I think it's appropriate, after eight months since my first post, to introduce you to where I spend my days: Graphateria.
As you know, my blog is aimed at improving the experience of print buying. Because much of the information I post has been gained during the last 15 years while working at Graphateria, I am devoting this installment to what I feel is Tallahassee’s premier customer-centered print shop.
If you have never worked with us, I hope this will be one of the most useful posts yet. If you have worked with us before, I hope to reveal some new capabilities that you will find valuable.
With the addition of a 100% digital printing system, we are fully equipped to handle the full range of printing needs typical of a Tallahassee business, association, or non-profit organization. From as few as 50 copies, as the job quantity increases, we are able to transition from one machine to another to provide seamless capability. If your project is very large or technically complex, we also have access to regional and national vendors whose track record we're familiar with. In short, if we can't do it here, we'll help you find someone who can.
Our interactions are based on a one-to-one relationship between a contact person from the shop and each customer. We feel strongly that you should only have to call one person to get your order under way, or get your questions answered. We are happy to come to your office, (we make house calls!), or, if you appreciate the chance to get out of the office once in a while, we're always happy to see you here. (If you have kids, bring them along, they can play with Molly and Otis.) We also offer plant tours for those interested in seeing first hand how their job is produced.
We have very high quality standards. In any business the human element makes all the difference to the quality of your experience. Our production people have been with the company an average of ten years, and understand the value of longstanding customer relationships. From proofing to production and final packaging, we are always paying attention to the details in order to keep your job looking its best.
We archive everything we print, and have done so since at least 1996. For a nominal fee, we can pull back your project from its last printing and work with you from there. Customers who have experienced widespread system failures can tell you how important this feature can be, as our archive files may be the only ones in existence.
We support both MAC and PC files in their native environments, and are experts at helping people move their projects from their own systems to the shop without errors. From programs which are less printer-friendly (e.g. Microsoft Word or Publisher) we can work around the inherent problems by helping you create production grade PDFs. For any layout, we offer help creating templates, and have some standard templates for download at our website, here.
We work with a large network of graphic designers, and also offer in-house services for simple layouts. Using this approach we help keep your costs as low as possible and match your project with the appropriate design capabilities. If your job is not ready to come to the shop, we can set you up with a design pro who will make you look great!
The cost of local delivery is included in our basic pricing, and many other distribution options are available. We are online with FedEx, UPS and Benton Express (LTL), and regularly drop-ship jobs to multiple locations for a nominal fee, (plus the actual cost of freight).
We're flexible. Our way of doing business is whatever works best for you. In these uncertain times there is no longer a "right way" or "wrong way" to do things. We understand the pressures of budgets and deadlines, and work with clients everyday to help them move forward by utilizing the unique advantages of printed material, while acknowledging the necessity of keeping costs under control.
I feel strongly that Graphateria has a lot to offer. We welcome inquiries about our services and pricing, and are always excited about a new challenge.
What's yours?
Hugh Butler
Your friend in the printing business
Thursday, June 25, 2009
Thursday, June 11, 2009
How to use cheap paper and not save money
Answer: Make that choice on a short run. The fact is that cheaper paper will always save some money, but it's often an insignificant amount, and the choice may do more harm that good. The main factor to consider is run length, and therefore how much paper you're buying. Let's talk about an average brochure by way of example: a letter size brochure, full color on both sides and folded.
At a quantity of 1,000 printed on 100# gloss text, this job will cost about $360 at our shop. It's a great sheet of paper for a self mailer or rack brochure...substantial, but not quite card stock. If you tinker a little, and change to 80# gloss text, you'll save a whopping $8, and the paper will be a little floppy. That's a savings of about 2%.
Go to the illogical extreme of the paper spectrum; run the same job the same way on 20# copier paper, and you will absolutely sacrifice the quality of the printing to save $19, or about 5%. In return you'll get a job which looks, for want of a better term, "homemade". Translation: death at the mailbox when it shows up next to that mailer from the Gap, or Pottery Barn.
The same comparison doesn't yield the same result at a higher quantity. At 10,000 brochures the cost savings from switching paper is $115, or 12%. The more paper involved in the job, the more potential savings can be found and balanced against the detrimental effect on quality. (I'm not saying it's a good idea to run anything on copier paper...just to point out that, as the quantity increases the percentage of the total cost devoted to paper increase as well.) As always, this is best investigated in a discussion with your print vendor.
A significant, and often hidden, cost regarding paper is a customer specification of "Recycled". Particularly in the coated grades, these papers come at a steep price premium and limited availability. My recommendation if you seek a quote specifying "Recycled Paper" is that you also ask for an optional proposal for "Non-Recycled" and compare the two. That way you can balance your agencies "green" aspirations against it's budget. We quoted a job recently where the cost difference amounted to almost $2,000.
Further, if you decide on the "Recycled" option, ask for a written statement of exactly what paper was used:
One final note on the subject of paper...it's heavy! If you are mailing, the weight per piece will jack up your postage every time you go to the next ounce, and if you're shipping the total weight can turn out to be quite impressive. An awareness of this physical aspect of your job can help you control these costs, and prevent surprises at a point, where I always hate to point out, it's too late to do anything about it.
One side effect of new printing technologies, and the lowered cost of full color printing, is that paper has become a truly secondary concern. Just as the choice you make about which kind of cone to get with your ice cream, the paper is not the main attraction. Paper companies, adjusting to new economic realities, are keeping fewer items in inventory and at lower levels. You can't print without it, however, and an active, informed choice about paper is always preferable to going with a default.
Thank you for continuing to visit "Your friend in the printing business", and for supporting this all-original content. Please take a moment to rate this post in the poll at the upper right corner, and let me know what you think. Until then,
See you online!
Hugh Butler
Your friend in the printing business
At a quantity of 1,000 printed on 100# gloss text, this job will cost about $360 at our shop. It's a great sheet of paper for a self mailer or rack brochure...substantial, but not quite card stock. If you tinker a little, and change to 80# gloss text, you'll save a whopping $8, and the paper will be a little floppy. That's a savings of about 2%.
Go to the illogical extreme of the paper spectrum; run the same job the same way on 20# copier paper, and you will absolutely sacrifice the quality of the printing to save $19, or about 5%. In return you'll get a job which looks, for want of a better term, "homemade". Translation: death at the mailbox when it shows up next to that mailer from the Gap, or Pottery Barn.
At a small quantity of 500 or 1,000 you should always pay for the good stuff, maybe even upgrade the stock...the effectiveness of the brochure will be a good return on the investment of less than $20.
The same comparison doesn't yield the same result at a higher quantity. At 10,000 brochures the cost savings from switching paper is $115, or 12%. The more paper involved in the job, the more potential savings can be found and balanced against the detrimental effect on quality. (I'm not saying it's a good idea to run anything on copier paper...just to point out that, as the quantity increases the percentage of the total cost devoted to paper increase as well.) As always, this is best investigated in a discussion with your print vendor.
A significant, and often hidden, cost regarding paper is a customer specification of "Recycled". Particularly in the coated grades, these papers come at a steep price premium and limited availability. My recommendation if you seek a quote specifying "Recycled Paper" is that you also ask for an optional proposal for "Non-Recycled" and compare the two. That way you can balance your agencies "green" aspirations against it's budget. We quoted a job recently where the cost difference amounted to almost $2,000.
Further, if you decide on the "Recycled" option, ask for a written statement of exactly what paper was used:
Among less scrupulous vendors it will sometimes happen that a job is priced one way and run another, and it may be impossible to tell the difference afterwards. It's a good idea to take concrete steps to remove this temptation, and allow all your vendors to compete on a level playing field.
One final note on the subject of paper...it's heavy! If you are mailing, the weight per piece will jack up your postage every time you go to the next ounce, and if you're shipping the total weight can turn out to be quite impressive. An awareness of this physical aspect of your job can help you control these costs, and prevent surprises at a point, where I always hate to point out, it's too late to do anything about it.
One side effect of new printing technologies, and the lowered cost of full color printing, is that paper has become a truly secondary concern. Just as the choice you make about which kind of cone to get with your ice cream, the paper is not the main attraction. Paper companies, adjusting to new economic realities, are keeping fewer items in inventory and at lower levels. You can't print without it, however, and an active, informed choice about paper is always preferable to going with a default.
The right choices about weight, finish, color and texture can all enhance the effectiveness of your project, and sometimes at a cost which makes you wonder why you didn't switch a long time ago.
Thank you for continuing to visit "Your friend in the printing business", and for supporting this all-original content. Please take a moment to rate this post in the poll at the upper right corner, and let me know what you think. Until then,
See you online!
Hugh Butler
Your friend in the printing business
Thursday, May 28, 2009
Welcome to a new world of professional printing
It's faster, less expensive, and the quality has never been better!
From a technological standpoint this is the golden age of professional printing, and your printing dollar has never gone farther. The only part of the business people may be nostalgic for is simplicity; as with most features of modern life technology blurs all the boundaries making your choices harder to see. It has a lot to do with terminology...let's see if we can sort it out.
100% digital is a horse of another color, and is extending the capability of a modern printshop to shorter runs:
A modern, production grade, digital printer is really an outstanding piece of equipment. Although the fundamental technology is the same as a digital copier, it makes about as much sense to call them "copiers" as it does to call an IPhone a "telephone". Digital printers produce high quality images at an affordable rate, and the product can be trimmed and folded the same day it's printed. Here are some things you need to know in order to take advantage of this technology.
Make sure your digital printing is done by a responsible professional. Digital printing systems vary A LOT in terms of the color they produce, and the quality of their images. This is partly a machine issue (is it a good one?) but mostly a professional service issue. The people who set up the workflows must have a high level of graphics knowledge, and the operators must take care meticulous care of these fragile machines. The machines should be dedicated to the proper kind of work and not used outside their parameters, where the quality could be degraded.
Insist on a proof copy. It's generally good news that digital printers are calibrated for "pleasing color". However, keep in mind that this is not a hard and fast standard, compared, for instance, with Pantone inks. If you have corporate colors, or you think it's important to maintain consistency across your printed products, this may be a chance to go astray. The only way to know, and decide if color tweaking is called for, is to see a proof copy before you proceed. Be sure to see a proof copy of a digital printing job just as you would for a longer run to be printed offset. This leads us to the next critical point.
Give careful consideration as to whether your project belongs on a digital printer. First, nnot every job will fit on a digital printer, so be sure you know the capabilities of the print shop you're looking at. (If your job exceeds 18 inches in width or 12 inches in height you may run out of room.) For example, if your job has a flat size of 22 inches, and you only need 150 copies,you may have to run offset and be prepared to pay many hundreds of dollars for those 150 copies. If you know this beforehand you can decide whether the design or the budget needs to be adjusted. Second, not every paper stock is digital compatible. This is yet another fact you don't want to learn when your job is on deadline.
Finally, don't go digital merely for the sake of new technology. Although digital printing is particularly cost effective in short runs compared with offset, it's not universally less expensive. The lower cost of getting the job up and running (don't need to make plates, remember?) will eventually be overcome by the higher cost per sheet run through. Also, the sheet size is small, limiting the number-up that can be run. Generally, offset will beat digital, price wise, at about 1,000 copies, depending on the particulars.
Hugh Butler
Your friend in the printing business
From a technological standpoint this is the golden age of professional printing, and your printing dollar has never gone farther. The only part of the business people may be nostalgic for is simplicity; as with most features of modern life technology blurs all the boundaries making your choices harder to see. It has a lot to do with terminology...let's see if we can sort it out.
"Up until the past few years, most of the advances in printshop technology concerned the steps required to make a set of offset plates. Further advances are giving us the ability to print without conventional metal plates, or without plates at all. Let's call the range of options conventional offset, hybrid digital/offset, and 100% digital."Conventional offset has been covered in past posts (click here for background). Hybrid digital/offset simply means that plates are laser-imaged inside the press. By eliminating laser-imaging of the plates as a separate step, the "getaway" time for hybrid is shorter and the cost of getting to the first good sheet is low. This is a critical step in getting the unit cost of short run offset printing to an affordable level.
100% digital is a horse of another color, and is extending the capability of a modern printshop to shorter runs:
A modern, production grade, digital printer is really an outstanding piece of equipment. Although the fundamental technology is the same as a digital copier, it makes about as much sense to call them "copiers" as it does to call an IPhone a "telephone". Digital printers produce high quality images at an affordable rate, and the product can be trimmed and folded the same day it's printed. Here are some things you need to know in order to take advantage of this technology.
Make sure your digital printing is done by a responsible professional. Digital printing systems vary A LOT in terms of the color they produce, and the quality of their images. This is partly a machine issue (is it a good one?) but mostly a professional service issue. The people who set up the workflows must have a high level of graphics knowledge, and the operators must take care meticulous care of these fragile machines. The machines should be dedicated to the proper kind of work and not used outside their parameters, where the quality could be degraded.
Insist on a proof copy. It's generally good news that digital printers are calibrated for "pleasing color". However, keep in mind that this is not a hard and fast standard, compared, for instance, with Pantone inks. If you have corporate colors, or you think it's important to maintain consistency across your printed products, this may be a chance to go astray. The only way to know, and decide if color tweaking is called for, is to see a proof copy before you proceed. Be sure to see a proof copy of a digital printing job just as you would for a longer run to be printed offset. This leads us to the next critical point.
"So far, what I'm saying is that you should look for a high quality machine being run by serious printing professionals. The concept is that there is a full-fledged shop there, which uses digital printing in its overall production scheme. This insures that the quality standards are high, and that your job will get the support it deserves."
Give careful consideration as to whether your project belongs on a digital printer. First, nnot every job will fit on a digital printer, so be sure you know the capabilities of the print shop you're looking at. (If your job exceeds 18 inches in width or 12 inches in height you may run out of room.) For example, if your job has a flat size of 22 inches, and you only need 150 copies,you may have to run offset and be prepared to pay many hundreds of dollars for those 150 copies. If you know this beforehand you can decide whether the design or the budget needs to be adjusted. Second, not every paper stock is digital compatible. This is yet another fact you don't want to learn when your job is on deadline.
Finally, don't go digital merely for the sake of new technology. Although digital printing is particularly cost effective in short runs compared with offset, it's not universally less expensive. The lower cost of getting the job up and running (don't need to make plates, remember?) will eventually be overcome by the higher cost per sheet run through. Also, the sheet size is small, limiting the number-up that can be run. Generally, offset will beat digital, price wise, at about 1,000 copies, depending on the particulars.
"As with everything we discuss here, the best approach is to talk to your vendor before you invest a lot of work in your project. Conversations about paper, color, price, and layout can be fun when you're at a preliminary stage. If you're on deadline, and the job is not turning out the way you hoped, the same topics can be painful. They don't need to be."The past two posts have had record setting readership at "Your friend in the printing business" and I'm grateful to everyone who has subscribed, or forwarded the link to friends and colleagues. Please remember that this can be a forum to get your questions answered, and that I will attempt a post on any topic you request.
Hugh Butler
Your friend in the printing business
Thursday, May 7, 2009
Using the resurrection of customer service to your advantage...your printing vendor's desire to provide value-added services
Bad customer service is so prevalent it's almost taken for granted, and would be if it wasn't so aggravating. Websites and phone systems are in place to thwart you from actually reaching a representative who is both a human being and easy to communicate with. Can it get any worse? Probably not.
This is why I have been surprised recently by the amount of attention I've been getting from customer service people. My theory is that corporate business focus is shifting from stock price (emphasis on absolute lowest cost of service) to recognition that shareholders will cease to exist if people cease purchasing. On the local level, this shift can be used to your advantage!
As you cope with the current economic pressures, consider that your printing vendor, whether he has told you or not, is pacing the floor thinking of ways to reinforce his relationship with you. It can be mutually beneficial to enlist his help to make your life easier...here are some concrete examples:
Hugh Butler
Your friend in the printing business
This is why I have been surprised recently by the amount of attention I've been getting from customer service people. My theory is that corporate business focus is shifting from stock price (emphasis on absolute lowest cost of service) to recognition that shareholders will cease to exist if people cease purchasing. On the local level, this shift can be used to your advantage!
As you cope with the current economic pressures, consider that your printing vendor, whether he has told you or not, is pacing the floor thinking of ways to reinforce his relationship with you. It can be mutually beneficial to enlist his help to make your life easier...here are some concrete examples:
- A completed print job must often be distributed to multiple locations. It's very easy for your vendor to package the job accordingly...in whatever quantities are necessary. It's most efficient to do this as the job is packing up, as opposed to devoting your staff time to unpacking and repacking for shipment in the future. For a modest fee, plus actual cost of freight, it may even make sense for your vendor to handle the whole packing and shipping task.
- If your layout is complicated, ask your vendor if he will help make a template. His assistance may save an hour or two of work, (or rework). In addition, there may be particulars about the actual printed piece which make vendor input desirable, (see my post about folding here). Our shop even has stock templates here, and will add others you if you need them.
- If your cash sponsorships are drying up, ask your vendor about in-kind support. The key here is to keep in mind that printers get asked for services gratis all the time, and it's difficult to say "yes" over and over. What may make it possible is to do the work at wholesale cost, which is about a 50% discount. This allows them to lend support to a greater number of worthy causes in a way which doesn't break the bank. (Bear in mind, of course, that this is best done as part of an ongoing relationship.)
- If your project is in the preliminary stage, ask your vendor for a dummy to be made of the paper stock you're considering. This is probably the most overlooked service printers can provide. It's also an invaluable bridge as your project makes the inevitable transformation from the digital/virtual world of its birth, to the physical/actual world it'll live in when printed. Everyone hates surprises...see the paper first if you're not already familiar with it. It's fo' free!
- If you're doing some of your printing in house it's possible you're spending more time trimming it to size than it took to print. It may be possible to work out an arrangement where your vendor will handle the trimming at a nominal (or no) charge. What may take you 45 minutes with a hand trimmer may take them less than 10.
- When developing specifications for a quote, have them reviewed in a preliminary way by a single, trusted vendor before you release to your entire list. This step may save several "update" emails later, as the information evolves by way of vendor feedback. (My personal favorite, the mistake I make most often, is to omit the quantity!) Also, always include in the specs an opportunity for suggestions from your vendors, and do this early in the process. (Vendor input coming too late is of lesser value because it's more difficult to implement.)
Hugh Butler
Your friend in the printing business
Thursday, April 23, 2009
How to use, (not abuse), a designer
One of the best facets of my job is the chance to work with graphic designers. I have a tremendous respect for creative people, not being one myself, but a lot of what they tell me is painful to hear. Consider this post a collective "open letter" from the graphic design community to their clients, via your friend in the printing business. (Please note that I use the word "client" to denote the person in overall charge of any project which requires design services.)
I have been around long enough to appreciate the liberation afforded by design software and the personal computer. Inside the print shop we have also been liberated from scores of tasks which once incurred large costs. No one misses the old days...but a look into the past can be instructive.
Once upon a time a city the size of Tallahassee might have had only a few "type houses". These were small businesses who took in copy from ad agencies or publications, marked up with typographical formatting, and created "galley type". These "gallies" were then, literally, "cut and pasted" into layout form by graphic designers armed with X-acto knives and adhesive waxers. The galley type cost about $1 PER LINEAR INCH, plus the expense of paste-up. This brings us to the important point.
Gone are the days of painful and laborious type and paste-up, gone are the constraints of film and darkroom technology, but, unfortunately, also gone is the careful attention which used to be paid to copy on its way to the designer. Because the costs were prohibitive, back in the day it was inconceivable that copy editing would be done via trial and error. I don't think I'm out of line to observe that, twenty years ago, if you submitted unedited and/or unproofread copy to the typographer once, you would be warned. Twice might get you fired. Therefore, the following sentiment on the part of designers begins to make sense:
With that in mind, I've developed the Ten Commandments of a Client/Designer relationship. If you are sensitive to these issues you will be amazed at the quality of creative work you receive in return. You will free up your designer's creative talents instead of burning them out. Removing unnecessary obstacles from their path is just good management practice, and will save you time and money.
There are few experiences as exciting as participation in a creative endeavor. The process of bringing a new project to life, and watching it realize the goals you have established is enormously satisfying. However, the interface between the creative and practical aspects, (where I live professionally), can be an unhappy place. The person who is in overall control of the project can take positive steps to make a change! Design pros have amazing talents, but it's not as simple as flipping a switch...give them an environment where their talents can flourish and it will pay you back many times over.
As always, I look forward to your comments. Until then I hope you're enjoying this wonderful spring weather.
Hugh Butler
Your friend in the printing business
Many thanks to the fifteen graphic design pros who responded to my survey, and, as always, to my wonderful wife (and editor) Melinda. ~HB
"If you begin to think this is just a lot of whining, try not to pass up a chance to improve a relationship which is crucial to the success of your project. Keep an open mind and read on".
I have been around long enough to appreciate the liberation afforded by design software and the personal computer. Inside the print shop we have also been liberated from scores of tasks which once incurred large costs. No one misses the old days...but a look into the past can be instructive.
Once upon a time a city the size of Tallahassee might have had only a few "type houses". These were small businesses who took in copy from ad agencies or publications, marked up with typographical formatting, and created "galley type". These "gallies" were then, literally, "cut and pasted" into layout form by graphic designers armed with X-acto knives and adhesive waxers. The galley type cost about $1 PER LINEAR INCH, plus the expense of paste-up. This brings us to the important point.
Gone are the days of painful and laborious type and paste-up, gone are the constraints of film and darkroom technology, but, unfortunately, also gone is the careful attention which used to be paid to copy on its way to the designer. Because the costs were prohibitive, back in the day it was inconceivable that copy editing would be done via trial and error. I don't think I'm out of line to observe that, twenty years ago, if you submitted unedited and/or unproofread copy to the typographer once, you would be warned. Twice might get you fired. Therefore, the following sentiment on the part of designers begins to make sense:
70% of the responses I got to a survey of my designer friends relate to the haphazard way in which the design jobs come to them. The other 30% relate to a feeling that they are being micromanaged. The overwhelming sentiment is "PLEASE do YOUR job and let ME do mine".
With that in mind, I've developed the Ten Commandments of a Client/Designer relationship. If you are sensitive to these issues you will be amazed at the quality of creative work you receive in return. You will free up your designer's creative talents instead of burning them out. Removing unnecessary obstacles from their path is just good management practice, and will save you time and money.
- The Designer shall be the lead creative person on the project, and it shall be their responsibility to apply their talents and efforts fully to the task at hand.
- The Client shall remember that criticism is ineffective unless it is expressed in terms of the project goals. Therefore, "I don't like that color" might become "Our target audience is men, do you think pink is really appropriate". (I jest, but you get the idea.)
- The client shall not shirk from their duties to provide complete, edited, proofread copy to the designer.
- The Client shall establish a project schedule which reflects the fact that design is a creative process, and takes time. Often a design, like a new good idea, takes reflection, and everyone loses if the timeline is too compressed. (The Designer shall also be realistic about what is actually possible.)
- The Client shall not withhold any important details about the project from the team, or release them piecemeal.
- Production schedules shall reflect some semblance of actual reality, with input from outside vendors as necessary.
- Proofs, especially just prior to release of the project to outside production, shall be given the full attention they deserve to avoid costly rework. All team members shall review and physically sign the proof to avoid passing the buck. In return, the Designer shall be diligent in their attention to corrections which have been noted.
- The Internet shall not be seen as a grab bag of free goodies, and copyrighted images shall not be used without purchase and/or release...it's called stealing. Likewise, low quality images shall not be used in place of a genuine effort to obtain good ones.
- The Client shall buy the design/vendor team chocolate and/or fine coffee when the project succeeds! (Someone insisted on this one.)
- The Designer shall not exhibit passive/aggressive behavior. The project shall remain a team effort, and success or failure seen as in terms of the group, not any individual. To that end, all team members shall be up front about their roles in the project, and not allow events to just take over the process.
There are few experiences as exciting as participation in a creative endeavor. The process of bringing a new project to life, and watching it realize the goals you have established is enormously satisfying. However, the interface between the creative and practical aspects, (where I live professionally), can be an unhappy place. The person who is in overall control of the project can take positive steps to make a change! Design pros have amazing talents, but it's not as simple as flipping a switch...give them an environment where their talents can flourish and it will pay you back many times over.
As always, I look forward to your comments. Until then I hope you're enjoying this wonderful spring weather.
Hugh Butler
Your friend in the printing business
Many thanks to the fifteen graphic design pros who responded to my survey, and, as always, to my wonderful wife (and editor) Melinda. ~HB
Thursday, April 9, 2009
Spot Color, Process Color, and the Color Bridge
Let's tackle the single most misunderstood area in all of printing terminology. Let's see if we can get our minds around the different ways color is handled in a printshop. After this, let's go have a cup of coffee, because I am BEAT from making all these graphics. (Speaking of the graphics, click on any of them for a full size version.)
Here is the important part. I realize it will be impossible to learn from this post everything you need to know about color issues. What you can do, however, is understand enough to have an intelligent conversation with your print vendor(s) before you begin detailed work on your layout. The situation we must avoid is that your file goes through the entire layout process in CMYK, (or RGB, God forbid) and then it turns out that spot color printing is the compelling choice. It is often a huge amount of work to "retrofit" a CMYK file into spot colors. (The reverse, on the other hand, is easy.) This is a common trap that designers fall into if their primary focus is web based graphics, and their program of choice is Photoshop.
"SPOT" Colors: The most simple color model is the spot color, where we make one plate to print one color. Each plate we make incurs a cost, so the lowest price job is one "spot" color. There is no "wash-up" charge to print black, so it's the cheapest of the cheap.
Spot colors are mixed according to guides published by Pantone, Inc., and have designations such as "Pantone 186 C," (where the "C" refers to a color shown on a coated stock, see here for more). These colors are mixed much like paint at Benjamin Moore...component mixing colors are weighed out in precise amounts and the whole mass is blended into a single color. You can think of the plate which applies the ink in a similar way because, like a paintbrush, it can be "dunked" into any color you want to put into the ink tray on the press.
By this reasoning, the exact same plate image above could be mounted on the same press with blue ink in the tray and the result is below (Good Dog, Sammie!):
The addition of a second color seems like it would be simple, but, often, it's not. You must be sure your file and all linked graphics are capable of separating into the colors you have defined, and only those colors. Raster based graphics (ie. from Photoshop) are most often incapable of performing this seemingly simple trick, unless you know a lot about channels. Regular, run of the mill JPEGs just won't do it. Beware.
If you want to verify your file will behave in this fashion, "print" it to Adobe PDF writer and specify "separations" as the output mode. For a two color job, the resulting PDF will have image on only two pages, etc. (You may get CMYK pages as well, but they should be blank.)
Process Colors: are defined from multiple sources but are all encoded the same way...as percent values of the four "process" colors Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, and Black (CMYK). They can be stored as the color values within a digital image, defined (again by Pantone, Inc.) as CMYK equivalents of the Pantone Solid (Spot) colors, or translated on the fly from the native RGB colors which drive many digital devices. (The latter is the instance which often causes problems which I referred to as "Lost in translation".) Regardless of how they get in the file, however, they always come the same way...four distinct images, one for each of the four process colors:
Why spot colors? The chief advantage of process color, the ability to reproduce photographs or other full color graphics, is so easy to understand let's look instead at the unique ability of spot colors. The main advantage is a question of Gamut, or the range of colors which may be achieved with a certain color system. Look at the following graphic and imagine getting this selection in a box of crayons:
Now imagine your box of crayons contains the Spot Color palette below, and the effect it would have on your ability to precisely blend colors...the "Gamut" is obviously much larger:
The Color Bridge is the intersection of these two color models, and is the one indispensable product you must own from Pantone. Each page shows a column of Pantone Solid (spot) colors on the left, and the best CMYK blend that can be achieved to replicate the same color on the right.
This guide (available here) is where you MUST look when you are choosing colors to build into your layout because it shows the colors as they will actually be printed. It allows you to know with certainty how the colors will print regardless of how they appear on your monitor or inkjet prints. Most important, if you have established a Pantone Solid (spot) color as part of your identity or layout, and consider switching to CMYK, this guide will alert you to a possible problem if the color doesn't render well in the new color model. Remember, the CMYK gamut is much smaller...not every spot color has a good CMYK match, and some are actually terrible. Beware.
Digital printing mixes it up. It used to be simple to determine the choice of spot vs process because, in a conventional offset environment, the cost of four process plates vs., say, two for a two color job, was decidedly higher. In today's mixed offset/digital print shop the distinction isn't so clear and the Color Bridge question is especially important. It may be that a CMYK digital device can render a small quantity of a two color job, converted to Process Color, less expensively than actually making two plates. The decision will depend on the quantity, (digital machines favor short runs) and the resulting quality of the Process Color that results from your file on that particular device. (All digital printers are CMYK and the colors vary a LOT from machine to machine. Insist on a proof copy.) In a longer run, (over 1,000) offset production with conventional plates, in either color model (offset presses can run either, or even both at once!) will start to look attractive.
The important part, again. Use this information to have an informed discussion with your print vendor as you begin serious work on your layout. In addition to cost, be sure to discuss consistency between this project and other collateral material which may have already been printed with specific colors. Be sure you understand, in detail, what colors you've chosen and how they will appear when printed via the most economical and quality-appropriate method. Then be sure your file is capable of rendering those colors and only those colors. It's both as simple and as complicated as that.
As always, I look forward to any questions or comments you have. Until then, see you online!
Hugh Butler
Your friend in the printing business
Here is the important part. I realize it will be impossible to learn from this post everything you need to know about color issues. What you can do, however, is understand enough to have an intelligent conversation with your print vendor(s) before you begin detailed work on your layout. The situation we must avoid is that your file goes through the entire layout process in CMYK, (or RGB, God forbid) and then it turns out that spot color printing is the compelling choice. It is often a huge amount of work to "retrofit" a CMYK file into spot colors. (The reverse, on the other hand, is easy.) This is a common trap that designers fall into if their primary focus is web based graphics, and their program of choice is Photoshop.
"SPOT" Colors: The most simple color model is the spot color, where we make one plate to print one color. Each plate we make incurs a cost, so the lowest price job is one "spot" color. There is no "wash-up" charge to print black, so it's the cheapest of the cheap.
Spot colors are mixed according to guides published by Pantone, Inc., and have designations such as "Pantone 186 C," (where the "C" refers to a color shown on a coated stock, see here for more). These colors are mixed much like paint at Benjamin Moore...component mixing colors are weighed out in precise amounts and the whole mass is blended into a single color. You can think of the plate which applies the ink in a similar way because, like a paintbrush, it can be "dunked" into any color you want to put into the ink tray on the press.
By this reasoning, the exact same plate image above could be mounted on the same press with blue ink in the tray and the result is below (Good Dog, Sammie!):
The addition of a second color seems like it would be simple, but, often, it's not. You must be sure your file and all linked graphics are capable of separating into the colors you have defined, and only those colors. Raster based graphics (ie. from Photoshop) are most often incapable of performing this seemingly simple trick, unless you know a lot about channels. Regular, run of the mill JPEGs just won't do it. Beware.
If you want to verify your file will behave in this fashion, "print" it to Adobe PDF writer and specify "separations" as the output mode. For a two color job, the resulting PDF will have image on only two pages, etc. (You may get CMYK pages as well, but they should be blank.)
I will make you a bet right here...the first time you try this, you will end up with image on extra pages because something in your file will have a CMYK piece or part. No joke, I'll actually buy you lunch if I'm wrong. We fix files ALL DAY LONG that have extra colors, and it costs time and money.
Process Colors: are defined from multiple sources but are all encoded the same way...as percent values of the four "process" colors Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, and Black (CMYK). They can be stored as the color values within a digital image, defined (again by Pantone, Inc.) as CMYK equivalents of the Pantone Solid (Spot) colors, or translated on the fly from the native RGB colors which drive many digital devices. (The latter is the instance which often causes problems which I referred to as "Lost in translation".) Regardless of how they get in the file, however, they always come the same way...four distinct images, one for each of the four process colors:
Why spot colors? The chief advantage of process color, the ability to reproduce photographs or other full color graphics, is so easy to understand let's look instead at the unique ability of spot colors. The main advantage is a question of Gamut, or the range of colors which may be achieved with a certain color system. Look at the following graphic and imagine getting this selection in a box of crayons:
Now imagine your box of crayons contains the Spot Color palette below, and the effect it would have on your ability to precisely blend colors...the "Gamut" is obviously much larger:
The Color Bridge is the intersection of these two color models, and is the one indispensable product you must own from Pantone. Each page shows a column of Pantone Solid (spot) colors on the left, and the best CMYK blend that can be achieved to replicate the same color on the right.
This guide (available here) is where you MUST look when you are choosing colors to build into your layout because it shows the colors as they will actually be printed. It allows you to know with certainty how the colors will print regardless of how they appear on your monitor or inkjet prints. Most important, if you have established a Pantone Solid (spot) color as part of your identity or layout, and consider switching to CMYK, this guide will alert you to a possible problem if the color doesn't render well in the new color model. Remember, the CMYK gamut is much smaller...not every spot color has a good CMYK match, and some are actually terrible. Beware.
Digital printing mixes it up. It used to be simple to determine the choice of spot vs process because, in a conventional offset environment, the cost of four process plates vs., say, two for a two color job, was decidedly higher. In today's mixed offset/digital print shop the distinction isn't so clear and the Color Bridge question is especially important. It may be that a CMYK digital device can render a small quantity of a two color job, converted to Process Color, less expensively than actually making two plates. The decision will depend on the quantity, (digital machines favor short runs) and the resulting quality of the Process Color that results from your file on that particular device. (All digital printers are CMYK and the colors vary a LOT from machine to machine. Insist on a proof copy.) In a longer run, (over 1,000) offset production with conventional plates, in either color model (offset presses can run either, or even both at once!) will start to look attractive.
The important part, again. Use this information to have an informed discussion with your print vendor as you begin serious work on your layout. In addition to cost, be sure to discuss consistency between this project and other collateral material which may have already been printed with specific colors. Be sure you understand, in detail, what colors you've chosen and how they will appear when printed via the most economical and quality-appropriate method. Then be sure your file is capable of rendering those colors and only those colors. It's both as simple and as complicated as that.
As always, I look forward to any questions or comments you have. Until then, see you online!
Hugh Butler
Your friend in the printing business
Thursday, March 26, 2009
Do you mail "Flats"? New rules effective March 29
The USPS, in an effort to streamline the automated processing of "Flat" mail, has released new rules about the placement of addresses on this class, which is any mail with a dimension that exceeds the "letter Size" maximums of 6.125 inches x 11.5 inches. To make this long story short, if it's 8.5 x 11 when it's mailed, it's a "Flat".
As of March 29 the mailing information must be contained in the "upper portion" of the mailpiece with the binding (or final folded) edge to the right. To avoid any chance that this blog will give you incomplete or incorrect information please refer to this brief two page Fact Sheet from the USPS here.
As of March 29 the mailing information must be contained in the "upper portion" of the mailpiece with the binding (or final folded) edge to the right. To avoid any chance that this blog will give you incomplete or incorrect information please refer to this brief two page Fact Sheet from the USPS here.
Here is an alternate view from the Final Rule (p. 12). 
If this change has a potential impact on your publication please be sure to contact the USPS or your mailing services provider to verify your layout is in compliance. The last thing any of us want is for your project to run into trouble at the Post Office after it's printed. Let's all try to catch up with this situation and help each other maintain eligibility for the lowest possible postal rates.
If this change has a potential impact on your publication please be sure to contact the USPS or your mailing services provider to verify your layout is in compliance. The last thing any of us want is for your project to run into trouble at the Post Office after it's printed. Let's all try to catch up with this situation and help each other maintain eligibility for the lowest possible postal rates.There are more changes on the way from USPS which this blog will attempt to decipher. Until then, see you online!
Hugh Butler
Your friend in the printing business
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