ESTIMATING COST (QUOTATION)
To evaluate the estimated cost, you must know size, quantity and how many colours will be used. Attention must also be given to marginal words, additional perforations, numbering and the weight of the paper you require. Call us so we can make some recommendations on how you can get maximum value for your dollar.

DESIGN
When designing for print, there are two ways to set up your artwork – camera-ready or electronic file. For electronic file preparation, use applications that are printer-friendly such as Adobe Illustrator, Adobe Photoshop, Corel Draw, and Quark Express. Images, fonts and layout can be forwarded by disk or email.

OUTPUTTING
Colour separations are done and negatives are produced. One negative is produced per colour.

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IMAGE ASSEMBLY
The negatives are now aligned or “stripped-up” and plates are produced for each colour. After a short developing process, the plates are ready for use.

PRINTING THE JOB
The plate is wrapped around the cylinder on the press. A careful balance of ink and water is used to ensure good print quality. The plate image makes direct contact with a rubber blanket which in turn makes contact with the paper.
Each unit on the press can print one colour. Thus a two-colour job will use two units. Four units are required for the CYMK process that produces photo quality images.

COLLATING AND FINISHING
For continuous stationery, the various copies are sent to the collator to be assembled into a form. For secure products such as mailers, gluing systems on the collator are used to make the product. Any numbering required is usually done during this stage. For snap-sets, books and pads, the job is done on a sheeting-down collator. Products are then packaged for delivery.

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ORDERING INFORMATION

SINGLE-PART FORMS
Where no copies are required, the forms are printed on bond paper in varying thicknesses. The most common are 60 grams through 100 grams.

MULTI-PART FORMS
Where copies are necessary, carbonless paper will be used. The top copy is CB (carbon back), the middle copies are CFB (carbon front and back) and the back copy is CF (carbon front.) Carbonless paper comes in white, yellow, pink, green and blue as the choice for the various parts. Sixty (60) gram is considered the standard weight for all copies but other weights are available if requested by the customer.

MARGINAL WORDS
The various parts of a form are used for different purposes. The top copy is usually for the customer. The other copies may be for Accounts, Sales, Distribution etc. If these words are placed on the respective copies, a plate must be made for each word thus increasing the cost. It will be more economical to put all the information on one line and have it printed on every copy so eliminating the need and cost for the additional plates.

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COLOURS
“PMS” ( Pantone Matching System) is the most widely accepted process for colour matching. The Pantone Company has created a system by which thousands of colours are mixed from a few basic colours using specific proportions. These are assigned a number and orders are mixed accordingly. Any ink used in the process is counted as one colour. To get two colours, the printer will need a “spot colour” setup. This means one negative for each colour. The opposite of spot colour is “ four colour process” (CYMK.) This is the process by which photo quality images are made. The entire piece is made up of a combination of Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, and Black dots. In this process there are four separate inks combining to form the image.

SCREENS
A “screen” is a grid pattern of dots applied to an image to create a percentage of full ink coverage. The size of the dot is what makes the percentage higher or lower. The use of screens can make a single colour printed piece appear as if it were printed with multiple colours.

QUANTITY
The larger the quantity of an order, the cost goes down in continuous printing. This is mainly because there are more costs associated with setting up the job. There is a considerable amount of wastage in the initial set-up stage as you get the job ready to print. When combined with the other fixed costs such as ink, negatives, plates etc., the customer benefits as the cost is spread over a larger quantity.

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