When it comes to creating graphics, designers must choose to express their creativity using either vector or raster graphics. Each of the graphic types have their own particular strengths and limitations and understanding these differences is essential to achieving the best results.
One of the ways you can save money on your business printing is to design your own postcards, posters, business cards and other marketing materials. If you have a talented, creative person on your staff it can often be a win-win for your business. If you are thinking about doing your print design “in house,” make sure you equip your creative team with the right design software to ensure you get the best results.
Have you ever sent off your sparkling new design to the printer and in return received business cards or other printed products with parts of the text or images cut off? Generally, the problem is someone along the line did not pay attention to the printer’s measurement guidelines for cut area, bleeds, and safe zone. It happens to everyone and it can be an expensive error to correct.
Our goal is that your printed products come out right the first time. However, we cannot hold up our end of the bargain if you and your designer do not pay attention to a few important details. Like any industry, there are some terms [jargon] in printing whose meaning may not be readily apparent. Therefore, here are some important printing definitions to help you save time and money by avoiding an expensive reprint of your business critical documents.
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This article in our Printing Self Help Series will cover the key differences between offset and digital printing processes and explore some of the advantages of both.
Offset printing has been a standard in the printing industry since Ira Washinton Rubel introduced his offset printing press for printing on paper in 1903. An earlier version, for printing on tin, was introduced in England by Robert Barclay in 1875. The name ‘offset’ refers to the process in which a plate makes and inked impression on a rubber roller, which in turn, transfers [or offsets] the text or image onto the paper.
To output full-color printed items using the offset printing, plates are created for each of four colors and the inks are layered over successive passes through a press to create the full color product.
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Here at Heritage Printing and Quick Copy our Atlanta area customers often ask questions about how to prepare their artwork for printing on our digital and offset printers. In fact, we get so many questions that we decided to write a series of printing self-help articles to ensure your final results are of the highest quality and in the hands of your customers or prospects on time and on budget.
You see, when artwork comes to us in the wrong format or size, at improper resolutions, or created in the wrong color space it can greatly affect the time it takes to complete your print job. So, over the next couple of weeks we will share some tips that will help you prepare your artwork so you get brilliant results.
Continue reading “Image Resolution is Key to Brilliant Printing Results” »