Print Buying Direct

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)

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

The type of stock used for printing (whether digital or offset litho) has a significant effect on
colour reproduction. Paper reflects unabsorbed light back to the eye of the viewer, so the more reflective the paper’s surface, such as coated paper, the wider the range of colors perceived that can be produced.

Choosing the right paper calls for a strong knowledge of paper characteristics and how they relate to the specific print technology. Digital Presses use dry ink, which is a very fine powder. Litho presses use liquid ink. The following stock properties interact with the dry ink to determine the quality of colour images. At The Printing House (Print Buying Direct) we have 3 offset litho presses, all manufactured by Sakurai (ideal for high quality colour printing of annual reports, brochures, leaflets, flyers and newsletters. One large format inkjet (ideal for large posters, pull up banners etc) and a Xerox Digital Press (ideal for short run printing, business cards, appointment cards, postcards, posters etc).

BRIGHTNESS

Brightness is the measure of blue light at 457 nm. Brighter papers produce images with higher contrast.

Be aware that some artificial brighteners can affect colour reproduction by reflecting colors unevenly. A bright blue-white paper may reflect more blue and less red and green, affecting how the eye perceives the paper color.

Blue-white papers contain ultraviolet (UV) brighteners that break down over time when exposed to UV light. As UV brighteners break down, the paper shade may change from bright white to a warm white (yellow cast). UV light exists naturally indoors and outdoors.

RECOMMENDATIONS FOR BRIGHTNESS

As a general rule, use brighter papers when printing documents with photographs, halftone images, or complex graphics. Ideal for brochures, annual reports, postcards, leaflets and flyers.

FINISH/ SMOOTHNESS

Finish is the smoothness or roughness of a paper’s surface. Paper is processed to have a specific type of finish, ranging from very smooth to highly textured. Finish can significantly impact image quality on the printed sheet. If paper is too rough, light patches and graininess appear in solid areas. Halftone images also
appear grainy. Dry ink may not fuse properly to extremely rough paper, which may cause deletions where the ink rubs or flakes off. Wet ink suffers from muted colours and drying issues, always allow longer for uncoated papers to dry.

Smooth and coated papers produce sharp images because they reflect light more directly than
rougher papers.

Sheffield is a test that is used to measure the smoothness of paper. It measures the rate of air flow over the surface of a sheet. The lower the Sheffield smoothness number, the smoother the sheet.

RECOMMENDATIONS FOR FINISH/ SMOOTHNESS

Use smooth or coated papers for proper dry ink transfer to ensure the best colour density and image detail, and to increase the appearance of glossiness. Using a very smooth paper is especially important when printing fine lines and detailed images.

SHADE

Shade is the color of the paper. Paper shade may change the colors of printed images because ink is transparent and also is applied in dot patterns that allow the paper shade to show through. Lighter images reveal more of the paper color than darker images.

RECOMMENDATIONS FOR SHADE

• Select a true white for the truest colors and natural looking skin tones.
• Be aware that shaded paper will affect image colors and overall hues.
• Remember that paper shades can vary significantly among brands and lots.

FORMATION

Formation is the distribution of fibers and fillers in paper. Fibers and fillers should be distributed evenly throughout the sheet. Although formation is not included in the manufacturer’s specifications, you can check it by holding a sheet up to a light. If the sheet looks even throughout, it has good formation. If
you see uneven light and dark areas, formation is poor. Good formation is especially important when documents include halftone images of photographs or high ink coverage. Halftone images appear sharper
on paper with good formation. Solid images can appear uneven or spotty when printed on paper with poor formation.

RECOMMENDATIONS FOR FORMATION

• Choose paper with good formation to ensure uniformity of color images.

IMPURITIES
Impurities in the paper-making process can leave tiny specks in some stocks. The specks can appear as marks or spots in printed images, especially in high resolution images, fine type and fine lines.

Impurities in recycled papers consist of inks and adhesives (from window envelopes, stick-on notes, labels, etc.), which are difficult to remove during the recycling process.

RECOMMENDATIONS FOR IMPURITIES

Use high quality non- recycled papers when the best image quality is required.

OPACITY
Opacity impacts the ability of a printed image to show through from the opposite side of a sheet or from another sheet below it. To increase a paper’s opacity, filler may be added to increase thickness or be applied as a coating.

Opacity is measured according to how much light a sheet blocks and is expressed as a percentage between 0 and 100. Most papers fall within the 80% to 90% range. However, an opacity of 98% will prevent a printed image from showing through on the opposite side of the sheet (show through).

RECOMMENDATIONS FOR OPACITY

• Choose paper with high opacity when printing on both sides of the paper or when heavy dry ink coverage will be applied.

For More information of assistance please visit either of our websites – The Printing House Ltd – Print Buying Direct – or call us on UK number 0870 950 8444.

Welcome to part two of our ‘How to design for print blog’ click here for part one- covering some more areas that graphics designers should be aware of. Please be aware that this blog is directed at design for digital printing, and whilst litho (offset) print has similar requirements there are some fundamental differences, so please talk to us first.

SAVING GRAPHICS FILES
While you are working on files, you’ll want to save them in the application’s native file format (i.e., Adobe Illustrator Document). When you are ready to place them in the page layout application, however, you might want to consider the PDF format for the best portability.

SAVING ILLUSTRATOR CS2 FILES

• Use the Save As feature to save files as PDF.
• Consult your print provider to determine if your work should be submitted flattened or with live transparency. By selecting [Acrobat 4 (PDF 1.3)] you will automatically flatten any transparency effects present in the file. Acrobat PDF 1.4 or higher formats will preserve live transparency attributes.
• PDF files can be edited later if the [Preserve Illustrator Editing Capabilities] option is selected.
• The PDF format can often provide better previews (than EPS) when placed in page layout applications.

SAVING FREEHAND MX FILES
Use the Export feature, not Save As, to export files as PDF from Freehand.

• Click the [Setup] button and use those recommendations shown in fi gure 3-13.
• In the [Convert Colors To:] pull down menu, be sure to select [CMYK and RGB]. Freehand will not modify CMYK images or RGB & CMYK native elements (note that it will, however, convert any RGB placed images to CMYK). Choosing [CMYK] will convert all RGB content to CMYK.
• Consult your print provider to determine if your work should be submitted flattened or with live transparency. By selecting [Acrobat 4 (PDF 1.3)] you will automatically flatten any transparency effects present in the file. Acrobat PDF 1.4 or higher formats will preserve live transparency attributes.
• Using a PDF format can provide better previews (than EPS) when placed in page layout applications.

SAVING GRAPHICS OR PAGE LAYOUTS AS EPS FILES
Though the PDF format is preferred, occasionally you may need to save files from Illustrator, Freehand, InDesign or QuarkXPress in the EPS fi le format. When saving graphics or page layouts, the following are recommended:

• Use TIFF 8-bit color preview.
• Do not assign a color space when possible and select [Leave Unchanged] or [As Is].
• Use [Transparency: High Resolution] when fl attening graphics with transparency.
• Embed all or complete fonts.
• Send all image data.
• Include CMYK PostScript in RGB fi les.
• Only use OPI if the printer requests it.
• Use Binary format.
• Use Adobe PostScript Language Level 3

IMAGE CONSIDERATIONS
OPENING IMAGE FILES
Though most images are either acquired through a digital camera or scanner, Photoshop is generally the first step in assigning the color space of an image.
If the Color Settings in Photoshop are set to [Ask When Opening] for Missing Profiles, you may encounter a window asking how to handle the color of an image being opened.

If no embedded profile is detected when the fi le is opened, you may choose one
of the following options:

• Leave as is—will not embed a color profile into the image. However, for operations that require a color space definition, Photoshop will use the RGB or CMYK Working Space defined in the Color Settings preferences (for example, when performing a Mode change between RGB and CMYK).
• Assign Working Space—assign the profile of the Working Space defined in the Color Settings preferences. Select this option when you want to consistently use one working space or if the working space matches the source space of the received file.
• Assign Profile—assign a specific profile if the source color space is known when the image fi le is opened.

Talk to us about which workflow to use. Assigning the right color space from the start will give you a better idea of how the file will look in print. Remember to implement monitor calibration and characterization as guided by your printer (hopefully us).

Things to consider in choosing a source profile:

• If the RGB or CMYK source space of the image is known, you can assign the profile that matches that color space or you can convert to the assigned working space.
• RGB images without the source color space information may require guesswork to determine the most appropriate source color space. sRGB has a smaller gamut but is a universal working space ideal for images coming from digital cameras and the internet (or destined for the internet). Adobe RGB has a wider color gamut and may work best for images that contain vivid colors.
• For unknown CMYK images, SWOP (v2) is recommended for US markets and Fogra or Euroscale for European markets.
• When working with documents that contain images from a variety of sources, discuss with us if one working space should be assigned to all the images or if the original source color spaces should be assigned individually.

If an ICC profile is detected you can either:

• Use the embedded profile. Photoshop will automatically use the embedded profi le when the Color Settings are set to [Preserve] under the Color Management Policies.

• Discard the embedded profile. If the embedded profile is believed to be
• inaccurate, convert to either an assigned profile or to the working space.

SIZE AND SCALE

• All images should be edited, rotated, cropped and sized in an imaging software application such as Adobe Photoshop. Do not re-size, crop, rotate or adjust images in page layout applications, if possible. Place images into the page layout at 100%.

• In order to obtain high-quality output, the recommended image resolution should be 300 dpi at the actual finished size. Scale images with bicubic sampling and crop all images in Photoshop. Do not use page layout applications such as QuarkXPress to make image size adjustments.
• Also note that submitting images with higher than needed resolution adds unnecessary processing time, creates larger files and may degrade image quality.
• For the best print quality, do not include transfer functions or screen angles unless directed to do so by the print provider. If the job requires specific screen angles or transfer functions, make sure to consult with us first.

SAVING IMAGE FILES
EMBEDDING COLOR SPACES
All images have a source color space. Whenever possible discuss with your print provider if you should embed that source color space (such as the camera or scanner profile). This can allow the RIP to perform the color conversion from the assigned color space to the printer’s color space. This workflow
can provide good color matches.

• Embed the correct source color space with each image saved in either TIFF or PS file format. Note that some printers may request images in JPEG format for jobs that are Variable or require faster productivity.

• ICC profi les in TIFF files generally cannot be embedded into the PostScript code on print. They are mainly used for output previews and to convert from one color space to another within applications such as Photoshop and QuarkXPress. The EPS format, however, can embed the color information (CSA) into the PostScript code and then be picked up by the RIP at the printer.

• Some printers opt not to utilize the embedded profi les and may end up stripping them from files. Be sure to talk over the color management settings and strategies with your printer.

SAVING PHOTOSHOP CS2 FILES— PHOTOSHOP EPS FORMAT

• If you want to embed the source color space of an image, use the EPS format.
• Embed both the ICC Color Profile and PostScript Color Management (PSCM) Color Space Array ( CSA) (see figures 3-18 and 3-19).
• Using the EPS format can also preserve colors that may otherwise be converted by an application such as Microsoft PowerPoint. When images are saved as TIFF or JPEG, the color may be converted prematurely in the page layout application. Colors in EPS format are generally preserved.

The CSA remains with the image when the EPS file is placed in the page layout application (or even with applications that are not color managed, such as Microsoft Word). The RIP can then be set to recognize the embedded CSA in the PostScript stream and perform the conversion from that embedded color space to the printer’s final destination color space.

Note:

• Always make your print provider aware that you have embedded color profiles in your files.
• When saving images as TIFF files, embed the ICC Color Profi le, if possible.
• Save the file in TIFF format without LZW compression.
• Check [Embed Color Profile] in the Save As window.

IMAGE COMPRESSION

• It is recommended that you do not use JPEG compression as it may cause unpredictable results.
• If upsampling is required, although this is not recommended, use bicubic.
• Images higher than 450 dpi should be downsampled using bicubic sampling.

Information supplied by The Printing House Ltd & Print Buying Direct, Crewe, Cheshire, UK

More to follow…