Australian Paper Sizes:

A2 594 mm x 420 mm (twice an A3)
A3 420 mm x 297 mm (twice an A4)
A4 297 mm x 210 mm (standard letter size)
A5 148.5 mm x 210 mm (half an A4)
A6 105 mm x 148.5 mm (quarter of an A4)

GSM

Paper and card thickness is referred to as “gsm”. This is misleading as it actually is the “gram per square metre” by weight. It generally means the higher the number the thicker the stock. It is common for a lighter gsm stock to be actually thicker than a heavier stock due to its density being lower.

Working with MS Publisher

At Bold Print we use Publisher 2003 as a great tool to be able to swap design ideas with our clients. As most businesses are running MS Office we have adopted this as a standard so you can send us your ideas in a publisher document we know you sometimes like to design it yourself to start with so thats fine with us. Once we have the design close to what you need we will typeset it and send you a PDF Proof.  Just ensure you are designing it in the 2003 Version so we can read it at this end......

CMYK

Have you ever heard of CMYK and wondered what it meant? Cyan Magenta Yellow Black - it should be called CMYB but its not - its CMYK and these are the 4 colours used in full colour printing In our logo you can see the four colours Cyan ( Blue) , Magenta ( Red ) , Yellow and Black......easy

PMS Colours

A PMS colour is a colour that is identified using the numbering system found in the Pantone Matching System ( PMS ) the numbers we use in the printing industry to correctly name a colour. See the picture to the right - it is a PMS Book we can use to work out what colour you use in your design of say your logo or your font...then you will know what your PMS Colour is...very handy !

Coated and Uncoated Stocks

This refers to the finish of the surface, a gloss or satin stock is coated or polished in the paper making process to achieve a super smooth surface, an uncoated stock is untreated and feels a little furry to the touch.

Laser printers give their best results on super smooth coated stocks.

Most brochures and magazines are printed on a coated stock, whilst newspapers and business stationery are on uncoated stocks like 90 gsm laser bond which is our standard stock for stationery.

An Overview of Offset Printing

Offset printing is the most common printing technology in use by commercial print shops. Offset printing involves transferring the ink from the plate roller to an intermediate (or offset) roller, which is typically made of rubber, before applying it to the print media.

Other types of printing contact the printing media directly with the plate roller.

Offset printing has several distinct advantages over other printing methods.

Offset printing offers a number of improvements to older printing methods.

First, it is possible with offset printing to print on a number of different types of media, not just paper.

Since offset printing uses a flexible rubber roller, images can be transferred to media such as cloth, fur, and other non-standard printing materials.

Additionally, offset printing typically creates higher quality documents because the rubber roller conforms to the print media, whereas the inflexible rollers in older printing techniques would sometimes blur letters if the media was not fed precisely.

The printing plate in offset printing typically lasts longer since the plate is only contacted by the rubber offset roller and not the abrasive print media which can wear down the plate with prolonged contact.

The first offset printing machine was created in England in the late nineteenth century, but was only created for printing on metal and was not considered to be a replacement for stone roller printing.

The full potential of offset printing was not recognized until the early twentieth century when American printer Ira Washington Rubel noticed that documents printed by offset printing were of higher quality than other documents.

Since then, offset printing has come to dominate the commercial printing landscape.

 

Printing Questions Answered

What is the difference between "spot colours" and "four colour process"?

Spot colour is one colour that can be assigned a PMS (Pantone Matching System) number. Example: Reflex Blue is one spot colour and not a mixture of colours. Four colour process is a combination of C (cyan), M (magenta), Y (yellow) and K (black) to produce a variation of colours.

What is the difference between RGB and CMYK?

RGB refers to the primary colours of light, Red, Green and Blue that are used on your computer screen. CMYK refers to the primary colours of pigment: Cyan, Magenta, Yellow and Black. Many programs have the capability to convert the layout/images from the RGB to the CMYK.

What is DPI?

DPI stands for dots per square inch. The measurement of resolution for page printers, photo type setting machines and graphics screens. Graphics screens usually reproduce 60 to 72 dpi, most page printers 300 dpi and typesetting systems 1,000 dpi. Most images off the internet are 72 dpi, which is very poor quality to print from.

What is the difference between coated and uncoated stock?

Uncoated stock is a rough porous type of paper. It is normally used in newspapers and tends to be less expensive. Coated stock has a smooth glossy finish. Printing on this type of paper will sharpen your text and graphics layouts. Coated stock, however, can be a bit more expensive.

What are halftones?

A halftone is a reproduction of a photograph having highlights, shadow and intermediate tones.

What are colour separations?

A colour separation is an image that defines where one specific colour will be printed. Colours can be mixed by overlapping areas of different colour separations so that one ink is applied on top of the other. By combining this technique with halftones, many variations of colours are possible.

What is camera ready art?

Camera ready art is a high quality black and white print that is ready to be printed from....this is now an old term and most artwork used today is digital.

Will you match a colour sample from my own printer?

There is no guarantee that your finished piece will be exactly like your printed sample. This is due in part to the widely varying results from the different output devices including inkjet and laser printers, continuous tone proofing devices, high-resolution film-based proofs and different than true offset lithography. In particular, inkjet and laser prints are known to look substantially different than true offset.

How do I prepare my text for the printer?

Adobe PDF is the preferred text format for most printers. It works with virtually all image-setters, place-setters, and digital output devices. Most popular file formats, including MS Word and MS Publisher are easily converted to PDF. PDF is a "locked" format so there are no problems with text reflow when the files are opened on different computers. PDF can be read on any PDF reader, free at the Adobe website.

How should I take pictures with my digital pictures?

The digital camera takes pictures as RGB. Save the images onto the picture (memory) card at the highest quality possible.
Remember images should be at 300 dpi in their final size in the layout.

What is a "bleed"?

A "bleed" is when the ink prints to the very edge of the paper.

What is Die Scoring or Die Cutting?

A "steel rule" die is manufactured, which is composed of thin pieces of steel that will be used to stamp a line or rule on the printed material. To die cut is to cut the printed piece almost like a cookie cutter. An example of this is a "presentation folder".

What is a Saddle Stitching?

Two staples added into the centre of the piece on the fold line. Magazines and newsletters are typically saddle stitched.

What is Perfect Binding?

A squared off edge and glued pages define this bindery type. An example is your typical published book.

What is Perforating?

It is the creation of holes either by die or a bindery rolling process, for tear outs or coupons.