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History or Printing
Modern Printing as we know it involves the use of printing presses, and as such begun towards the end of the 15th century after Guthenberg invented the first operational printing press in 1452. At the time few people could read, but the Reformation, and later the Renaissance, contributed significantly to the development of printing and distribution of books, largely for religious purposes.
As early as 1500 there were 1000 printing shops in Europe, which had produced 35,000 titles and 20 million copies. Most of these were printed texts in Latin, as the subject matter was largely for disseminating information about Christianity.
The Age of exploration also grew in tandem with the development of printing resulting in a vast new subject of interest, particularly Mercator's early maps. In essence, communication had taken a great leap forward and it wasn't long before great works of antiquity, such as Greek tragedies, were reproduced. With the rise of education during the Renaissance, printed books soon became an important tool.
The introduction of lithographic printing was another leap forward for printing, invented by the German Aloys Senefelder in I801 using plates with a raised surface for imprinting the ink. The method only later employed oil and water to ensure a clear distinction. With the rise of the Industrial Revolution, mechanical processes such as printing vastly improved.
In the past century technological advances transferred the litho plate onto a drum for efficient, mass printing. This method remains largely intact to this day, though the waxing of the print surface and other developments has much retined the process. A major change has been the introduction of an off-set, where a rubber-covered cylinder is placed between the printing cylinder and the impression cylinder, essentially to speed up the process without compromising quality. Since then photosensitive polymers have been introduced to further enhance the inking step.
The past three decades have seen the rapid introduction of digital printing and while circuitry and microchips were introduced earlier, the digital age has brought printing into the household and office through sophisticated technology. Starting out with simple dot-matrix printers, the process has seen the introduction of inkjet and laser technology, making high quality domestic and business printing a realistic option.
Photographic reproduction technology is now widely used for graphics and pictures, as demonstrated by the popular use of digital cameras. However, these processes are expensive for large scale mass printing. Commercial printing companies continue to use sophisticated printing presses and machines that combine traditional mechanical methods with high-tech circuitry, and employ computer management systems to streamline the process, particularly the pre-press preparation.
SR Print management has remained at the forefront of technological development and has access to cutting-edged technology to back up their up-to-date advice on printing.
Printing Services Overview
Printing services include every type of putting ink on paper and the subsequent handling of the printed matter. Tie following areas of services will be covered in greater detail, so the potential buyer will understand more fully what they will receive in the finished product. Not every printer can provide all these listed services. Some 0f the services require specialized equipment, which some printers do not have. Other services require employees with certain skills and experience. Because of this, it is imperative that the potential customers realize that only some printers can meet their needs. Printing services that have the knowledge and equipment must complete this special work. With this in mind, let us look, at the services that the printers as a group can supply. Finding printers for a specific job can be done locally or via the Internet. The Internet lets the customer quickly get an idea of the cost and time frame for delivery. This source also provides easy comparisons of printers for various jobs.
Printing has an interesting history and has been responsible for the education of mankind. Without its cost saving endeavours, only those that could buy handwritten books would own them. Many people would not even be able to read or write. Printers hold a unique place in the development of man's knowledge and civilization. The problems they have solved throughout the history of printing speaks well of them.
Business printing typically consists of business cards, envelopes, and stationery. There are separate categories within each of these products. Product lists and tech sheets are also considered a normal business printing need.
Business cards can be raised printing uv-coated cards, thermography printing (a special ink that raises on the paper when heated), one-colour or four-color cards, and cards printed on both sides.
Envelopes include regular business sized envelopes, envelopes with see-through windows, and other envelopes of various sizes.
Stationery includes various colours of paper, one or more colours of ink, various sizes for different purposes, and a.ic standard business stationery. Product lists and tech sheets can be put on normal letter size paper and printed in one or more colours. Many typical printers do this type of printing job. It is worthwhile to compare prices in this area, as there is a wide range of prices in the printing of these products. For example, business cards can be printed for as little as $65 per thousand in full colour and UV coated. A rule to follow is larger quantities get better prices per piece.
Document services include copying, collating, and bindery. A company that specializes in this service, if large quantities are needed, does copying documents better. Collating pages of a multi-page document is the service of putting the pages of each in the correct order. This can be finished quickly by machine. This service is a time saver when many of these are needed. Bindery is the service of binding collated documents together. Again, this is a time saving service if many are needed.
Some printing companies offer the capability in total. They can do the job from start to finish. This is a time saver and may be even a less cost!y way of doing this job. In any event, it provides a one stop does all answer to this type of project.
Scanning of documents is a service that can be purchased. This is useful, if you need to be able to send documents via the Internet. Also in a PDF format, they will print correctly on almost every printer.
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Types of printing products
1. Post card printing
Post card printing is different than printing on regular paper and normal sizes of printed pages. Post cards are heavier stock and usually printed in multiples on a single page of stock. After the printing, the cards are cut to the correct size. Post cards can also be delivered in sizes other than the usual post card size. Sizes other than normal can make the recipient take notice and give an advertising piece a closer look. This extra time could make the difference in getting your message across. By the way, this is an excellent way to try a mail campaign on a test basis. Post cards are less expensive to send out than regular mail. This is true of both postage and the mailed piece. This savings means a larger mailing can be done for the same price.
Post cards are popular for businesses in the tourist business. It can be a small profit center as well as an appreciated service to the customers of these companies.
2. Brochure printing
Brochure printing is a special printing, category because of the size of the finished product. The fact that they are usually a 4-coior process also makes brochures a special project. Brochures are usually printed in fairly large quantities and then folded. This printed product takes special equipment in order to turn out a quality brochure. Printing companies in this niche market can deliver at lower prices. Brochure handling equipment, aside from the printing, is equipment that not ah printers have in their plant. Multi-page brochures also take unique equipment. Due to these special needs in order provide brochures, not all printing companies can do this job for a competitive price. As is true of all printing projects, some companies are better suited to do the job. The secret is to find these companies and then compare their prices. As in many areas, one size does not ft all. Certain specific jobs require special companies and capabilities,
3. Insert printing
Insert printing is done many times by firms associated with the newspaper or magazine the insert is going to be rutin. This type of finished product is very similar to the previously mentioned brochure. The reason many customers use a firm that works with the newspaper or magazine to be inserted in the cost. Since this is usually all they do, they can generally do it cheaper than a printing firm that does not specialize in this market.
Inserts come in all sizes and folds. Somehow the insert has to be put into a newspaper and magazine. Some of these special printers have arrangements with printers of these products to deliver the inserts to them to be inserted. This is a unique market area and with unusual requirements.
4. Catalogue printing
Firms that have this special priming equipment and are experts at this type of printing do catalogue printing. Only a catalogue printer can do these in quantity at reasonable price. The problem with this printed product is the number of pages per catalogue and the amount of artwork needed for the finished job. All these criteria make the catalogue printer the best choice.
A catalogue printing service has faced and solved the problems associated with doing catalogues. They therefore do not have to re-invent the wheel. This means lower cost to the buyer and better end products.
5. Book printing
Book printing is again a special area of printing. The size, the number of pages and the binding of the book make this a special job. The printing company must have the equipment and knowledge to turn out a first class job. The Internet is a very good place to find printers with this specialty.
Book printers are similar to catalogue printers in that they have resolved the problems of book printing. Because of their knowledge, equipment, and real time experience, they can print books a: relatively cheaper prices per unit.
How to create a good brochure
Brochures are considered to be one of the best promotional materials available. They can be either mailed or personally handed out to individuals. If you want to advertise a grand opening sale, end of the season clearance, a garage sale, or simple advertise your business, what better way to do it than by distributing full-colour brochures. When you compare full-colour brochures to black-and-white flyers, you'll attract more attention with full-colour brochure. You can find countless top quality online printing companies that will print your promotional brochures, which will relay your message to your prospective clients and customers, and for very reasonable prices. Listed below there are some helpful tips so that you can create the best possible full-coloured brochures.
Selecting the Right Paper:
Choosing the right type of paper to use for your brochures is important. It is best to always select a good quality heavy weight paper. You may also want to select paper that is coated to achieve a more vibrant, upscale look. If you decide to use a coloured paper instead of white, off-white, or beige, then consider these choices. If your business targets mainly women, consider using a fun and light colour scheme. It your business targets mostly men, then select paper that has a more masculine appearance, and is neutral in colour. However, if your company mainly targets children, for instance, if you operate a children's clothing boutique, you may want paper that is brightly coloured. If you select colour paper, make sure that the paper-colour you choose does not clash with the colour print you want or that will make your print difficult to read. Remember, the purpose of your brochures is to relay your message to the customer.
The "Write" Content:
Either on the front or on the inside page of your brochure, you want to write a brief company profile, including pictures or descriptions of the products and services you provide your customers. This way, prospective clients will learn what your company has to offer. You want the content to be brief, concise, as well as be as informative as possible. Ensure that your company's contact information is complete and printed where it will be easily seen. Make sure you include: telephone number, fax number, address, e-mail and website, if you have one.
Selecting the Right Design:
The design of your brochure is as important as the paper the wording you select. You want to make sure that your design includes your corporate logo, the name of your company, and your slogan. You also want to ensure that the design represents the products and services you provide. Ideally, these should all be located on the front of your brochure. Most important, you want your design to be simple yet eye-catching so that it immediately gains the interest of the individuals who receive them, so that they will actually read your brochure. Think about the brochures you have received either in the mail handed to you at a shopping centre or at a tradeshow. What was it about these brochures that made you read them? When you locate a quality printing company to print your brochures, ask if they have a graphic designer to help you capture the attention of the readers. There are also several quality online websites where you can locate printing companies who provide brochure-printing services, as well as graphic designs.
Choosing the Right Fold:
Some may feel that the number of folds a brochure has is an insignificant factor, however, this contributes greatly to the overall look, feel, and functionality of your brochure.
There are three basic types of folds, half-fold, tri-fold and Z-fold. Each type can be used for brochures. To select the right fold for you. Iet's look at each one separately.
Half-Fold: This is a simple single fold that provides four printable pages. Generally, if you are using standard 8 1/2" x 11" or 11" x 17" paper size, you can create a fantastic 4-page brochure.
Tri-Fold: This design has left and right flaps that open to reveal your message. The tri-fold creates a six-page brochure, giving you more areas to print your company's information.
Z-Foid: The Z-fold is the most common term, but in some areas is also referred to as an accordion fold, or map-fold. The brochure is folded much like an accordion, giving your even more areas for printed information.
Printing out Your Brochures:
Brochures can be printed with one or two colours, or using the four-color process. Ideally, brochures should be printed in more than one colour to provide better visual effects. When printing your brochures, you can either choose the conventional offset printing process or use a digital process. Check with several printing company to see which brochure-printing services they provide. Then after comparing both processes then decide on the general look that you want. You also want to verify that the company you have chosen is reliable and capable of providing exactly what you want.
Theme 6.3. Advertisement
You don't have to be a creative genius to create simple, yet effective, advertising. This Business Builder will take you step-by-step through the fundamentals of writing ad copy that will sell your product or service. This Business Builder will focus closely on print ads, since this is the primary type of advertising used by new and growing businesses. Really good ad writers aren't afraid to come up with dozens of bad ad ideas. They know from experience that it's often the ones that don't work that will spark the idea for the one that will work.
Many Fortune 500 companies spend enormous sums of money on developing ad designs because they convey image how the company wants to be perceived. As a designer you have to keep the following points in your mind:
A layout is a drawing that will give you a rough idea of how your finished advertisement will look the design. Or. a piece of paper or on your computer screen, sketch the basic shape your ad will take. If you're using a visual or graphic decide where it will go and work the text around it. The placement of your visual often depends on how closely it is linked to the headline. If the two depend on each other to get a point across, the visual should be directly underneath or to the right of your headline. This will cause the reader's eye to flow into the visual from reading the text.
For example, if your headline was: "When He Runs His Fingers Through Your Hair, Do You Get Nervous", the visual a photograph of a woman with visibly tangled hair needs to be prominently placed near the headline for the words to really have full impact.
If your advertisement looks like there's too much copy, there probably is too much copy. There should be enough white space (space where there is no text) in your advertisement. If your copy is too crowded, chances are no one will read it. It is very common that after an ad is laid out. text will have to be cut from it.
The first thing you need to consider is white space. White space can be any colour, really. It just needs to be space clear of copy or distracting graphics. A cluttered ad turns people off. The more white space you have, the more likely one will read your ad. Make sure your headline, imagery and copy all tie in and flow well together. And just so that you know, your logo doesn't need to be the size of a house It needs to be large enough to be evident, but that's it.
In ads where there's no graphic or visual, the headline becomes the major focus. Often it will be larger than in an ad with a visual. There's no law that says you have to have a visual in order for your ad to sell. In fact, many new advertisers with very tight ad budgets often can't afford to hire a professional photographer to shoot a person or product. They rely on simpler graphics or just go with all-copy approach. It would be better to forego the visual rather then trying to take and use an unprofessional photograph. Concentrate on making your headline and copy as strong as it can be.
The words of your body copy the main portion of the written words now have to expand on your concept. With your headline and/or visual, you grabbed the reader's attention and introduced a theme for the rest of the advertisement. Your copy must illustrate an advantage, prove it. and then ask the reader to do something about it. And remember, you have to do these three things in a small amount of space. E\'en longer ads aren't usually longer than one page in a magazine. When you're writing ad copy, every word counts.
Before you write one word of copy pretend you are your potential customer and ask yourself: What can this product cr service do for me? Your body copy should be an answer to that question.