Design Context
Wednesday 19 October 2011
Digital press
We saw a Hewlett Packard Indigo 7000 series Digital press at Team. The brochure details the many attributes of this cutting edge technology...
Monday 17 October 2011
Task 4 - Specialist Production methods
Plas-Pro
The ‘flip’ is the most widely used type of lenticular. The basic flip has two or more images which, gives the opportunity to present more than one message in the same space or, illustrate changes of an item.
As a general rule, less is generally more with a flip, this is because there is limited space to print images to lenses. If each image is ‘on’ over a wider viewing angle, there is less opportunity for ‘ghosting’.
In small format hand-held lenticular print, 2, 3 or even 4 flip frames may work well as the lenticules are arranged horizontally, and able to present same image to both eyes simultaneously.
Flip posters however are almost always designed for ‘walk-by’ viewing (vertical lenticules) as an up and down activation is impractical. 3 or 4 flip lenticulars are less likely to be successful in this instance.
An animated lenticular may comprise ten or more different images interlaced together, as described in the ‘flip’.
A printer who specialises in UV printing on foils and plastics
That then begs the question what is the UV printing process?
I found this information on www.piworld.com
In UV printing, specially formulated inks are exposed to ultra- violet radiation, which causes them to harden instantly on top of the substrate. The result produces high levels of gloss or dull coating, vivid color and vibrant detail with superior rub resistance and no post-cure dryback--even on soft, uncoated sheets--making UV the technique of choice for applications like luxury cosmetics and chic wine labels.
Assuming they have the right viscosity and density, and will perform well with very little water in the fountain solution, UV inks cure quickly, meaning that products can be finished more rapidly, enabling higher throughput and fast turnaround, even on two-sided jobs. In-line UV printing is notable for the superior results it can achieve on difficult substrates, from uncoated paper and board to foil and especially plastic, including synthetic papers, static cling vinyl and lenticular. The ability to "lay down" layers of opaque white or metallic, and then print over it in a single pass, merely hints at the versatility of the UV process.Is it expensive? Yes. A UV press costs substantially more than a conventional press. Inks can be twice as expensive. Ditto working with different coatings and chemistry. UV blankets cost about the same as conventional, although they tend to wear out fast under heavy usage. Plastic substrates are more expensive, often $2 or more per sheet. However, practitioners insist the extra cost is worth it in customer satisfaction, repeat business and margins that tend to be higher than with conventional, largely because having UV capability simply excludes a lot of the competition.
Assuming they have the right viscosity and density, and will perform well with very little water in the fountain solution, UV inks cure quickly, meaning that products can be finished more rapidly, enabling higher throughput and fast turnaround, even on two-sided jobs. In-line UV printing is notable for the superior results it can achieve on difficult substrates, from uncoated paper and board to foil and especially plastic, including synthetic papers, static cling vinyl and lenticular. The ability to "lay down" layers of opaque white or metallic, and then print over it in a single pass, merely hints at the versatility of the UV process.Is it expensive? Yes. A UV press costs substantially more than a conventional press. Inks can be twice as expensive. Ditto working with different coatings and chemistry. UV blankets cost about the same as conventional, although they tend to wear out fast under heavy usage. Plastic substrates are more expensive, often $2 or more per sheet. However, practitioners insist the extra cost is worth it in customer satisfaction, repeat business and margins that tend to be higher than with conventional, largely because having UV capability simply excludes a lot of the competition.
Within the constraints of time and budget, in-line UV capability can serve as a launch pad for flights of creative fancy, enabling printers to execute what designers previously could only imagine: unique or complex layered effects that take advantage of gloss, matte, gloss-dull, metallic, pearlescent, textured, micro-encapsulated coatings and more--all of which add value to print jobs without going outside or off-line.
Because good results depend on communication among the designer and printer, as well as press and consumables vendors, UV projects also tend to be collaborative, enabling the printer to advise his customer as specifications for the job are being developed. Involving the printer early is essential to keep expectations realistic and reduce the need for costly rework.
Because good results depend on communication among the designer and printer, as well as press and consumables vendors, UV projects also tend to be collaborative, enabling the printer to advise his customer as specifications for the job are being developed. Involving the printer early is essential to keep expectations realistic and reduce the need for costly rework.
Polypropylene is ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY
A really informative plastic printing website
This company also offer Lenticular printing
Lenticulars provide additional impact in items such as wobblers, shelf takers, direct mailers, posters, book/magazine covers, point of sale displays, post cards, credit cards, mouse mats, coasters and packaging.
Lenticular production is neither as cost nor time prohibitive as you may think, both have decreased over recent years due to production processes and new technologies.
Lenticular production costs are primarily determined by: finished size, quantity, lens specification, thickness, and finally mounting/assembly requirements. Lenticulars have become increasingly popular in the media world and costs have significantly decreased making them an attractive and affordable proposition.
In general, a lenticular project takes slightly longer than a traditional print project, due to the initial interlacing/proofing stage, but it’s certainly not the prohibitive factor it may formerly have been. Once the material has been sourced, a standard lenticular project can be produced in around 7 to 10 working days, inclusive of interlacing, printing and finishing (depending on the complexity of finishing).
Lenticular effects that can be produced are Flip, 3D, Motion or Animation, Morph and Zoom
As a general rule, less is generally more with a flip, this is because there is limited space to print images to lenses. If each image is ‘on’ over a wider viewing angle, there is less opportunity for ‘ghosting’.
In small format hand-held lenticular print, 2, 3 or even 4 flip frames may work well as the lenticules are arranged horizontally, and able to present same image to both eyes simultaneously.
Flip posters however are almost always designed for ‘walk-by’ viewing (vertical lenticules) as an up and down activation is impractical. 3 or 4 flip lenticulars are less likely to be successful in this instance.
3D
Just imagine 3-dimensional depth without having to wear special glasses or perform ocular gymnastics.
Lenticular allows for this spectacular illusion due to the lens sheet projecting slightly different images to each eye. The brain then fuses these together into one image with incredible depth in a phenomena known as parallax.
The most natural 3D effects are achieved by photographing a dynamic scene with a multiple camera array or a static scene from multiple viewing positions with a camera mounted on a track.
The best results are often accomplished using images that contain items of varying distance from the camera, as with the sample where bottles are pictured at different depths.
Ideally, most of the visible image will be a template used in all frames, with the objects which appear to be moving printed at different positions.
As the angle of viewing the print through the lens changes, different frames of the animation are seen.
The animated rugby players in this lenticular were filmed on a blue screen, the photography of the background stadium was then inserted as a constant afterwards. Because of the larger number of frames, there is more likelihood for ghosting, though due to the nature of this style of animation, this can enhance the animation effect.
This effect is great for demonstrating the action of a product or mechanism; it is best used with a smooth, predictable operation.
Environmentally friendly packaging
Some recycled materials this company uses:
sugarcane bagasse
Recycled papers
Bioplastic
This section on Branding services is interesting as they state that the Sugarcane Bagasse products cannot be printed on as water based inks do not dry on the sugarcane material..
Bagasse is fully compostable.
Another new printing production method is provided by Leach Colour called Framelesslite. A tension fabric graphic display system. Graphics are printed onto a very fine grade of lightweight polyester fabric. This makes the graphics glare-proof and ensures a very even diffusion of light through thefabric, even if one of your lights is out.
Sunday 16 October 2011
Seven things to know about print
These notes are based on a seminar by Lorenzo and supplemented by research in Getting it right in print by Mark Gatter and The Visual dictionary of pre-pass & production published by ava.
1. Colour models CMYK, RGB, Hexachrome, spot colour, PMS pantone matching systems
2. Formats - Standard ISO paper sizes
1. Colour models CMYK, RGB, Hexachrome, spot colour, PMS pantone matching systems
2. Formats - Standard ISO paper sizes
- A & RSA sizes - Printers work to slightly larger sized paper (12mm)to accommodate bleed
- Imperial(US) V Metric(Europe/ROW)
- Tabloid, Broadsheet, Berliner
- Envelope 'C' sizes
- DL sizes - third a4 (Standard envelope
3. Artwork - Clients signs off proof
Document set up, file formats, fonts(Check copyright or commercial use of fonts), Spellcheck, Colour spec, print marks, pre-flight check, Mockups and proofs
4. Stocks - Weights (GSM - grams per sq. metre)
- Finish - Gloss, silk, matt, coated, uncoated
- Laid or woven fibres
- Boards, cartons
- Plastics & acetates
5. Processes - litho, Gravure, flexo digital, screen or pad
- 4, 6 10 colour printing
- Laminates
6. Finishing - Case binding, Burst binding, Flexi binding, Swiss binding, PVR binding tougher than perfect binding,
- Folding and creasing
- Die cutting
7. Costs - three quotes get first stage quote so can provide client with and estimate before investing a lot of time in the design
- Efficient & economical printing - qties ie <500 digital . > 500 litho?
Colour systems for the print process
These notes represent a summary of a seminar we had with Lorenzo and also with reference to Getting it right in print by Mark Gatter published by Lawrence King
Key aspects of digital colour theory
Understanding the practical use of colour for print production
CMYK V RGB
Cyan Magenta Yellow Key V Red Green Blue
Print V Screen
(Subtractive v additive)
Pigment V Light
Darker the more colour Brighter the more colours added
Limited colour Gamut V Wider colour Gamut
Paint & Print V Monitor, TV
Colour systems
Technical, essential knowledge to control your work
Rich Black
richblack_vs_plainblack
Black on screen - 0 R 0 G 0 B
Printing black
plain black/ 100% black ink 0C, 0M, 0Y, 100K
Rich black - printing other inks along with black.
Most common
rich black 63C, 52M, 51Y 100K.
This particular variant owes it's popularity to Adobe Photoshop - when an RGB file is converted to CMYK, areas that are absolute RGB black (R0, G0, B0) will wind up with this combination, unless certain default settings have been changed.
Cool Black 60C, 0M, 0Y, 100K
Warm Black 0C, 60M, 30C, 100K
Important to remember although all black looks the same on screen ie RGB they will not look the same printed out. Always ensure using a consisitant mix of black throughout a document/image.
The special-purpose color "registration" is another potential source of black mismatches. On screen, by default, it appears as R0, G0, B0, so it seems as if it might be the same as black. It's not. Registration color prints 100% on all plates. If your layout is CMYK, then registration color is 100C, 100M, 100Y, 100K. If your layout is CMYK + Pantone 285, then registration color is 100C, 100M, 100Y, 100K, 100Pantone 285. Registration color is used for, appropriately enough, registration marks, explained elsewhere. Do not use it in place of black. Having that much ink go down presents many problems from a printing standpoint.
Don't use Rich Black for Text use plain black. If the printer has registration problems the text could become difficult to read
Other tips picked up from Lorenzo's links:
For accurate colour matching use Pantone Colours so what you see is what you get rather than trying to match a colour you like on screen.
Check with your printer what type of files they prefer. PDF is good because they are smaller file sizes than Photoshop or Illustrator.
Key aspects of digital colour theory
Understanding the practical use of colour for print production
CMYK V RGB
Cyan Magenta Yellow Key V Red Green Blue
Print V Screen
(Subtractive v additive)
Pigment V Light
Darker the more colour Brighter the more colours added
Limited colour Gamut V Wider colour Gamut
Paint & Print V Monitor, TV
Colour systems
Technical, essential knowledge to control your work
CMYK DEFINITION:
Stands for "Cyan Magenta Yellow Black." These are the four basic colors used for printing color images. Unlike RGB (red, green, blue), which is used for creating images on your computer screen, CMYK colors are "subtractive." This means the colors get darker as you blend them together. Since RGB colors are used for light, not pigments, the colors grow brighter as you blend them or increase their intensity.
RGB
SPOT COLOUR
Print technicians around the world use the term spot colour to mean any colour generated by a non-standard offset ink; such as metallic, fluorescent, spot varnish, or custom hand-mixed inks. (as opposed to obtaining a colour by via mix of cmyk)
Spot colour
GREYSCALE
One colour black and all the shades of grey through to white (black and white photography is grey scale)
Grayscale
MONOCHROME (mono)
Like grayscale but with coloured ink ie one colour and % tints of that colours plus the colour of the material it's printed on.
Monochromatic colours are all the colours of a single hue derived from one colour and extended using the shades,tones and tints of that colour.
Mono
DUOTONE
Duo
When a continuous tone image is printed in 2 or more spot colours. This term is also generally used when describing tri and quad colours.
HALFTONE
This is a mechanical process (as opposed to chemical) for converting tonal values into a series of dots that although solid dots, when printed give the impression of continuous tone.
Rich Black
richblack_vs_plainblack
Black on screen - 0 R 0 G 0 B
Printing black
plain black/ 100% black ink 0C, 0M, 0Y, 100K
Rich black - printing other inks along with black.
Most common
rich black 63C, 52M, 51Y 100K.
This particular variant owes it's popularity to Adobe Photoshop - when an RGB file is converted to CMYK, areas that are absolute RGB black (R0, G0, B0) will wind up with this combination, unless certain default settings have been changed.
Cool Black 60C, 0M, 0Y, 100K
Warm Black 0C, 60M, 30C, 100K
Important to remember although all black looks the same on screen ie RGB they will not look the same printed out. Always ensure using a consisitant mix of black throughout a document/image.
The special-purpose color "registration" is another potential source of black mismatches. On screen, by default, it appears as R0, G0, B0, so it seems as if it might be the same as black. It's not. Registration color prints 100% on all plates. If your layout is CMYK, then registration color is 100C, 100M, 100Y, 100K. If your layout is CMYK + Pantone 285, then registration color is 100C, 100M, 100Y, 100K, 100Pantone 285. Registration color is used for, appropriately enough, registration marks, explained elsewhere. Do not use it in place of black. Having that much ink go down presents many problems from a printing standpoint.
Don't use Rich Black for Text use plain black. If the printer has registration problems the text could become difficult to read
Other tips picked up from Lorenzo's links:
For accurate colour matching use Pantone Colours so what you see is what you get rather than trying to match a colour you like on screen.
Check with your printer what type of files they prefer. PDF is good because they are smaller file sizes than Photoshop or Illustrator.
The Problem
Using the wrong resolution in your works can be detrimental to your final outcome. It is important to know the final destination of your work so that you can design at the correct resolution. Most printers print at about 300dpi (dots per inch), some even at 600dpi or above. The resolution of a monitor is 72ppi (pixels per inch), and is a default setting in Photoshop and Illustrator for RGB design.
A few things to note…
So let’s talk about some basic differences between dpi and ppi, and then decide what is best to use for different projects.
Simply put, pixels are square, dots are… well, dots. They consist of one color. Obviously, the more dots or pixels per inch, the more detailed and accurate your picture will be. It is important to design at 300ppi so that when you print on a 300 dpi printer, each pixel is translated as a dot. It is okay to design at a higher ppi than your printer’s dpi, but be careful designing below 300ppi.
The Fix
Unless you are designing something huge, the magic number for print design is… you guessed it,300dpi. Generally, anything that you can hold in your hands should be designed at or above 300dpi. It is especially important to note that though you can go down in dpi, you cannot go up without quality loss (when working with rasterized elements). Therefore, as long as your processor can handle it, it is best practice to work at 300 dpi or the maximum for your specific printer.
Depending on the size of a particular piece, you may have to design for perspective resolution. In other words, a billboard, from the road, appears to be a couple of inches wide, so therefore the dpi can be much lower (often around 18-20 dpi).
Saturday 15 October 2011
Commercial print
This is a summary of a seminar with Lorenzo, a print visit, online research and also referencing The Production Manual and The Visual Dictionary of Pre-press & production published by ava
Commercial print processes
'Printing is process that applies ink or varnish from a printing plate to a substrate through the application of pressure' The production Manual p152
Commercial printing is practical, technical and economical (or should be!)
Rotary printing
Offset Lithography (Litho)
Planographic
The inked image is transferred or offset from a etched aluminium printing plate onto a rubber blanket roller which is then pressed against the paper or other substrate. Th principle behind Litho relies on the fact that oil and water repel each other. As the plate passes under the ink roller the non-image area of the plate have a water film that repels the oily inks on the image areas.
Rotogravure (Gravure)
Intaglio etching. Copper plates(with mirror image) transfer ink directly, not offset, to a print surface, usually on rolls. Advantage , plates are more durable and so are good for long print runs. High volume and good quality so more expensive than litho.
Flexography(Flexo)
"relief'
Commonly used for packaging for food and sweets with high volume but lower quality printing. A positive mirror image on a rubber polymer plate with typically 2mm relief transfers sticky ink direct to the surface. usually roll fed.
Examples
Read more: http://www.northcoastbanners.com/flexographic-printing-plastic-roll-banners-bags#ixzz1arm5KRxD
Read more: http://blog.northcoastbanners.com/page/2/#ixzz1arlrLnhk
Digital printing
The reproduction of images by translating the digital code directly from a computer to the sheet without intermediate physical process. No mechanical process, typically short runs or specials of less than 500 copies on a variety of stocks including paper and metal.
Screen Printing
A printmaking technique that uses a woven mesh to support an ink blocking stencil. Can be manual and mechanical. Used for CD printing. Also rotary screen printing for bottles and tubes.
Pad printing
2D image on a 3D object
Examples
Linen tester used to scrutinise print quality as they magnify
Commercial print processes
'Printing is process that applies ink or varnish from a printing plate to a substrate through the application of pressure' The production Manual p152
Commercial printing is practical, technical and economical (or should be!)
Rotary printing
Offset Lithography (Litho)
Planographic
The inked image is transferred or offset from a etched aluminium printing plate onto a rubber blanket roller which is then pressed against the paper or other substrate. Th principle behind Litho relies on the fact that oil and water repel each other. As the plate passes under the ink roller the non-image area of the plate have a water film that repels the oily inks on the image areas.
Lithography is generally 4 colour printing CMYK with from 2 up to six spot colours. Spellman Walker had just purchased a ten colour machine. It can produce a good photographic reproduction and fine linework on a variety of stocks. The printing plates are easy to prepare, even more so with new technology. The high level of machine preparation and also high speeds means this is more suitable for high volume runs.
Sheet fed printing presses are used for lower production runs such as brochures and magazines whilst a continuous web press is used for higher volumes such as newspapers and magazines.Sheet fed printing presses are typically fed with a 'ream' of paper at a time. A ream is a block of 500 sheets. Massive rolls of stock are used on web printing stocks rather than sheets. This means lower production costs can be achieved. Webs are more commonly used with Rotogravure and flexography. An advantage of roll fed printing is lighter paper stocks can be used than with sheet fed. This reduces bulk and weight say in book production which can then mean distribution and packaging costs are cheaper.
Problems
Very high print runs image quality can suffer due to wear on the plate.
Ink and water balance on the plate can cause problems with colour control and cause colour variation.
Water can cause absorbent substrates to distort.
Mis-registration caused by mis-aligned printing plates
Examples
Rotogravure (Gravure)
Intaglio etching. Copper plates(with mirror image) transfer ink directly, not offset, to a print surface, usually on rolls. Advantage , plates are more durable and so are good for long print runs. High volume and good quality so more expensive than litho.
Typical Rotogravure applications
Flexography(Flexo)
"relief'
Commonly used for packaging for food and sweets with high volume but lower quality printing. A positive mirror image on a rubber polymer plate with typically 2mm relief transfers sticky ink direct to the surface. usually roll fed.
Examples
'When you purchase plastic roll banners, you also purchase the plates required for printing them. These plates are a pivotal part of the printing process. They are the vehicle through which ink is transferred onto the plastic. Since we print with this flexo technology, every color you use in your design requires its own plate.
Here’s the great news about your plates: once you purchase plates for a design, you’ll never have to purchase them again! This is the truly wonderful thing about plastic roll banners and flexo-printing: your plates can be used and re-used as many times as you want! What’s more is that we will store your plates for free for as long as you would like. NorthCoast Banners is here to serve our clients. We have not forgotten that the customer comes first.
Flexo Print Quality
Originally, flexo printing was very low quality. In the last few decades great advances have been made, including improvements to the plate material and the method of plate creation - usually photographic exposure followed by chemical etch, though also by direct laser engraving. Laser-etched anilox rolls also play a part in the improvement of print quality.
Full color picture printing now occurs, and some of the finer presses available today in combination with a skilled operator allow quality that rivals the lithographic process.
Flexo has an advantage over lithography in that it can use a wider range of inks and is good at printing on a variety of different materials. Flexo inks, unlike those used in lithography generally have low viscosity. This enables faster drying and as a result, faster production, which means low cost.
Our printing presses average speeds of 450 linear feet per minute.'
Read more: http://www.northcoastbanners.com/flexographic-printing-plastic-roll-banners-bags#ixzz1arm5KRxD
Read more: http://blog.northcoastbanners.com/page/2/#ixzz1arlrLnhk
The reproduction of images by translating the digital code directly from a computer to the sheet without intermediate physical process. No mechanical process, typically short runs or specials of less than 500 copies on a variety of stocks including paper and metal.
Screen Printing
A printmaking technique that uses a woven mesh to support an ink blocking stencil. Can be manual and mechanical. Used for CD printing. Also rotary screen printing for bottles and tubes.
Pad printing
2D image on a 3D object
Examples
Linen tester used to scrutinise print quality as they magnify
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