Archive for the ‘Printing’ Category

How Color Can Add “Zing” to Your Design and “Ka-Ching” to your Sales

Friday, December 30th, 2011

How Color Can Add “Zing” to Your Design and “Ka-Ching” to your Sales

January  2012

Vibrant colors add an exciting dimension to your marketing materials, but no one has to tell you 4-color graphics cost a lot more to print than black and white or 2-color graphics. How do you determine when it’s cost effective to go the distance and get full color?

In my experience, items such as book covers and video/audio/CD packages need to sell themselves on appearance alone. Often impulse buys, these items merit vibrant colors and attention-grabbing graphics or they fade away on the sellers’ shelves. By a phenomenally higher percentage, buyers are more likely to purchase books with a professionally designed, full-color cover than with an amateur cover that has only one or two colors.

For author Lin McNeil, I designed the second edition of her 7 Keys book cover using fresh graphics and full-color printing. Notice how the full-color cover jumps off the page compared with the original two-color version.

Before

After

When a portrait makes up the central graphic element in your piece, you want it to evoke a warm, personable feeling from the natural flesh tones of a full-color original photo. Add to that a colorful garment and action pose. Together, these color elements draw attention to the photo, which is what you want!

In Diane Sieg’s flyer, notice how her personality comes alive with the use of full color. As a result, the most important graphic element—her colorful fun portrait—becomes the focal point of the page.

Before

After

I recommend cutting back to 2-color graphics for your printed stationery and newsletters. That way, you can save your money for full-color printing on projects that demand more pizzazz—those have to jump off the sellers’ shelves.

Eye-Popping Tip: Printing full-color graphics on a traditional offset press becomes cost-effective in quantities above 1000. In many cases, a quantity of 500 usually costs only $30 less than a 1000. Why? Because the printer’s set-up charges make up most of the initial cost.

Want an alternative to offset printing? Consider opting for digital printing or color copies for quantities below 500. Color copies are priced per page without an initial set-up charge. Do your research and determine where the price break is for the quantity you want to print. That will help you decide which option to choose.

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Karen Saunders is the owner of MacGraphics Services, a unique graphic design firm for today’s entrepreneur. Get your copy of her free audio: Put the Bling Into Your Brand and free eCourse: 5 Deadly Design Mistakes that Could Kill a Sale and How to Avoid Them by visiting http://www.macgraphics.net/FreeStuff.php You can also contact her at 888-796-7300, or Karen@macgraphics.net.

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Posted in Book Covers, Color, One Sheet, Printing | No Comments »

Common Acronyms Used in Publishing, Printing, Design and Graphics

Tuesday, October 25th, 2011

November 2011

Common Acronyms Used in Publishing, Printing, Design and Graphics

Are you stumped by new acronyms that have suddenly as popped up and become part of the current lexicon in the publishing, marketing or advertising arenas? I’ve notice new acronyms are born whenever there is a new leap in technology, such as the emerging field of ebook publishing. Here are definitions of some common and newly coined acronyms you’ll be sure to hear about, if you haven’t already.

AI — Adobe Illustrator

A vector-based graphic file format developed by Adobe.

BMP — Bitmap

A raster-based file format.

CMYK— Cyan-Magenta-Yellow-Black

A four-ink color system used by printers to print full color images. This is “process color” printing.

CTP — Computer to Plate

A technology used in the printing industry. A desktop-published document is imaged directly onto a computer plate, skipping the film negative state.

DPI — Dots Per Inch

A measurement for gauging resolution in printing. In printing it refers to the number of dots placed in a line within one linear inch in a halftone image.

DRM — Digital Rights Management

A proprietary file encryption that helps publishers limit the illegal sale of copyrighted books.

EBOOK —  Electronic Book

A book in electronic form. Ebook files have file extensions of .mobi, .prc, .pdf, or .epub.

EPS — Encapsulated PostScript

A graphics file format developed by Adobe.

EPUB — Electronic Publishing

A file format for electronic books and Web publishing. The Apple ipad tablet with the ibookstore app, the Sony Nook, and the Adobe Digital Editions application all use this format to open ebooks.

FTP — File Transfer Protocol

A standard network protocol used to transfer files from one server to another over the Internet. Very efficient and fast.

GIF — Graphics Interchange Format

A file format developed by CompuServe and is used for bitmap images used on the Internet.

HTML — HyperText Markup Language

Standard coding protocol used for formatting and displaying text and graphics on the Internet. This language is used in formatting ebooks now too.

ISBN — International Standard Book Number

A unique 13-digit book identifier. Publishers purchase a separate ISBN number from Bowker.com for each book and every format of that book.

ISSN — International Standard Serial Number

An 8-digit unique identifier for a printed or electronic periodical publication.

JPG — Joint Photographic Experts Group

A file format was developed by the this group to standardize compressed graphics files. Often used for images on the Internet, photos and large graphics.

LCCN — Library of Congress Control Number

A serially based system for numbering catalog records (books) in the Library of Congress.

MOBI — Mobipocket

A file format for ebooks used on the Amazon Kindle, Mobipocket Reader and other ereader devices.

OCR — Optical Character Recognition

Software that scans images of handwritten or typed words and translates them into editable text. It is widely used to convert printed books and other large documents into electronic formats.

PDF — Portable Document Language

A versatile file format allows you to view the document on a variety of platforms (Macintosh, PC, UNIX, etc) using the free Adobe Acrobat reader.

PHP — Hypertext Preprocessor

A scripting language used to create dynamic web pages

PMS — Pantone Matching System

A proprietary color ink system by Pantone. These premixed spot colors are used in the printing industry.

PNG — Portable Network Graphics

A file format for bitmap images that incorporates compression. It was created to replace the GIF format for Internet graphics and photos.

POD — Print on Demand

A printing technology that allows individual books to be printed one at a time, as they are ordered.

PPC —  Pay Per Click

An Internet advertising model to direct traffic to websites. The advertisers pay the publisher (i.e. Amazon) each time the ad is clicked.

PPI — Pixels per inch

A measurement for gauging resolution in video or printing. In video it refers to spacing between the red, green and blue dots and in printing, it’s the number of pixels that appear in one inch.

PRC —  Palm Resource Code

An alternate file format for ebook documents used on Amazon Kindle, Mobipocket Reader and other ereader devices.

QR Code — Quick Response Code

A square matrix barcode made up of little black and white squares. You’ll see them printed on products, marketing pieces and ads. When you use your smart phone to scan them, you’ll be taken to a website where a video or more information about the product or service is found.

RSS — Resource Description Framework (RDF) Site Summary

A family of web feed formats to publish updated works such as blogs, audios and videos.

SEM — Search Engine Marketing

A form of Internet marketing that promotes web page visibility in search engine results.

SEO — Search engine Optimization

The process of improving a webpage rank with search engines such as Google.

TIF — Tagged Image File

A format for raster-based images such as photos.

URL ­ — Uniform Resource Locator

The address of a particular file or page on the Internet. It usually begins with http://www as in: http://www.macgraphics.net

XTML — Extensible HyperText Markup Language

An update of HTML which works as well or better than HTML, but has certain additional requirements in coding.

FROYO — Frozen Yogurt

Just seeing if you’ve read through the whole list!

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Karen Saunders is the owner of MacGraphics Services, a unique graphic design firm for today’s entrepreneur. Get your copy of her free audio: Put the Bling Into Your Brand and free eCourse: 5 Deadly Design Mistakes that Could Kill a Sale and How to Avoid Them by visiting http://www.macgraphics.net/FreeStuff.php You can also contact her at 888-796-7300, or Karen@macgraphics.net.

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Posted in Book Publishing, CMYK, Color, File Formats, Graphics for Offset Printing, Graphics for the Internet, ISBN, LCCN, Printing, QR Codes, RGB, SEO, Self Publishing, Uncategorized, Website Design, Websites, books, color system, eBooks, ebook format | No Comments »

What Special Effects Will Add Flair to Your Print Job?

Friday, April 29th, 2011

May 2011

What Special Effects Will Add Flair to Your Print Job?

You may want to consider using one of these unique processes to add pizzazz to a special job. They are implemented during the “finishing” stage, and will add to the cost of your piece. Ideal jobs for these special effects are pocket folders, brochures, and invitations.

Embossing

Embossing uses a metal die, heat, and pressure to reshape the surface of paper. Embossing raises the image above the paper surface while debossing lowers the image. Unless combined with foils (described below), it is referred to as “blind embossing.” A small magnesium die (for example, a logo on your business card) may cost $100. You will need a more expensive brass die for intricate designs, beveled edges, sculptured images, or for print runs longer than 1000 impressions. Dies are priced on size, intricacy, and material—brass being the best quality. Embossing is very attractive on textured cover-weight papers (for example, pocket folders).

Foil Stamping (or Foiling)

Foil stamping is a process that uses a heated die to stamp and adhere a special mylar-backed material to paper. Foils come in many colors and materials (including metallic and pearlescence), special patterns, and designs. You can combine foil stamping with embossing to create a more striking 3D image.

Diecuts

Diecuts are areas that are completely or partially punched out with a steel blade (like a cookie cutter). A diecut can be as simple as a slit designed to hold the corners of a business card to a folder. Die cuts on the outside of a piece allow part of an interior image to show through on the outside. These effects can be quite creative. Your entire piece may be diecut into a unique shape!

Some common uses of diecuts are rounded corners, door hanger slits, flaps, holes, windows, and pop-ups. Many printers keep a number of these common dies in stock.

Varnish

Varnish is a liquid shellac put on a printed piece to add a glossy, satin, or dull finish. It is applied like a final layer of ink after your piece is printed. It may be clear or tinted. Varnish can be used to reduce glare or enhance readability. Spot gloss varnish applied to photos printed on a coated, matte paper will make the photos “pop.” Aqueous coating is a more durable process that provides protection from fingerprints, scuffing, and scratches. UV-coating provides a high-gloss, rubbery, clear finish.

Curl-free Laminate

This is a  film laminate that is used mostly on paperback book covers to add protection and durability. It comes in a gloss or matte finish.

Fifth Color

You may notice that certain PMS colors do not reproduce well when printed with 4-color process (CMYK) inks. If your logo is one of these PMS colors, you may consider running a “fifth color.” In addition to the 4-color process inks, the printer would add the same PMS color ink that you normally use on your spot color jobs (for example, your stationery package) as your fifth color. The PMS ink would make your logo color match the color of your logo on your stationery materials.

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Karen Saunders is the owner of MacGraphics Services, a unique graphic design firm for today’s entrepreneur. Get your copy of her free audio: Put the Bling Into Your Brand and free eCourse: 5 Deadly Design Mistakes that Could Kill a Sale and How to Avoid Them by visiting www.MacGraphics.net/freestuff.php . You can also contact her at 888-796-7300, or Karen@macgraphics.net

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Posted in Marketing Materials, Printing | No Comments »

Choosing the Right Paper for Your Printing Project

Monday, April 4th, 2011

April 2011

Choosing the Right Paper for Your Printing Project

Choosing the right paper affects the success or failure of your book, direct mail piece, annual report, stationery, brochure, or package design. This summary will help you make the right decision about what kind of paper to use for your printed marketing pieces.

Defining Papers by Grade

Grade refers to a category of paper, based on the paper’s primary use. It also represents a quality rating, from premium (the best), to #1, #2, #3, etc. By category, there are five basic grades of paper: bond, offset or uncoated book, coated book, text, and cover. Within each grade are other characteristics: brightness, opacity, bulk, color, finish, and fiber content.

Defining Paper by Basis Weight

Paper is also identified by basis weight. Basis weight is the weight of 500 “standard size” sheets of paper cut into a basis size. However, standard size sheets vary in size from grade to grade. Two similar sheets of various grades may have different basis weights. In addition, coated papers are compressed, so they may weigh more, but don’t feel any thicker. Bond paper usually comes in 16# for forms, 20# for copying, and 24# for stationery. Offset ranges in weight from 50# to 70#. Coated book generally comes in 30# to 70# for web presses, and 60# to 110# for sheetfed. Text paper ranges from 60# to 100#. Cover paper usually comes in 60# to 100#, with duplex cover stocks doubling these numbers.

Eye-Popping Tip: It is best to obtain a free swatch book from your paper representative before purchasing or specifying paper for your printer or designer. The swatch book will give you the opportunity to examine and feel the various sheets for finish, thickness, stiffness, opacity (translucence), and color.

Brightness

Brightness is the amount of light that the paper reflects. Brighter paper will reflect more light through a printed photograph, resulting in photos that pop off the page. Type also will be more legible on brighter paper, but a very bright paper may cause too much eyestrain in long documents (e.g., book interiors).

Visual and Printed Opacity

Visual opacity is the light-blocking properties of the paper. Hold a sheet of paper up to the light and see how much shows through. Opacity is measured as a contrast ratio. The opacity of the majority of printing papers is 80 percent to 98 percent. It increases with bulk, coating, uneven surfaces, and the use of pigments (color), fillers, and ground wood. A sheet that is more opaque makes the text more readable and causes less eyestrain. Printed opacity is how much of the ink from one side soaks through the paper. Both of these characteristics are important considerations for two-sided and folded pieces.

Bulk

Bulk describes the thickness of the paper and is defined as pages per inch, or PPI. You will need to calculate the thickness of the finished piece to design the width of the spine or binding. If you have a thin book and want a wider spine, consider using a paper with more bulk.

Color

Papers come in an enormous array of hues. Even among white paper, there is a range from cooler, blue-grey whites to warmer, creamy whites. Remember, ink is translucent so the paper color will affect the resulting ink color. Warm paper will make colors look warmer. Color photos printed on a pure white paper will result in a closer match to your original color prints.

Finish

Finish is the texture of the paper’s surface. Paper can be as smooth as chrome or as rough as particle board. Cast-coated, premium, ultra gloss and gloss finish are the shiniest finishes, generally found on coated stock. These papers have a layer of clay and other chemicals that form a smooth veneer on top of the paper.

Coated paper does not necessarily mean gloss, since a coated paper can also have a matte finish. Uncoated papers can vary from the smoothest finish (machine finish) to a slightly toothy finish (vellum, antique, and eggshell) to the embossed finishes (felt, linen, laid, ribbed, and lined finish).

Eye-Popping Tip: If you need to write on the actual printed piece (i.e., business reply cards or forms), do not select a gloss finish because the ink from a ballpoint pen will smear when used on that surface.

The more textured a paper, the more ink will soak in, causing colors and halftones (photos) to become muted and/or muddy. Special steps are taken by the designer or pre-press department to adjust for ink holdout.

In bright lighting conditions, readability is easier on a matte finish rather than a gloss finish because there is less glare coming off the paper.

Recycled Papers

Recycled papers are virtually indistinguishable from their non-recycled counterparts, with similar performance, color, cost, and availability. Recycled paper varies on the percent of post-consumer waste (recycled fiber). Contact your paper rep for specific information on recycled paper. You will find the recycled paper symbol on any recycled paper regardless of post-consumer material content.

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Karen Saunders is the owner of MacGraphics Services, a unique graphic design firm for today’s entrepreneur. Get your copy of her free audio: Put the Bling Into Your Brand and free eCourse: 5 Deadly Design Mistakes that Could Kill a Sale and How to Avoid Them by visiting www.MacGraphics.net/freestuff.php . You can also contact her at 888-796-7300, or Karen@macgraphics.net

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Posted in Printing, book interior, paper | No Comments »

What’s the Difference Between a Digital and Offset Printer?

Thursday, September 23rd, 2010

October 2010

What’s the Difference Between a Digital and Offset Printer?

“Digital printing” can be a confusing term because the word “digital” is often used in different ways. To clarify its use when printing your marketing materials, let me point out the differences between using a traditional offset press, a direct imaging offset press, and a digital printer. Take special note of the pricing examples below to help demystify beliefs about digital printing. Then decide for yourself which option is most cost-effective for your projects.

Traditional Offset Presses

Traditional offset printing uses a plate for each color on the press. Today, most plates are imaged from computer files, but in the past, they were made from film negatives or camera-ready artwork that was photographed using a large graphics camera.

The process of having a plate for each color is called color separation. Colors can be spot colors (found in the well-known PMS swatch book) or process colors (derived from a combination of cyan, magenta, yellow, and black inks, each having its own plate). If you want a wide spectrum of colors in your printed piece, you’d use process color.

Offset presses are generally more cost-effective than digital printers for long print runs (usually 1000 sheets or more). Printing only one color is the least expensive option; 2-color printing costs more than 1-color; 3-color printing costs more than 2-color, and so on.

With offset printing, you will incur set-up charges, including color proofs, plates, and “make-ready” pages. (Make-ready pages are the sheets of paper that first come off the press while it’s getting warmed up. From examining make-ready pages, the press operator can adjust the flow of separate colored inks and achieve the desired balance of color.)

Computer to Plate (CTP) Technology

Many printing companies now skip the step of producing negatives and go “direct to plate” by taking the computer file and imaging the plates on a platesetter. With this process, there’s no need to make negatives. This technology is referred to as “computer-to-plate” or CTP.

Direct Imaging Presses (Digital Offset)

Some newer offset presses are equipped to image plates on the press, and these include the Heidelberg DI, Adast DI and Presstek DI. These presses are a good fit for jobs between 500 and 5,000 sheets.

Eye-Popping Tip: A typical sheet size is 11″ x 17″, therefore you can print two 8.5″ x 11″ flyers on one sheet, doubling the quantity.

Full-Color Digital Printers

Digital printing equipment such as the Xerox DocuColor or HP Indigo do not require printing plates. Because these presses do not use make-readies, negatives, or plates, they are the most cost-effective option for short runs (usually less than 500 sheets per job).

Digital printers can also print variable data (for example, addresses from a postcard mailing list or consecutive numbers on gift certificates). Also, because they only print either CMYK or black ink, costs are generally the same whether you print one color or four colors.

Price Comparisons

Project: 8.5″ x 11″ flyer on 100-pound glossy text paper printed on one side, 1000 copies, with the following specifications:

4-color on Digital Printer $300–$375

1-color on Offset Press (Traditional or CTP) $200–$250

2-color on Offset Press (Traditional or CTP) $275–$325

3-color on Offset Press (Traditional or CTP) $375–$425

4-color on Offset Press (Traditional or CTP) $600–$800

4-color on Offset Press (Gang Printer) $300–$375

Please note: This is a general list of prices for comparison purposes only. Your printing company’s prices may be higher or lower, depending on many factors including turnaround time.

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Karen Saunders is the author of  Turn Eye Appeal into Buy Appeal: How to easily transform your marketing pieces into dazzling, persuasive sales tools! Learn more about her book and get free instant access to her eCourse:
5 Deadly Design Mistakes that Could Kill a Sale and How to Avoid Them, and audio class:
Put the Bling Into Your Brand at www.macgraphics.net/

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