Printing Q&A

Choosing a Printing Company
The following recommendations are not intended to be a complete guide —
they're just a few tips to consider when shopping for a printing company.

The key to successfully completed printed projects is communication. Begin by interviewing the salesperson. You should feel comfortable with the salesperson's level of knowledge and understanding. Can you talk with the production manager
or prepress technician if needed?

Most salespeople show samples. This is a perfect opportunity to gain more insight. What were the critical areas of the sample and how did the printer achieve the results? Ask to see samples showing the specific techniques you'll be using in your project.

Most printing projects require special services of one kind or another. You should know which services are performed inhouse for the best control and which are sent out to another source. Examples of specialized services are bindery options, special coatings, and finishing options such as diecutting, stamping, or embossing. Do they offer fulfillment and mailing services? Ask for an equipment list. Do not assume a listed service is performed inhouse.

Ask about any specifics you're interested in, such as what line screen is generally used. Do they mix their own inks? Are they Mac and IBM/PC compatible?

Finally, tour the pressroom. Look for an organized and clean plant. The pressroom and warehouse should be temperature and humidity controlled. Ask about their quality control systems and techniques. Are there accommodations for performing customer okays?

Keep in mind that you are buying a custom-made product. And remember, the key to success is communication. Make sure your printer understands what you expect…and you understand their capabilities. Printing is both art and a highly technical enterprise loaded with variables. Your printer may break all the "rules" and still come up with extraordinary results.

10 Days or 1?
When I brought a job to my printer last week, he told me that it would take ten days
to finish the job. I brought him a similar job last month and that one only took one afternoon. When I asked him why it would take so long, he said it was pretty technical and muttered something about "lead times." What's the real story?

Jobs that may seem almost the same to the layman can be seen quite differently through the eyes of a printing professional.

The first job for example, a program for a dinner-dance, was printed with black ink on blue, uncoated paper. And the piece required printing only on one side of the paper. Volunteers from the organization folded the printed pieces that same day.

The second job was also a program, this time for an annual meeting. In a printer's eyes that is where the similarity ended. A more sophisticated look was required for this piece, so a heavyweight, coated paper was selected. In addition, a second color was added to the outside of the program…and information was printed on both sides. The printer had to allow extra time because it takes longer for ink to dry on coated paper. The thickness of the paper also meant the programs had to be scored prior to folding. Finally, the printer folded the piece. Regardless of the equipment, these extra steps always add to production time.

Each of these differences may seem minor, but each one slows the production process. Of course, printers don't expect you to know everything about the time factors involved with each design choice. Ask. Any printer will give you a fairly solid time estimate.

What's PMS?
Hint: It's not what you might think! ;-D

PMS stands for Pantone Matching System. It is called a "matching system" because the swatches are identified by unique numbers. The ink is mixed from master colors according to the "recipe" on each swatch. For very lengthy print jobs, or for some reason the printer does not want to mix the color, PMS ink can be purchased pre-mixed. While there are other ink matching systems, PMS is generally considered the standard to which others are compared.

PMS is a standard, common way for designers and printers to select a special color ink other than those produced with the CMYK color model. These colors include metallics, fluorescents, and other colors that can't be obtained with traditional four-color (CMYK) process inks. These special colors are also referred to as "spot" color.

The typical PMS book shows small printed swatches of a given color on coated (slick finished) and uncoated (dull finished) paper. The swatches are presented in logical sequence. For example, one section of the book will contain all hues of red, starting with deep shades and proceeding to light tints.

You can purchase a PMS book for yourself. All large art supply stores carry them and they can be purchased online. Because inks fade over time and with exposure to light, be sure to periodically replace the books.

Overs and Unders
I ordered 1,000 expensive, three-color envelopes for a special mailing from a printer. When I picked them up, there were only 925. The printer said he would charge
me a little less. I told him I needed the other 75, but he said he wouldn't print them because the setup was too expensive. I'm not going back there. Do all printers work that way?

The printer is within his rights to state that this was an expensive job to setup and
not offer to do it again for free. In the printing industry, unless it's agreed beforehand (preferably in writing), a printer can deliver up to 10% less or 10% more of what you ordered and charge accordingly.

The printer ended up short because he must have had difficulty with the job some-where or possibly had a bad counter. Therefore he offered a credit. Of course, that doesn't help you because exactly 1,000 was needed. And now your relationship has gone bad as well.

The answer to this is to explain when the order is placed that "no less than" a certain quantity is needed. Then the printer can take precautions to ensure that the count
is met. This might mean running more at a slightly higher cost to you but you will get what you need — no less than a certain amount.

To be certain everyone knows the story, note the request in writing either on your purchase order or attach a short letter with the job.

NOTE: Minimum required, 1000.
We cannot accept less; this is a special mailing. -- Fred

Paper: Choices, Choices, Choices!
Have you ever done this? Spent a lot of time and money designing a brochure or pamphlet to print. You bring it in for printing, and you're asked what paper you want to print it on. You haven't really thought about it, so you say, "What do you have in gray?" When you are shown some gray samples, they're not exactly what you had in mind. So, some more sample books are brought out and you choose a special paper. You're told it will be ordered today and it will arrive in two days. The job will be printed then. "But I need this job tomorrow!" you say.

Most times the printer manages to get the paper and the job is printed in time —
with rush charges added to the total bill. This little scenario illustrates an important point about paper. Although it's the basis for most every print job, paper and Rodney Dangerfield have something in common — they get no respect!

More often than not, paper is the last thing thought about when a project is being put together. Even then, many only worry about its color. That's a shame, because paper
is an amazing invention. It offers more versatility than can be imagined. It comes in thousands of sizes, weights, and thicknesses, and in varying degrees of stiffness
and opacity. It also has a grain, texture, and of course, color. The choices in shades
of white alone will boggle the mind.

With all these wonderful qualities, paper deserves a little more respect and consider-ation. Even if all that matters is the color of the paper, consider this: selecting the paper at an earlier stage in the project could save a lot of headaches.and money.

Three factors — communication, time, and budget — are important in making any printing decision. Choosing paper is no exception.

Communication
Communicating with the printer about some of the choices you're making for your project can save time and trouble. The more the printer knows about what you want to accomplish, the more they'll be able to help by offering alternatives in paper choices best suited to the project and perhaps save money.

Time
The second crucial factor is time. We've all had occasions when we've had to settle
for less because of deadline constraints. In anticipation of a deadline, a printer can have everything ready for you — especially the paper needed. By remembering the
first critical factor — communication — he can help you meet your deadline.

Budget
The money budgeted for any job will certainly affect which paper is chosen. In the scene described earlier, extra money for rush charges made it possible to meet the deadline. Ideally, through communication, deadlines can be met without spending extra money.

Picking the Sheet
With those three factors in mind, consider some of the choices you should make when selecting paper. Before making a paper selection, make a decision. Exactly what should this printed piece to do? If there is a definite plan for the piece, the other choices will be much easier. Select a paper by its characteristics. These will include size, weight, thickness, opacity, grain, and color. Decide on the size of the piece quite early in a project. Before making that size absolute, it will pay to check with the printer. All presses have a certain limit on the size of the paper they can handle. Also, certain papers come in standard sizes. Since the printer will know both the standard paper sizes and the capabilities of their press, they can help make the most practical and economical decision. At times, they can save you money simply by accepting a stand-ard size paper and varying the job's size by as little as 1/8 inch.

Paper Weight
As soon as the size is decided, the printer will likely ask what weight of paper you'd like. The numbers discussed may be confusing. Just remember, they have nothing to do with the opacity or the stiffness of the paper. The numbers refer to a paper's "basis weight." The basis weight is the weight, in pounds, of one ream (500 sheets) of that paper in its basis size (the "standard" size). For example, paper which has a basis size of 25" x 38" may weigh 70 pounds per ream. That paper is known as "70-pound stock."

The weight of a paper often determines its cost. Seventy-pound stock will cost more than 40-pound stock — all other factors being equal. It's important then to choose the right weight of paper. The paper should be heavy enough to stand up to the purpose for the job, but excessive weight will only make it more cumbersome and expensive.

If choosing paper for a job that will be mailed, that choice will be even more important because of its effect on the amount of postage paid. Heavier is not always better. Instead of buying heavier paper, a thicker paper might be chosen.

The proper term for a paper's thickness is "caliper." A paper's caliper may not be as important as its opacity. Opacity, the degree of "see through," is especially important when both sides of the paper will be printed.

Paper Grain
Paper grain (the direction of the fibers of wood or rag in the paper) is of more concern to the printer than to you. It makes a difference in how a paper behaves in their presses and bindery equipment. Most importantly, grain makes a big difference if the job will be folded. When paper is folded against the grain, the fibers will break and leave a ragged surface at the fold. Letting the printer know whether or not, and how a job will be folded, will give the him the information he needs to order a paper with the proper grain.

Last, but not least, back to that first choice color. Paper color is as important as the color of ink chosen, and it can be used in muchthe same way. A colored paper can help attract attention to the piece.

Don't make the choice of paper the last thing thought about when planning a printing project. Give it some respect. Talk to your printer about your choices, and keep in mind the factors of time and money. Decide exactly what the piece will accomplish, and talk to them about options in size, weight, caliper, and opacity. Soon you'll understand just how diverse paper is and why we think it's such an amazing product.

The next time you ask, "What do you have in gray?," you'll know why there are so many other questions to ask.

What to Check on a Printer's Proof
Are all of the pages there and in the correct sequence?
Are the headers, footers, and folios in alignment?
Do borders and rules that cross over pages align properly?
Are there any typographical errors in the headlines or callouts?
Are all of the elements in correct register?
Are photos correctly placed, scaled, and cropped?
Have any of the images been flopped?
Are the flesh tones realistic?
Is the trim size correct?
Is the folding correct?
Is each element in the right color?
Have critical color areas been accurately matched?
Are there any blemishes or spots?
Is there any broken type?
Have all revisions from the previous proof been made and done correctly?

Take your time. Don't try to do everything at once. Start by scanning the overall appearance of the sheet and look for any glaring errors. Are all the photos there and positioned correctly? Is any type missing? Are the color breaks correct? Try to look
at the sheet as if you've never seen it before. That's the way your audience will see
it. Compare the sheet to the color proofs with the undersatinding they will probably
not match perfectly. If you have any concerns, speak with the pressman or your sales-person and make any adjustments together.

As a rule, it is infinitely better to explain your concerns to the pressman and rely on his expertise to correct the problem rather than you telling him how to fix it. For example, say that an area "looks too red" and let the printer decide what the cause is and how to fix it. If you tell him to take the red out, you may find that when it's gone that the problem was actually not enough blue or yellow. Allow the printer to use his expertise to resolve problems. And keep in mind that it's better to make a series of small changes rather than big ones. Remember that adjusting color in one area will affect the entire sheet.

To check the eveness of solids, ask the pressman to take a baseline densitometer reading. Densitometers measure the amount of each color that is running. The read-ings are taken from the color bars at intervals across the length of the sheet to check color consistency.

While it's impossible to touch upon every aspect of printing, the following compre-hensive checklist will help you acheive printing perfection. Remember, this is NOT
the time to make significant changes. Also avoid making minor, insignificant changes while on press. Revisions can be costly and time consuming compared with the return they might net.

When you are satisfied with the appearance, you will be asked to sign and date a press sheet. Better yet, sign three…one for the printer, one for your client, and one for yourself. This sheet will be used as the standard for the balance of the press run.