Content for my print guide:
Order of the guide:
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Contents
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Format
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Stock
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Colour
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Process and production
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Finishing
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Helpful terminology
The content will be written in a humorous and informative
tone of voice. I’m going to loosely use northern dialect, mainly in the style
of the northern accent. For example: ‘ow do’
Contents:
Introduction
Format
Stock
Colour
Process and Production
Finishing
Helpful Terminology
Introduction:
‘Ow do.
This guide has bin written to inform and enrich you with
sufficient and helpful information about print, and the considerations, which
will help you design with quality and precision.
Printin’ is an art practiced over centuries, and it’s
somethin’ that whole-heartedly supplies us with the knowledge and practice of
what we know about the world. Now, with modern and traditional methods, us as
creatives can use our abilities t’ enhance the quality and the aesthetics of
print.
Design doesn’t come without its problems, so preparin’ can
be one of the most important tasks you can undergo. The format of your print,
the colour, the stock, the printing process and the finishing should all be
taken into consideration when starting to design.
So without further a do, lets begin.
Format:
The format of your design is the size in which your final
outcome will be. You could be designing for anything, be it a billboard, a
booklet or a business card, the size has to be considered!
There are defined standard sizes in print, and these can be
measured through the International ISO standard of paper sizes. This is a
universal system that allows all countries to print with agreed sizes, increasing
printing efficiency and allowing printers and designers around the world to
understand one another when it comes to choosing a format that works best.
The international standard (ISO) of paper sizes can be split
into three series, A series, B series and C series.
A and B are the standard paper sizes. A is the most common,
B being introduced to add a wider variety of paper sizes to the system. The C
series is mainly used for envelopes and they are designed to fit A sizes.
Other sizes to consider, The American
National Standards Institute (ANSI). These standardized paper sizes are in use
in North America, and are usually used for letters, academic documents and
newspapers.
As these dimensions are only a guide, custom sizes are
highly effective and can make your design individual. Producing custom sizes
can easily be done using digital software, but when it comes to producing by
hand, this can prove difficult. Paper sizes are usually created through the
Golden Ratio system, which is a system that uses ratio to create the most
desirable shape for the human eye to look at. When producing a custom size by
hand I would recommend using the Golden Ratio system as it effectively creates
a defined size and is mathematically correct. Printing companies usually have
specific sizes; so if something is to be printed professionally, always take
into consideration the range of sizes they supply!
Stock:
The paper/ stock/ or substrate you print onto is very important.
Different stocks can give a completely different effect, be it through how it
looks or how it feels. The impression the stock makes can give your design a
sense of quality and can really improve the aesthetic.
Stock can come in a huge range of different finishes and types, the
most common subcategories; Uncoated, glossy, matte or textured.
Uncoated refers to paper that has no coat, therefore soaks up more
ink, resulting in less colour. Uncoated paper can still be smooth or textured;
it’s usually used for cheap stationary and is usually standard paper in schools
and offices.
Glossy paper is labeled under ‘coated’, meaning it has been coated
with some sort of compound which prevents ink being absorbed, allowing the
images that are printed to be more vibrant and sharper. Gloss paper is used for
posters, photographs, flyers, magazine covers etc. Glossy paper is useful when
trying to grab attention as it can lift the colours off of the page.
Matte paper is coated, but has a lower sheen coating, which means it
absorbs more ink than glossy paper. Matte can be smooth or rough, and glare is
significantly reduced giving the print a softer finish. Matte can usually give
off more of a professional look than glossy.
Depending on the supplier, textured stock can vary. Paper can be
embossed, providing it with a textured finish, achieved by pressing a pattern
into the paper. Other methods can
include felt marking, linen embossing and laid. Having texture not only
provides the viewer with pleasing visuals but can also add an interactive
element to the print. Textured paper can be available in glossy and matte.
There are many other specialised/ bespoke paper finishes, for
example, felt finishes and leather-like finishes, but these vary by paper
companies. This is also the same for coloured stock.
How smooth the
stock is, the ink absorbency and the weight of the stock are all characteristics
that need to be considered before printing. The weight of stock is measured in
grams per square metre (GSM).
Colour:
When designing for print considering colour is
imperative. The colour of a design can completely change the way in which the
audience perceives it. By using specific colours you can come across as
assertive, demanding, kind, persuasive, entertaining, warm, cold, romantic, the
list can go on.
There are two important colour systems, CMYK and RGB.
RGB refers to red green and blue and is used for working/ designing on screen.
RGB uses the additive colour method, you start with
black and the more colours you mix the lighter it gets. You have to understand
that what you view on screen working in RGB mode is not what your print will
look like. Some software’s allow you to view the colours as if they were CMYK,
which can be very helpful.
CMYK refers to Cyan, Magenta, Yellow and Black and is
used for printing. CMYK is subtractive, meaning you start with white and the
more colour you add the darker/ blacker the colour will be.
When printing with CMYK you use what is called a four
colour printing process, meaning the colour in the image is reproduced using
cyan, magenta, yellow and black (key). The four colour printing process layers
small dots of each colour on top of each other in a pattern, giving a false
sense of perception and building up a visible colour image. This is called
halftoning.
Cyan, magenta, yellow and black are all spot colours. Mixing
coloured inks makes up spot colours; which are solid fields of
colour directly printed onto the page. Therefore no need for the use of CMYK.
It’s cheaper to use spot colours if you are printing three shades, anymore than
this and you start to pay significantly more; meaning that it’s cheaper to switch
back to using four-colour printing.
Hexachrome is a six colour printing process, which was
developed by Pantone. The process allows for a wider range of colours to be
printed. The process adds orange and green to cyan, magenta, yellow and black,
CMYKOG. It allows the colour gamut to expand, which means the colours that you
can see on screen can be printed. Hexachrome printing is as popular as ordinary
CMYK and not all printers supply this service.
The Pantone Color System is a globally recognized
colour matching structure that allows people across the globe and locally to
select specific colours for printing, allowing colours to be matched correctly,
therefore the desired shade of colour can be printed accurately.
Process and
production:
Printing processes vary, with traditional and modern
techniques being used on a daily basis. Where as traditional methods bring a more
hands-on approach, and can create vintage and quality effects, modern
technology has improved the speed in which we can print, meaning a higher
quantity can be printed in a smaller space of time. Traditional and modern
printing methods both have their advantages and disadvantages, and both produce
excellent print.
Silk-screen printing
Silk Screen-printing involves printing a stencil/ image
through a mesh screen; it allows you to play around with your design, your colour
and your stock and you can really get up close and see how it feels and looks.
Cleaning the screen:
To begin screen-printing you need to clean the old screen,
this will get rid of the previous image and allow you to apply emulsion so you
can expose the new image. Cleaning the screen should be done in your designated
room or station.
Wearing protective gear, apply stripper (provided by staff)
to both sides of the used screen, leave it for ten minutes and wash with a
power hose. The power hose is vital as it blasts the old emulsion, dirt and
image off the screen. Repeat this stage until your screen is clean. Give it a
rinse with soapy water to clean off the stripper and any grease and leave it to
dry for around 20 minutes.
Applying emulsion:
When applying the emulsion make sure you are in a dark room,
the emulsion is light sensitive and will be ruined by long exposure to light.
The screen needs to be coated with light sensitive emulsion.
To do so fill up a trough with the solution, place it at the bottom of your
screen and drag it up until you reach the top. The emulsion needs to be placed
onto the flat side of the screen, making sure you only apply a thin layer, as
too much emulsion won’t harden when exposing your screen.
Once you’ve applied the emulsion place the screen in a dark
room and leave to dry.
Exposing your image:
Before exposing you need to prepare a printed image, make
sure it is in black and white; the black areas will be the areas which wont get
exposure to the light, meaning this area will be printed.
Place your image in the light box, and place your screen,
emulsion side down, on top of your image. Leave your screen to expose, this
takes around five minutes. When your screen has been exposed the emulsion
hardens, the black parts of your image stop light getting to certain parts of
the screen meaning the emulsion is still soft where the light has not hit.
Before you can see a difference you need to give the screen another wash. Clean
it until your image is visible, place in a warm room and leave to dry.
Printing:
Clamp your screen onto a wooden board, the clamps help
straighten up your screen meaning more of an aligned print. Using whatever
stock you wish place it under the screen, and line it up with design.
You need to mix 2/3rd bonder with 1/3rd
of a coloured ink of your choice. With your stock and screen prepared, place a
thick layer of your mixed ink at the top of the screen. Using a squeegee, drag
the ink down the screen to the bottom, repeat to add a thicker layer of ink.
Lift up the screen and carefully remove your image. If done correctly your
image should be printed with your desired colour. Place on a rack to dry and
repeat the process!
You can make full coloured images, or two to three colour
images, but each colour needs to be on a different screen.
Lino cut
Lino cut printing is a real arts and craftsy method of production.
It has a distinctive look and you can get a really good effect with different
depths of cuts. Lino cutting can be quite limited as to size and depending on
your drawing/ cutting ability the detail of your image can vary.
You start with a sheet of lino, its’ soft, flexible and easy
to cut. Make sure you are working on top of a hard surface; wooden boards are
usually provided so the surface underneath isn’t marked.
Before starting to cut make sure you have a design that you
are happy with. To make it easier for yourself use a simple design. You need to
draw your idea onto the lino using a pencil; the lines will be used as a guide
Using specific chisels (these range in size and can be U or
V shaped) cut into the lino. Always make sure you cut away from yourself as the
chisels are very sharp and you don’t want to be cutting into yourself!
Use the smaller chisels for detail and the bigger chisels to
cut out large areas. When printed the image will be in reverse, so make sure
you cut out your image in reverse, depending on how you want your image.
When you’ve cut out your design and are happy with it you
need to get a pane of glass, a roller and your desired coloured ink. Layer your
roller in the ink and using swift movements in one direction roll the ink out
onto the glass evenly, this should leave you with a decent layer of ink to work
with.
Roll the ink onto your cut out lino; again do this evenly
making sure there’s an even layer of ink.
After the ink has been applied to the lino place it on the
rolling press. Before doing so place some newsprint underneath to stop ink
getting everywhere and to stop it sliding. Place your desired stock on top,
place more newsprint on top to add to the pressure and roll it through the
roller.
Lift back the sheets of newsprint and your desired image
should be printed onto your stock. Depending on the ink, the print may take a
few rolls before the quality of the print is enhanced. I recommend applying ink
to the lino and putting it through the press at least three times to get a
decent image.
Acid Etching
Acid etching or photo etching is a process in which acid is
used to create an image onto a copper plate by eating away at it, which can
then be inked up and printed.
You start with copper plate, which needs to be sanded down
and smoothed off so it can be coated with a ‘ground’. Either by hand, or using
a sanding machine (if available), smooth off the copper plate using circular
motions, try and get rid of any deep scratches/ marks. Once your plate is
looking smooth, using hot water and degreaser clean your plate. Cleaning your plate with degreaser gets rid
of any grease, which would stop the ‘ground’ being applied to the plate.
Make sure your plate is grease free and clean before moving
onto the next step!
You now need to cover the plate with an acid resistant,
leaving a thin even layer. This layer of resistant means that when the plate is
placed into your ferric chloride mixture it only bites away at your design and
not the whole plate.
Once the resistant has dried you need to scratch your design
into the plate. I’d recommend having a
design already prepared, you can use tracing paper to help you mark lines into
the ground to make it easier for your to draw your design.
When your design is ready, place a sheet of sticky adhesive
plastic onto the back of your plate; this stops the acid biting the back. The
plate needs to be placed flat into a tray of ferric chloride. Please remember
to wear gloves and eye protection as the solution can irritate your skin and
damage your eyes!
Leave the plate in the solution for 30 – 40 minutes,
checking it 10-minute intervals.
When your plate is looking finished (ask a technician)
remove the plate from the solution and wash any remaining chloride off with
water. Remove the adhesive from the back and give your plate a good clean and
dry it off.
As the ink fills the engraved copper, the paper you print
with needs to be damp, so it can sink easily into the shape of the etching.
Before applying ink onto your plate allow the paper you will be printing onto
to soak in a bath of water, this will soften it up.
Applying ink:
Using a spatula place a reasonable amount of etching ink
onto your plate and spread it all over using a piece of cloth or card, make
sure you really fill in the engraved sections as this is what is being printed.
Using a rag remove any excess ink off the surface of the plate. Using a thin
piece of tissue paper polish the copper plate around the areas that have not
been etched until you are satisfied with amount of ink left.
Printing:
Lay a few pieces of newsprint down on the roller along with
your inked up etching plate. Remove your paper from the water and rinse off any
excess water; try blotting it with newsprint to make it less damp. Place your
paper on top of the etching, add another few sheets of newsprint (make sure the
paper is smooth with no creases!) and roll your print once through the roller.
Remove the newsprint and place your finished print on the drying rack.
After printing once the ink will start to fade, so to get a
decent print every time it’s worth inking it again.
Digital
Digital printing is, as you know, a modern method, and
requires no actual skill as it is all done by machines. Digital printing only
requires a computer and a printer for you to be able to print whatever you
want.
There are a few things you should know about printing
digitally, which will help increase the quality of your prints, and allow you
to understand why things work and some things don’t.
What a lot of people tend to forget when digitally printing
is that what you see on screen is not what your final print will look like. As
mentioned in the chapter on colour, printing uses a combination of CMYK to
produce a range of different colours appropriate to your printed design. When
your working on screen you are working with RGB, so always remember to colour
proof what you are working on before printing to see how it’ll look off screen,
most software’s will give you this option.
Digital printers vary massively, more expensive printers
will give you a higher quality print, but this is also dependant on the quality
of your paper. Some printers will also allow you to print double sided, which
is very handy when printing a publication. Cheaper printers will do the job but
the quality is massively decreased.
There are two types of digital printers, Inkjet and laser.
Inkjet printing creates a digital image
by propelling tiny droplets of ink onto the paper. Laser printing uses a
combination of lasers, toners and heat pressing to transfer your digital image
into the paper.
Inkjet printers are practical as the initial price is cheap,
they are efficient and they can print high quality. The only down side is that
ink cartridges cost a lot of money.
Laser printers can also be cheap; they are very fast and
again print out high quality. The downside, if a file is too big and the
printer can’t handle the document size, it will not print.
When printing, never just click file > print > ok.
Take your time through the settings; check the scale is correct as the printer
can sometimes change this to fit its suitability. Adding crop marks,
registration marks, colour bars and page information will allow you to cut your
design with precision, they allow you to check the colour and give the document
information down the side of you print.
If you are ever getting a design digitally printed
professionally always talk to the printers. They will inform you on how you
should save your document, what size and what printer marks you should add.
Offset
Offset printing is a very common printing technique and is used to mass-produce
a lot of common material; newspapers, magazines, leaflets, brochures,
stationary etc.
Offset involves an inked image being transferred from a plate
to a rubber blanket, then onto the printing surface. It’s highly efficient and
can produce amazing quality. Plates for offset can be quite expensive; if you
are working with CMYK you’ll need a plate for each colour. If you have added
spot colours these plates will also need to be separate.
The ink is distributed to the plates through a series
of rollers. On the press, the plates are dampened, first by water rollers, and
then ink rollers. The rollers distribute the ink from the ink fountain onto the
plates.
The image area of the plate picks up ink from the ink
rollers. The water rollers keep the ink off of the non-image areas of the
plate. Each plate then transfers its image to a rubber blanket that in turn transfers
the image to the paper. The plate itself does not actually touch the paper, thus
the term "offset" lithography. All of this occurs at an extremely
high speed.
After the print is finished it is run through a series
of machines that, dry it, colour check it, cut it and fold it into its final
form. The colour check and the cutting and folding are sometimes done by hand.
Offset can produce thousands of your desired design in
minutes, and once one plate has been made it can be printed again and again and
again.
Advantages of offset:
It prints clear, smooth and sharp image and text. The
machine can conform to a wide variety of printing substrates so you have a huge
choice of what to print onto, and it’s always going to print out high quality.
With other printing processes, a lot of them leave
behind small indentations. Offset is smooth and flat, so know impressions are
made.
It’s very very fast; this is especially good for big
batches of printed material.
For mass printing it’s extremely cheap, and the cost
is usually only down to the setting up process.
Disadvantages:
If you are printing a small batch it tends to be quite
expensive because of the plate set up.
Finishing:
UV coating, die cutting, embossing/ debossing , foiling and
flocking are all part of the finishing design process. They are added elements
to your design that enhance the aesthetic quality, for your benefit and that of
the user.
*For preparation of Spot varnishing, foiling and flocking
please see page [ 09 ]
UV
coating
UV coating is the process of applying a varnish to
your finished product, either in one spot to highlight a specific point, or all
over to stop ink rubbing and keeping the paper from wrinkling. UV coating is
usually applied to the finished product.
UV spot is where a section of your print is given a
glossy or matte look, which helps it stand out from the rest of your design.
After preparing a screen, and choosing your stock, you
will need to get your UV spot varnish and layer it across the top of the
screen. Similar to pulling the ink down the screen, do the same with the spot
varnish.
It’s best to spot varnish onto coated paper as
uncoated paper tends to soak up a lot of the UV ink leaving it without the
shiny aesthetic.
Spot varnish is most commonly done on a more
professional level with machines.
Die cut
Die cutting is the process of cutting out large
quantities of an intricate or simple shape from the substrate you are working
with.
A special blade is crafted into the shape of your
desired pattern, or object, this is called the die. It’s then placed into the
machine with your desired stock and can cut out thousands of the exact same
shape in minutes. Die cutting can be used to cut wood, plastic, paper metal or
fabric.
Emboss
& Deboss
Embsossing and debossing is a process where an image
is pressed into your stock to either leave a raised or indented mark.
The process involves using a heat press to push your
raised image into the paper. The pressure and heat of the press allow the stock
to mold around the raised object leaving an indent in the paper.
Embossing leaves your paper raised, and can be used to
give volume to a logo or text, or for giving texture to the whole of your
stock. It lifts your design from the stock, and helps it stand out from the
rest of the page. It is often twinned with foiling, and can give off a very
professional feel. Debossing gives the same impression but leaves an indent
instead.
Foiling/ Flocking
Foiling and flocking are two finishing processes that
use a combination of heat and glue to transfer either coloured foil or flock
onto specific parts of your design.
Foiling leaves you with a shiny surface and if done
well can give your work a sense of quality; it is often used with embossing.
Flocking leaves your design with a raised, soft, furry
feel and is great for the aesthetic of your design.
After preparing your screen, in the same way you would
with screen-printing, use the squeegee to spread the ink onto your stock, you use
a glue solution instead of ink.
After letting the heat press get to around 60°, place your glued paper in-between two pieces of
newsprint, along with either your flock or foil. If you are using flock, it has
to be placed facing down onto your glued area, if your using foil you have to
place it shiny side up.
Pull the heat press
down and leave for about 10 seconds. Safely remove your paper from the press
and let it cool down. You can then peal away either your flock or foil and you
should be left with a lovely looking print.
Helpful terminology:
Emulsion
- A photosensitive coating,
usually of silver halide grains in a thin gelatin layer, on photographic film,
paper, or glass.
Coating Trough
– A piece of equipment used to accurately and evenly apply a coat of emulsion to the screen.
Squeegee
- A scraping
implement with a rubber-edged blade set on a handle, used for pulling the ink
onto the screen.
Silk-screen
- A screen of
fine mesh used in screen-printing.
Roller - A roller that has a hard rubber
surface used for spreading ink.
Chisel - A carving tool that has a small,
usually flat, metal tip and a narrow handle, used for carving shapes and
details.
Lino – The soft material used for Lino printing.
Copper –
A reddish metallic material used in the etching process.
RGB –The RGB color model is an additive
color model in which red, green, and blue light are added together in various
ways to reproduce a broad array of colors. Screens use the colour mode RGB.
CMYK - The CMYK color model is a
subtractive color model, used in color printing, and is also used to describe
the printing process itself. CMYK refers to the four inks used in some color
printing: cyan, magenta, yellow, and key (Black).
Pantone -
A system for matching colours,
used in specifying printing inks.
Golden
Ratio - The golden ratio is a
special number approximately equal to 1.618. It appears many times in geometry,
art, architecture and other areas.
Stock – The material you print onto.
Aesthetic - Concerned with beauty or the
appreciation of beauty.
Compound - A thing that is composed of two or more
separate elements; a mixture
Glossy - Shiny and smooth.
Matte - Dull and flat; without a shine.
Bespoke – (of goods, in this case paper) made to
order.
GSM - The gram weight of a hypothetical square meter of a particular type of
paper, a good comparative measure because it does not vary with sheet size.
Halftoning - Halftone is the reprographic technique
that simulates continuous tone imagery through the use of dots, varying either
in size, in shape or in spacing.
Hexachrome - Hexachrome was a six-color
printing process designed by Pantone Inc.
Gamut - The complete range or scope of
something.
Light box
- A flat box
having a side of translucent glass or plastic and containing an electric light,
so as to provide an evenly lighted flat surface or even illumination.
Binder – A substance used to make other
substances or materials stick or mix together.
Newsprint
- Cheap,
low-quality absorbent printing paper made from coarse wood pulp and used
chiefly for newspapers.
Blotting
- Dry (a wet
surface or substance) using an absorbent material.
UV – Ultraviolet.
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