More vocabulary
Jennifer | 10:19 am | January 11, 2008 | prepress, terminology, printing, process, workflow, General
Production works in acronyms, here are some you might come across:
- FSI - Free Standing Insert.
Those annoying flyers you get with your paper are referred to as FSIs. - GSM - Graphic Standards Manual.
This is the visual bible for your brand. Logo and tagline usage guidelines. - PMS - Pantone Matching System.
Pantone colours are specific ink mixes that create a colour standard. - CMYK - Process colour. Cyan, Magenta, Yellow and Black.
This is the most common colour printing. These 4 colours are combined to create all the colours you see in printed pieces. - RGB - Digital colour. Your monitor uses it - Red, Green, Blue.
This colour profile is often used for digital and new media work. - PSD - Photoshop file.
PSD files are photographic files created by photoshop. They are commonly used in press-ready file creation. - EPS - Encapsulated postscript, used for images.
EPS files can be vector art or photographic images, they are another common format found in press-ready files.
Other terms and phrases you might hear thrown around include…
Working files. When someone requests working files, they are asking for the files used to generate the graphics. This means fonts, images as separate files that are linked to the page layout file. Working files are necessary if adjustments might need to be made. For example, you would send your printer working files if there was concern that some photos might need to have adjustments made.
PDF/X1-a. PDF files can take many forms, they can be small files meant only to be used on screen, or highly specific files made to run on presses. The PDF-X series are common formats used in printing, and PDF/X1-a is usually the file type requested by most magazines.
I’ll keep posting more as I think of them. After awhile all these terms become a part of everyday language, it gets difficult to remember what isn’t common knowledge!
Help from Stora Enso’s “Ed” Series
Jennifer | 11:20 am | December 14, 2007 | paper, suppliers, prepress, printing, planning, General
Several paper companies offer promotional materials to qualified designers to help sway your choices in paper stocks. One great series that I’d recommend you look at is the Ed series from Stora Enso. It’s printed to promote Productolith, an FSC certified coated sheet. I use Productolith quite frequently; I like it.The series is up to issue #11 and covers everything from metallic inks to Prepress to finishing options. Very good for both process and project information, as well as inspiration to designers when choosing projects.
You can order the series at the Stora Enso site, or check with your local paper merchant to see if you can get copies delivered. I think it’s well worth it.
How to specify paper.
Jennifer | 2:56 pm | December 6, 2007 | paper, suppliers, terminology, printing, budgets, planning
Paper comes in a myriad of colours and weights, so it’s important to know the differences when you’re running your job. This will give you a brief primer on selecting your paper stock.
Paper comes in coated and uncoated versions. Coated papers have a slicker feel and can be matte, dull or glossy. These are typically used for collateral pieces such as brochures and rack cards. Photographic images usually print more clearly on a coated sheet, because the coating stops ink from soaking into the sheet. Uncoated papers are used for stationery and fine collateral pieces. If the design is done with an uncoated sheet in mind, you can get a very elegant look at a low price.
Papers come in various weights. The tricky part is that the weight is determined by putting 500 sheets on a scale, but those sheets might be different sizes. As a result an 80lb sheet in one grade won’t be the same thickness as an 80lb sheet in a different grade, but they’ll likely be close. Most paper stocks come in text weight and cover weight. The cover weights are for use as covers, folders and anything requiring a stiffness to the sheet. The text weights are for lighter brochures and inside pages.
If you’re going to do a stationery package, make sure the stock you pick has envelopes available. To create an envelope is a very expensive process, so it’s best to use a sheet where #9 and other common business sizes are available.
There’s a lot more to know about paper. This site will also help you with your choices.
Fun substrates!
Jennifer | 11:24 am | September 18, 2007 | printing, printers, planning
I like to look at alternatives when producing for events like tradeshows and in-store materials. Using a non-traditional surface can create something really eye-catching. For example, for a trade booth a custom carpet can be made with a special digital printer.
Other options:
- Mesh
- Nylon
- Fabric
- PVC
- Canvas
There are machines that can also handle special substrates like translucent and reflective films, corrugated cardboard, carpet, tile, wood, glass, foam core and fine fabrics. To find these machines, check with large digital printers.
Large format - signage
Jennifer | 11:19 am | | prepress, printing, planning
Large format printing is often used for billboards and outdoor advertising, signage and trade show booths. Often your piece is printed on a large inkjet or bubble jet printer that can print material up to 6′ wide by an indefinite length, allowing for a lot of flexibility.
These printers have specifications that are quite different from standard printers, so make sure you check with them before sending files. For example, many will want added bleed on top of the usual .125″.
The biggest challenge with large outdoor projects comes from images. When an image is scanned for outdoor use, the files are huge and shouldn’t be used unless your machine is built to take it. If you are building the piece on a home or office computer, it’s best to let the signage supplier work with the hi res image and supply you with a low res version you can drop in your file for placement. Retouching these large files is a very slow, expensive process.
If you are working on a large project, it is often requested that you ship a file that is one twelfth, eighth or quarter of the final file size. This is easier for everyone, as trying to work with an area that is 20′ long on your 15″ monitor will get very frustrating very quickly. As long as your file matches the final proportions, you’ll be fine.
When choosing outdoor printing materials, keep theses questions in mind:
- How long will it be up?
- Will it face the sun?
- Will it get wet?
- Is it at street level, open for vandals?
- Will it be exposed to the winter elements?
- Does it need to be portable?
Make sure your supplier has this information, as different protective coatings and substrates can be selected to make sure your banner or billboard holds up well.
If you are doing outdoor advertising, be aware that most media companies require an extra 10% of your posters to replace any media that gets vandalized or ruined. If you have booked 10 bus shelters, be sure to send 11 posters to your media supplier.
Suppliers: good relationships make for great work.
Jennifer | 10:11 pm | September 17, 2007 | printers, printing, budgets, workflow, money, planning
The best way to make sure your job goes according to plan is to pick the right suppliers - people who will work with you to ensure a good product. There are several ways to make sure you get a good supplier:
* Check with other businesses that have had good printing done. Ask them who the printer was on a piece you liked and for the salesperson’s name as well. A good printer rep is the best insurance against a bad job.
* Check all references provided by the printer. Remember to ask questions about what is was like to work with the printer both during and after the piece was printed, not just about the quality or price of the job.
One supplier does not fit all
Suppliers specialize not only in the types of printing they do (offset, screenprinting, etc.), but also in the markets they seek out. Some printers specialize in large pieces like annual reports and high-end art printing. Others concentrate on business cards and stationery packages. If you use a printer who isn’t suited to the type of job you need done, you could pay more.
When you are getting references and meeting with suppliers, make sure to get their equipment lists and ask what they specialize in. Good reps will let you know where they fit in the local market.
Press size and colour determine your ideal printer. If you are doing 30,000 annual reports that are 4 colours throughout, a big press is a good choice. If you are doing 5,000 postcards, a smaller, cheaper press will do the job.
Dealing with suppliers
Once you have a good list of suppliers for your projects, you need to start working on good relationships with the salespeople assigned to you. A good client-supplier relationship will save you money and time.
At the start of the bidding on a job, let suppliers know that they are in a competitive bid situation. Most suppliers know where they stand price-wise and knowing they’re in competition will get them to sharpen their pencils. Don’t send one printer’s quote to another printer and tell them to try to beat the price, they’ll just take $50 off the price and it prevents you from getting honest prices.
One red flag to look for when working with a new supplier is the low-ball quote. These quotes are designed as loss leaders and usually have the objective of getting you in the door. Remember these printers have to make their money somewhere. You will find that the low price you get once is never seen again. Even worse, you could find yourself watching charges rack up once they have the job, due to changes that weren’t specified in the final price. If you think you have a low-ball quote, talk to the supplier a bit more. Sometimes they’re trying to get rid of an overstock of paper or their presses are quiet - the low quote may be genuine.