Print Design TipsTips and Information About Printing

Ever wondered just what a printer or designer mean when they start using terminology?

Here is a brief guide for you to understand the difference between your ells and leadings.

AA’s

Author Alterations – ussually changes made by you as the customer during or after the proofing process and as such billable to you as extra work performed – plan your work carefully beforehand and be meticulous at the proofing stage to avoid a nasty shock with the bill.

Actual Weight 

This is the actual weight of the paper used and it is used to determine the price for shipping as well as the purchase price for the paper itself – you may see different terms such as basic weight or basic size when planning your project and they mean different things so ask your print partner exactly what they mean and what they are using.

Bleed

This is where an image runs off the side of the paper – a technique that can concentrate the attention of the reader but does result in greater costs at the printing stage – the bleeds are created by trimming the paper to size (which increases the cost because of the extra labor and extra paper size).

DPI or Dots Per Inch

This is the number of dots which fit horizontally and vertically into a square inch of printing – the higher the DPI the greater the detail that can be presented including color differentiation.   A higher DPI is needed for graphics and photographic replication than for simple printed text jobs and the cost increases generally with a higher DPI.

Em Space

This is a lateral space equal to the width of the letter “m” – equally there is the En space for the letter “n” – these spaces are used in typography and typesetting.

Finish

Refers to the finish of the paper used – there are various types of finishes depending on your budget and the use to which the piece will be put.  You can have an embossed finish, felt, smooth or vellum, calendering,  papermaking and many others – ask your printing partner for a selection of finishes which they will usually have as a sample book.

(to be continued)

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