While looking through chapter four I came upon the section titled appropriate image formats for print. In this section it talked about how TIFF9 tagged image file format) is the most widely suported image file format. TIFF can be imported into Illustraor, Indesign, QuarkXpress, Microsoft world and some text editors. TIFF's is able to support multiple laters as well as RGB and CMYK. The second most common form  is EPS an EPS can contain vector art,  raster image or a combination of raster and vector content.

Inappropriate Image formats for print consist of PNG ( Portable Network Graphics) which are used for onscreen and web use. BMP, GIF and JPEG are also not formats that are good to use when printing.

A pixel is a shorthand for picture element, this is this the smallest unit of information in a digitized image. Though images may look smooth on the screen, if you really zoom in you will see there are a ton of tiny squared that make up the image.

The difference between a JPG and RAW file is mostly in the compression. With JPEG the image is  compressed. Raw is an image taken from a digital camera, this is mainly done with DSLR cameras. Raw has little or no compression.

For PPI (pixels per inch) resolution an onscreen image consist of 72ppi and print image is 300ppi.

Bitmap contain only black and white pixels ranging from 600-1200ppi which make clean images. The bitmap images are most common when scanning.

When images are cropped you should leave extra space use to prevent any errors. Problems can always occur so before you cropp an image you should make sure you have an  the original image saved. When rotating images you should only rotate in 90 degree rotations so that no details are lost from the image.

Transparency Tip- "Although Illustrator, InDesign, and QuarkPress accept and correctly handle opacity settings in a placed Photoshop native file, they do not correctly handle blending modes in a Photoshop file. The most common example is a drop shadow created in Photoshop. While the shadow will correctly darken image content beneath it in Photoshop, it will knock out of content beneath it in InDesign or Illustrator. The result is an anemic and unrealistic gray shadow-not what you want...A simple solution is to omit the shadow in Photoshop, and generate it instead in InDesgin or Illustrator, whose shadows behave correctly, darkening content beneath the shadows as you intended." Page 89, BOOK)

Vector Graphics- vectors ahave no pixels and are able to be altered without scaling restrictions, the image does also not loss any of the clearness.

Vector file formats- Encapsulated PostScript (EPS) with EPS you are able to save a vector in its original file format, it may also be saved as a PDF.

Embedding fonts make it so a font can be viewed and printed but it is not able to be edited.

Outlining Text- This fonts have certain information called hinting; hinting refines the display and printing of the text. When converting the text into an outline form it totally get rid of the hinting effect.

Simplify path is where you make fewer points onto a vector object so the object has cleaner and smoother lines.

SOURCE: Print Production with Adobe Creative Suite Applications by Claudia McCue

Note Pad

Here are my thumbnails. I chose to do a note pad for my sorority the QR code will go to the Alpha Gamma Delta website.

Finishing Processes- There are several different types of finishing choices when it comes to finishing processes. Finishing processes are generally done after the print is complete. This is done to add a higher quality to the print, some of the types of finishing are laminating, mounting, image transfer, trimming and coating.

Folding Dummy- A folding dummy is a handmade replica or a close example of a printed piece to show a printer what the final work should look like.

Imagesetter- An imagesetter is a very expensive machine that has several different sizes and formats.  This typesetting device which is able to produce high-resolution output directly from a computer file, then transfers electronic text and graphics directly to film, plates, or photo-sensitive paper.

Pica vs Point-  Pica is a standard of measurement and every pica equals 1/6 inch.  Point is a measurement unit equal to 1/72 of an inch. Every pica equals 12 points and every 72 points equals one inch.

Die Cutting- Die cutting is a process in which a metal die with sharp edges is pressed into the material to cut the object. Materials that generally get due cut are metal and paper.


The importance of Registration – It is important to register because it helps to protect brand name and image.  Registering helps to prevent others from using brand logo’s or icons.  

Purpose of RIP-  RIP which stands for raster image processor is used in printing systems to produce bitmaps and which are then sent to the printer.

VDP- VDP stands for variable data printing; this is a form of digital printing. In VDP you are able to have demand printing which allows elements such as text, images or graphics to be changed from one printed piece to the next without having to go back into the whole process of changing the piece completely. This helps in keeping the printing process timely and efficient.

Two color print job- Most two color printing jobs are generally used for logos and letterheads.

DPI, LPI, PPI-  DPI stands of dot per inch which is used to measure the resolution of an image both on screen and in print. LPI stands for lines per inch this is used to measure the resolution of images printed in halftones. PPI stands for pixels per inch which is used to measures the number of pixels per line per inch in a digital photo.

CMYK stands for the four main colors; cyan, magenta, yellow and key which is black. These are used in the CMYK color mode that is used in the color printing process. Spot coloring is when specially mixed inks come together in a rainbow of colors, including some special types of ink. CMYK creates color by layering CMYK in different percentages on the page, spot colors are pre-mixed and then applied separately to the page.

SOURCEShttp://www.w-co.co.uk/finishing.php
http://www.marketing-playbook.com/learn-marketing-basics/printing.php
http://whatis.techtarget.com/definition/0,,sid9_gci825229,00.html
http://www.movadcorp.com/resources/glossary.html
http://www.techterms.com/definition/

QR code which is short for quick response is used to take pieces of  information from a transitory media and put it in to your cell phone. QR codes can be found on many different types of advertising such as magazines, postcard, or even on web pages. QR codes are used to save information on a your cell phone, many QR codes have deals like promotions or coupons.

To generate a QR code you use websites such as Kaywa. These take seconds to generate on smart phone such as an iphone or an Android to find and install the reader. Google has a tool as well that will generate the QR codes.

 A QR can be tracked by the use of websites, google has a tracking modules (or UTM) parameters appended to the URL so that you can track the QR campaign in Google Analytics.

 Reasons people use QR code is to make information easy to access for consumers. QR codes are very helpful to companies when they are trying to send out important information to a large audience.

 http://searchengineland.com/what-is-a-qr-code-and-why-do-you-need-one-27588

http://www.lunametrics.com/blog/2011/08/18/tracking-qr-codes-google-anaytics/

The purpose of the preflight printing process can be broken down into multiple steps. The main purpose of the preflight printing process is make sure that everything for the  job is correctly prepared for printing. It is very important to
Checklist

•  The artwork is designed at the size it's going to be printed.
• Does your document have the proper bleed setting?
• You've removed any extraneous elements from the pasteboard.
• Your "screened" elements are set at no lower than 15% opacity (any lower and they're practically invisible).
• You've supplied all screen and printer fonts used in your file and any image files imported in your document? If you properly pre-flighted and packaged your file, the answer should be yes.You can also choose to outline your fonts, if you're not allowed to share the font. However, we prefer having the actual font file so we can make changes to the text if needed.
• Have you verified that ALL COLORS used in your document used are set to CMYK values for proper separation? Please remove all unused colors from your document.
•  Make sure color graphics (eps, tiff, etc.) have been converted from RGB to CMYK and scanned at proper resolution (300 dpi). NOTE: Do not use compression when saving images. Save scanned images as .tiff files. Make sure all black and white images are set to true "Grayscale".
• Have you replaced large black areas with Rich Black (75% Cyan/50% Magenta/50% Yellow/100% Black) to make them appear more solid?
• Did you check the spelling and grammar of your document?
• Did a friend or co-worker check the spelling and grammar of your document?
• Is your page layout program supported by Action Printing?
• Have you backed up your files on your hard drive or other media in case of file damage? If not, please do so now.
• Have you given us a printed, physical copy? Please provide us with a hard copy either printed, faxed, or e-mailed. This way, we know what the finished project should look like and we can check for inconsistencies.

A Prepress Technician formats and proofs, they make sure that everything is ready and complete for printing.  A prepress technician has to has a great eye for detail. An average salary for a , a Prepress Technician is around $37,970 annually or $18.25 hourly. 





 Sources
http://inkd.com/earn/prepress
http://www.action-printing.com/help/the-time-saving-preflight-checklist
http://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes515111.htm

1/17/12
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