. These techniques are typi-cally used for large print runs.

COMMERCIALPRINTING

Commercial printing services can offer cost effective black and white printing up through to very expensive full color commercial printing. Market-ing materials such as annual reports, brochures, and other promotional items are usu-ally printed in full color, while smaller items such as internal newsletters, business cards, and letterhead is printed in black and white or with spot colors. Commercial printing services can work from an organization’s supplied media, such as a printed sample called a mechanical, or more fre-quently, a digitally created file. A large organization may have their own graphic designer on staff and use a commercial printer only for producing finished products. Smaller companies or start-ups may use a commercial printing ser-vice to plan and design their marketing materials.

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CONTACTINFORMATION

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LEEDSDUFFIELD PRINTERShttp://www.duffieldprinters.co.uk/Tel: 0113 279 3011Email:info@duffieldprinters.co.uk

LEEDS PRINTING COMPANYhttp://www.leedsprintingcompany.co.uk/Tel:0113 322 6442Email:info@leedsprintingcompany.co.uk

PRICELESS PRINThttp://www.pricelessprint.co.uk/Tel:+44 (0) 113 239 1333Email:info@pricelessprint.co.uk

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LONDON

FIRST COLOURhttp://www.firstcolour.com/

Tel: 020 7636 2571Email: westend@firstcolour.com

SILVER IMAGE LONDONhttp://www.silverimagelondon.co.uk/

Tel: 020 8457 9000 Email: info@silverimagelondon.co.uk

PRINT PALhttp://www.printpallondon.com/

Tel: 020 8343 00Email: sales@printpallondon.com

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