Catalog Printing Methods

We cannot deny the fact that catalog printing is now a soaring industry. Nowadays, catalogs are considered one of the useful tools in advertising and marketing. It can be used to give information to customers and to show pictures of products that can be purchased. In some cases, catalogs will show services that can be offered by certain businesses as well.

You can choose to print your own material catalog or be aided by a professional printing service. It is still best to use a professional printer if you are creating a large catalog with lots of pictures. However, you can still print catalogs at home if you have the right equipments, including computer programs, paper, and a high-quality printer.

Catalog printing is more difficult and lengthy in procedure compared to pamphlet or brochure printing. The reason to this is that it has many pages and each page must be designed to show different products, services, prices and company information. It can be a tedious process thus, it is still best to get hold of a professional printer rather than just experimenting on your own.

Four color printing is mostly used by printing services and commercial printers. This is because this kind of printing generates the most clear, vibrant and crisp color images. Examples of this kind of printing can be seen in magazines such as Time, People and National Geographic.

There are several methods used in catalog printing. The first on is the web press. A web press is an offset press that uses a roll of paper rather than sheets of paper. The use of a roll of paper allows quicker printing. There are two types of web presses the heat-set and cold-set.

A heat-set web press is the standard catalog and magazine printing press. It has a heating unit that dries the printed ink as it exits the press. This press allows high speed printing on coated papers such as gloss. It also produces brilliant, crisp photo reproduction for catalogs. Heat-set web presses are huge, complicated presses that necessitate several people to operate and setup. It is only reasonable to use this type of press for print runs of 10,000 copies or more and in increments of 8 pages, preferably 16. Ninety nine per centum of all mail-order catalogs are printed on this type of press.

Cold-set web press, on the other hand, does not include a heating unit so the printed ink must air dry. This press can only print on uncoated papers which allow the ink to absorb into the paper. Cold-set web press produces a fairly dull, fuzzy photo reproduction for catalogs. This kind of press is smaller and simpler than heat-set web presses, costing less and requiring less setup time. This can be a good press for very small quantity catalog print runs starting at 1,000 copies.

Another method of catalog printing is the sheet-fed press. This press is a customarily low volume press that prints on pre-cut sheets of paper. Because of its more precise printing method a sheet-fed press produces the sharpest printing of these three press types. It can print on a wider variety of paper weights. However, because of its sluggish speed it is the most costly of all the print methods. Sheet-fed press is commonly used for small print runs or job which necessitates the most excellent printing.

Additional Information about the articles can be found at http://www.catalogprintingexperts.com

Maricon Williams

I love reading. Give me a book and I'll finish it in one sitting. Reading is the chance to be transported to a different world and so is writing. I'm more enthusiastic about writing however, since you can relay your ideas to someone else. I can only imagine that feeling when I hear a complete stranger talking about my ideas which read on an article somewhere. To relay my message to as many people is the same as touching people with music. Only mine's less harmonic. I try to make up for it with the color I bring with words. And most of the time, its more than enough.

 

Printing Techniques For Printmaking

We may not be aware how these books, newspaper, magazines and other printing materials have come to reality. We just know how to use it and get benefited from it. While, knowing the processah for many of us knowing the process is just a waste of time. But looking back at the printing procedures will gives us more ways to value the printing materials we have especially the books.

Printmaking is a process for producing a work of art in ink; the work (called a "print") is created indirectly, through the transfer of ink from the surface upon which the work was originally drawn or otherwise composed. The artist determines how many prints are to be made in an edition, usually signing and numbering each one (and sometimes separately producing one or more artist's proofs. Depending on the complexity of the process chosen, the artist may work in conjunction with an expert printmaker, and make use of a printing press, a baren, a brayer, and/or a squeegee.

And performing this printmaking can be done in the following techniques. The most popular are the woodcut, etching, lithography, and screen-printing. Other printmaking techniques include chine-coll, collography, monotyping, engraving, drypoint, mezzotint, linocut, aquatint and batik. These techniques can also be combined.

Woodcut, this type of relief print is thought to be the earliest printmaking technique, dating back to 9th century China. The artist draws a sketch on a plank of wood and then uses sharp tools to carve away the parts of the block that he/she does not want to receive the ink. The raised parts of the block are inked with a brayer and then a sheet of paper, perhaps slightly damp, is placed over the block. The block is then rubbed with a baren or spoon, or is run through the press.

Etching is part of the intaglio family (along with engraving, drypoint, mezzotint, and aquatint.) Etching prints are generally linear and often contain fine detail and contours. Lines can vary from smooth to sketchy. A waxy acid-resist, known as a ground, is applied to a metal plate, most often copper. After the ground has dried the artist uses a sharp tool to scratch into the ground, exposing the metal. The plate is then completely submerged in an acid that eats away at the exposed metal. This process is known as biting. The waxy resist protects the acid from biting the parts of the plate that have not been scratched into. The longer the plate remains in the acid the deeper the incisions become. The plate is removed from the acid and the ground is removed with a solvent such as turpentine. The entire plate is inked. A wad of cloth is often used to push the ink into the incised lines. An etching is opposite of a woodcut in that the raised portions of an etching remain blank while the crevices hold ink. The surface is wiped clean with a piece of stiff fabric known as tarlatan or newsprint paper. The wiping leaves ink only in the incisions. A damp piece of paper is placed over the plate and it is run through the press.

Lithography a printing technology that dates back to 1798 when Alois Senenfelder developed a method of imaging limestone from which a print was produced. Based on the principle that oil and water do not mix, an aluminum or plastic plate is coated with a photopolymer film that is exposed to light through a photographic mask. The exposed areas are chemically "hardened," and the unexposed areas are dissolved when the plate is put through a chemical process, which is the next stage. When printing a page, the plate is dampened, and the water adheres only to the unexposed, non-image areas, which repell the greasy ink that is applied to the plate immediately thereafter.

Screen-printing also known as "silk-screening" or "serigraphy" creates bold color using a stencil technique. The artist draws an image on a piece of paper or plastic film can also be used.) The image is cut out creating a stencil. (Keep in mind the pieces that are cut away are the areas that will be colored.) A screen is made of a piece of fabric (originally silk) stretched over a wood frame. The stencil is affixed to the screen. The screen is then placed on top of a piece of dry paper or fabric. Ink is then placed across the top length of the screen. A squeegee (rubber blade) is used to spread the ink across the screen, over the stencil, and onto the paper/fabric. The screen is lifted and the image is now transferred onto the paper/fabric. Each color requires a separate stencil. The screen can be re-used after cleaning.

See how difficult it is to produce a printing material. However, nowadays with the continuous innovation for the printing technology, printing is just a click away. But the process itself is a complex procedure to follow. You need expertise and knowledge in the field. So its very important to appreciate and give value to the printing materials we have because life and death is at risk before it began.

Marlon D. Ludovice

Actually Im not fond of writing, I dont even write at all. I am not expecting to be in this field. But nevertheless, I love to read books...almost everything interest me. Reading is my passion! And now that I am in an article writer team, writing gives me an additional thrill in myself...Before I love to read books but now Im also in a writing stuff. I can say that I am not a good writer but I am always trying to be one.

For additional information and comments about the article you may log on to http://www.aprintingpress.com

 

Digital Camera For Digital Printing

The world is going digital and people are crazy bout the hi-tech gadgets available in the market. But significantly paving the way is one of the hottest consumer products of the 21st century - the digital camera. Most people want to capture and store their precious moment forever in a form of pictures. And photography plays an important role in this business.

Digital photography has evolved over the past few years into a highly affordable luxury that some could not be without and cannot afford to loose it. If you are new to the world of digital cameras, let Office Shop Direct be your guide to their large array of product specifications.

Price ranges are a very big consideration and are mainly based on high-end specifications such as resolution, compression and zoom options. Cutting corners on some of these details will save you in the long run, but you should be sure what you are missing out on before you make that decision.

Important Items to Keep in Mind about Digital Camera Technology:

Interpolation is a method in which a camera will fill in the color holes in the pixels of a picture by estimating color blends. While this can improve resolution, it will also reduce the sharpness and contrast of a picture. Never get a camera that is low in resolution but high in interpolation if you want sharp bright pictures.

Compression routines are the way the picture is stored digitally. Some companies maintain their own proprietary compression method, and this can make sharing images difficult. JPEG is the standard, but also as with most standards can have less clarity in a picture. Consider cameras that also offer the ability to print off images at no compression for best results.

SLR is short for single-lens reflex viewfinder. Many cameras have two views: that which the user sees to set up the shot, and that which the camera sees. If you have an SLR camera both what you see and what the camera shoots are lined up as one, and not slightly off on a different angle.

Having an amazing photo shot is easy; following the above mentioned important tips will surely give you an exceptional picture. Capture your best moment with best digital camera and quality printing application.

Marlon D. Ludovice

Actually Im not fond of writing, I dont even write at all. I am not expecting to be in this field. But nevertheless, I love to read books...almost everything interest me. Reading is my passion! And now that I am in an article writer team, writing gives me an additional thrill in myself...Before I love to read books but now Im also in a writing stuff. I can say that I am not a good writer but I am always trying to be one.

For additional information and comments about the article you may log on to http://www.aprintingpress.com

marlon@aprintingpress.com

 

Screen Press Printing: Looking At The Process

Screen printing also called silk screen print also called serigraph was invented in the Far East around 2000 years ago. No supplemented data on when or where exactly it originates, but originally used to make the screen printer's screen. A paper stencil was stiched onto the screen to control the print area.

Around a hundred years ago screen printing was reinvented in the west and it has become a common method of printing on textiles. Most common, the custom t-shirts. The screens used for screen printing custom t shirts, are made with a mono filament mesh. Photopolymer emulsion is used to make the stencil. Thus, silk screen is coated with the liquid emulsion, and allowed to dry and harden. The emulsion is light sensitive. The stencil is made in the "silk screen" by placing a positive of the print over the coated silk screen then exposing the screen to light. The areas of the screen shielded from the light remain water soluble and can be washed out of the screen. The light affects the emulsion in that once the dried emulsion has been exposed to light, water will not dissolve it. Take a look at the photograph to the left. In this case the positive for the screen print is hand drawn.

The availability of the screen printing products can be purchased locally from screen printing process supply stores. An "emulsion cup" is used to coat the silk screens with emulsion. The emulsion cup is a trough like cup that holds the liquid emulsion and allows it to be spread evenly across the screen. The screen is held vertically and the emulsion is spread from bottom to top with one smooth motion. After the silkscreen has been coated with emulsion it will be left to dry. Ambient or soft light can expose the screen but it would take hours or days. Even so care should be taken that the silk screen is kept in a dark place.

To "burn" a screen, the positive must make tight contact with the screen. A four inch thick foam rubber pad is placed under the screen with the glass placed on top. Sunlight can now expose the silk screen. It can take anywhere from around two to fifteen minutes. After the screen has been exposed it is taken to a wash out area usually a metal bathtub like trough or large sink. The screen is set in the trough and sprayed with a garden hose. Rinsed with water, after a second the design will be visibly lighter in the emulsion. After a minute or so of rinsing the design area should be free of emulsion. Rinsing is continued for another minute or so to wash away emulsion scum that if allowed staying in the screen and dry will clog printing areas. The washed out screen is then allowed to dry.

After it has dried the screen must be taped off. This is usually done with masking tape. The areas around the edges not coated with emulsion are taped front and back. The screen printer applies tape liberally over the frame and screen areas. The screen is then "pin holed". Sometimes imperfections in the screen printing process cause tiny "pin holes" in the emulsion thats why these must be taped over or blocked with emulsion or block out fluid. This is done on the bottom of the screen.

The emulsion can be removed from the screens so that the screens can be reused. This is called "reclaiming" the screen. After the print run the ink is scraped out of the screen and mineral spirits or ink wash is used to clean the ink from the screen. All the masking tape is pulled off the screen and the screen is sprayed with emulsion remover. This chemical is left on the screen for 2 or 3 minutes and a high pressure sprayer or even a garden hose can be used to wash away the emulsion. After the emulsion has been removed the screen must be degreased. There are degreasing liquids available also ivory soap works well. The screen is scrubbed thoroughly on both sides and then rinsed. It can now be dried and if kept clean reused. The screens must always be clean and degreased and dry before they can be coated with emulsion.

These procedures may sound very difficult but the application is totally easy. See and try the screen printing yourself!

Marlon D. Ludovice

Actually Im not fond of writing, I dont even write at all. I am not expecting to be in this field. But nevertheless, I love to read books...almost everything interest me. Reading is my passion! And now that I am in an article writer team, writing gives me an additional thrill in myself...Before I love to read books but now Im also in a writing stuff. I can say that I am not a good writer but I am always trying to be one.

For additional information and comments about the article you may log on to http://www.aprintingpress.com

marlon@aprintingpress.com