 Printing Information
Papers and Inks
These papers and inks are currently used in the production of my prints and
cards :
Printed on Reincarnation Paper ( card stock )
It is made up of a 100% blend of recycled materials/ acid free, archival
quality, process chlorine free, ancient forest friendly, manufactured with wind
power.
www.newleafpaper.com/reincarnation.html
Printed on an HP Indigo Digital Press - using HP ElectroInk.
These Inks are
heated onto the paper therefore increasing their longevity with a light fastness
rating of more than 20 years.
http://h30267.www3.hp.com/country/us/en/Products/imaging/electroink.html
The following is the commitment to excellence of my Print House “Island Art
Publishers and Distributors“ located in Victoria, B.C. Canada
Digital Printing -- Process & Policies
PROCESS
The process of Digital printing involves the following steps:
1. IMAGE CAPTURE
In order to produce high quality reproductions of an image – a high-resolution
digital file must be obtained. This can be done by capturing the original
artwork with a scan or digital photograph, scanning a slide, transparency or
photo print of the original, or utilizing an existing digital file. Note: See
the three quality levels indicated below for indications on capture
requirements.
2. COLOUR CORRECTION
Despite all best efforts to capture images accurately every image needs some
amount of colour correction in order to match the output device (printer) that
will be used to reproduce it. This can range from basic adjustments to extensive
corrections that take several hours. The better the quality of the capture, the
less costly this process becomes.
3. FILE PREPARATION
Depending on the final product (ie: card, print, brochure etc.) the file
preparation involves sizing and layout of the final product and can include
adding text, logos, additional photos, special fonts etc.
4. PROOFING
This is the stage that involves the client. We provide a proof of the final
product, already printed on the paper or canvas that the final product will be
on. The proof is usually a smaller version of the final (in the case of prints)
or it may be a copy of the actual product – although it will not be scored,
folded or trimmed. We are looking to have the client approve this copy and/or
note any errors or changes that need to be made to move the project to the
printing stage.
Note: See the three quality levels indicated below for indications on proofing
requirements.
5. PRINTING
The approved proof is used as a final reference and the job is printed on the
substrate requested and it is sent to finishing.
6. FINISHING
The finishing stage involves trimming, scoring, folding, packaging and any other
requirements such as drilling, laminating or binding in order to produce the
final finished reproductions.
QUALITY LEVELS
In order to accommodate various needs for all of our clients we have developed
three quality levels that suit both the budget and end product requirements.
LEVEL 1 – PLEASING COLOUR QUALITY
This level is suitable for a client who wishes to reduce cost and produce a good
quality reproduction for archiving, advertising, promotion or personal use. This
level will provide for a single proof stage and basic correction without
additional proofs.
LEVEL 2 – COMMERCIAL QUALITY
The commercial level provides a product that is suitable for re-sale and suits
clients who desire to produce consistent products that are setup to be
re-printed in future. This level provides for up to 3 proofs – the initial proof
and 2 correction proofs and layout will take into account commercial concerns
such as the need for stock control numbers, bar-codes and additional re-sale
requirements.
LEVEL 3 – LIMITED EDITION – HIGHEST QUALITY
The Highest quality level does not differ from the commercial level except in
the area of proofing. Here we are concerned with matching an original to the
extent that we will do an indefinite number of proofs and colour correction to
be assured that we will match the original to the best possible quality our
printers are capable of producing. We guarantee a high quality limited edition
reproduction at this level.
ARCHIVING
Storage and retrieval of your artwork for re-printing is a service privilege
provided to our customers for convenience.
Digital Printing Equipment
We use the latest in Digital technology to print short-run volumes in high
quality at an affordable cost.
HP Indigo 3050
For printing anything below a 12"x18" size (small prints, art cards, note cards,
postcards etc), we use
an Hewlett-Packard Indigo 3050 Digital Offset Press or
Xerox DocuColor 6060 Digital Colour Press.
The HP Indigo 3050 press uses a
liquid ink and provides a quality comparable to traditional offset
commercial
printing.
Xerox Docucolor 6060
With both presses -- due to the fact that they operate digitally, you can
produce a product in a very small
quantity without incurring the setup costs
necessary for large printing presses.
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