Wednesday 30 October 2013

What type of paper to choose for printing?

So you have got designed your flyer or pamphlet, found an esteemed printer and currently you’re prepared for printing. However the big question is currently what paper stock (paper material) to choose? Should you use a gloss or silk paper or however regarding an uncoated sheet? These area unit necessary inquiries to ask, the right choice of paper will enhance your design and image; the wrong choice could spoil the print job and leave you disappointed. Which one is right to use? But what are all these different papers?
There are basically two main categories of paper used today for printing, coated and uncoated paper.

Coated Paper or board

This paper incorporates a coating applied to either one or both sides of the sheet. it’s typically mentioned as art paper. The coating may be a mixture of china clay, latex and alternative compounds that once applied improve the smoothness of the paper surface giving top quality printing. Coated paper is the natural selection for full color prime quality print work like flyers, brochures or posters. The coating allows for sharp pictures, spirited color and improved ink drying.
Silk coating (Silk Art or Silk) encompasses a smooth end with a small shine. This finish permits for excellent print results without the shine you’d get from a gloss stock. it’s good for company brochures, flyers and posters wherever the dearth of “glossiness” makes print straightforward to read.
Matt finish (Matt Art) is additionally a smooth sheet however with a dull finish. it’s rarely used nowadays, however would be a decent alternative if there are giant areas of text. Some individuals like the unostentatious finish of Matt art as a part of their image.
Coated paper is available during a range of different finishes the main ones being silk, matt and gloss.
Gloss finish (Gloss Art or Gloss) encompasses a shiny coating. This coating permits for fast ink drying and allows for the foremost spirited of colors. Gloss is extensively used for flyers, booklets and posters among others.

Uncoated Paper (offset)

Uncoated paper has no coating applied to the paper. though there are a range of various qualities of finish, uncoated paper still has pits within the surface of the paper. the lack of coating doesn’t provide for the most effective results in full color printing. Drying times also increase once using uncoated paper. this kind of material is best suited to company stationery like letterheads or for newsletters.

Paper weights
Paper is measured, in the UK, as grams per square meter or GSM. The upper the GSM the thicker and bulkier the paper, although paper thickness and bulk will vary greatly between completely different paper brands of identical GSM. Typically silk art is bulkier (or thicker) than a glossy paper of identical weight. Paper weights vary from 70gsm up to 400gsm for the majority of print jobs. Heavier board is offered however not sometimes used for general print jobs.
Generally letterheads are written on either a 100gsm or a 120gsm Uncoated paper, leaflets on a 130gsm or 150gsm, flyers on a 300gsm or 350gsm.
In the A series size of papers, A0 size is one area unit, therefore associate A4 sheet of paper can weigh one sixteenth of the quoted gsm e.g. one A4 stationery written on 100gsm can weigh vi grams.
A good plan before inserting any print work is to raise your printer to send samples of the paper stock they use. evoke a spread of accessible weights and endes and if attainable evoke written samples on the fabric to grant you a decent plan on the finish.

Key Printing Terms you must to Know

Progressively designers these days are working in a selection of mediums — both digital and print. But it can take a dissimilar set of condition to put together a successful project for all. Print design has its individual jargon.

1. DPI

Dots per inch are determined of printing quality. A lot of printers work by producing little dots per square inch to generate an image, more dots equivalent greater accuracy and fact.
Dots per inch
Dots per inch
But there is a boundary to the number of dots per inch that the eye can in fact see. Usually, 300 and 600 DPI is the standards for most print jobs, depending on the kind of paper and printer used. Lighter load papers print with lower DPI because of bleed and latent ink over-saturation of paper. Laser-style printers on first-class paper often run at a top DPI.
It is significant to note that increasing DPI will raise a file size. It is optional to save each file at the suitable print DPI to conserve filing efficiency.
While mainly design software tools contain measurements in DPI, they only pass on to print design. DPI means not anything when it comes to digital projects since screen motion is not measured in the similar way; digital resolution is calculated in pixels.

2. CMYK

Each color is created by mixing dissimilar values of these four hues. Print processes are based on CMYK printing and require corresponding CMYK color standards to reproduce exact color.
CMYK printing JPP
CMYK printing JPP

So every color will look something akin to this: C=100 M=53 Y=0 K=47.
Using CMYK color helps you find consistent results crossways print jobs. If your logo uses the blue over, you will want to use the similar CMYK values for each job, rather than eyeballing a blue color to preserve brand constancy.
To make sure the best and most precise print job, change documents and colors to CMYK before submitting them for printing.

3. Large Format

Huge format refers to everything that has to be printed using a forte printer, usually larger than 16 by 20 inches. Huge format printing is used for banners, billboards and posters.
Large Format printing
Large Format printing
What’s unlike about large format printing is that is it planned to be viewed from a detachment and quite often huge format projects will look rather pixilated.
It does obtain a high-quality image to make these types of projects. Image a typical size 8.5 by 11-inch flier on a much better scale. The image has to be better but some printers need a lesser DPI, some as small as 150 DPI, depending on size and employ of the item.

4. Pantone Color

Pantone is recognized as the worldwide usual of color. The Pantone Matching System is based on situate for standard colors that can be varied in precise combinations that print time after time across dissimilar printing presses and substrates.
pantone color chart
Pantone color chart
Pantone colors are recognized by number and the company produces color kits to help you preserve consistent print excellence across mediums. Industrial Materials take paper into account for color mixing and use a put of letters to help note paper sort for each color mix. The color integer is followed by C, U or M, which communicates to paper types covered, uncoated or matte.

5. RIP

A RIP is strictly a piece of software and the real process turns files into a bitmap for printing. Packaging files correctly is vital for the RIP process and the software wants to be able to “read” all pertinent file information. As files are changed to a single image, fonts must be read and compressed.
coffee cups bitmap
coffee cups bitmap