Summary of chapters 4 and 5

Chapter 4:

 As I read through my book, I come across what a JPEG and RAW file means. A JPEG is a compressed format which photos from digital cameras are captured in. A RAW file means that the image is subjected to a minimal compression from the camera. The difference? RAW cannot be uploaded into Illustrator or InDesign. They must only be opened in Photoshop. As for JPEG's, it compresses the file into a smaller file to fit.
There are some files you should print and should not print. The most widely supported image file format is TIFF (tagged image file format). The file can be uploaded into almost every application. It supports RGB and CMYK colors. Photoshop EPS, Photoshop native PSD, and Potoshop PDF are other image formats appropiate for print.
The files not appropriate for image formats are portable network graphics, BMP, graphics interchange format, and JPEG. Bitmap images contain only black and white pixels. The images are also known as "line art images." These images provide a sharp, clean image at a high resolution. This is where ppi's (pixels per inch) come in.
The higher the resolution the better the ppi will be. When you are cropping images, do not be afraid to free crop instead of using crop on the software. Also rotating should only be rotated to 90 degree increments because if not, then the picture will soften.

Here is a great transparency tip:
Illustrator and InDesign opacity files can be place in Photoshop native, but the do not handle blending. Drop shadow is the most common example. The shadow will take away the image in the other two software. You do not want a gray shadow. If you want to make it as easy as can be, simply drop the shadow in Photoshop and create in Illustrator.

Chapter 5:

Vector graphics are pixel free. They do not have scaling restrictions  and a smooth shape that has no inherent resolution, so the image can be reduced with no problem. Embedding fonts The most common file format for artwork is EPS (Encapsulated PostScript). EPS contains information for drawing and also font information. Another format would be native file formats. The last would be Adobe PDF which is the creative vector for placement of artwork in another application. Your image is saved as a PDF.
What formats NOT appropriate for print would be Microsoft Windows Metafile Format (WMF), Enhanced Metafile Format (EMF0, and raster formats. Microsoft Word and PowerPoint are for the placement of WMF's. Like the WMF files, EMF does the same except the shapes are more concentric.

Handling text:
Embedding means to fix. Font information should be available for display, but not for editing. Not all applications can embed fonts. Some applications cannot export embedded fonts. Outlining text is where fonts contain, hinting, which means the display and printing of text. You do not want to outline if it will be printed on a digital press. The 600-1200 dpi resolution can result in thickening of small text.

One last tip I have is do not go the harder way of drawing paths. Simply use the tools in Illustrator to help you draw a smoother and simplified path. 



Source: "Print Production with Adobe Creative Suite Application" by Claudia McClure
copyright 2009. January 31, 2012.

Self Promotion Notepad

Out project is to design a self promotion notepad. It must be 5x7 in black and white. Here our my rough drafts. 

Here are two that i picked. 

This is my final rough.

Synopsis of Notepad Design

When I heard the project was going to be a self promotion notepad,I first thought, how was I going to incorporate my name in such a design. I thought about my name going down the side of the notepad and evening the other side out with bars.

Most of my designs are simple. Not too many images on them. I wanted to keep this notepad simple, but make sure it still had a meaning. I would say my piece is asymmetrical because either way, horizontal or vertical, it is still uneven.

Overall, I tried to incorporate the same details on all thumbnails. I wanted to keep the notepads the same, but either adding more or subtracting less details.  

The pricing to print a notepad with 100 pages would cost $230.19. An individual page costs $4.43.

  This is my final product.

Print Job Definitions

There are four main steps on how a typical printing job works. First you must plan your production. Then the prepress production begins, starting with your image work and into prepress. After preflight, the finishing touches are made. Finishing includes trimming, folding, stitching, binding, gluing, and die cutting. Die cutting is using pressure and shaped metal dies to cut a printed piece in an interesting shape. Sometimes done by the printer, and sometimes done by outside specialty companies that subcontract with the printer. Packaging and pocket folders are examples of pieces. The cutting die is mounted on a specialized die cutting press.

When print job is referred to as, two-color print job, that simply means that two colors of ink will be required to print it.


Glossary Terms from the book-

Folding Dummy: A blank sheet of paper folded in the configuration that will be used in finishing the job. Pages are numbered to indicate the correct imposed page position.

Imagesetter: A typesetting device that produces very high-resolution output directly from a computer file, as for camera ready copy.


Pica vs. Point
A pica is a unit of measurement. There are six picas in an inch and a pica is equal to twelve points.
A point is also a unit of measurement. There are 72 points in an inch. Text size and leading are almost always specified in points.


Importance of Registration: The alignment of all links printed on a press. Since each color is applied by an individual unit on press, there is some possibility of the successive colors not aligning. While modern presses have sophisticated controls for maintaining proper registration, mechanical or environmental problems may cause slight misregistration, as can stretching or deformation of the paper itself during the printing process.

Purpose of a RIP: A "RIP", short for raster image processor, is a dedicated computer with specialized software that converts PostScript or PDF information into bitmap information. This process drives an image setter to image the film or a plates.


Variable data printing (VDP): VDP can be the personalization of a printed piece by inserting the recipients name and address. Since each impression on a toner based digital press is unique anyway, a database driven process can insert custom text, even images, to narrowly target the printed piece to the recipients demographic or buying history.


DPI, LPI, PPI
Dots per inch (dpi) are used to describe the resolution of an imaging device such as a desktop printer, an imagesetter, or a platesetter.
Lines per inch (lpi) describe the frequency of halftone dots, measured along a row of dots.
Pixels per inch (ppi) describes image resolution. Image resolution should be 250-300 ppi.


CMYK vs Spot Color
Printed color image is referred to process colors, such as, cyan, magenta, yellow, and black (CMYK).  The process inks are transparent, and when combined, they form other colors.
A spot color is used when it is necessary to print colors that fall outside the range of CMYK inks. Example colors are bright orange and navy blue. 






Source: "Print Production with Adobe Creative Suite Application" book by Claudia McCue

QR code: What does this mean?

A two-dimensional barcode used for reading on smartphones is the definition of a QR code. A QR code, also called quick response code, was created and designed to be decoded at a high rate of speed. It is becoming very popular to identify specific URL's that companies want mobile users to access using their smartphones. If you are wanting to generate your own, I suggest you go to one of these websites to get you started. Once you have created your own, simply save it, print it, email it, or share it with your friends.

• http://qrcode.kaywa.com/
• http://www.qrstuff.com/
• http://quikqr.com/ 

The QR code on a package is tracked by a scanner that scans the code which then is entered into a database. From there, the information can be interpreted for the distributor or customer.

Example of a QR code

Sources:
http://www.hudsonhorizons.com/Our-Company/Internet-Glossary/QR-Code.htm
http://www.kaywa.com/company/the-qr-ad-a-new-way-of-banner-advertising.html

Preflight: What does it mean?

Preflighting is for print documents that run through all the files that you used in the document to make sure none are missing and/or have changed. Before printing a document consider a few points from this checklist.

• Include all fonts
• Include all linked images and photos
• Include all embedded and nested images and photos
• Use CMYK font colors  
• Save images in the proper file format and the proper resolution
• Check all bleeds and crop marks
• Verify your document size

To be hired as a preflight technician one must have the right qualifications. The technician must load the customers supplied electronic onto the prepress file server. Also check customer's files for any problems that may arise. They must identify the problems as well and communicate with the customer and production personnel. A few of the tasks include identifying missing fonts and performing basic troubleshooting.The annual salary starts off at $25,000 and can go as high as $57,000 annually.



Sources:
http://www.printecpress.com/preflight.html
"Printing Industry Education Summit Committee" http://www.graphiccommcentral.org/employ/preflight-technician.html
http://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes515111.htm

Test Blog

1/17/12

This is a test blog. 
My name is Emily Plush and I am a commercial graphics major.