Design for print- format

Paper sizes

Newspaper

Envelopes

SRA

Design for print- production

Channels/Separation

Colour bars

Colour bars are printed outside the trim area and are used for quality control purposes by the printer. Squares of colour are printed on the area of the page to be trimmed off, which the printing press operator uses to check colour density and consistency is maintained. This checking process is automated by some printers, with digital scanners tracking the colour bars to ensure quality and consistency is maintained.

Printers marks
Printers marks are situated around a document in order to give the printer a variety of useful information about the job. Printers marks generally include colour swatches used, crop marks, registration marks, bleed marks, dimensions, tints and colour bars. Printers marks are designed to be on every plate.

Register marks
These are target like symbols placed in exactly the same place for each colour plate so that proper alignment of colours will occur on the press. During the screen print process it allows the printer to correctly align each colour to ensure there is as little offset in each print layer.

Crop marks
Marks placed on the edges of a mechanical to indicate where a printed piece should be trimmed, also referred to as trim marks. (A mechanical is a document with type, graphic elements and imagery in position)

Fold marks
Similar to crop marks these are lines that indicate where printed documents should be folded, they're most commonly used in publications such as newspapers. Fold marks are cut off once the mechanical has been cropped therefore the sequence of trimming and cropping is vital.

Bleed

Bleed is a printing term that is used to describe a document which has images or elements that touch the edge of the page, extending beyond the trim edge. This means that once the document has been trimmed down there is a guarantee that no unintentional white margin is left. Even if an image is perfectly align with the edge of the sheet there will still be a white margin due to paper movement in the printer even if it's just 0.5mm. When a document has bleed, it must be printed on a larger sheet of paper and then trimmed down.

Pre press checklists

Design for print- colour

Spot colours

In offset printing, a spot colour is any colour generated by an ink (pure or mixed) that is printed using a single run.

The widely spread offset-printing process is composed of four spot colours:Cyan, Magenta, Yellow and Key (black) commonly referred to as CMYK. More advanced processes involve the use of six spot colours (hexachromatic process), which add Orange and Green to the process (termed CMYKOG). The two additional spot colours are added to compensate for the ineffective reproduction of faint tints using CMYK colours only. However, offset technicians around the world use the term spot colour to mean any colour generated by a non-standard offset ink; such as metallic, fluorescent, spot varnish, or custom hand-mixed inks.

The dot gain, hence the screen angle and line frequency, of a spot colour vary according to its intended purpose. Spot lamination and UV coatings are sometimes referred to as 'spot colours', as they share the characteristics of requiring a separate lithographic film and print run.

Process colours
The term "process colours" refers to CMYK colours. They're called process colours as they're the colours which are involved of every printed material, no matter what print process you use, be it an inkjet or a professional scale lithographic printing job, you will always see the printers have separate cyan, magenta and yellow inks forming in varying levels layer by layer to form an image. 

Pantone
Pantone is a colour matching system used to ensure that colours remain as consistent as possible, regardless of the device/medium displaying the colour. Pantone matching system is used by the printing industry to print spot colours. Most applications that support colour printing such as; photoshop, illustrator and indesign allow you to specify colours by indicating the Pantone name or number. This assures that you get the right colour when the file is printed, even though the colour may not look right when displayed on your monitor.

Duotone
Duotone is the generic name for multi tone printing, which can be done with two, three or four inks. This process requires that the press be set up with special inks, usually PANTONE-designated colours, instead of the standard CMYK inks used for process colour printing. Usually the images are printed with a dark base colour and a lighter second colour, overprinted to fill in, tint and tone the photo or graphic.

The Pantone matching system works well for spot colours but not for process colours, which are generally specified using the CMYK colour model.

Halftone
Halftone is the ‘industry standard’ reprographic technique. It simulates continuous tone imagery through the use of dots, varying either in size, in shape or in spacing. A ‘halftone’ is also used to refer specifically to the image that is produced by this process. This reproduction technique relies on creating a basic optical illusion—that these tiny halftone dots are blended into smooth tones by the human eye. Colour printing is made possible by repeating the halftone process for each subtractive colour—most commonly using what is called the ‘CMYK colour model’. The resolution of a halftone screen is measured in lines per inch (lpi). This refers to the number of lines of dots in one inch. The higher the resolution being used, the greater the detail that can be reproduced.

CMYK
The CMYK colour model (four-colour process) is a subtractive colour model. Primarily used in printing, CMYK works by partially or completely masking colours on a white background. The printed ink reduces the light that would otherwise be reflected. That’s why this model is called subtractive because inks ‘subtract’ brightness from a white background from four colours: cyan, magenta, yellow and black.

CMYK is able to produce the entire spectrum of visible colours due to the process of half-toning. In this process, each colour is assigned a saturation level and minuscule dots of each of the three colours are printed in tiny patterns. This enables the human eye to perceive a specific colour made from the combination. In order to improve print quality and reduce moiré patterns, the screen for each colour is set at a different angle.

Tints
A tint is a shade of colour that has been diluted through the addition of white making it a more transparent version of it's original colour. Tints are only available through the spot colour process because they use the same plate and ink as the original. The way tints are achieved is through applying less of the ink in increments of 10%, therefore, it's not actually 10 different colours but the same colour, just 10 different tints. The use of tints allows us as designers as it opens up more possibilities without affecting or increasing costs. 

Design for print- finishing

What is finishing

Finishing is the added processes after the production and print process. Print finishing can incorporate a wide range of processes that can provide the final touches to a piece of work. It's important to consider that after a piece of work is printed, it often needs binding which is a finishing process itself, the most common finishing processes are die cutting, foil blocking, varnishing  embossing and die cuts to name just a few.

Finishing processes may on the surface look like a decorative and fancy added element to a printed piece but they also can have a very important role to play in the success of a product and its durability. For example, a die cut alters the physical product for possible functionality or may provide a window for which other parts of the publication can be viewed, more on this on the die cut pages.

Binding 
Binding is a collective term given for a range of processes which hold and fasten a publications pages together. These binding methods aid function, decisions on binding that necessarily affect the printed pieces robustness, longevity and form. When used creatively binding adds an aesthetic touch that amplifies messages and intentions.

Perfect bound

A popular method of binding books printed with digital technology is perfect binding. It is one of the most automated of the binding processes, which makes it inexpensive. The low cost makes it an extremely popular choice for binding a variety of books. Perfect binding is used to bind many types of publications including magazines, catalogs, paperback books, and telephone directories.

Perfect binding is an easy and inexpensive method of binding single sheets into a book. Many digital books are printed as stacks of single sheets rather than groups of folded sheets (signatures). The single sheets are gathered, stacked, and placed in special equipment in which the binding edge is covered with glue. A cover is attached to the book and is held in place by the glued spine. The title and other pertinent information are often preprinted on the area of the cover that attaches to the binding edge. Perfect binding is most successful when the paper grain runs parallel with the spine of the book.

Saddle stitch
Folded sheets are gathered together one inside the other and then stapled through the fold line with wire staples.  The staples pass through the folded crease from the outside and are clinched between the centre most pages.  Two staples are commonly used but larger books may require more staples along the spine.

The limitation on the number of pages that should be contained in a saddle wire stitched book is due to a phenomenon called page "creep". Page creep is a characteristic of booklet binding in which the inner sheets stick out farther than those closer to the outside due to the paper thickness. When the edges of the booklet are trimmed flush after stitching, the width of the innermost sheet will be the narrowest in the book, with each successive sheet being wider than the next one (working from the inside of the book to the outside). The printed area of each page will appear to get farther from the outside margin, as you go from the inside of the book to the outside.


Loop stitch
Comparable to saddle stitching, but with a different effect. Loops are created with wire along the external spine in order to insert and secure the document into a 3-ring binder. Great option for information instalments that can be added to larger collection.

Bellyband

A bellyband looks much like a portion or strip of a dust jacket and performs in a similar way. A bellyband can be used functionally to hold a collection of loose leaf pages together or decoratively and as an added layer of protection. When used decoratively as part of a well designed publication they seem to lair an air of importance, the idea of a certain graphical luxury.

Open spine

Wire-O

Highly popular Wire-O option uses formed wire that threads through punched holes. This allows books to lay flat when open. Wire loops are available in variety of colours to coordinate with cover colour. A durable option for a wide variety of project types

Spiral bind

Utilises a smooth round coil to hold pages together. Allows book to lie flat when open or pages can be turned all the way around to the back if desired.Wire is threaded through punched holes and then Ends are crimped to prevent wire slipping off. Spirals or coils are available in variety of colours.

Comb/Plastic bind

Economical method suitable for manuals and books that need to lay flat when open. Using rectangular holes punched through the document, the plastic comb?s rings are threaded through holes. Page edges at spine are covered by plastic comb.

Loose leaf binding

A way in which single sheets are held/presented as one allowing for sheets to be added or removed, it's also a cost effective way of binding sheets because there's generally little effort or time involved in these processes.

Unbound

A printed piece that has no binding often including include single flyers or pamphlets, newspapers and more elaborate, folded pieces. Folding enables the printed sheet to be turned into a signature containing various pages or panels. 

Self binds

A self bind is a pretty much what it says on the tin, it is anything that the reader rebinds after use, this can include; slipcases, elastic bands, prong fasteners and folding.

Folding

Folding is a cost effective, simple finish that can be used for aesthetic reasons as well as serving a functional purpose. Even though it is simple and pretty straight forward to understand there are specifics to consider such as;

Scoring- heavy paper and board weights need to be scored before folding to prevent cracking and buckling, ensuring the fold is clean and sharp.

Multiple folding- some print jobs such as maps require a sheet to be folded down multiple times so the finished product size is much smaller. A common problem is 'crows feet' which is where wrinkling appears and spreads out from the points of the folds. This problem can be easily avoided by using concertina folds or perforation along the fold lines which allows air to escape as it is being folded. 

Die cut

Die-cutting is a process used in many different industries to cut a thin flat material (such as paper) into a specific shape using a steel cutting die. It can be used to punch out a decorative shape or pattern to incorporate within a larger piece, or it can be used to create the main shape of an object by cutting the entire sheet of paper in an distinct/designed way. More simply put: for us it’s way of making a hole in paper in a desired shape using the same presses that we use for letterpress printing.

Foil blocking

Foil blocking is a process involving coloured foil which is pressed onto the stock via a heated die, the heat causes the foil to separate from it's backing only where the heated die touches it, the die relief prints the foil into a stock. There are a couple of other ways of foiling without actually using a die;

First you can screen print a glue formula onto the stock which the foil is then placed onto once it becomes tacky or hardens, it's then placed in a heat press for 12 seconds at 160, the heat softens the adhesive which forms a bond with foil meaning the design that was screen printed is now foil.

Or there is a more DIY version which involves printing of what is required to be foiled from a toner printer as a black negative. The foil is then placed on top of the design shiny side up and fed through a laminator with a few protective sheets top and bottom to prevent it from melting. The toner acts in the same way as the adhesive does by bonding with the foil when heated.

Varnishing

A varnish is a colourless coating that is often applied to a printed piece to add a shine or gloss. It protects the ink from smudging or blurring and the substrate from scuffing. It also increases colour absorption by locking in the printing ink under a protective coat which can make the inks look more vivid and saturated. 

Typically varnishes are applied to the entire page surface when a page needs to be robust but without adding too much weight to the paper stock, making it suitable for magazine pages, covers and brochures. However there is a finish that allows the varnish to be applied to highlight discrete areas of a design, especially on matte surfaces thus giving a texture and focal interest to different areas of the printing surface while leaving other areas uncoated. This is called spot varnishing and is often referred to as a 'spot UV', the UV varnish provides more shine than a usual varnish from being cured by ultraviolet light.

Emboss & Deboss

An emboss or deboss is a design that is stamped into a substrate to create a raised or recessed impression, sometimes with a combination of ink or foil using a die. The process of embossing is a highly decorative one and mainly used for aesthetics, but it can also serve a purpose and be highly functional; braille and credit card numbers. 

Embossing involves the creation of an impression by placing the dies in contact with the stock under high pressure. Different kinds of stock react differently to the process of embossing; In general the more processed a paper is the weaker it becomes and cannot withstand the pressures of embossing. The depth and the degree of bevel achieved are determined by the stock. A thicker stock can offer more dramatic embossing effects because the impression can push deeper into the paper and varying levels of relief become possible.

Blind emboss/deboss

Blind embossing does not include the use of ink or foil to highlight the embossed area. The change in the dimensional appearance of the material is the only noticeable difference resulting from the embossing. The blind embossing process provides a clean and distinctive or subtle image on paper stock. It is best used to create a subtle impression or low level of attention to the piece, yet provide some slight form of differentiation for the finished work.

Censorship and 'truth'

Overview

• Notions of censorship and truth
• The indexical qualities of photography in rendering truth
• Photographic manipulation and the documentation of truth
• Censorship in advertising
• Censorship in art and photography

Problem with manipulating images to sell a product, how you present or communicate a certain message.

Robert Capa, truth is an interesting proposition, Robert Capa pseudonym built up. Is this the point in death of a loyalist solider or was it just set up? It is the actual death of the solider, negatives were found. 

With lively step, breathing the wind, clinching their rifles, they ran down the slope covered with thick stubble................

Gulf war started to be picked up at the time of the news being on, geared up to be a media production of war. Strange realities of seeing it on CNN, anchorman back in the studio trying to keep them talking when really the want to flea and get away before they get bombed. 

Does the black and white take away from the horror of the image? does it censor it?

One of first truly shocking images that was placed on the front of newspapers, too true for people at home, gruesome reality of what goes on.

Censorship

Censorship is the suppression of speech or other public communication which may be considered objectionable, harmful, sensitive, politically incorrect or inconvenient as determined by a government, media outlet or other controlling body.

Morals

pertaining to, or concerned with the principles or rules of right conduct or the distinction between right and wrong; ethical: moral attitudes. 

Ethics 

moral principles that govern a person's behaviour or the conducting of an activity.

Cadburys have played on the sexual ambiguity of flakes in there adverts since the beginning. 

Benetton, dying aids is it actual truth? or is it set up? Italy being catholic, criticism made to look like dying jesus renaissance paintings but they're homophobic. Having an advert banned is just as good as having it out there, 

Damaging to the children, should it be allowed to be out there. Are they akin to child pornography.

Design for print- GF Smith

GF Smith
GFSmith is an independent British company that has been providing the creative world with inspiration for over a century. From the early endeavours of our founders, through determination in challenging times, to the vision of our present-day team, our history is characterised by the zealous spirit of our people. This is because, in essence, we are a family company; firstly, in the fact that generations of certain families have worked here, but also because we have remained a self-owned business with integrity and a close-knit community. 

Today GF Smith visited the studio to give us a brief presentation about the company and what they do, it was extremely interesting to learn what's actually available out there as I'm only really used to what is available in the print room or in the library. The amount of textures and types of paper is unbelievable and it definitely something to consider more when designing in future.

Design for web- wireframes

I've been struggling to get my head what a wireframe actually is and the difference between that and just drawing a grid etc...

What is a 'wireframe'
Creating a wireframe is an important step in any screen design process. It primarily allows you to define the information hierarchy of your design, making it easier for you to plan the layout according to how you want your user to process the information. 

It’s like an architectural blueprint; you need to see it in two-dimensional black and white diagrams before you understand how to build the actual house. Similarly for a screen design, you can’t start building pixel layers in photoshop, or writing blocks of code, without knowing where the information is going to go. At a deeper level, a wireframe is also very useful in determining how the user interacts with the interface. For example, wireframes can contain various states of button or menu behaviours.

Creating a wireframe is important because it allows the designer to plan the layout and interaction of an interface without being distracted by colours, typeface choices or even copy. I like to explain to my clients that if a user cannot figure out where to go on a black and white wireframe, it doesn’t matter what colours you eventually use.

Wirify
Wirify is a tool that enables you to see the wireframe used on any live website, it helps breakdown the layout and structure of websites further.

Examples of live wireframes

Das Program

Nosive Strukture

Dieter Rams: ten principles for good design

Curiosity got the better of me and I decided to see what the wireframes of websites I looked at everyday are.

Designspiration

Pinterest

Because there are many links and lots of information to be put across in such a small space I'm expecting this wireframe to be jam packed and confusing.

There's a lot happening on the Pinterest website, I don't know what the darker grey boxes represent because nothing is visible in that position on the actual site. I think this has confused me a little but for my wireframes and site I won't be creating something as extreme as this.

From doing this little task I set myself I feel like I now have a greater understanding of what a wireframe is, why they're needed and how they'll benefit me. I now feel confident that I can go forward and create wireframes for me to work from that give me guidance when it comes to coding because at the end of the day coding websites isn't exactly the easiest thing to do for me so everything that helps is welcome.