What is design for print - Design production - Research

The information i'd like to / could include

- Choose substrate appropriate for print type

- Work with CMYK when dealing with screen to print

- Work to the size of the print out

- Use finishes to add to a product

- Spell check before printing

- Always do a pre-flight check

- Produce mock ups before printing final pieces

- Get several printing quotes, early on.

- Learn roughly what things cost (unit cost) the more the cheaper

- Be aware the stock will effect the vibrancy of the print out, if uncoated it will be less saturated than that on gloss.

- Always work with 300dpi - High resolution for print out

- Composition - slug, bleed, columns, layout of book (imposition) 

- Finishes

- File setup
- Printing techniques

....

Think -

Stock:

- Weights (gsm)

- Finish gloss / matt / silk / coated / uncoated

- Laid or wove

- Boards Carton

- Plastics and acetates

Paper types

Newsprint: Short life span, cheap, used in newspapers and comics

Antique: roughest finish offered on offset paper, used to add texture to publications such as annual reports.

Uncoated woodfree: Largest printing and writing paper category - e.g office paper and photocopy paper

Mechanical: Produced using wood pulp, for short term use, eg newspaper

Art board: Uncoated board, cover stock.

Art: High quality paper, good printing surface, especially for half tones and where detail is important. Colour printing, magazines.

Cast coated: High - gloss finish 

Chromo: Waterproof coating on one side, good for embossing. Used for labels, wrappings and covers.

Cartridge: Thick white paper used for pencil and ink drawings. 

Grey board: Lined or unlined board made from waste paper. Packaging material. 

Size:

- A sizes

- SRA - oversize A versions

- Standard ISO sizes

- Imperial (North America) versus metric (Rest of world)

- Tabloid, Braodsheet, Berliner

- Envelope 'C' sizes

- DL size - Regular envelope

Print methods:

-Lithographic

- Gravure

- Screen print

- Flexography

- Pad - printing

- Six colour

Lithography:

Uses metal plate to transfer a design via a rubber blanket to the stock. Typically four colour (CMYK)

Wash print:

Allows most delicate of colours to be applyed to a substrate. Uses highly diluted ink to produce a flat colour which is subtle. 

Silk screen:

Imposes an image onto a substrate by forcing ink through a screen has has a design. Slow process, high quality. 

Letterpress:

Relief printing in which an inked raised surface is forced against a substrate. First form of commercial printing. Unique in its slight indentations through varying prints.

Hot metal printing:

The process of casting type in lines of molten metal. 

Thermography:

Used to produce raised letters on substrates. Powder dispensed onto sheet of printed paper, the powder sticks, when pushed through an oven fuses with substrate and leaves a raised surface.

Finishes

- Laminate - gloss / matt

- Foil blocking

- Embossing / de-bossing

- Spot W varnish

- Binding

- Folding and creasing

- Die stamping / drilling