Press Printing Pros and Cons
We'll start with the pros and cons of print, as a whole. For example, one pro is that there are a number of different ways to print materials, such as screen printing or offset printing.
A con is that it can be difficult to get custom colors for materials from print media; in order to get custom color you would have to do an additional process called color separation and each color would require its own separate plate – which can bump up the cost significantly. You also need a printer specifically set up for this type of job.
The most common types of press presses are: direct imaging presses, digital printing presses and screen printers.
Direct Imaging: Direct imaging is the newest form of printing that uses LED light to selectively print colors on a sheet of paper. This method can be used for multi-color runs and printed directly onto coated stock.
Digital presses have come a long way in recent years in the newspaper industry. Today digital presses are capable of printing on newsprint at speeds of 1500-2000 sheets per hour, and feature the ability to print dailies, community papers and other special sections on extremely short notice. Digital press technology also enables newspapers to custom design special sections such as sports, comics or entertainment guides and distribute these sections daily to newsstands and subscribers outside of the home delivery area for increased circulation for their advertisers. The ability of digital presses to add a magazine or journal style appearance to newspapers has also increased the use of these presses in commercial printing.
Screen printing: Once considered an outdated print process, screen printing has made a big comeback the last few years. This method, which uses a squeegee to create an image on paper, is accomplished using vintage presses from the 1960s. Digital presses can be used if no existing press is available. The process uses heat applied to rollers across different colors of ink which creates an image on the paper for each color.
Offset Printing: This is by far the most common method used today in newspapers and periodicals publications. Offset printing is a process that, for centuries, has been used in graphic arts. It is the process of transferring an image from a plate to paper using a printing press. The offset printing process begins with a vat of ink, called an "inking roller", which is then transferred to a rubber-coated cylinder called the "platen." Next, the plate and paper are forced together under great pressure and the ink forms an image on the paper. As opposed to digital printing which uses toner cartridges, offset presses use plates that create an image on each piece of paper run through the press machine. The plates are made from either a sheet of metal, a rubber material or a plastic-like substance called polyester. Once the image is transferred to the paper it can't be changed. However, offset presses are very versatile and allow for changing of sizes and colors by changing the size or shape of the plate for each run; as well as providing economical prices for long runs. The disadvantage of plates is that they have to be produced every time you want to do a new job, which can be costly if you don't sell many copies.
The printing process begins with the layout of your material on design boards in an art department dedicated solely to putting your message across in an effective way. Once the layout is done, a proof specialist must be hired to prepare the printing of the material for its first press run.
Proof specialists first use computer-based software to clean each piece of your document before it starts the printing process. This process is called "cleaning." This step removes any unwanted blemishes or areas of color that might interfere with the imprinting of a specific image on each page. Proof specialists make sure everything looks exactly as they want before they get to the actual printing process. They also make sure that images are placed in their proper order and that margins are correct and evenly distributed throughout each page.
Once the proof specialist is done with each page, it will then be sent to a sheet-fed press for the actual printing process. The sheet-fed press prints out one sheet of paper at a time, and since they are only printing one sheet at a time, they move through each job quickly. Presses used in this process are either single or double column presses. Single column presses print on either a single side or both sides of the paper at once; double column presses print in two columns or on both sides on opposing pages. These presses are capable of printing on a wide variety of paper, including newsprint, uncoated and coated stock. Some commercial printers also have the ability to print on specialty papers such as colored or varnished paper.
The final product will be packaged and sent to the customer. If you are selling your publication, you can either give it out free with another publication or sell it at various locations around your area. In return for the cost of production and printing, your customers will receive a finished product that is very cost effective for them and will be able to reach more readers through distribution channels than through any other medium.
Keith Beers is an experienced printer, publisher and owner. He has been in the printing industry for over 38 years, owning three printing companies in his career. He has been a printer since 1976 and has worked with companies such as The Press of Atlantic City and the News of Atlantic County. In 1998, he was one of the first to receive a digital press back print machine through ARTS BUSINESS NEWSPAPERS which gives him a wide range of products to choose from.
If you would like more information, please call us at 1-609-942-4444 or visit www.keithbeersandco.com
Keith Beers & Company
PO Box 311, Tuckahoe, NJ 08087-0311
Digital Printing | Commercial Printing | Wide Format Printing | Print Finishing | Direct Mail Services | Graphic Design Services
Keith Beers & Company, Publishers of Commercial Printing and New Media Opportunities RSS Feed Content news from KeithBeers.com Launching a new business? Call us today at 1-609-942-4444. - Tags: digital printing, offset printing, commercial printing, wide format printing and print finishing. on the web: http://www.keithbeersandco.com/ on the web: http://www.
Conclusion There are a wide variety of commercial printing companies in the United States that can help you with your project. Keith Beers & Company Printing is one company that can offer you its services when you need them. Contact us today if you want to know more about our services. It is never too early to get started on your project.
If you would like more information, please call us at 1-609-942-4444 or visit http://www.keithbeersandco.com/.
Keith Beers & Company, Publishers of Commercial Printing and New Media Opportunities RSS Feed Content news from KeithBeers.