Mhairi Flett

Embossing and debossing print embellishments create a raised area on paper or board. These are the same process—the only difference is the result: Either raised (emboss) or recessed (deboss). GSM takes a look… Firstly, embossing/debossing is always done after printing is complete, as a separate process. The process uses a stamp-press or Letterpress loaded with two metal die-blocks—a male (raised) and a female (recessed) block. The blocks are loaded opposing each other on the stamp-press. As sheets of paper or card feed through the press—one block hits against the other, sandwiching the stock and creating a three-dimensional impression. Typically, the...

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The term ‘digital printing’ is a generic name applied to processes whereby an image is printed directly from a digital source onto the media, without an intermediary process (such as pre-press or platemaking). This equates to very low initial set up costs and quick turnaround times. Consumables however, tend to be expensive—hence digital printing is generally used for short-run over long-run volumes. The two main forms of ‘digital printing’—Laser (dry and wet toner) and Inkjet— have different strengths and weaknesses. Dry & Wet Toner Printing (Laser-Printing) Commercial toner-based print systems work on the same principles as their smaller office or...

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Other methods of high-volume/long-run printing are Flexography and Rotogravure. Both are similar to Offset Lithography in that they are CMYK (plus PMS Spot colour) based. The predominant difference is how the inked image transfers to the substrate. GSM takes a look... Flexography Flexographic printing (‘Flexo’) is a form of high-speed, high-volume, web-fed relief printing, meaning the image area is raised. Like offset lithography, flexography also uses printing plates. However, flexo plates are rubber or plastic and feature a raised image area. During printing, the raised area on the plate is inked and directly contacts the passing substrate. There is no...

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Offset Lithographic Printing Following on from the prepress stage, where the operator has transferred the artwork onto metal plates, comes the process of Offset printing.  This is where the image transfers (offset) from metal plates to rubber blankets or rollers and then onto paper. This is how the actual ‘printing’ part of the project takes placce: The Process The press operator sets up the press by loading and fixing the printing plates onto the plate cylinder, and a new rubber blanket onto the blanket cylinder. The press operator fills the ink trays (note that larger presses may run off a...

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Prepress Prepress is the first step when artwork arrives at the printery from the designer and involves the following processes:  Reviewing & Preflighting Artwork In this process a specialist Prepress operator will check the supplied artwork to ensure it has been set up correctly. It is important to note that this is a technical check—and not a content check—a printery will not spell check or proof read your artwork. The Prepress operator will be specifically looking at the following: The supplied format is correct (high resolution PDF) The artwork document trim-size is correct The artwork document includes crop marks The...

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The term ‘commercial printing’ refers to any print service offered by a print supplier (a printery) to another party, such as a designer or business. There are many forms of commercial printing—Here, we take a look at Offset Lithographic Printing: Long-run versus Short-run Printing Commercial print methods can be split loosely into two categories: as being more (or less) suitable for large (Long-run) versus small (Short-run) quantities. Long-Run Print Methods Long-run commercial printing methods create large volumes of identical reproductions as cost-effectively as possible. As a general guide, long-run methods tend to offer the best economy when printing in volumes...

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  Colour is one of the most critical assets within a designers toolkit. Colour allows us to create epic visual communication full of expression and emotion. However, when it comes to print, colour is also an area that requires some technical understanding to ensure that results match expectation. GSM takes a look at Colour - CMYK, RGB and PMS... CMYK Colour Most commercial print processes are based Cyan (C), Magenta (M), Yellow (Y), Black (K) colour model—otherwise known as CMYK or ‘Process’ Colour. Here’s how it works: If you did art at school, you likely did an exercise where you...

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