Print Buying Direct

Offset Lithography – Printing to you and me! – Part 10 – 22nd April 2009

• CIP4 explains JDF as:
  JDF is a comprehensive XML based file format and proposed industry standard for end to end job ticket specifications combined with a message description standard and message interchange protocol.
• JDF is designed to streamline information exchange between different applications and systems.
• JDF is intended to enable the entire industry, including media, design, graphic arts, and on-demand and e-commerce companies, to implement and work with individual workflow solutions.
• JDF will allow integration of heterogeneous products from diverse vendors to create seamless workflow solutions.

The most prominent features of JDF are:

• Ability to carry a print job from genesis through completion. This includes a detailed description of the creative, pre-press, press, post press and delivery processes.
• Ability to bridge the communication gap between production and Management Information Services (MIS). This ability enables instantaneous job and device tracking as well as detailed pre and post calculation of jobs in the graphic arts.
• Ability to bridge the gap between the customer’s view of product and the manufacturing process by defining a process independent product view as well as a process dependent production view of a print job.
• Ability to define and track any user defined workflow without constraints on the supported workflow models. This includes serial, parallel, overlapping, and iterative processing in arbitrary combinations and over distributed locations.
• Ability to do so (1, 2, 3 and 4) under nearly pre-condition.

To be continued…

See parts one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight and nine of this blog – Offset Lithography - Printing to you and me!

See our recent Design of the Times Blog Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4 and Part 5

Print Buying Direct is the online facility for buying print of The Printing House Ltd of Crewe, Cheshire, UK

The Printing House are specialists and experts in Prospectus of all kinds – see our dedicated prospectus Website www.schoolprospectus.info – New on our Schools site – have a look at our new turn page technology – have your prospectus or brochure online (digital prospectus or digital brochure) – but turn the pages as if it was paper.

Don’t forget to see our new offer – Budget Black and white leafets – 10,000 Leaflets designed, printed and delivered for only £199

Best of all – don’t forget that our Banner Stands (pull up banners) are still only £99 plus delivery!

Business Cards (Business Card Printing) – £10 for 100 Full Colour Business Cards

Design of the times – (Article reproduced from Printing World February 2009) – Part 1 – 7th April 2009

Printers are bringing design services in-house to drive production through the press halls, with the advantage to customers that their creative work is underpinned by production, craft and cost.

How do you define ‘design’? Not easily, it turns out. American psychologist Herbert Simon came up with what is accepted as one of the better definitions: “everyone designs who devises courses of action aimed at changing existing situations into preferred ones.” Changing existing situations into preferred ones sound like a call to arm for every printer toughing it out in today’s climate. Offering design services can help – they grow business in the corporate identity, branding and marketing arenas. While there will always be obstacles for a printer to win support as creative communications partner, some companies are scaling the barriers and using deign services to win a more profitable share of customer’s work.

Design is the creative fodder that fuels hungry presses; one of the obvious benefits for printers that push this added-value service is they can proactively drive more production through the press hall. “A lot of printers will design the majority of their activities toward feeding their machines,” says Marin Fawcett, deputy managing director of retail marketing agency Coutts Creative Shopper, part of the Bezier Group. “What we’ve seen in the past is that 10% of your business is used to support the other 90%. Added-value services are there to secure your core services,” adds Fawcett. Coutts also uses it’s deign service to develop a full-service agency approach that can add up to closer client relationships and larger portion of spend.

The benefits go both ways. As the recession bite, customers have more reason than ever to outsource non-core activities – such as design – to the most cost effective suppliers. As Williams Lea group category manager Christopher Rigg puts it: “Outsourcing is on the agenda again.” But just because non-core is out; that doesn’t mean design in general will be curtailed, according to recent research from the Design Council. More than half the 1,500 businesses that responded to its 2008 survey thought design would contribute to a great extent in helping maintain their competitive edge in the current economic climate.

To be continued…

Print Buying Direct is the online facility for buying print of The Printing House Ltd of Crewe, Cheshire, UK

The Printing House are specialists and experts in Prospectus of all kinds – see our dedicated prospectus Website www.schoolprospectus.info

New Website – specialising in School Prospectus Design & Print – 4th March 2009

School Prospectus Made Easy is the new brand of The Printing House Ltd (Crewe, Cheshire, UK). We realised that there are many design or printing companies out there producing print for schools and colleges (prospectus, letterheads, pull up banners, school newsletters etc). But none of them seem to be doing it very well!

So we have created a website introducing the finest in School Prospectus Design and Print and called it School Prospectus Made Easy. Please feel free to have a look and come back to us with any feedback or comments.

Print Buying Direct is one of the Uk’s leading suppliers of design and print, based in Cheshire (UK) but supplying all of the UK & Ireland.

Please feel free to browse our print buying website and use it as a useful tool – we are adding new pages and offers every week. So keep popping back, subscribe to our printing blog, email info@printbuyingdirect.co.uk or call call 0870 950 8444.

For more information please see our websites

Print Buying Direct is a brand of The Printing House Ltd, Crewe, Cheshire, UK

Don’t forget The Printing House also specialise in Printing for Schools, especially School Prospectus. We have a vast range of experience design and print of primary, secondary, 6th form, college and universtity prospectus. Visit our School Prospectus Made Easy website to see examples of our work and more about our products.

Print History – Part 5 – 20th February 2009

With the coming of the Victorian era came increased creativity and by 1856 new typefaces were being produced to cope with the increased demand for advertising. They also started to use colour more and more within the printing process.

In 1891 William Morris set up his business in London creating textile and wallpaper designs, some of which are still in use today. By 1888 the electric motor had been invented and these motors were by the early 20th century being used to power printing presses, replacing steam power.

In the early 20th century, new methods of mechanical printing were being introduced, making it possible to print larger sizes and on to different materials, not just paper. The 1920’s saw the development of screen printing for more commercial applications, especially outside advertising hoardings. The 1930’s saw the introduction of flexography, primarily used for food packaging production using either paper or plastics which were being developed.

The equipment used by The Printing House today is considerably more advanced than could ever have been imagined by those early print pioneers. Call one of our print professionals today to discuss your requirements. Look out for the next blog on ‘Print History’….coming soon.

The Printing House Ltd

Print Buying Direct is one of the Uk’s leading suppliers of design and print, based in Cheshire (UK) but supplying all of the UK & Ireland.

Please feel free to browse our print buying website and use it as a useful tool – we are adding new pages and offers every week. So keep popping back, subscribe to our printing blog, email info@printbuyingdirect.co.uk or call call 0870 950 8444.

For more information please see our websites

Print Buying Direct is a brand of The Printing House Ltd, Crewe, Cheshire, UK

Marketing Postcards – 4000 only £259 – 17th February 2009

It’s no secret that times are tough and trading conditions have seen better days, but our passion for print remains strong, along with our desire to help our customers with a great service at a great price.So to help you with your marketing push we’re launching our Postcards Sale.

Postcards are a great way of promoting your business, cost effective and highly visible (no envelopes hiding your sales message). Use them for mailings or as handouts at exhibitions etc

• A5 full colour – double sided
• High Quality 350gsm Silk Board
• Prices include delivery to one UK address
• From a Nationally recognised reputable supplier

1000 Postcards for £175

2000 Postcards for £209

4000 Postcards for £259

If you don’t have your own print ready artwork then our creative team can create a design for you, using your pictures and text, for an additional £50.

Don’t forget that this price is a ‘delivered’ price with no hidden extras.

See our blog on Direct Marketing for useful tips

Tired of sticking labels & stamps on postcards – we can print your postage and addresses directly onto the postcard – ask for details…

Call 0870 950 8444 for more information

or email info@printbuyingdirect.co.uk Thanks for taking the time to check out our promotion. Please remember that this is for a short period only.

www.printbuyingdirect.co.uk

Is where you can buy printing online – we have just revised all prices on the site – some prices are now 50% of what they were last week.

Check out some of our offers – see below.

Don’t forget you can upload your print ready artwork to us, or you can use our design templates to create your own with no previous experience.

If you need any help ordering or have an enquiry for printing not shown on our website then please call us on 0870 950 844

Online Printing Solutions

Print Buying Direct specialise in Business Cards, Leaflet printing, Appointment Card Printing, Letterhead printing, and more. If you require any items that are not available on this website then please don’t hesitate to contact us on 0870 950 8444.

These are some of our current offers

Business Cards: Now Only £10 for 100

We can produce as little as 100 business cards single or double sided, full colour on a 300 gsm matt or 350 gsm silk board, and despatch them within 2 working days. Try using our business card templates online. We specialise in top quality, cost effective, fast turnaround Business Cards.

Appointment Cards: Now Only £10 for 100

Premium Appointment Cards for business. Ideal Appointment Cards for many applications such as chiropodists, chiropractors, dental surgeries, doctor and more.
DL Leaflets: From Just £25.50 Per 100

Quick leaflet printing, quick delivery and top quality leaflets.

Brochures

We produce great brochures. Please contact us for more details.

The Printing House

Print Buying Direct (Print Buying Direct is a brand of The Printing House Ltd, Crewe, Cheshire, UK)

Print History – Part 1 – 16th February 2009

Here at The Printing House, South Cheshire’s largest printing and design company, we pride ourselves not only on the quality and service we offer to all our clients, but the information that is contained within our web pages on all aspects of print and our industry. So we thought it would be a good idea over the next few blogs to give an overview as to the origins of print and how they have influenced what we produce today.

When was printing invented?.

And… How was it done?.

Who invented the first printing press and why call it a press?.

Has print changes through the centuries?.

Is today’s print any different.
Interested? ….then read on.

The Chinese invented the process of printing by making several copies of an image. It is thought to have developed from taking rubbings from stone inscriptions.

From the 6th century A.D. it is thought that Buddhist monks used a form of printing in order to copy prayers, this method would have been much quicker than writing each prayer individually. Their method was referred to as block printing and was created by carving in relief into blocks of wood. Block printing proved to be a successful means of reproducing many copies of a single image and the monks began to produce larger works. The oldest surviving book produced by the block method was made in China in 868 A.D.

With no alternatives available, the block method remained in China for centuries as the main form of book production. However, the process of block production was very slow and any mistakes rendered the blocks useless.

During the 11th century the Chinese invented moveable type, which were individual characters cut onto individual blocks of pottery. Whilst the development from wooden blocks was seen as revolutionary, the biggest downfall to this new method was the thousands of characters used in the Chinese alphabet – whilst the European alphabet used less than 30 different characters.

The invention of moveable type was abandoned by the Chinese and remained that way until around the 1450s when the concept was rediscovered. During this period the Crusades to the Holy Lands had seen an increase in trade and travel. As a result many new ideas and goods were being imported to Europe including paper and printing from China. Eventually word spread of moveable type.

The equipment used by The Printing House today is considerably more advanced than could ever have been imagined by those early print pioneers. Call one of our print professionals today to discuss your requirements.

Look out for the next blog on ‘Print History’….coming soon.

For more information please see our websites

The Printing House

Print Buying Direct (Print Buying Direct is a brand of The Printing House Ltd, Crewe, Cheshire, UK)

Design for Digital Print – 12th February 2009

The new generation of designers is learning its craft in a world where everything happens in real time, driving new relationships with technology – and the printing industry. Examples can be found in every growth area of the print industry. For example, print-on-demand services require designers and printers to share a commitment to frequent, rapid turnarounds. Personalised, variable information printing can improve response rates when creative teams closely coordinate targeting and production with database managers and print providers. And streamlined work processes can save incredible amounts of time and still deliver high-quality output – provided the designer and printer have the knowhow to integrate their digital systems. A new book developed by students in the Communications Design Department of the renowned Parsons School of Design in New York, in collaboration with Xerox Corporation, captures the fresh eye this new generation of designers casts on their new, 21st-century relationships. The Art and Science of Digital Printing: The Parson’s Guide to Getting it Right, is a 70-page primer on digital color printing.
Excerpts and summaries follow:

Proof early and often.
Proofing on digital presses has two significant differences from proofing for offset. First, the digital proof is not a simulation, as it is in the offset process. Rather, digital proofs are printed on the actual production device, permitting the designer to see exactly how the piece will turn out. Second, digital proofs cost far less than high quality on-press proofs. Consequently, the digital workflow process is based upon designers submitting files, reviewing press proofs, making any adjustments they desire and repeating the process until they are satisfied. Such aggressive proofing gives the designer unprecedented control, and is critical to digital printing success.

Avoid image compression.
Image compression enables files to be downloaded more quickly and easily on the Internet but can cause the loss of valuable image information that cannot be restored. Parsons recommends working with uncompressed TIFF or EPS files whenever possible, avoiding use of compressed file types, such as JPEG.
When files are received as JPEGs, Parsons recommends opening them in an image editing application, such as Adobe Photoshop CS, and saving them as uncompressed TIFF or EPS files.

Revisiting type sizes.
Just as offset type reproduction differs from letterpress, digital type reproduction differs from offset. And the only way to know the difference is to see it. Parsons students demonstrated this by developing a concept for a digital type specimen book that shows a range of typefaces in different sizes and colours, on white paper and as knockout black. Generally, smaller type is more challenging on digital presses than on offset, but knockout type on black can work well on digital presses. Proof reading early and often helps ensure that typeface selections are readable and effective.

Be resolute on resolution.
Parsons recommends different resolution settings for text and images. Scans should be produced at 600 to 1,200 dots per inch (dpi) at reproduction size for text and line art and at 300 dpi for continuous tone images. Increasing the resolution has minimal impact on continuous tone images. To determine resolution of existing images when scaled to planned reproduction size, Adobe Photoshop has an image size tool in its pull-down menu that can automatically calculate resolution at various sizes.

Optimizing large areas of flat tints.
While digital color presses are excellent at reproducing color, they perform less well in reproducing large areas of some colors evenly – especially mid-tone tints and long blends. Often they come out fine, but sometimes they show unevenness. Reproduction can be improved by choosing a lighter or darker percentage or using an imaging software, such as Adobe Photoshop, to add noise, or texture, or to create a tight pattern. Thorough proofing helps ensure that the approach is working.

Using RGB images.
Because RGB images have a larger color gamut than the CMYK images traditionally used in printing, maintaining an RGB color space for images ensures optimal color reproduction and greater flexibility. The computer, or RIP, that controls the press is programmed to understand the optimal colour translation for the digital press gamut – work with it and it will work for you.

Make contact with your printer.
Your printer operates its digital press every day and should be able to help you optimize your design to best meet the press’s spec – and your expectations. Before committing to a job with a new printer, speak with the printer to understand the firm’s experience and skill set. Once a job is under way, seek your printer’s advice on improving your proofs. Digital printing technology is new and still evolving rapidly. Applying your printer’s experience to your job can be the difference between good enough and excellent.

For more information please see our websites

The Printing House

Print Buying Direct (Print Buying Direct is a brand of The Printing House Ltd, Crewe, Cheshire, UK)

Increase the Wow Factor – 4th February 2009

It’s not just the design and print that can determine how your finished printed item (brochures, leaflets etc) looks and feels. Fancy a very high gloss or matt finish on one side of your brochure cover or both sides or even throughout the whole of your leaflet, brochure, annual report or poster?. Then talk TODAY on 0870 950 8444 to one of our print professionals at the North West’s leading printing companies – Print Buying Direct at The Printing House, about Gloss Lamination OR Matt lamination, it’s not as expensive as you may think.

For more information please see our websites

The Printing House

Print Buying Direct (Print Buying Direct is a brand of The Printing House Ltd, Crewe, Cheshire, UK)

For only £125 (plus VAT) for 2000 A4 full colour letterheads, produced with the same care and attention that we always use. Because this offer is so popular we can benefit from the economies of scale and pass the savings on to you.

• Offer runs until 13th February 2009
• Full Colour letterheads
• 100gsm Fully Laser guaranteed paper
• Printed one side only
• Price includes delivery to one UK address

Prices are based on a print ready pdf being supplied. If you need your letterhead designing please allow an additional £25 (plus VAT)

Click here for more information or to place your order

Call 0870 950 8444

or email info@printbuyingdirect.co.uk Thanks for taking the time to check out our promotion. Please remember that this is for a short period only.

• Ideal for exhibitions, point of sale & displays
• 800mm wide x 2000mm tall
• Graphic Rolls away into foot
• Foot folds away for easy storage and transport
• Supplied with Carry Bag
• Tried and tested reliability

Online Printing Solutions

Print buying direct

is the revolutionary way of ordering printing! Using both conventional printing presses (Litho) and the very latest Xerox digital presses we are able to provide print to anywhere in the UK, quickly with minimum fuss. There are no minimum or maximum quantities for Business Cards, Marketing Postcards, Appointment Cards, Letterheads or colour brochures (we can print pretty much anything you need). So you can have what you want, when you need it.

Print Buying Direct specialise in Business Cards, Postcard Printing, Leaflet Printing, Appointment Card Printing, Letterheads, and more. If you require any items that are not available on this website then please don’t hesitate to contact us on 0870 950 8444.

These are some of our current offers

Business Cards: Now Only £7.50 Per 100

We can produce as little as 100 business cards single or double sided, full colour on a 300 gsm matt or 350 gsm silk board, and despatch them within 2 working days. Try using our business card templates online. We specialise in top quality, cost effective, fast turnaround Business Cards.

Postcards: From just £35 Per 100

Business postcards for marketing. Postcards in full colour on a range of card from 200gsm up to 350gsm matt or silk board, dispatched within 2 working days. Design your business postcards online or let us design them for you.

Appointment Cards: Now Only £7.50 per 100

Premium Appointment Cards for business. Ideal Appointment Cards for many applications such as chiropodists, chiropractors, dental surgeries, doctor and more.

Leaflets: From Just £36 Per 100

Quick leaflet printing, quick delivery and top quality leaflets.

Brochures

We can produce as few or as many brochures as you need. Please contact us for more details.

Banner Stands only £99* – from Print Buying Direct
Banner Stands (Pull Up Banners) Only £99*

We are now offering our Standard model Banner Stands at at givaway prices.

• Ideal for exhibitions, point of sale & displays
• 800mm wide x 2000mm tall
• Graphic Rolls away into foot
• Foot folds away for easy storage and transport
• Supplied with Carry Bag
• Tried and tested reliability

If you don’t have your own print ready artwork then our creative team can create a design for you, using your pictures and text, for an additional £50**.

Carriage is an additional £9.95.

www.printbuyingdirect.co.uk is the revolutionary way of ordering printing! We are able to provide print to anywhere in the UK, quickly with minimum fuss. There are no minimum or maximum quantities, so you can have what you want, when you need it. If you can’t see what you want on our website please just ask.

Don’t forget you can upload your print ready artwork to us, or you can use our design templates to create your own with no previous experience.

If you need any help ordering or have an enquiry for printing not shown on our website then please call us on 0870 950 8444

Sincerely,
Peter Harrison
www.printbuyingdirect.co.uk

Online Printing Solutions

Print buying direct is the revolutionary way of ordering printing! Using both conventional printing presses (Litho) and the very latest Xerox digital presses we are able to provide print to anywhere in the UK, quickly with minimum fuss. There are no minimum or maximum quantities for Business Cards, Marketing Postcards, Appointment Cards, Letterheads or colour brochures (we can print pretty much anything you need). So you can have what you want, when you need it.

Print Buying Direct specialise in Business Cards, Postcard Printing, Leaflet Printing, Appointment Card Printing, Letterheads, and more. If you require any items that are not available on this website then please don’t hesitate to contact us on 0870 950 8444.

These are some of our current offers

Business Cards: Now Only £7.50 Per 100

We can produce as little as 100 business cards single or double sided, full colour on a 300 gsm matt or 350 gsm silk board, and despatch them within 2 working days. Try using our business card templates online. We specialise in top quality, cost effective, fast turnaround Business Cards.

Postcards: From just £35 Per 100

Business postcards for marketing. Postcards in full colour on a range of card from 200gsm up to 350gsm matt or silk board, dispatched within 2 working days. Design your business postcards online or let us design them for you.

Appointment Cards: Now Only £7.50 per 100

Premium Appointment Cards for business. Ideal Appointment Cards for many applications such as chiropodists, chiropractors, dental surgeries, doctor and more.

Leaflets: From Just £36 Per 100

Quick leaflet printing, quick delivery and top quality leaflets.

Letterheads : From Only £75 Per 500

We can produce from as little as 500 letterheads, printed full colour, on our premium 100gsm fully laser guaranteed paper. Letterheads can be despatched within 5 working days.

Brochures: From Only £76 per 100

We can produce from as few as 1 Brochure in full colour to as many as 500,000, on a range of paper and board from 100 gsm – 350 gsm matt or gloss board, dispatched within 2 working days. We specialise in top quality, cost effective, fast turnaround Brochures.

*Price is based on print ready artwork being supplied and does not include Post & Packaging or VAT