Litho printing

printing
printing Made easy
Despite the increasing growth in digital
media, we believe that traditional printing
is still highly relevant to your marketing
communications.
A printed item offers you a tangible
means of communicating your brand and
your services.
Here is a quick guide to printing, which
will help you to make informed decisions
about your marketing communications.
printing Made easy
Litho printing
Offset Litho printing is the most common type of
printing for high volume commercial work and works
by ‘offsetting’ the image to be printed from a printing
plate to a rubber blanket and then onto the paper.
Offset Litho printing presses are sheet-fed and can
accommodate certain cut-size sheets more efficiently
e.g. a B1 printing press will print 8 A4 sheets in one
pass (or 16 pages printing double sided).
Advantages of Litho printing:
✓✓ Better at printing on a variety of print surfaces /
paper weights
✓✓ High image quality
✓✓ Quality and continued effectiveness on larger
quantity runs
✓✓ Accurate colour reproduction
✓✓ More wide use of Pantone® colour system.
printing Made easy
Digital printing
Unlike Litho printing, Digital printing requires no plates
to be made, digital presses accept the digital data from
a design and print straight from it.
Advantages of Digital printing:
✓✓
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Shorter turnaround – no print plates needed
On demand printing
Cheaper low volume printing
Variable data printing allowing for personalisation.
Web printing
Web printing uses a continuous roll of paper so can
print vast quantities at very high speed.
Web printing is used for large volume printing such
as newspapers, magazines, holiday brochures, etc.
printing Made easy
Paper sizes
The ISO Standard for paper sheet sizes is the most
commonly used standard throughout the world and
consists of the A series and the C series for envelopes.
A0
841 x 1189
A1
594 x 841
A2
420 x 594
A3
297 x 420
A4
210 x 297
A5
148 x 210
A6
105 x 148
What is bleed?
When literature is printed
it is printed on sheets
of paper larger than the
finished article to allow for
trimming and other types
of finishing.
Bleed is the specific area
(usually 3mm) added to
each outside edge of a
page to allow enough
flexibility for the final
document to be finished
accurately.
The A series refers to the
finished job sizes.
Printers use either RA, SRA,
or B size sheets of paper as
these allow for grip, bleed
and oversized formats.
Trim edge
3mm Bleed
>
>
Colour Printing
Printing colour can be achieved by several methods:
CMYK
Full colour litho printing generally uses 4 inks to create other colours, Cyan (C), Magenta (M),
Yellow (Y) and Black (K). These 4 inks are overlayed as dots onto the page and combine together
to give the illusion of other colours.
Other names for this type of printing include, Process, 4 Colour Process or Full Colour
Process.
Pantone® Matching System
The Pantone® Colour System is based on the Pantone® Colour Chart, which contains 000’s of
colour swatches created from pre-determined colour formulas (almost like recipes).
The colours of the Pantone® system are called Spot Colours and are true colours that are mixed
rather than created through the process method. Spot colours are more vibrant and can be
printed alone, for example in 1 and 2 colour jobs. They can also be printed in addition to CMYK,
creating 5 or 6 colour jobs.
printing Made easy
What is a proof?
A proof is a representation of what the final printed item
will look like and is used for checking errors and printing
problems before the final job is printed.
There are various proofing methods:
Wet Proof
This is an actual test sheet from the press and is exactly how the final version
will look. This method of proofing is the most accurate but expensive if there are corrections
to be made.
Scatter proof
A scatter proof is a wet proof of several elements of the document placed together, not
necessarily in page order. For example, you might want a scatter proof of just the images
within a document to ensure colour balance and consistency.
Digital proof
This is a digital print out of proofing from a smaller machine and gives an indication as to the
final colours but is not a 100% true representation. This is the most commonly used method
of proofing.
Digital PDF
This is a digital file and is the cheapest and quickest method of proofing but is not the most
accurate.
printing Made easy
Binding
There are many forms of binding the finished document
and the choice you make will be dependent on your
budget, the size and number of pages of the document
and how it will be used. Listed below are some of the most
common forms of binding.
Saddle-Stitch
This is when a number of folded pages are
inserted into a folded cover and are stapled
through the fold. This is a very common
method of binding but is limited to the number
of pages (depending on paper weight) that
can be stapled together. It is mostly used for
brochures, newsletters and magazines.
An example of Saddle-Stitch brochure on the Royal Borough of
Kensington and Chelsea guide.
An example of Perfect-Binding used on Plan’s Annual review.
An example of Spiral and Wire-O Binding used for
Certitude annual report.
Perfect-Binding
This is when the pages are first stitched
together with thread and then glued into a
separate cover. This type of binding gives a
flat spine and is useful for documents with
higher page counts and those that will be
used for reference. Typical uses are for
Annual Reports/Reviews and paperback books.
Spiral and Wire-O binding
This involves a small line of holes being
drilled along the edge of the cover next to the
spine. A Spiral or Wire-O wire is then inserted
into the holes. This type of binding is very
flexible and allows the publication to either lie
flat or be folded over. It is particularly useful
for training manuals, policy documents,
notebooks and calendars.
printing Made easy
Folding
Apart from the various binding options, you may also
want to consider how your document can be folded.
Here are a few examples:
Concertina Fold
Roll Fold
Gate Fold
Print finishes
How to make your printed materials stand out
Matte Varnish
Typically used with text–heavy pages to diffuse light and increase readability.
Gives a non­glossy, smooth finish to the printed pages.
Gloss Varnish
A gloss varnish reflects back light and is frequently used to enhance the
appearance of photographs or other graphic elements.
Satin/Silk Varnish
This varnish is a middle option between gloss and matte varnishes. It provides
some highlight, but is not as flat as a matte varnish.
printing Made easy
Other types
of finishes
Spot UV
Ultraviolet varnishing is a way to really make
colours pop in a design. It is a clear liquid
that is cured instantly with ultraviolet light.
This treatment can make colours appear
more vibrant when used as a spot covering
to highlight specific areas of a design and
also gives off a different texture.
An example of spot UV used on Apex Group’s Annual Report.
An example of embossing used on nim Design’s comp slip.
Embossing and Debossing
An emboss or deboss is a type of treatment
where a die is used as a stamp that
impresses a part of a design into a substrate
to enhance that particular part in the design.
This creates a three-dimensional, decorative
and textural element to a design.
An emboss is a raised impression while a
deboss is a recessed impression. Embossing
and debossing can be done with ink, foil or
without either which is called a blind emboss/
deboss. Embossing and debossing typically
work better on thicker paper weights than
light ones and on larger areas.
Foil Blocking
Foil blocking is a process where a coloured
foil is pressed onto a printed piece with a
heated die. This separates the foil from its
backing and allows it to adhere to the printed
material. A foil block can also be known as
a foil stamp, heat stamp, hot stamp, block
print and foil emboss.
An example of Foil Blocking used on Chaplin property brochure
printing Made easy
Considerations
✓✓ When specifying paper for printing, we advise you to consider the environment and chose either recycled paper or FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) paper, by doing this you will be demonstrating your commitment to sustainability.
✓✓ Ensure your printers have the ISO 14001 Environmental accreditation, which sets out the criteria for an environmental management system
and ensures your printers are committed to
working ethically to reduce the negative impact
of their processes.
✓✓ If you want to know more about printing, we can arrange for you to attend a print seminar at our print partner, where you will gain an insight into print technology and processes as well as a walking tour
of a working print room.
To discuss how we can help you make the most of your printing
call Chris 020 8426 6888, or email [email protected]
The Old Bank | 92 High Street | Harrow on the Hill | Middlesex | HA1 3LP
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