Welcome to Commercial Printing Tips!
Commercial printing tips and the other related printing tips sites will allow you to maximize the power of your messages to prospects and customers for all your catalog printing, postcard printing, book printing, rack card printing, brochure printing, flyer printing, newsletter printing and other print communication needs. Commercial printing is the industry that produces the hundreds of billions of print communication pieces that are such an integral and important part of our daily lives. If you are involved in creating print communications or print buying, commercial printing tips is the right source to find helpful tips.

Commercial print buying must always address the following:

Quantity
Quantity is one of the most important variables in determining the cost of a printed piece, especially if only a few hundred or thousand units are needed. The reason for this is the set up or make ready costs associated with pre- press, press and finishing equipment and processes in a printing plant. These costs are fixed regardless of the quantity produced. If you are only going to need a few hundred or thousand pieces, be sure to select a commercial printer who specializes in short runs with short run equipment.

Flat and Finished Size
The flat and finished size is a critical component in determining the cost of any print communication. For example, the cost of a flyer with a flat and finished size of 8.5" x 11" is less expensive than one with a flat size of 8.5 x 11 and a finished size of 3.67 x 8.5. This is the result of the cost to fold the latter piece to the smaller size, perhaps for direct mailing purposes. The same concept applies on books. The cost of a book with a finished trim size 8.5 x 11 is substantially more than one of 5.5 x 8.5. The 5.5 x 8.5 book has only 50% of the paper and 50% of the printing press run time of the 8.5 x 11 book.

Paper
Your paper choice can make a significant difference in the look and feel of your print communication piece. Commercial printing paper is divided into two broad categories - - Coated and Uncoated (sometimes referred to as offset stock). Within each of those categories are sub-categories by weight - - Text and Cover stock. Text stock is the lighter weight paper used most frequently for the inside or body of a book or catalog. It is less expensive than cover weight paper. Cover stock is a heavier and more durable paper used for the outside cover of a book or catalog. The heavier the paper's weight with a resulting greater thickness, the more upscale is the look and feel that will be achieved.

Gloss and Matte stock are both coated papers. Most brochures are printed on
80 # gloss text stock but 70# and 100# gloss text can be equally good choices depending on your needs. For an even greater upscale look and feel, you might choose 80# gloss cover stock. Matte is a coated stock with a dull finish. It is often used to make pages easier to read that are text or type intensive. Accordingly, 80# matte text might be appropriate depending on your objectives and how the piece will be used. Gloss stock is a coated paper with shinny or highly reflective finish. It is most often used in full color printing to have full color photographs, images and graphics appear more vivid, real and appealing.
The body or text pages for books are usually printed one color on white offset stock. The most commonly used weights are 50# and 60# white offset text. You might want to consider 60# if you have heavy ink coverage for copy other than typed text such as many black and white photographs. Several different choices are available for the cover of a book. For self-cover books (where the cover paper is the same as that used for the body) 50#, 60#, and 70# offset text are frequently used. For perfect bound books where a heavier offset stock is required (usually above 50 to 80 pages) or for saddle stitched books where a more durable offset stock is needed, 67# white vellum offset cover is a good choice. For that upscale look or when using full color, you might use 80# or 100# gloss cover. There are numerous alternatives in paper and your commercial printer is your best choice when seeking additional information for an alternative that best fits your needs.

Ink Colors
Most print communication pieces are printed in one to four colors (full color or CMYK). Studies have shown over a 60% increase in retention of information when full color is used instead of black and white. Periodical studies reveal full color increases readership over 40%. As a result, color is a prime consideration to reaching your reader and being sure your message is retained. Color can stir various emotional responses. Red conveys strength and power. Blue projects stability and sophistication. Green has a calming impact. Bringing color to your publications can make them more attractive and effective. In fact, almost any printed piece will have greater impact with additional color.
High quality, full color commercial printing is done on offset presses using a four- color build process called CMYK. CMYK stands for Cyan (blue), Magenta (red), Yellow and Black. These four colors are used to create or build the multitude of color shades seen in a vibrant, full color printed piece. Your computer monitor is in RGB. Because of this different color model and the wide variation in monitor technologies and calibration, the colors will be similar, but not exact. If you print a sample on your ink jet or laser color printer, there may be instances of a substantial variation from the high quality produced from the offset lithographic presses. If you have you special colors that are not typical (for instance, a PMS color), see spot color below.
Spot colors are used most frequently for one and two color jobs and when an exact color needs to be produced every time. Logos are perfect examples for spot colors. The Pantone PMS color matching system is most frequently used for selection and printing of spot colors. For example, if your logo needs a distinctive blue, tell your commercial printer your Pantone PMS color choice. This number will then be matched on the press to deliver the exact result you need.

Finishing
Finishing is just as important as the printing in producing a high quality and functional print communication piece. Finishing options like folding, drilling or binding style are critical to the function and impact of any printed piece. When designing a printed piece, finishing options must be addressed from the beginning. For instance, let's assume you plan to design an 81/2 x 11 brochure that will be tri-folded for a direct mail promotion. You need to plan your page layout so that the cover and the place for the mailing address are in the right place after the folding is completed. Scoring may be appropriate on heavier paper stock so that the paper doesn't crack when the folding takes place. These and many other potential finishing options will affect the quality and impact of your print communication piece. For more about finishing options click here.

Proofing
Creating and approving proofs during the various production phases is critical to achieving the quality you need and want. Proofs can be shown on your computer monitor when using desktop publishing programs to create your print communication project. Hard copy proofs can be produced from many different printers and proofing devices. The most important thing about proofing is to do it. Create, review and approve proofs to ensure success.

Input Media
Most input media provided to commercial printers is in the form of an electronic file of your print communication piece. This is frequently created using desktop publishing programs such as Microsoft Publisher, Quark Express or Adobe Pagemaker. One of the biggest issues in processing of electronic files by your commercial printer is that they are all too often not print ready. To help avoid electronic files that can't be processed, follow the checklist below:

1. Include all the fonts that are used in the piece. Commercial printers will not be able to see or use your selected fonts if they are not included in the file.
2. Include the final page count, including the cover. Making sure the page count is included will remove any room for error on page numbers.
3. Include all unique colors (PMS Colors), and the spot color's numbers names and numbers. Include those numbers in an email or in the file. For information on PMS Colors and other color combinations click here.
4. Include Linked images on your printed piece. Linked images are the images for a piece that must be linked to the area of the project and saved with that project. Commercial printers will not be able to see images that are not linked.
5. Include the names of the Application Programs used (including version number). For instance, if you used Adobe PageMaker 6.0, please include that information in the file sent to your commercial printer.
   
6. Include the Layout File names. Commercial printers can be confused when, many files are sent, but only one file is the correct one.
7. Page Size should be the same as the final printed size unless allowing for bleeds. Bleeds are used if you need your printed piece to have color to the edge of the page.
8. Bleeds should be exactly 1/8" over the final finished size.
9. Make sure your files are saved in CMYK format. It will frequently be created in RGB so that you can view it on your computer monitor. CMYK is the full color process build system that commercial printers use to create the high quality, vibrant colors by using offset printing presses. To find out more on this issue click here.
10. Make sure your project is saved in 300 dpi. Many times pictures that you took off the Internet or pictures that you have scanned will not be 300 dpi. The 300 dpi is the minimum image resolution that is recommended to deliver clear and vibrant pictures. Pictures that are less than 300 dpi will be fuzzy and unclear.
11. Layout files should be in Printers Spreads, not reader's spreads. For instance, take a stapled book lay it out flat and then take the staples out. Here you will see a set of 11 x 17 sheets, take the top page or cover, you will the see that the cover page, also has the back cover page on it.
12. Make sure the project is set up in proper trapping. Trapping consists of placing the pictures together correctly. If you do not it can cause inconsistent or fuzzy pictures. To find out more about trapping click here.

Commercial Printing Ordering Tips
Make sure you place your order with an experienced and knowledgeable commercial printer with a reputation for quality, reliability and one that is easy to do business with. As with many important purchases the least expensive is frequently not the best value. Your local area printers may be able to do your job but printers with websites can do even better job with benefits like low prices, instant price quotes and easy online ordering.

For commercial printing prices from the website of a quality printer with all of the above benefits and more, click here. When seeking a quote or ordering your brochures be sure to have the following information available:
1. Quantity
2. Flat and finished sheet size
3. Paper type and weight
4. Number of ink colors
5. Finishing specifications
6. Proofing preference