Prepress Mod 1-intro

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Module 1: Introduction—Basic Concepts

Introduction— Basic Concepts

Instructor: Doughlas Remy

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Module 1: Introduction—Basic Concepts

Course Materials • PowerPoint presentations provide the framework for this course. • Some of the material shown on the slides is for reference only and will not be covered in detail. Time constraints may also require us to skip some of the slide material.

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Module 1: Introduction—Basic Concepts

Course Caveats • This is only an introduction to pre-press processes and techniques. • Students are at different levels of competence. • To be effective and credible in the world of pre-press—and to know how to select a printing company for your jobs—you need a basic knowledge of printing technology. Our first session will introduce you to this topic.* • Some of the material shown on the slides is for reference only and will not be covered in detail. Also, a few of the topics are of lower priority and may be skipped due to time constraints.

*Also, pre-press is considered to be part of the printing industry and accounts for about five percent of its earnings.

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Module 1: Introduction—Basic Concepts

Assessment You will be given a multiple-choice quiz to complete at the end of each module. Your scores may be noticed but will not be recorded or used for any purpose other than the following:

• • • •

Goal / focus along the way. Feedback for you. Feedback for me. Closure on a topic.

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Module 1: Introduction—Basic Concepts

Course Outline • • • •

Introduction –Basic Concepts and Terminology Printing Processes Color Theory and Management Tools and Techniques

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Module 1: Introduction—Basic Concepts

Introduction to Pre-press Concepts • • • • • •

Desktop publishing (DTP), digital publishing The advent of digital publishing Digital publishing and Web design Scope of digital publishing Analog vs. digital media Pre-press, on-press, and post-press processes

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Module 1: Introduction—Basic Concepts

Terminology: DTP, Digital Publishing The terms “desktop publishing” and “digital publishing” are used interchangeably, and neither of them is very precise in its meaning. The term “desktop publishing” (DTP) dates from the early 1980s when, for the first time, the entire process of producing a short-run publication such as a newsletter or brochure could be done from a home office equipped with a computer, a camera, a scanner, a printer, and certain software—and all of these devices except the camera and the monitor would have been digital. “DTP” may also refer to larger-scale and more specialized operations that do not include the actual printing and postpress work.

Then IBM PC, circa 1981

Now Dell Dimension™ Desktop

Module 1: Introduction—Basic Concepts

Terminology: DTP, Digital Publishing So, “desktop publishing (DTP)” may have one of two meanings: • For short-run jobs such as newsletters, “DTP” refers to the entire process from writing and photography to cutting and folding the printed material. • For larger jobs such as magazines or direct mail, “DTP” refers only to the early stages of the process, up to handing off the files to the press.

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Module 1: Introduction—Basic Concepts

Terminology: DTP, Digital Publishing The term “digital publishing” is now sometimes preferred to “desktop publishing” simply because it stresses the electronic, digital nature of the process (now that we have digital cameras and digital monitors). But this newer term still does not tell us whether the process includes all phases of publication, including the printing. “Digital pre-press” is much more specific, but the qualifier “digital” is probably unnecessary, because most pre-digital pre-press technologies are now obsolete. Employers seeking pre-press staff usually advertise for “desktop publishers,” “pre-press technicians,” or “graphic designers*.”

*In cases where most of the printed content is graphical, graphic designers are sometimes responsible for all pre-press work.

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Module 1: Introduction—Basic Concepts

Terminology Important We can use the term “digital publishing” to refer to our pre-press work even if the actual printing process is non-digital*.

*E.g., your morning newspaper is probably printed using the offset litho process, which is not a digital technology. But most of the content will have been prepared digitally, using computers, scanners, digital cameras, etc.

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Module 1: Introduction—Basic Concepts

The Advent of Digital Publishing Only a quarter-century ago, there was no digital publishing as we know it today. The following developments occurred in the eighties: •1985 – Apple Macintosh—the first computer to integrate text and graphics •Adobe Pagemaker •

Page layout software

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PostScript Page Description Language

•Desktop Publishing (DTP) •

Computer-based

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Integration of text and graphics

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Control of all elements of page design: o Typography o

Art

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Photos

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Layout / design

Apple Macintosh SE: Introduced in1987, discontinued in1990. Price: US $3000$4000

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Module 1: Introduction—Basic Concepts

Digital Publishing and Web Design Digital publishing

The term “digital publishing” has increasingly come to include Web design. However, the term “pre-press” is reserved for output to print media.

Pixel Web design

Print Pre-press

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Module 1: Introduction—Basic Concepts

Scope of Digital Publishing The advent of digital publishing has been nothing less than revolutionary. Printing tasks that were once outsourced to vendors can now be performed by a single individual using a computer and peripherals that are within the range of most household budgets.

Before digital printing, the following tasks would have been performed by different people: • Writing • Editing • Typing • Proofing • Photography • Art • Page layout • Typesetting • Color separations

Page layout used to involve: •Drawing boards •T-squares •Ruling pens •Erasers •Rubber cement •Tape

Module 1: Introduction—Basic Concepts

Scope of Digital Publishing Because digital publishing trends towards consolidation of multiple publishing tasks, smaller publishing projects can, theoretically, be carried out by a single person, whom we would call the “digital publisher,” or just “publisher” for short. However, large publishing projects still require division of labor because of their scale. So large companies such as Microsoft still employ writers, editors, photographers, graphic artists, page-layout specialists, indexers, etc.

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Module 1: Introduction—Basic Concepts

Analog vs. Digital Media Electromagnetic (EM) waves are analog, and the human eye is analog in its way of gathering and sensing light, which is the visible part of the EM spectrum. However, analog images or signals may also be gathered by digital means. These include scanners, digital cameras, and modems. (Modems convert analog signals to digital ones, or vice versa.)

Transmission (output) of digital images or signals may be done by computers, modems, printers, and LCD monitors. (CRTs are analog.)

Analog media: • Telephone • Radio • Film cameras • CRT Monitors • Modems Digital media: • Computers • Scanners • Digital cameras • LCD Monitors • Modems

Module 1: Introduction—Basic Concepts

The Role of Pre-press Processes Pre-press processes prepare documents for printing. Where the actual printing is done depends on many factors: • Some companies have their own printing departments. • Some organizations, such as universities or large corporations, have their own presses (e.g., Microsoft Press, University of Chicago Press). • Some companies are dedicated to printing (e.g., ADG Printing in Lynnwood, GM Nameplate in Seattle, CCR Printing in Bellevue). • Companies like Kinko’s offer a variety of services, including digital printing. These are variously called “press,” “print shop,” “printing company,” “the printers,” “service bureau,” “printing services,” etc.

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Module 1: Introduction—Basic Concepts

Overview Printed materials are produced in three operations: • Pre-press • On-press • Post-press

Graphic design team Pre-press

Printing company / service bureau Pre-press On-press Post-press

Module 1: Introduction—Basic Concepts

Pre-press Operations

Usually not done by the press

Typically done at the press

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Writing Editing Design Typography Art Photography Scanning Layout Proofing (preliminary) File preparation Preflight Color correction Stripping / imposition Platemaking Proofing

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Module 1: Introduction—Basic Concepts

Pre-press Operations: Typography

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Module 1: Introduction—Basic Concepts

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Pre-press Operations Typically Done at the Press

• • • • •

Pre-flight Color correction Stripping / imposition Platemaking Proofing (happens at several stages)

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Module 1: Introduction—Basic Concepts

Pre-press Operations Typically Done at the Press Stripping and imposition: Both these terms refer to the plan and arrangement of pages so that when printed, folded and trimmed, they will appear in the correct order. The difference is that stripping is a pre-digital process and imposition is a digital one.

Pre-digital

Digital

Stripping: The positioning of film negatives on a flat prior to platemaking. There is an individual negative for each color to be printed. Stripping is limited to pre-digital printing technologies and has been replaced, in digital prepress, by “imposition.”

Imposition: The arrangement of pages, as in stripping, but entirely by digital means, using imposition software to output pages to an imagesetter (which produces large pieces of film), or a platesetter (which generates a plate that goes directly to press).

Module 1: Introduction—Basic Concepts

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Pre-press Operations Typically Done at the Press Activity: Stripping and Imposition: This activity demonstrates how pages must be arranged when they are printed on a large sheet (16x), which is then folded and trimmed.

1.Fold a sheet of paper three times. 2.Rotate the folded sheet so that the narrow edge without foldings is at the top. 3.In the top center of the first segment, write a large number 1. 4.On the reverse side of that segment, write the number 2.

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Front of sheet

Module 1: Introduction—Basic Concepts

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Stripping and Imposition

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Back of sheet

Pa ge 1

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(flip over) Pa ge 16

Tri m

line s

Tri m

line s For more information about imposition, visit:

http://www.prepress.pps.com/TechReports/imposetr.html#

Module 1: Introduction—Basic Concepts

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Module 1: Introduction—Basic Concepts

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On-press Operations: Transfer of images to paper • • • • •

Precise positioning of plates Control of ink coverage Color control Registration (see next slide) Speed of impressions

A modern web offset press

The printing company, print shop or service bureau is entirely responsible for “onpress” operations.

Print shop circa 1920

Module 1: Introduction—Basic Concepts

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Registration Marks and Crop Marks Notes: Notes:

Registration mark

•• Registration Registration is is done done only only for for 22- to to 4-color 4-color printing. printing. IfIf the the colors colors are are misregistered, misregistered, you you will will be be able able to to see see the the separate separate colors: colors:

Edge of sheet

Crop marks

Trimming here (These lines do not actually appear.)

•• Crop Crop marks marks indicate indicate where where trimming trimming is is to to be be done. done.

11. LIMITATION OF LIABILIT You agree that Microsoft, its affiliates, and their distributors (and their suppliers)

Module 1: Introduction—Basic Concepts

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Post-press Operations: All Finishing Work • • • • • •

Cutting Folding Trimming Binding Stacking Packaging

The printing company, print shop or service bureau is entirely responsible for this phase of the printing process.

Module 1: Introduction—Basic Concepts

Post-press Operations: Folding In this photo, you can see printed newspaper pages that have come off a web offset press and have already been folded once (at top). They are now being folded a second time between the rollers (center). The next step will be to trim them on (probably) three sides.

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Module 1: Introduction—Basic Concepts

End of Module 1

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