Loading ...The art of Process Control pt 2- Fingerprinting
Each person’s fingerprint is unique. That’s why they are so useful for identification purposes. In the printing industry, each press has it’s own unique set of characteristics. That is why presses need to be ‘fingerprinted’.
A fingerprint on a press means that a test form is printed and then the resulting image on those sheets is analyzed for a variety of things.
The image on the left is a typical fingerprinting form used by printers. There are a variety of targets and images on a fingerprinting form, and each one has a specific purpose.
Targets
There are many targets that are placed on a fingerprint form. Below is a partial list and what they are used for:
- Color Bar- used for measuring solid ink density of Cyan Magenta Yellow and Black inks. Can also have targets for Trap/overprint density, dot gain and slur (doubling)
- Profiling Target- A profiling target is needed on the form, because once the printing condition is verified as accurate, then the targets are used to create an ICC profile for color.
- Visual Targets- Since print is a visual medium, you need images to accurately judge how images will reproduce. There are several standard images used on fingerprint forms. They usually consist of several 4c images, and at least one grayscale.
- Line and Text Targets- These are used to check what the smallest size text and lines can be accurately printed- in single color, 3c and in knockouts (white in a black field)
- Gray Finders and Color Ramps- these targets are used for computing the best neutral 3c gray balance as well as dot gain per ink unit.
Typically, anywhere from 500 to 1000 sheets are printed, and then 10 from throughout the entire run are checked and all of the data on the sheets analyzed. Sometimes, after looking at the press sheets, you have to go back to step one and adjust the curves on your plates to insure that the final print is what you are aiming for.
The art of Process Control pt 1- Plates
The printing industry is technically a section of the manufacturing industry. Instead of manufacturing tires or pipes or cars, we manufacture ink on paper. In manufacturing, you need process controls to insure that every step of the process is controlled, minimizes waste, maximizes profit and delivers the best quality product to the customer.
Process control is an integral part of printing as well, and it is more of an art form than an exact science. I am going to look at what is involved in process controls on the press side of printing- from plates to paper. Some of these subjects get pretty complex, so I may just gloss over certain things, or add links to an outside reference if you are interested.
The first step is to check your plates. In offset lithography, the plate is one of the most important parts of the process. When the ink touches the plate, it sticks to the image area and is then transfered to the blanket and then the paper, so if you have bad dots on your plate then everything else will be suffer.
A special measurement device is needed to measure a plate. This device measures the screen that is imaged onto the plate. So if we send a 20% screen to the platemaker, the plate should have a 20% screen on it. Since plates are imaged either with a UV lamp or with a type of laser, then processed chemically like a photograph, typically a curve must be applied to the data to make a plate linear. A linearized plate means that when we send a 10-20-30% screens to the platemaker, the plates have the same screens on output.
Once plates are linearized we need to be able to easily monitor them. Processing chemistry can change, age of bulbs, dust, and laser calibration can all affect the image on a plate. Most modern CTP systems can automatically put an exposure target in a non-image area of the plate. This target is a quick visual indicator for how the plate was processed. So as long as the exposure target, which imaged and processed at the same time the rest of the plate is, looks the way it should, then the plate should be fine.
Once you know that your plates are outputting correctly, and to a known and controlled standard, it is time to move on to the press.
The meaning of colors - RED
Before you design anything else here are some colors and their meanings. Drop us a line and let us know if you agree, or disagree, or if you have any other color-meanings to share.
Red is the color of fire and blood, so it is associated with energy, war, danger, strength, power, determination as well as passion, desire, and love.
Red is a very emotionally intense color. It enhances human metabolism, increases respiration rate, and raises blood pressure. It has very high visibility, which is why stop signs, stoplights, and fire equipment are usually painted red. In heraldry, red is used to indicate courage. It is a color found in many national flags.
Red brings text and images to the foreground. Use it as an accent color to stimulate people to make quick decisions; it is a perfect color for ‘Buy Now’ or ‘Click Here’ buttons on Internet banners and websites. In advertising, red is often used to evoke erotic feelings (red lips, red nails, red-light districts, ‘Lady in Red’, etc). Red is widely used to indicate danger (high voltage signs, traffic lights). This color is also commonly associated with energy, so you can use it when promoting energy drinks, games, cars, items related to sports and high physical activity.
Light red represents joy, sexuality, passion, sensitivity, and love.
Pink signifies romance, love, and friendship. It denotes feminine qualities and passiveness.
Dark red is associated with vigor, willpower, rage, anger, leadership, courage, longing, malice, and wrath.
Brown suggests stability and denotes masculine qualities.
Reddish-brown is associated with harvest and fall.
Why Colors Shift when converting from RGB to CMYK
You have all seen it; the dreaded color shift when you convert from RGB to CMYK. I didn’t realize until today that most people don’t know why it happens. It is simple- the RGB primaries can produce a much wider gamut of colors than the CMY primaries can.
This odd little graph on the left is 3-dimensional graph of an RGB and a CMYK profile in the CIELAB color space. CIELAB (more accurately CIE 1976 L*a*b*) is a mathematical color space that computers use to understand color. There are several spaces, but CIELAB is one of the most common in the graphic arts industry.
Take a look at the graph. The brightly colored solid area in the middle is the graphed color gamut of the SWOP color space. SWOP is the standard for magazine printing, and most common color space people use when they convert their images.
The outside area (in wireframe) is the graphed color gamut of the sRGB color space, which is the standard color space for the Windows operating system as well as many consumer brand digital cameras.
In looking at this graph, you can see that the sRGB space is much larger- it has a larger gamut. You can also see where the largest color shifts will occur- the green region of the sRGB space is much larger than the SWOP, so those neon greens in your design will not print as bright as they look on your monitor.
This difference in gamut is why color management is so important to the design and print world these days.
Promote your business with the right logo! - Part 3
[Part 3]
It is felt that certain elements make up a credible and a high quality logo. These are:
A logo should be different from your competitors. In my view there is no point being another face in the crowd. So stand out and if you dare, be different. Sometimes breaking rules and conventions may work in your favour. Evaluate maverick design ideas and themes.
It should reflect the companies business, products/services.
It should be easy to compress and still uniquely retain its design elements.
When finalizing your logo design think about your target market and ask these questions:
1) By looking at your logo image, will they be able to guess what the company products/services are.
2) Will they see the image as a representation of professional, reliable company – A company that delivers on its promise?
Remember the logo is not to please you but your customers. Why? Because they are the ones who pay your salaries. They are the ones who will help you buy that lovely apartment with water views!
The most simple yet difficult thing to do is to ignore and forget about what your personal likes and dislikes are with respect to colors, images and font styles and try to see from your target customer segments’ point of view. Easier said than done, but if you can, you will have a logo that will be recognizable.
Significance:
A well designed logo can raise the image of a company it represents. It establishes the credibility of the company. Potential customers form an opinion of a business within seconds and the logo plays a significant part in determining this.
Each aspect of the logo’s design should be carefully analyzed in order to ensure that the right message is being communicated.
Logos leave remarkable impressions that have a lasting and a deep impact on the hearts and minds of the viewers.
About Author
Author Alok Vats is related with many maverick graphic and website design activities at Maverick Mav ( http://www.maverickmav.com.au/ ). Maverick Mav provides affordable graphic design, logo design ( http://www.maverickmav.com.au/services-logodesign.htm ), web design, stationery design, illustration design and much more. They have recently launched the cartoon logo design (www.maverickmav.com.au/services-cartoonlogo.htm) service.
FREE FONTS… I’M IN.
Free (frē) - Costing nothing; gratuitous: a free meal. Or in this case free fonts. There are tons of free fonts on the web and even more free font sites. When searching Google for “Free Fonts” you will find over 61 million results. So it is nice to find a place that does all that searching for you. Vitaly Friedman’s frequently updated list of 25 Best Free Quality fonts is a great place to start if you’re looking for an update to your font collection. His list leans towards the well-crafted and functional (but not boring) fonts, which is a welcome break from all the ‘weird and wacky’ handwriting and grunge fonts that tend to dominate the typical free font database. So type away and enjoy.
Do we really need to “Reinvent the Wheel”?
It is said that “Genius is one percent inspiration and ninety-nine percent perspiration”. When it comes to graphic design I think that inspiration plays a much greater role. It’s more the “what” then the “how”. In today’s digital age, we have software that gives a wide group of people the ability to do design and layout in there home or office. This was once reserved for only the design professional. Now don’t get me wrong, just because you own a hammer doesn’t make you a carpenter. I know that. But, if your handy, coordinated and what the DYI channel on cable, you can proberly do a decent job around the house. Back to graphic design, from MS Publisher to Adobe CS2 and all the software in between, non pro’s now have a larger choice than ever before. But that’s not enough, these tools will not make you a graphic designer by themselves. This is where inspiration come in, the internet has turned many a person in to a decent designer. How you ask? The internet is an amazing resource when it comes to design, inspiration is everywhere. You just need to know where to look.
On a personal note, if you don’t have any sense of design then all the inspiration in the world will not help you. I have seen many a so called designer with all the best tools money can buy crank out the absolute worst stuff. So remember, when in doubt, hire a qualified graphic designer.
End of part 1.
Crisp Vector Type from Photoshop
I am a vector geek. When it comes to printing, vector graphics are the best. Nothing looks better to me than crisp clean printed type. As a vector geek, one of my pet peeves is type set in Photoshop.
When type is set in Photoshop, more often than not, the files that get sent to the printer are flattened (no layers) 300dpi TIFF files. This is absolutely perfect for images, but for text?
The thing is, when you set a line of type in Illustrator or InDesign and it gets output to any device- office printer, inkjet, platemaker etc. vector data (text) is output at the highest resolution possible by the imaging device. This means that for most office laser printers, your text is 600dpi. In the printing world, you text is being output anywhere from 1600dpi-3600dpi! These nice sharp solids are now being output at only 300dpi; in the case of most printing companies, that is about 1/3 of the standard resolution!
The worst part is that when Photoshop rasterizes type, it is no longer solid! Look at this image. This is 14pt Gil Sans at 200% zoom in Photoshop. You can see that the edges are less than solid black. This means that when it is printed for press, the edges will have halftone dots! Basically, it will look like there are teeth on the edges of the text.
Now look at the same text set in Illustrator. These were captured at the same magnification. Look at the difference in clarity between the two samples.
Illustrator, InDesign and any other piece of software that can edit type will automatically output vector text. Photoshop will not do this automatically.
To output vector type from Photoshop is easier than I am making it seem- I just wanted to underscore why I think it is so important. Really all you need to do is save your file in a format that will send the text to a vector layer- and remember not to rasterize your text layers!
You should see the little “T” symbol in your layers palette; this signifies that there is ‘live’ type on that layer.
Just save as a Photoshop PDF and your text will be saved as vector shapes! I have to warn you though, this will not work if you have applied lots of effects to the text. Gradients, inner glows, beveling and the like will always convert the text to raster on output because many of these effects are raster only.
Promote your business with the right logo! - Part 2
[Part 2]
Concept:
Concept is the most crucial aspect of logo design. The logo needs to undergo rigorous tests in order to create a unique place in the market its brand owners operate in.
While deciding on what kind of logo you want, ask yourself about the kind of image you want to portray about your company – For example cartoons could represent a fun filled company philosophy. Never forget that once decided upon, your logo will be a silent medium that will communicate the company’s ideals and philosophy.
The logo should be impressive and at the same time should not be over dramatic. The design elements need to be as few as possible so that the logo does not appear to be packed with different image components. It should be able to attract the customers the company wants to attract. For example, research shows that using bright colors does not create the brand confidence in finance related companies. Finance companies are advised to stick by the traditional grey, blues and reds (remember the bankers’ grey and blue pinstripe suits!!) by the marketing gurus! Though for every rule the pundits ask you to stick by, there are highly successful designs that just do the opposite - ING’s logo with its orange color image does exactly the opposite of what research and popular wisdom suggests but still creates a highly unique and recognizable symbol.
[To be continued]
About Author
Author Alok Vats is related with many maverick graphic and website design activities at Maverick Mav ( http://www.maverickmav.com.au/ ). Maverick Mav provides affordable graphic design, logo design ( http://www.maverickmav.com.au/services-logodesign.htm ), web design, stationery design, illustration design and much more. They have recently launched the cartoon logo design (www.maverickmav.com.au/services-cartoonlogo.htm) service.
Permanently set some Illustrator Settings
Tell me if this sounds familiar; You spend hours working on an Illustrator file, apply all kinds of filters and effects and drop shadows to your designs, and when you get it back from the printer, much of these effects look different.
Sound familiar? The problem is usually a setting called “Document Raster Effects Settings” in Illustrator. This setting controls what resolution and color space all of your filters, effects, and drop shadows are output. To change the settings you need to go to Effect->Document Raster Effects Settings. Make sure your colorspace is CMYK, and set the resolution to 300dpi.
There is a way of making this the default for every single file you create in Illustrator. In the Illustrator Plug-Ins folder, there is a file called Adobe Illustrator Startup_CMYK.ai. Open this file and change the Document Raster Effects Settings, then save it.
Quit and restart Illustrator. Every new Illustrator file you create will now by default have the correct Document Raster Effects Settings.