Even the simplest print job can be made easier for everyone if there is a full size mock-up of the job available. Printers refer to this as a dummy, and a folding dummy, as you might imagine, is a mock up showing where folds fall, and the sequence and orientation of pages. A dummy helps […]
Print Hints
Keeping up appearances with smart savings on paper
Perception of quality in a paper is more dependent on the thickness (known as bulk), opacity and hand feel of the paper than its weight. This means that by carefully choosing your paper and suiting it to the communication goals for your print job, you can economize without appearing cheap. By selecting a higher bulk […]
Make sure your print run allows a safety margin
If your mailing list includes 24,990 names, and your direct mail package consists of a letter, brochure, reply card and outer envelope, you should order a quantity of 25,000 of each of the printed pieces… right? Wrong! That may not be enough to allow for spoilage, and you may end up being unable to mail […]
Keeping score: making sure good folds don’t go bad
When a print job is finished correctly the folds are unlikely to attract attention, but poorly planned folds can result in a distracting flaw: cracking of the paper surface, which is especially noticeable when ink coverage crosses the fold. The best prevention is to score the paper before folding, which embosses a crease into the […]
Why 2 color printing isn’t always cheaper than full color
A customer requested a quote for a full color booklet, and found it would cost more than they had budgeted. Hoping to reduce expense they requested switching to full color on one side of the sheet and black plus a match color on the reverse. This change actually made the job more expensive. Here’s why: […]
Printing mistakes and corrections: Whose responsibility and who pays?
It’s easy to see why proofreading at the earliest stages of a project is so important: The earlier a mistake is discovered the less it costs to fix. Last minute changes on press can be very expensive. Standard industry practice is for customers to bear responsibility for content they have approved. Changes made after approval […]
Choose the right gloss coating for spectacular impact
A deep, reflective surface coating can add a rich look and feel to a printed piece for impressive results. The least expensive coating option is to add a gloss varnish. However, although it will add useful protection, varnish may not add a deep enough gloss on its own — in fact it may actually make […]
Save time and money by avoiding the most common file errors
These common errors will bring your print job to a screeching halt, and may incur additional cost. Double check always! Wrong, missing or mismatched fonts Missing images or resolution too low Incomplete, corrupt or improperly formatted files Excessive sizing/rotation of images in page layout document Spot colors not converted to CMYK (or the other way […]
Matching match colors in a digital workflow
When printing digitally, any spot colors included in your job will be converted to the process, color equivalents (CMYK) used by the imaging device. As a result, these match colors may shift noticeably. If you need to reproduce spot colors accurately, for example to print the colors of your company identity consistently, you can check […]
6 best practices for working with images for printing
When you are preparing images for printing you can take care of just about any situation with just two file formats. Here’s why TIFF and EPS are the formats of choice for images for printing, and some tips for getting the best results with them. 1 TIFF – for tone images for printing The TIFF […]