Comments on: A Guide to Preparing Files for Print

By: bhagu

bhagu — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 07:29:41 +0000

please include the words for black overprint too.

By: Lukas Engqvist

Lukas Engqvist — Mon, 28 Nov 2011 22:09:45 +0000

@Russell Normally if you just use 2 or 3 mm as standard per fold it just makes measuring easy, and easy is good.
For a 6 page A65 it would mean 100mm+ 100mm + 97 because an A4L is 297×210 and that makes easy maths.
You don’t need to make it more complicated than it is. Why I say the paper and the machine can vary is that each finishing machine has it’s limitations, so as a designer just assuming that a printer will handle it you may produce something that works fine as an idea but not in production.
Each physical machine has limitations, a maximum, a minimum, and those can vary depending on the number and kinds of folds. In some cases the parameters will vary with the kind of job, or the paper. Sometimes there are limits that can be overcome with innovative solutions, but the ability to rebuild the machines can be dependant on all parameters of the job. Some printers work flexible, some won’t. Some will just churn out using the same fold compensation without considering the design. There is really no way to do this without communicating with your printer.

The communication can be a one way communication of you giving instructions and the printer honouring them, as long as your demands are doable, even if it means hand folding them. (If it is physically doable you will know by doing a dummy).

Some printers give you feedback, some don’t.

By: Russell Spears

Russell Spears — Mon, 28 Nov 2011 21:14:21 +0000

Thanks Lukas, but can you give more specifics like how you get the paper’s thickness and the specific printers process variation (What to ask you printer for here I do not know “Folding Machine Latitude”) I would assume you double the page thickness and add the variation for the fold Compensation you then need add to each successive in-fold is in a roll fold.

By: Lukas Engqvist

Lukas Engqvist — Mon, 28 Nov 2011 19:37:50 +0000

@russel it’s not that simple, it depends on the folding machine, some machines have more precicion than other, and yes the paper thickness is one factor that can affect it. (I’m in europe so don’t work in inches (but I know how a folding machine works). Some web-to-print will have standard settings, because they don’t want to adjust their machine, others will adjust the folds to the job. Important is that as you “roll” the fold each page gets shorter.

By: Russell Spears

Russell Spears — Mon, 28 Nov 2011 19:24:00 +0000

Yea but all I am getting is 3/16 to 3/32 as a general rule, 1/8th in another, but worst is that they reference their templates and the values are all over the place…. Every post mentions the stock used as a factor, but nothing about how it is arrived at. Personally, I would think a general safe measure is added to twice the paper thickness and whatever variations the individual printer sees in their process. But no one is willing to spell it out so we designers can give them press ready work.

By: Lukas Engqvist

Lukas Engqvist — Mon, 28 Nov 2011 18:15:14 +0000

@Russell It’s hard to get a general value, since the process (and machines available at the production site) must be taken into account. If you don’t get good answer from production then making a dummy with the right materials is the closest you can get, and that includes the right kind of binding as the finished product (especially if you have a fold-in-spread in a magazeene, book or spiral bound product).

By: Russell Spears

Russell Spears — Mon, 28 Nov 2011 16:48:19 +0000

But I can say that when I do have a question from production it is very hard to get an answer. Like fold compensation… What method do you use for this and how do you calculate it based on paper thickness and process variation? That would be nice to hear from your side….

By: Jane S.

Jane S. — Tue, 22 Nov 2011 15:15:00 +0000

As a member of a small print house I must say, THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU! These are the basics, but it’s baffling how often we deal with full-fledged designers (and poor marketing directors who are made to design) missing a lot of these steps, holding up the turnaround of their job.

By: himshikha

himshikha — Thu, 10 Nov 2011 01:19:11 +0000

Really..it is too much benefecial for all designers who really want to know about printing media…

Thanks a lot…from my side too…

And you really so much lucky that you are appreciated by enough experienced graphic designers.

I have seen your website too…it is also very unique as well as simple too.

All the best…keep it up…

By: Andy

Andy — Tue, 11 Oct 2011 11:15:34 +0000

Great article Ciara. Really thorough.

You might all like to check out our Print Handbook for Designers which covers similar topics to the ones mentioned here and gives actual printed examples. Examples of things like rich black, overprinting, different dpi/ppi and more.

You can check it out here: http://www.printhandbook.com

Just thought you might all find it useful.