Design For Print: Stock_

The information below has been extracted from:

The Production Manual: A Graphic Design Handbook: A Graphic Design Handbook

 By Gavin Ambrose, Paul Harris

And Design Basics 06 PRINT AND FINISH

    

      By Gavin Ambrose, Paul Harris

      Substrates:

A substrate is any stock or material that recieves a printed image, this can range from a standard sheet of paper to much more elaborate and tactile papers and boards. and this can even extend to promotional items sucha s coffee mugs, t shirts and even the human body. this extends to any 3d objects. 

The Substrate that is selected for a specific job will be determined by its ability to take a printed design and  the overall aims and intentions of the piece of work. For exmaple - colour image reproduction requires a different substrate that what is used for newspapers for example, in which case low cost is the priority, in addition to printability, substrates are often selected for their other qualities on offer

such as "Tactile Stimulus."

Substrate selection is a vital consideration at the start of a design process. The variety of substrates to print upon is now greater than ever before. giving much wider creative possibilities. for designers and other creatives: As colour weights and textures all have a bearing   on the effectiveness of a piece. Identity design schemes, for example can be strengthened through consistent use of stock, which generates and element of individuality.

Paper Types: 

Paper types - this refares to any stock or substrate that can be printed with one of the conventional printing processes: 

Paper type - Notes - Primary Uses

Newsprint: 

This is made primarily of mechanically ground wood pulp, shorter life span than other papers - cheap to produce, least expensive papers that can withstand normal print processes: Used for Newspapers and Comics.

Antique:

Roughest Finish offered on offset paper: This is used to add texture to a publication such as anual reports

Uncoated Woodfree:

Largest printing and writing paper category by capacity that includes almost all office and offset grades used for general commercial printing.  - Office paper - printer and photocopy paper, stationary.

Mechanical:

Produced using wood pulp, contains acidic linguins suitable for short term uses as it will yellow and colours will fade over time. - news papers and directories

Art board:

Uncoated board: Cover stock

Art:

A high quality paper with a clay filler to give  a great printing surface, especially for halftones where definition and detail are very important -  has a very high brightness and gloss. Colour printing magazines:

Cast coated:

Coated peper with a high gloss finish obtained while the wet coated paper is pressed, or cast against a polished hot metal drum.: - High quality colour printing.

Chromo: 

   

    A waterproof coating on a single side intended for great embossing, and varnishing performance.

Cartridge: 

A thick white paper that is used for penciland ink drawings - To add texture to publications such as annual reports

Grey board:

Lined or un lined made from paper waste: Packaging material. 

Stock:

When considering a print quotation for a specific project, it is very important to ensure that the stock that is selected suits the project. the main consideration should be the design and the objective of the project, the client will always have an idea of how much they would like to spend on the design and print, the aim is to achieve the highest quality of design that is as close to the budget as possible. it is a great idea to co ordinate a a wide range of print options

Paper affects the perception of a project , colour reproduction will be changed by the choice of stock and finishes. an example of this would be the final dry page colour will differ from a coated or un coated stock. when specifying a stock you must firstly check examples that have previously been printed on the particular stock or stocks that are similar weight for example. If the papers weight is too heavy it can effect the way the stock folds and the mechanics of the publication. make sure to discus the weight of the stock with the client. take into consideration weather a certain stock will increase the postage of the final publication, this therefore increases the cost for the client once the design has been printed and finished. All of these considerations can affect the design and printing of the project.

Always discuss with your client the papers and stocks that you are personally considering, show them previously printed samples and some paper swatches. you and the client have always got to be aware of the final outcome of the printed document, to avoid any confusion regarding the paper weights and finishes. it is a  great idea to ask a range of printers for quotes and production advice. Make sur eto use only printers that have a large amount of experienced print and production that are similar to your project. Always ask a printer that is ok to produce a dummy or a blank mock up, of the proposed paper to investigate the texture finish and weight. involved he client as much as possible in the big design choices.

Colour reproduction:

When looking into paper stock and weight, you can also check colour reproduction through pantone swatches this illustrates accurate how a colour will be reproduced onto a particular surface. coated or uncoated for example it is crucial that examples are displayed where colour reproduction is different on surfaces, to show the differences - when you specifically choose uncoated paper stocks, show how the colour selected will be reproduced on a coated stock. There could be a requirement within a project that calls for the designer to produce a design on a smooth coated paper. 

The designer must make conciderations to make sure the colour pallete you have selected is close as possible and is going to be successful when printed over a range of printed papers, surfaces and finishes. Make sure you work with the printer, to ask for examples and advice but make sure you do not accept that some colours just print that way. make sure to determine the final outcome of the colour selections, if the colours need slightly adjusting for uncoated stocks, make sure to amment them to achieve an effective comparative colour reproduction.

More exploration into stock: I have decided to look at as many types of substrate as possible looking at what the stock is commonly used for within the industry, focusing mainly on the positive and negative attributes to the stock this will then allow me to look back when selecting stock, making sure that i get the right stock for the job.

Coated paper:

This paper has a clay coating applied to one or both sides. These papers are avilable in gloss, silk satin or matt finish, and are most commonly used for projects that require a fine finish, which is why coated paper is also refared to as 'art' paper. coated paper is produces sharper brighter images and has a better reflectivity than uncoated paper. coated paper is used to print brochures leaflets

and posters and a wide range of design for print formats, especially high volume print runs.

Uncoated paper:

Paper that does not have any kind of coating applied is uncoated paper . although it does not have any kind of coating this stock is not as smooth as coated paper - it is available in a range of different finishes, colours and weights and is generally more absorbent than coated paper. premium quality uncoated paper is used for business stationary and is commonly used in laser printers uncoated stocks also used as alternate or in conjunction to coated stocks in a wide range of design and print disciplines.

Wove:

Paper that is made on closely woven wire roller or mold and having a faint mesh pattern. wove is a popular choice for book publishing. wove is a premium quality paper with a uniform surface, not ribbed or textured like laid paper:

Laid:

Laid paper is premium quality paper with a textured pattern of parallel lines similar to handmade Paper: this is commonly used for business stationary:

Bond:

An economic uncoated wove paper, often used for copying or laser printers, it is a higher quality bond stock and is used for letterheads.

Weight of paper:

It is common practice to specify a weight of paper in gm or GSM abbreviations of grams per square meter this indicates the weight of paper or other stock for example the a normal photocopier paper is 80gsm and good quality letterhead paper is around 120gsm a postcard is around 300gsm

As papers are graded by weight one manufacturers 150 gsm paper may seem slightly bulkier that its competiters product a paper GSM rating is a great guide to how thick or stiff the paper will be and feel but you must always ask for paper samples if you are unsure, card or board as it is commonly called in the industry is some times measured in microns a micron is 1000th of a millimetre:

INKS:

Trapping

in prepress, the compensation for misregister of successive colors or images. Trapping and trapping techniques ensure that there are no unsightly gaps or overlaps of successively-printed colors or images. Trapping in this sense is referred to by many different terms, ranging from spreads and chokes, fatties and skinnies, lap register, and making grips.

In conventional (i.e., non-digital) lithography, trapping is accomplished using photographic techniques called spreadsand chokes, also known as fatties and skinnies, respectively. A spread is a photographic overexposure of an image to make it larger than it is on the original. Thus, when it is overprinted onto another image, it will "spread" into the other image by a predetermined amount, eliminating gaps between the two. Spreads are more commonly used on foreground images or objects; backgrounds are often modified by chokes, which is a photographic enlargement of the background color or object, which "chokes" the subsequently overprinted color or image with an overlap of a set amount. 

What is Aqueous Coating?

An aqueous coating is a fast-drying, water-based, protective coating which is applied in-line on press to attain a selection of finishes more economical price than varnish. This clear coating provides a high gloss surface which protects the surface from dirt, smudges, fingerprints and scratch. Aqueous coating improves postcards durability as they go through mail or inserted in pockets. It is also applied on brochures, catalog covers, flyers and other visual ads. Top of Form Aqueous coatings are applied to printed sheet right after the inks. Directly after the coating is applied, the sheets are sent through a heated air system that quickly dries the coating. The printed sheets can progress to the finishing department in a matter of minutes, as opposed to traditional varnishes which may need hours or even days to dry. This type of coatings provide marvelous rub and scuff resistance. They give protection that far exceeds standard varnishes. It protects the product from harmful elements from the shipment through to end use. They are available in gloss and matte finishes. High gloss: A variety of printing ink produced with an additional quantity of varnish that allows the ink to dry with a highly glossy finish, typically by oxidation and polymerization. High gloss inks achieve their best results when used on paper (typically coated paper) that allows a high degree of ink holdout, or does not allow rapid penetration of the inkvehicle into the paper surface. Rapid drainage of the fluid vehicle hampers oxidation and reduces printed gloss. The application of heat to expedite ink drying also works to reduce printed gloss. High-gloss inks are manufactured for use in both letterpress and offset lithographic printing processes.

Heat set:

A quick-drying type of ink that dries by evaporation of its solvent in a high-temperature drying oven followed by cooling to set the ink. Heatset inks comprise the pigment, a solvent (a heatset oil), a litho varnish, and a wax compound modifier. In heatset drying, the printed web is passed through a high-temperature dryer (typically at 250:500ºF) which evaporates the solvent. A chilling procedure (utilizing chill rolls) then cools the ink down to about 75:90ºF. Chemical reactions and absorption also set the ink. (See also Heatset Drying.)

Heatset inks are used in letterpress and offset lithography, typically in web presses, and have the advantage of quick drying, which reduces the risk of excessive ink spread and absorption. The process, however, can cause problems incoated paper which, if of insufficient porosity, can blister during heatset drying. (See Blistering and Fiber Puffing.)

Soy based:

A recent development in vegetable oil-based printing inks obtaining its oil-based vehicle from soybean oil. The use of vegetable oil-based vehicles has improved the printing characteristics of many inks, and soy ink has achieved excellent results when used in news ink, and helps eliminate smudging. Other types of vegetable oils used include rapeseed and linseed oils.

Metalic inks

Fine metal flakes that are mixed with a varnish and used as a pigment in some types of printing inks to impart silver, gold, or other types of metallic luster to the printed image. Metallic powders used in inks are produced in different grades and with varying degrees of fineness, depending on the desired end-use characteristics. Despite such names as Silver or Gold, less precious metals are typically used. "Silver" is actually made from aluminium, and "Gold" is made from brass, copper or other metals, depending on the shade desired (from Pale Gold to Rich Gold). Specially-made vehicles are needed to carry these pigments to ensure proper binding to the substrate and to impart the desired level of brightness. Metallic powder-based inks, especially bronze powders used in "gold" inks, need to be mixed just prior to using, as they tarnish rapidly. The vehicle is designed to dry rapidly, so as to prevent a minimum of post-impression tarnishing. (See Pigment.) Often, metallic powders are added to the substrate following the printing of a highly-tacky, non-drying ink, a process called bronze dusting.