Free Design Guides

A long time ago, in a land far, far away, a man made something that put ink on paper. Seriously, I’m not gonna bore you to tears with the history of printing. I see no real value in it other than a cure for insomnia. I’m here to talk, in straight terms about the things you need to know about the printing process. Ink on paper. We all do it every day. Some with ink pens, some with machines that cost millions. Regardless of the method used, it is necessary to convey information from one person to another. And I don’t care what anyone says about the internet and technology, it is impossible at this point to duplicate the serenity and satisfaction of sitting outside in the shade, flipping though the pages of a good book or starting your day at the kitchen table with the morning newspaper. Ink on paper isn’t going away anytime soon. So let’s talk about what you’re really here for. You need to put some ink on paper. You have a printer sitting beside your computer, right? Why not just use that? Oh…you need to put LOTS of ink on LOTS of paper and you don’t want to take out a second mortgage to pay for ink and toner. No problem. Whip out that phone book and find yourself a printing company. They can put LOTS of ink on LOTS of paper very efficiently and pass the savings on to you. So how do they do it? Big machines, big pieces of paper and tons of TECHNOLOGY.
So how does it all work? I’m not going to tell you because you would pass out from sheer disinterest. Instead, I’m going to give you a basic idea of what to expect when you decide to go to a commercial printing company.

Getting a quote

When you have come to the realization that you need the services of a printing company, one of the first things you want to know is how much its going to cost to print your stuff. If you’ve never had anything printed before, I strongly advise taking your project in so you can talk face to face and understand all of the options. Some of the questions you need to be prepared to answer are: what is the finished size, what type of paper is desired, how many colors, does it fold, is it a booklet, how many pages, are there any special cuts, how many do you want, how you will submit the project, what software was used and probably a few more depending on the project. The more knowledgeable you are about your options, the better (and possibly cheaper) your end result will be. It’s not rocket science, it just takes a little thought and learning. So, now you have taken your project in and received a quote that you are happy with. Let’s get to the next step. Handing it over to the printer.

File Submission

Were going to assume that you have designed your project on your computer and will be sending digital files to the print shop. When received, the files will be sent to the prepress department. The prepress department are those people you never see who sit in front of computers all day long and analyze, repair, adjust, and eventually prepare your project for printing on the presses. Prepress has a very dynamic and important role in the company. Not only do they have to make sure your file is accurate, secure, and correct to make you as a customer happy (often without direct communication with you), but they also have to understand the capabilities and limitations of all of the machines that do the printing, folding, binding and cutting. Prepress is truly right in the middle between you and your finished project. When your file is received in prepress, it is opened and analyzed. This is the first step. What we look for first is to make sure your file matches the specifications you have given or chosen relating to size, colors, layout, folding, and finishing. If the project does not match the specs, we try to figure out why. Many times these can be adjusted or corrected and you will never even realize it. However, there are times when we have to call you and ask for more files or at least ask for your permission to make some changes. This, naturally, increases time we must spend on the project and increases the time it takes to finish the project. Very often, these little problems that arise can be avoided completely before the file is ever submitted to us.

Proofing

When the prepress department has reviewed the files and approved them for proofing based on your specifications, they will submit a proof back to you. The type of proof you will receive varies with your project. You will receive either a soft proof (via email) or a hard proof (actual printed copy), and sometimes both, for you to review. This is the last chance for you to make any changes or corrections to your project. Always review your proof carefully and thoroughly, because nobody knows your project better than you. Your print shop may be top-notch, but don’t expect them to proofread every line of text and verify every phone number, after all this is your project and your money and you want to be sure you don’t waste it because you’re in a hurry. We have a little motto inside our facility that keeps us on track when things get hectic, “It may seem like we don’t have time to do it right, but we always have time to do it over”. Think about that one for a moment and you’ll realize it can be applied to many aspects of life. Take your time during the proofing process, because its ALWAYS less costly to make changes here than after your project is printed. The last thing anyone wants is 10,000 brochures sitting in their floor with a wrong phone number or address. Trust me…it has happened.

Going to Press

The printing process has not fundamentally changed all that much since its original inception. The tools to make it happen have. Printing presses range from small, single color machines with levers and knobs all the way up to 30 feet long monsters with digital readouts, computer controlled ink keys and color calibrated viewing tables to guarantee accurate viewing of press samples. There are even digital presses that work a little bit like giant color copiers, but with quality that rivals traditional printing presses. This is where the difference really exists in print shops and why it is important to know the details of your job so you can make informed decisions about the quality and price to expect. Print Shop “A” might be able to deliver the best price on full color brochures, while Print Shop “B” will crush the other guys on one and two-color jobs. Or, you might find Print Shop “C” who can meet all of your needs at a price point somewhere in the middle price range, and these factors are largely based on the types of press equipment they use.

When your job arrives in the press department, it is further scrutinized for accuracy of specifications and also reviewed again for folding, cutting and finishing. Once on press, the press operator keeps a careful eye on the printed sheets, again looking for anything that might not be right or at least questionable. Quality control is (and should be) everyone’s focus and it is extremely important during this phase of the process.

Bindery

When the press operator has finished his task, the stack of paper then moves to the bindery department. At this stage all of the finishing work is completed, such as cutting, folding, binding, perforating, drilling, inserting, etc. There are many variations on how you can finish your project. In fact, this is where most of the machines live that drive a print company. And there are plenty of finishing options that machines cannot produce. On quite a few occasions, hand finishing is the only option, so make sure you understand that too when you are talking to a print company.

Delivery

When you open the box, our hope is that you love what you see, that it exceeds your expectations and that you look upon the entire process as a positive experience. The simple guidelines in this book are meant to help you achieve that experience, so when you do have a print project, it will be smooth sailing from beginning to end.

Knowledge is power, and my goal is to give you the knowledge to retain control over your print job as much as possible. Whether you use a local shop or one of the many online print companies, you can and should be involved with the print process as much as possible to get the most bang from your buck and acheive the results you’ve worked so hard to create.

Tags: Brochure Printing, Card Template Business, Color Printing, Commercial Printing, Graphic Design, Graphic Design Printing, Layout Graphic Design, Newsletter Printing, Printing