Print production notes
- It is economical to print colours from the same pantone palette, as this limits the number of printing plates used and the number of passes through the press
- The human eye starts processing the info on a page from the top left corner, like reading a book, so to focus attention or to hide away an item it should be placed accordingly in the 'hotspot' or 'passive' area
- It is best to save logos as a vector (EPS file), as they are scalable, easily portable and do not blur
- Images produced in greyscale can have the effect of appearing to be screen-printed
- TIFF is the best file type to save as for content that is to be printed
- For high quality photos, save as a RAW file, which contains lots of information. When happy with the file it needs to be flattened and saves as a print file. (A CMYK TIFF)
- When sending files to a printer or client, save as a PDF as this is a standard file format
- CMYK is used for printing, and images should be 300ppi. Printing requirements are dictated by the final quality and detail required
- As a general rule, keep the original images as RGB, to allow for more controlled alteration, and when the image is finalised, save as a CMYK
- Layers can be placed on top of each other with different blend modes, fills and opacities to create different elements. e.g. Type on type, illustration on photo, etc...
- Adjustment layers allow you to alter the image, without damaging the original, as they can be turned off. They can be added to each image layer
- Clipping paths can be used to separate part of an image, e.g. to alter the depth of field
- Masks can be used to change the amount of light and combine two layers of images. Where the mask is black, the image is obscured, and where the mask is white, the image shows through
- A mask can be used on a single image by duplicating the image. On the copy image, anything on the mask in black will show through to the original base image and anything in white will block the base layer, showing the filtered layer
- To mock-up an image on photoshop, such as replacing a billboard poster with your own poster, you need to alter the skew, perspective and distort the bounding box to make the result seem realistic
- The more decorative the type the harder it will be to read, so it is best for titles
- The alignment of text can help to establish hierarchy in a design
- Don't use factory settings, alter letter and word spacing to make text as comfortable and easy to read as possible
- Justified text alters the word spacing in a block of text, and allows words to become hyphenated, thus preventing the large spaces in between words. However, this doesn't always look best, as more than two hyphenations per paragraph decreases clarity
- Words are broken up between syllables, and soft hyphens, which disappear if the box is changed and hyphens are not longer needed
- Alter the kerning to make sure the space between letters in a word is equal, as some letter combinations are problematic
- Leading (the space between horizontal lines of text) can be automatically changed when the text size is. Or they can be absolute, so it stays fixed
- Locking a paragraph of text to a baseline grid allows different size pieces of text to be arranged so they align in the same spacing as other type sizes
- Experiment with the use of text wraps to allow images to fit into the layout of the text
- Paying attention to detail - When using bullet points, some tweaking of size may be required
- Ligatures are combinations of two characters, used to prevent characters overhanging
- Lining numerals are all equal height and are aligned to the baselines, so they look best for presenting numerical info, whereas old style numerals are proportional to lower case type so they work best in a body of text. However, they are not of equal height and some fall below the baseline
- Colour attracts the attention of the viewer, and can cause a certain emotional response. It can install hierarchy by leading the eye around the page
- Dodge and burn effects are used to lighten or darken areas of an image, based on traditional photographic techniques
- Images can be standardised (so they work as a set), by using the same colour against the black in the duotone
- Overprinting sees one ink print over another so that the two inks mix to create a new colour
- A gradient is a graduation of increasing or decreasing colour applied to an image
- A half-tone is an image composed of a series of different sized dots
- Normal design practice calls for 3mm bleed
- The imposition plan shows the designer and printer how the various pages of a publication are to be arranged for print
- When printing pieces that are a certain colour, these can be grouped together to improve efficiency and reduce costs
- Pages to view refers to the number of pages that will be printed on to one side of a sheet of stock
Production for print notes
Top left: Offset litho press
Bottom left: Generating a half tone image
Top right: An image setting producing an offset litho plate
Bottom right: A digital press
Print and colour handbook notes
- A good knowledge of print production will help you to produce what your client wants.
- Colour varies from monitor to monitor, as well as from eye to eye. Your idea of one colour may not be the same as the clients
- A visible colour gamut shows the range of colours that can be seen by the human eye, which is nearly 10 million. The colour gamut for CMYK is about 4,000.
- Knowing about colour saves upsetting the client, being disappointed with the printer, and making a costly mistake. It gives you confidence, so you can be more successful designer.
- Colours represent different things and can provoke emotions, so chose colours wisely.
- Proof early and often as things look different on screen than they do on paper.
- Ideally view you proof in a viewing booth. Lightbulbs can make things look warmer. Need to proof in the right lighting conditions.
- Monitors differ so you need to make sure they are calibrated in the same way so you always get the same things.
- You see primary colours of red, green and blue on screen, which when combined make white. These are additive colours and there is a large variety.
- CMY are secondary colours produced by mixing the primary colours, they are subtractive.
- Colours can vary when printed on different stocks
- Coated stock allows for high quality reproduction of heavy colour and fine detail. Has a smooth surface
- Flood varnish goes over the entire sheet. Varnish can make images stand out but add cost
- Paper choices have a huge impact on the overall effect of the piece. Need to learn the printing characteristics of paper to ensure the best results
- Printers are impressed by designers who know about print, as it makes their job easier and you avoid mistakes
- Ask your printer for a tour of the facility so you can get a good idea of the conditions
- Check halftone dots with a linen tester
- Make sure all images and fonts are there when sending the file to the printers. Images need to be converted to CMYK. The images don't want to be placed too close to the trim line.
- Tell the printer how you are going to use the paper - if it is to stand up etc. They need to know whats going on for you to to be able to rely on them. It is important to match paper strengths to the jobs needs,
- Test with correct stock as images change colour on different stock.
- How thick the paper is can affect the folding. You don't want the edges to crack or the corners to fray. Also, weight can affect posting prices.
- There are different ways to bind your design, and the method you use can have an impact on how much area you have to work with and how much gets trimmed off. It affects how the book opens and how strong the bind is. You need to choose a method that minimises the loss of image when printing a double page spread.
- Ask for a dummy from the printer and see how it would look for yourself
- There are different folds to consider
Glossary
Binding - Fastening of assembled sheets over one edge of a publication. Involves folding, gathering, trimming, stitching, gluing and other finishing steps.
Bleed - The portion of an image that extends beyond the trim area of a page
Coated - Paper with a clay coated surface is smooth
Colour separation - Separates the files into four colour cmyk layers for printing
Die cut - Make cuts in printed sheets
Dot - A single element making an image
DPI - Dots per inch is a measure of resolution
Dummy - A mock up showing the size, shape, form and folds of what the printed piece will be, without the printed design
Duotone - A two colour halftone reproduction of a black and white image
Finish - A general term covering finishes like trimming, folding, binding and varnishing
Fold mark - Lines printed on the paper to indicate where to fold
Gloss - Paper that reflects light
Gradient - The smooth transformation of one shade to another
Grain - The direction in which the paper fibres line up
Gutter - Inner margins on two facing pages
Halftone - An image that is produced by discrete dots which can be seen through a linen tester
Image area - The area that can be printed
Imposition - The layout of an individual pages on a multipage design, so when the sheet is folder, the pages are in the correct order
Letterpress - A process that uses inked raised images on flat plates
Linen tester - Magnifying lens used to examine printing
Matte - A dull coating
Monchrome - A one colour image
Overprint - Print over an area that has already been printed
Page layout - Assembly of elements on a page
Page proof - A layout of pages as they will appear in the printed piece
Pantone Matching System - A system of inks and information for reproducing the colours
Plate - Aluminium sheets that represent the image to be printed and are used to transfer inked images to the blankets and then on to the paper
Proof - A representation of what the printed job should look like
Registration marks - Marks that are applied to establish proper image alignment
Scoring - Paper is compressed along a straight line to break the fibers and allow it to be folded without cracking
Spine - The back of a bound book
Spot colour - A single solid colour printed using on separation plate
Spot varnish - A clear coating applied to a particular area of a printed piece that gives it a glossy finish
Stock - Type of paper/material used for printing
Tint - A solid colour that has been changed to a lighter percentage shade of that particular colour
