Graphics: May 2014

Sunday 18 May 2014

Letterpress printing

Letterpress printing is a technique of relief printing using a printing press. A worker composes and locks movable type into the bed of a press, inks it, and presses paper against it to transfer the ink from the type which creates an impression on the paper.

In practice, letterpress also includes other forms of relief printing with printing presses, such as wood engravings, photo-etched zinc "cuts" (plates), and linoleum blocks, which can be used alongside metal type in a single operation, as well as stereotypes and electrotypes of type and blocks. With certain letterpress units it is also possible to join movable type with slugs cast using hot metal typesetting.

Letterpress printing was the normal form of printing text from its invention by Johannes Gutenberg in the mid-15th century until the 19th century and remained in wide use for books and other uses until the second half of the 20th century. Letterpress printing remained the primary way to print and distribute information until the twentieth century, when offset printing was developed, which largely supplanted its role in printing books and newspapers. More recently, letterpress printing has seen a revival in an artisanal form.

Embossing

Embossing and debossing are the processes of creating either raised or recessed relief images and designs in paper and other materials. An embossed pattern is raised against the background, while a debossed pattern is sunken into the surface of the material.

Often used in combination with foil stamping, embossing alters the surface of paper stock or other substrates by providing a three-dimensional or raised effect on selected areas. The procedure requires the use of two dies: one that is raised and one that is recessed. The dies fit into each other so that when the paper is pressed between them, the raised die forces the stock into the recessed die and creates the embossed impression. A specific level of pressure is applied to the dies in order to squeeze the fibers of the paper, which results in a permanently raised area in the paper.When the dies are produced, a die maker engraves the desired image into several metal plates, which are the embossing dies for use on an embossing press. A thorough understanding the process will enable a more successful result. Generally, embossing is the process most often employed to attract attention or convey a high quality textural contrast in relation to the surrounding area of the paper stock.

Die Cutting

Die cutting is the process of using a die to shear webs of low-strength materials, such as rubber, fiber, foil, cloth, paper, corrugated fiberboard, paperboard, plastics, pressure-sensitive adhesive tapes, foam and sheet metal. In the metalworking and leather industries, the process is known as clicking and the machine may be referred to as a clicking machine.

Die cutting started as a process of cutting leather for the shoe industry in the mid-19th century. It is now sophisticated enough to cut through just one layer of a laminate, so it is now used on labels, stamps, and other stickers; this type of die cutting is known as kiss cutting.

Die cutting can be done on either flatbed or rotary presses. Rotary die cutting is often done inline with printing. The primary difference between rotary die cutting and flatbed die cutting is that the flatbed is not as fast but the tools are cheaper. This process lends itself to smaller production runs where it is not as easy to absorb the added cost of a rotary die.

Friday 16 May 2014

Spot UV and Foil Block Printing

Spot UV Printing

"UV coating" refers to surface treatments which either are cured by ultraviolet radiation, or protect the underlying material from its harmful effects.

Ultra-violet cured coatings can be applied over ink printed on paper and dried by exposure to UV radiation. UV coatings can be formulated up to 100% solids so that they have no volatile component that contributes to pollution. This high solids level also allows for the coating to be applied in very thin films. UV coatings can be formulated to a wide variety of gloss ranges. UV coating can be applied via most conventional industrial coating applications as well as by silkscreen.

Foil Block Printing

Foil stamping (printing), typically a commercial print process, is the application of pigment or metallic foil, often gold or silver , but can also be various patterns or what is known as pastel foil which is a flat opaque color or white special film-backed material, to paper where a heated die is stamped onto the foil, making it adhere to the surface leaving the design of the die on the paper. Foil stamping can be combined with embossing to create a more striking 3D image.

Lino and Screen printing

Lino Printing

Linocut is a printmaking technique, a variant of woodcut in which a sheet of linoleum is used for the relief surface. A design is cut into the linoleum surface with a sharp knife, V-shaped chiselor gouge, with the raised areas representing a reversal of the parts to show printed. The linoleum sheet is inked with a roller, and then impressed onto paper or fabric. The actual printing can be done by hand or with a press.

Screen printing

Screen printing is a printing technique that uses a woven mesh to support an ink-blocking stencil to receive a desired image. The attached stencil forms open areas of mesh that transfer ink or other printable materials which can be pressed through the mesh as a sharp-edged image onto a substrate. A fill blade or squeegee is moved across the screen stencil, forcing or pumping ink through the mesh openings to wet the substrate during the squeegee stroke. Basically, it is the process of using a mesh-based stencil to apply ink onto a substrate, whether it be t-shirts, posters, stickers, vinyl, wood, or other material.

Laser and Inkjet printing

Laser printing

Laser printing is an electrostatic digital printing process that rapidly produces high quality text and graphics by passing a laser beam over a charged drum to define a differentially charged image. The drum then selectively collects charged toner and transfers the image to paper, which is then heated to permanently fix the image.

Inkjet printing

Inkjet printing is a type of computer printing that creates a digital image by propelling droplets of ink onto paper, plastic, or other substrates.

Graphic design timeline

15,000 - 10,000 BC
The first known visual communication, with pictographs and symbols in the Lascaux caves in southern France.

3600 BC
The Blau Monument, the oldest artifact known to combine words and pictures.

105 AD
Chinese government official Ts’ai Lun credited with inventing paper.

1045 AD
Pi Sheng invents movable type, allowing for characters to be individually placed for printing.

1276
Printing arrives in Europe with a paper mill in Fabriano, Italy.

1450
Johann Gensfleisch zum Gutenburg credited with perfecting the system for printing type in books.

1460
Albrecht Pfister the first to add illustrations to a printed book.

1470
Nicolas Jenson, considered one of history’s greatest typeface designers, sets news standard for Roman type.

1530
Claude Garamond opens first type foundry, developing and selling fonts to printers.

1722
First Caslon Old Style font developed, later used for the printing of the Declaration of Independence.

1760
Industrial Revolution begins, setting the stage for advances in graphic design production.

1796
Author Aloys Senefelder develops lithography.

1800
Lord Stanhope invents first printing press made of all cast-iron parts, requiring 1/10 the manual labor and doubling the possible paper size.

1816
First sans-serif font makes a subtle entrance as one line of a book.

1861
Williams Morris, who became a highly influential figure in design history, sets up art-decorating firm.

1880
Development of halftone screen allows for first photo printed with a full range of tones.

1890
Art Nouveau movement begins and changes design, making its way into all types of commercial design and utilizing all types of arts.

1917
James Montgomery Flagg designs famous “I Want YOU for the U.S. Army” poster. The poster, a self-portrait, was actually an American version of a British poster by Alfred Leete.

1919
The Bauhaus, a German school, is founded, eventually providing the framework for modern design.

1932
Stanley Morison oversees design of Times New Roman font, commissioned by the Times of London.

1940
First issue of Print Magazine printed.

1956
Paul Rand designs IBM logo using City Medium typeface.

1957
Max Miedinger designs Neue Haas Grotesk font, later renamed Helvetica.

1959
First issue of Communication Arts printed.

1969
Douglas Engelbart develops first computer mouse, setting the stage for the future tool of graphic design.

1984
Apple releases first Macintosh computer, featuring bitmap graphics.

1985
Aldus, formed by Paul Brainerd, develops PageMaker software. Brainerd coins the phrase “desktop publishing.” In the same year, New York firm Manhattan Design creates the MTV logo.

1990
Photoshop version one released, and physicist Tim Berners-Lee develops the world wide web, along with HTML and the concept of website addresses.

Sunday 11 May 2014

Printing methods and finishes

Printing history

Printing is a process for reproducing text and images using a master form or template. The earliest examples include Cylinder seals and other objects such as the Cyrus cylinder & Cylinders of Nabonidus. The earliest known form of woodblock printing came from China dating to before 220 A.D.

List of printing methods

Woodblock printing	200 CE
Movable type	1040
Printing press	1453
Etching	c. 1515
Mezzotint	1642
Aquatint	1772
Lithography	1796
Chromolithography	1837
Rotary press	1843
Hectograph	1869
Offset printing	1875
Hot metal typesetting	1884
Mimeograph	1886
Screen printing	1910
Spirit duplicator	1923
Photocopying	1938
Phototypesetting	1949
Inkjet printing	1951
Dye-sublimation	1957
Dot matrix printer	1968
Laser printing	1969
Thermal printing	c. 1972
3D printing	1984
Digital press	1993

Printing finishes

Gather / Stitch / Trim - Three phrases used within the print industry to describe the process of collating print jobs, stapling booklets where necessary and trimming free edges to provide customers with a quality and professional finish. Graphics and Print have purchased a Horizon Saddle Stitcher in order to deliver this service in-house, thereby helping to speed up delivery and keeping costs to a minimum for our customers.

Laminating - the process of providing a plastic coating to printed material and gluing the two together using an adhesive. It is particularly useful for clients who have printed items that they want colleagues or customers to keep for long periods of time as the lamination helps to extend the shelf life of the item. Laminating is a service we can provide in-house, thereby speeding up delivery for clients and keeping costs to a minimum.

Perfect Binding - Perfect binding is the type of binding you see on books, manuals, catalogues, magazines and annual reports. Adhesive is used to attach a paper cover to the spine of the assembled signatures before being clamped together and placed in a machine that slices about 3mm off their left edges. Graphics and Print have invested in a Horizon BQ220 Perfect Binder to enable us to provide this service in-house. In turn, this means we can deliver your work quicker and we can keep costs down, with no need to outsource the work.

Die Cutting - Die cutting is a process used to create shapes to conventionally-edged printed items. For example, rather than having a straight-edged, rectangular brochure, you may choose to curve the edges to bring the item to life. Die cutting is used to generate large numbers of the same shape. Sharp, specially-shaped blades are used in die cutting. The blade is bent into the desired shape and mounted to a strong backing. The result is known as a die. The material being cut is placed on a flat surface with a supportive backing, and the die is pressed onto the material to cut it. Graphics and Print have invested in a Heidelberg 13 x 18 Platen along with a Heidelberg 57 x 82 cm converted cut/crease cylinder to bring you speed and quality of delivery by maintaining all the work in-house.

Endorse Folding - This is a simple finishing option which allows the folding of printed items, usually in half, to keep costs down when posting the items out to customers or colleagues. Not all print manufacturers offer this service, but with postage costs increasing regularly and A4 envelopes now costing more to post than A5, this can be a very important addition to your ‘finishing’ options. To send an A4 document first class (weight dependant) costs 75p. To send the same document but folded to A5 costs just 46p. Recognising this could be a real issue to our customers. Graphics and Print have purchased a Horizon AFC 504 AKT Folder 2000 to ensure we help you to keep your costs to a minimum by providing you with the Endorse Folding option in-house.

Spot UV - Spot UV is all about providing a varnish finish to your print items. If you want your print job to stand out from the crowd and really grab your audience’s attention, then this is something to seriously consider. Graphics and Print offer customers the ability to have Spot Varnish – the ability to highlight and draw attention to that part of the design you most want the customer to read – added. The varied texture also stimulates interest on a single printed surface. Graphics and Print can even apply a UV gloss spot varnish on top of matt laminated printing to provide the maximum contrast between the highly reflective, shiny UV coating and the light-absorbing matt laminate. This is how you can make your presentation folders or brochure covers really stand out from the crowd.

Embossing - Embossing is very simply the process of creating a three-dimensional image or design in paper and other materials. Most types of paper can be embossed, and size is not normally a consideration. Embossing without ink, so that the image is raised but not coloured, is called ‘blind embossing’ whilst embossing used in conjunction with ink, so that the raised area is coloured, is called ‘colour register embossing.’ Embossing used in conjunction with foil stamping is called ‘combination stamping’ or ‘combo stamping.’ This is an option customers may wish to consider if they want to give an impression of quality to their prospective customers. It is also used by many companies within letters of achievement or recognition cards to colleagues.