From pen to press – the journey of print.
Today I want to concentrate on print production and talk you through the journey, or the steps taken, to turn an initial sketch into a finished printed job.
This blog aims to show you how detailed the print process is and the value of working with someone who has the expertise to handle your job correctly.
Step 1. Graphic design (the pen part).
First, I start with graphic design, including sketches and concepts, page layout, typography, illustration, photography, image selection, colour decisions, and the production of final computer files.
You need to choose your graphic designer wisely- someone who can create materials that can be sent directly to print, as not all graphic designers know how to prepare files for printing properly.
Once a design is signed off, the files must be pre-flight checked and packaged. Unless the graphic designer is trained in production management, this is where things could go wrong, long before the job even gets near a press.
Anything could happen, from missing fonts or images to a wrongly formatted file, which can cause delays, late-stage design changes, and sometimes disappointment with the finished job.
Here are a few important facts when creating artwork:
Always use proper design software. Artwork should always be prepared in the software that is best suited for the job you are preparing, and in a version that is compatible with your chosen print supplier. Most designers use Adobe Creative Suite, which includes Illustrator, a drawing program for creating logos or illustrations; Photoshop, a pixel-based program for manipulating photos; and InDesign, a page layout program for creating a single- or multi-page document. Recently, I’ve started using Affinity.
Make sure your artwork is the correct size. Usually, files need to be prepared at the actual size and contain bleed when appropriate. If a file is not prepared correctly, the print supplier will have to spend time (and therefore charge you a fee) to adjust the files to fit the correct specifications of the job.
Make sure you use approved fonts. The fonts should be consistent with your brand and must be included or embedded in the files sent to the print supplier. If the print supplier does not have the font used in the artwork and it has not been included with the packaged files, the print supplier may substitute the font, producing something similar but not what you approved.
Make sure your images are the correct resolution. Images need to be high-resolution and large enough to fit within their assigned space. The resolution should be 300 dpi (dots per inch), as anything lower may result in a loss of quality.
Make sure your colours are correct. The colours used should be consistent with your brand, and you should never trust that the colours you see on a computer screen will look the same once they are printed. This is because a computer screen and paper printing use 2 different colour spaces: RGB and CMYK.
RGB colours are additive. Computer monitors work by additive colour mixing; three overlapping light sources in a vacuum are added together to create white.
CMYK colours are subtractive. Printing works by subtractive colour mixing; if you have three passes of ink on a white substrate, by subtracting together, they would turn the paper black. CMYK, or the four-colour process, differs from spot colours, or PMS (Pantone Matching System). CMYK uses four different colour inks: Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, and Black, overlapping each other to achieve the full-colour spectrum. To print any multicolour image, the press runs four times to apply each ink individually. Spot colours are pre-mixed inks applied only to the area assigned to each colour. For example, to print a blue, brown, and red image, pre-mixed blue, brown, and red inks are used. In this case, the printing press would only run three times.
Make sure you name your files correctly. Files need to be named to allow print suppliers to work more efficiently, so make sure there are no unusual characters in the file’s name and that it accurately describes the job. They should also be labelled with the correct extension: .ai for Illustrator, .indd for InDesign, .psd for Photoshop and .pdf for an Adobe Acrobat PDF file.
Make sure you prepare your files for print correctly. Before you send the artwork to the print supplier, a few more steps ensure the files are prepared correctly.
Use preflight software. It collects all fonts and images, flags missing items, and helps you avoid mistakes.
Check page size settings and bleeds. Incorrect page settings cannot be fixed by simply scaling up or down, so make sure the document size is the final trim size. Bleed photos and other graphics that extend to the edge of a page must be set up to overlap the trim margins by 3mm to avoid white along the edge.
Run a file cleanup. Remove unnecessary artwork, delete unused colours, and verify that all colour names are consistent. If you forget to specify whether a colour is CMYK or spot colour, it could change the overall colours of a job or even turn a four-colour job into a more expensive five-colour job by mistake.
Step 2. Get print quotes.
I communicate with my print suppliers early in the process and negotiate the best prices for my clients without sacrificing quality, which usually means getting at least three quotes from my trusted trade suppliers. I discuss the purpose of the materials I will be printing, the final size, the quantity, and the deadline, which helps determine the best process to use (digital or offset), schedule press time, and order paper.
Here are some of the things I have to consider with every new job:
What size is it going to be?
What paper weight and finish are required?
How many inks are needed?
Will it be four colour or spot colour?
Do I need to allow a 3mm bleed?
Do I need to supply PDF or hard-copy proofs?
Which file format does the artwork need to be supplied in?
How will the job be finished? Will it need to be trimmed, scored, folded, sealed, made up or supplied flat?
When and where does it need to be delivered?
Step 3. Prepress and proofing.
Prepress includes all print production functions from the moment the files are sent to the print supplier through the actual printing. These may include receiving media files, creating proofs for review and approval, making final changes/edits, and creating plates for the offset press.
There are three options for proofing:
PDF proof. I request a PDF proof of the artwork from my print supplier, which allows me to proofread the content one last time and make sure the piece contains no mistakes. It also lets me confirm the text hasn’t shifted or the images haven’t moved while the print supplier processes the files.
Hard copy proof. Depending on the nature of the job, I may request a hard-copy printout, which lets me see the final document, check for discrepancies, and clarify how the layout is intended to look.
On-site press check. If needed, once the hard-copy proof has been signed off, I will go to the print supplier for a final press check to approve the paper, inks, varnishes, colours, etc.
Step 4. Printing (the press part).
Printing is the mechanical process of applying ink to paper using an offset or digital press. The offset press is the most cost-effective way of producing large volumes of printed materials, while the digital press is more commonly used for smaller volumes and lower production costs.
The final product will look slightly different when printed digitally vs offset, and there are reasons for that.
A large quantity printed may need to be litho-printed, which requires plates to be made. Each plate is for one of the four process colours: cyan, magenta, yellow and black. A four-colour project on a six-colour press will leave two units empty, and you can add two further colours, but this will increase the cost of the job because you'll need to produce extra plates and pay for additional ink.
If you want a smaller quantity that will fit on a digital press, you could consider digital printing, as there are no plates to produce and a four-colour job can be as inexpensive as a single-colour litho job. Digital printing doesn’t use inks, so there is no additional charge. You may be surprised at the result, too.
Proper, consistent paper selection is also critical because colour varies across different paper stocks. Another thing to remember is that a job printed on coated stock will always look a different colour from the same job printed on uncoated stock. It’s always worth discussing the options before choosing a paper stock so you can meet your expectations.
So when you need to reprint, it is best to use the same print process, on the same paper, with the same finishes, at the same print supplier to match the original run as closely as possible.
Step 5. Finishing.
After a job is printed, the next stage includes one or more steps depending on the end product: cutting, trimming, folding, laminating, scoring, perforating, stitching, and binding. The last step in the bindery stage includes packaging for delivery.
Step 6. Delivery.
Most jobs are shipped directly to my clients, either by overnight courier or by me personally.
As you can see, the print production process is very detailed and requires a certain level of experience and expertise.
Most importantly, at DL Design, we monitor jobs in person from start to finish to ensure the highest standards are met, your brand is represented through quality materials, and you always receive the utmost value for your investment.
Feel free to contact us for advice about printing if you’re unsure.
