Design Production//At the Printers.

Seminar workshop with Lorenzo//Commercial Printing & It's processes. 


Commercial Print Processes


Practical, technical, commercial>> Rotary printing/Digital printing/Screen printing/Pad printing


Reprographics


Technical assistance before print. BE THEIR FRIENDS. Then you'll go far.


Rotary


The image printing plates are wrapped around a cylinder in an automated print process and the material to be printed can be fed on a roll.
Three main types are: offset (lithography, litho), rotogravue (gravue), flexography (flexo).


Offset Lithography


Etched aluminium plates wrapped around a cylinder which transfer ink on to an "offset" rubber blanket roller and then to the print surface. Sheets fed or web fed. Very fast process- rollers acting as if a mangle by 3 rollers working together: plate, blanket, impressions.
Costs a lot of money to amend a plate after the design is printed onto the plate- SO GET IT RIGHT, YEAH?


Commonly used for leaflet runs/comics/mailshots/posters, etc.


Web Offset


Web offset is a large scale litho print. Most web machines are very high speed and run "rolls" of materials as opposed to being sheet fed. Often have finishing and folding built into the machine. 


Commonly used for newspaper production.


Gravure Print


High volume, durable, expensive process.


Commonly used for laminate flooring, high run magazines and newspaper publications of good quality. In this scenario, quantity is the most important factor. High costs demand a compensation of high print orders, with great quality results.

Flexography

A positive, mirror image rubber polymer plate, on a cylinder, transfers a 'sticky' ink directly to the print surface. Slightly raised, as a result can feel relief. Usually roll fed. Cellophane, cheap, high volume prints. Ink reservoir, unlike most print processes, is stored at the bottom of the mechanism, not the top.


Commonly used for sweet and crisp wrappers


LITHO- PLANOGRAPHIC (FLAT)
ROTOGRAVURE (INTAGLIO//ETCHING//DEPTH)
FLEXOGRAPHY (RELIEF//RAISED)


Digital Printing

The reproduction of images by translating the digital code direct from a computer to a material without an intermediate physical process. More expensive per unit (due to short runs).


RIP- RASTER IMAGE PROCESSOR (Calculate digital data, and arrange for a printer)


Ideally suited for a short run or specials on a range of print media from paper to metal.


Screen Print


A printmaking technique that uses woven mesh to support an ink blocking stencil.
Manual or mechanical process/production lines.


Rotary Screen Print


Use most commonly for cylindrical items (barrels, tubs, etc.)


Pad Printing


A printing process that can transfer a 2D-image onto a 3-D object (pens, memory sticks, golf balls, etc.)



CMYK

The 4-Colour process

Halftones create the different colour percentages. 
Linen testers (magnifiers) are used to examine the print quality.


It is important to be aware of the quality of prints, and be knowledgeable about the varying types of print. Consider how the effect your design.

Duplex

Coloured edges (often found on business cards) 

Where 2 or more boards are stuck together to create a coloured edge around the design trim.

Colour Systems for the print process 

Key aspects to understanding the practical use of colour

PRINT VS SCREEN (SUBTRACTIVE VS ADDITIVE)

Subtractive- Where colours are taken away with overlays (subtraction).
Additive- The more colours added, the brighter the colours.

Visible Gammut- All the colours the eye can see. 

Colour Systems

GREYSCALE- B&W continuous tone.
DUOTONE- 2 or more spot colours (Doesn't need to be RGB or CMYK. Can alter curves for a more dramatic visual result).
SPOT COLOUR- One or more specially mixed colours (not RGB or CMYK).
MONO- Greyscale and one coloured ink- one colour and percentage inks. All the tones you can achieve from that one colour.

Other Notes

* The name for Bus Advertising is called 'Shell Advertising'.

* Inflatables use a "sonic weld" where upon the edges of flat-printed vinyl are bought together and sealed to create a three-dimensional object (printing used is usually silk screen).

* Hexographic Printing- 6 Colour printing. CMYK (plus a special variant of 'M' and 'Y' for more varied tones)

* Vinyl is digitally printed due to the nature of the material.

* Stamps are printed by rotary graveur- to produce high quantity with exceptional quality.

MORE DEFINITIONS AND LINKS CAN BE FOUND ON THE LCA BAGD VLE.