Printed products. Modern printing is art What is printing products

Surely many who at least once in their life had to order printed products wondered how the two concepts differ - polygraphy and printing house.

Under the concept "printing" understand the branch of industry that deals with the reproduction of printed matter.

There are several types of printing:

• deep;
• flat;
• Stencil;
• High.

In addition, distinguish various ways prints, which are divided into:

• Digital printing;
• Offset printing;
• Digital offset printing;
• Silkscreen;
• Embossing;
• Sublimation;
• Flexography.

If speak about printing houses, then we are talking about a printing production enterprise. On it, as a rule, preparation of everything necessary for sending an order for printing, applying an image to a carrier, printing a circulation, as well as processing printed products is carried out.

Today, all over the world, both large printing houses and small organizations carry out their services for the creation of printed products. Regardless of their size, they can specialize both in all printing methods and types of printed products, that is, they can be universal, or in one thing.

How does the typography work?

It's very complex technological process, therefore, errors in work can be irreparable or unprofitable for the enterprise. Fortunately, since the advent of computers and their strong fixation in human life, the workflow has become much easier, especially when it comes to the safety of information and images. After all, now all electronic versions of products can always be found in the data storage system.

To date, there are many companies that are engaged in the production or supply of server systems, computer equipment and integrated IT solutions for corporate enterprises, public institutions, government structures. Among them a special place and recognition of customers was awarded to the company ASKOD.

Why is it so difficult to organize the process of creating printed products, and what is important to consider at each stage of work?

As a rule, all printing houses carry out their activities on the same principle. Work on the order is divided into several stages, each of which is the responsibility of one or another employee, or a group of specialists, if necessary.

Purchase and delivery of all necessary consumables, their processing, organization of printing processes - all this requires a lot of effort and time. In addition, in order to start the workflow itself, it is necessary to pay close attention to the synchronization of the actions of all employees of the printing house.
Like many other organizations, the printing house begins its work by searching for customers who want to order printed products, with whom they still need to agree on the type of service, cost and timing.

After all the nuances of the future cooperation between the two parties have been agreed upon, the order is sent to the prepress preparation of the printing house. Very often the client has no idea what exactly he would like to receive and how it will look like. It all depends on the designer of the printing house, who will come up with or select a design that meets the requirements of the customer and make a layout. After the layout is approved by the customer, the files are processed, after which printed forms are output from them.

Further, the order enters the printing shop, where paper has already been cut under it, a statement of work has been drawn up, which will accompany this order until it is completely manufactured. Only at this stage, the printer of the printing house can already start working. As practice shows, finding a true specialist in this field is not so easy.

The last stage of order preparation takes place in the post-press processing shop , where the finished form goes.

As you can see, printing and typography are two closely related concepts, the meaning of which is quite easy to understand.

POLYGRAPHY
a technique for repeatedly obtaining identical images (prints) by transferring an ink layer from a printing plate to paper or other material. The actual process of transferring an image from a printing plate to paper is called printing. But this is only one of the processes for making printed matter; the main printing processes are typesetting, printing plate making, printing, and bookbinding. In printing, three main methods of reproduction of text and illustrations are used: letterpress, intaglio and flat printing. Letterpress is the oldest of these. As the name itself indicates, with this method, the relief elements of the printed form, which rise above the non-printing (blank) elements, are printing. Printing is done when the printing surface covered with ink is pressed against the paper. In gravure printing, the printing elements of the printing form, on the contrary, are recessed. The paint is applied to the entire surface of the form, and then erased so that only the depressions corresponding to the image remain. When paper is pressed against the intaglio plate, the ink flows from the depressions onto the paper, much like moisture absorbed by a towel. The printing and blank elements of the flat seal form are located on the same level. This method, which includes offset printing and lithography, is based on differences in the wettability of different surface areas. The surface of the form is chemically treated so that the printing elements are wetted with ink, while the blanks do not accept it.
letterpress
The production of any printed matter begins with a set. Letterpress printing can be done by hand or by machine.
Manual set. This is the oldest type of set. A separate typographic letter is used for each letter of the alphabet. The letter is a metal bar, on the upper end of which there is a relief image of the letter. Words, phrases, paragraphs, etc. are manually composed from such letters. Typographic type is produced in individual letters of different sizes and typefaces and is supplied in sets containing all uppercase and lowercase letters, numbers and punctuation in the same size and one typeface. The height (size) of the font is measured in non-metric units - typographic points. In Russia, the standard point size is 0.376 mm. With a monotype set in Russia, the Anglo-American point is used, equal to 0.3528 mm (1/72 inch).
Machine set. Machine typing is, of course, faster than manual typing. There are three main types of typesetting machines for letterpress printing: line-casting, letter-casting and large-skit line-casting. All of them do not actually produce a set of typographic type, but cast type from molten metal. Strokotlivny typesetting machines (linotypes and intertypes) typeset text in the form of monolithic metal lines with a relief printing surface. Each such machine consists of a keyboard, a magazine, and a casting and disassembly apparatus. Pressing the key with the designation of a letter from the store selects a metal matrix, which serves as a mold for the corresponding letter. Entire lines are formed from the matrices, which are then mechanically transferred to the casting machine. Here, the matrices are filled with molten metal, and it cools quickly. The cast line is pushed out of the machine, after which the disassembly mechanism returns the dies to the magazine. Before the string is cast, it is mechanically aligned, i.e. reduction to a given length with the help of space plates - spaces. Letter-casting typesetting machine (monotype) consists of a keyboard and casting apparatus. When a key is pressed, a code combination of holes corresponding to a given letter is punched on a paper tape. In the casting machine, where there are matrices for all letters, a set is automatically cast on a paper tape. In large-pin string-casting machines, the machine set is combined with the manual set. The hand-assembled lines from the matrices are introduced into the casting machine, in which the set is cast. Speed ​​of execution is not the only advantage of machine typing over manual typing. It is also simpler in many ways. For example, a set made by machine is disassembled mechanically, not manually. In addition, since the type is recast each time in machine typesetting, the difficulties associated with the gradual wear of the type are eliminated.

Cliche. In addition to text, printing deals with illustrations. In letterpress printing, illustrations are reproduced using special forms of letterpress printing - clichés. These are solid printing plates that can be made by hand, but are more often made by photomechanical and electromechanical methods. Depending on the nature of the image, cliches can be dashed, halftone and combined. Line plates, as their name indicates, are used to reproduce pen drawings, handwritten text, drawings, graphs, and other similar originals. With the photomechanical method of manufacturing, the reproduced illustration is photographed and the resulting negative is placed on metal plate coated with a water-soluble photosensitive material. Light from a powerful lamp, passing through the transparent areas of the negative, causes hardening (hardening) of the coating. The coating under the opaque areas of the negative retains solubility in water and washes away, leaving a clean metal surface. After that, the entire surface of the plate is exposed to acid, but etching occurs only in areas not protected by a tanned coating, as a result of which the necessary relief appears. Line cliches are simpler and cheaper than others, but they are only suitable for reproducing illustrations consisting of lines and solid dark areas. To transfer still pictures, drawings, and other images containing different levels gray color, halftone clichés are used. Since the printing press can only apply an even layer of ink, to reproduce the halftones, the image in the illustration is photographically broken into separate dots. To do this, at the photographic stage of the process, a raster is superimposed on the original illustration - an optical device with a grid of opaque black lines. The raster divides the image into dots, the size of which varies depending on the intensity of the reproduced tone in one place or another. On the dark part of the image, the raster gives large dark dots, and on the light part - small, more distant from each other. On the basis of the obtained negative, a cliché is made in the same way as line clichés. Combined clichés are needed to reproduce illustrations, such as, for example, a pen drawing with induced shadows. In such cases, elements of both of the above methods for making clichés are used.
Layout, imposition and closing. After the text and headings are typed and the clichés are made, all this should be arranged in the form of a page. This operation, called imposition, consists in the fact that the individual elements of the set are set to the position in which they should be on the print. The entire printing plate is then "enclosed" (fixed) in a massive steel frame that will hold it in place during the printing process. The dimensions of the frame for the conclusion are determined by the number and size of the printing plates that will be fixed in it. If, for example, eight strips (pages) are needed for one notebook, then the printer will enclose four of the eight single-strip plates in one frame, and the remaining four in another. Each of the two four-strip plates will be printed on different sides of the same sheet of paper. After folding (folding) the printed sheet once horizontally and vertically, eight strips will be obtained. With multi-strip printing, it is necessary to arrange separate printing forms of the strips so that after printing and folding, the prints of the strips go into notebooks in right order. This arrangement is called an imposition scheme.
Stereotype. In the manufacture of high-circulation products, letterpress plates wear out and have to be restored. In addition, when printing the same order on several presses at the same time, the same set would have to be run several times. Therefore, copies of printed forms, the so-called stereotypes, are widely used. They are cheaper, lighter and faster to make, last longer and can be bent to fit on the cylinders of rotary presses. Copies of letterpress forms are made by electroforming, casting and pressing. In the manufacture of electrotypes under pressure, an imprint of the original shape is made on a sheet of wax, plastic or lead. Then, a silver compound is applied to the imprint by spraying the solution and placed in an electrolytic bath, where a layer of copper is built up on the surface of the imprint. This layer of copper, fixed on a thick lead substrate, forms a durable printing surface. The foundry method gives the cheapest stereotypes. A thin (1 mm) sheet of multilayer cardboard is placed on the original printing plate and a matrix is ​​obtained from it on a press. Then the matrix is ​​metallized from the surface by spraying with molten metal, which, upon cooling, forms a copy of the printing surface. Plastic stereotypes can be made by photographic method or by pressing. In the first case, the technique is the same as in the photomechanical production of cliches, and the print of the original form serves as a photo reproduction original. In the second, a stereotype is obtained from a matrix (from a polymer-impregnated material) of an original shape by pressing thermoplastic plastic or rubber.
Printing machines. Letterpress printing presses fall into three categories: platen, flatbed and rotary.

Crucible machine. The crucible machine has two cheeks: a thaler, on which the printing plate is fixed, and a crucible that holds the paper. When the cheeks are parted, the inking rollers roll the ink over the entire open surface of the mold. Then the cheeks are moved and the crucible is fed so that the paper is pressed tightly against the mold. With this "onslaught" the paint is transferred from the form to the paper. Next, the cheeks move apart and everything is repeated with a new sheet of paper. In a clamshell crucible machine, both the crucible and the thaler move, but such a device is used only on small machines. In large crucible machines, the thaler is stationary.
Flatbed printing machine. The flatbed printing machine (invented earlier than the crucible) is so named because the printing plate in it is installed on a flat thaler. The crucible, on which the paper is applied, is a printing cylinder. During printing, the taler moves in its plane under the action of a rotating printing cylinder, and the paper is clamped between the taler and the cylinder. At the end of printing, the impression cylinder rises, the printed sheet is separated and the ink rollers re-ink the printing plate. A flatbed printing machine can be not only single-color (described above), but also two-color or double-sided. A two-color flatbed printing machine operates in the same way as a one-color flatbed printing machine, with the difference that it is aggregated from two separate printing units, each with its own printing cylinder and inking unit. After one form is printed, the paper is transferred by the transfer cylinder to the second impression cylinder for printing from the second form. Thus, the paper is printed twice on one side. A two-sided flatbed press, unlike those described above, prints both sides of the paper in one pass. Structurally, it is similar to a two-color flatbed printing machine, but does not have a transfer cylinder. After the first printing, the paper is released from the grips of the print cylinder, flipped over and picked up by the second print cylinder to print the second form on the other side.
Rotary engine. On a rotary press, the paper to be printed passes between a cylindrical printing plate (plate cylinder) and an impression cylinder. Such a machine requires a stereotype that can be shaped to match the shape of the surface of the impression cylinder. Rotary printing machines are divided into sectional and planetary (with one common printing cylinder), as well as sheet and roll. Roll machines print on a continuously fed paper web, which is cut into individual sheets after printing. The productivity of rotary presses is usually higher than that of flatbed printing presses. In a sectional rotary machine, each color to be printed has its own inking unit, plate cylinder and impression cylinder. If, for example, the machine is four-color, then it includes four such printing units. The paper passes through all four sections in sequence. In a planetary rotary machine, up to five (according to the number of printed colors) inking units and the same number of plate cylinders are located around one common printing cylinder. The paper web, pulled by a rotating printing cylinder, passes from one plate cylinder to another, and each of them gives its own print until the printing cycle is completed.
OFFSET PRINTING
Offset printing processes differ significantly from the letterpress processes described above. If letterpress printing is carried out directly from a typographic font and cliche, then offset printing requires a photographic transformation of the image of the typed material into a transparent image on film. The completed font set is first photographed. Then the resulting film negative is used as a transparencies to transfer the image of the set onto a plate material coated with a photosensitive layer. There are three main types of offset printing set: metal set, typewriter set, and phototypeset. A set of metal and typewriters. After metal typesetting has been done by machine, to obtain a photoreproducible original layout, a reproduced imprint of the typesetting is most often used. The set after page layout is placed on the taler of a proof printing flatbed printing machine. The resulting print can be photographed as a photoreproducible layout. Typewriters are the most common (of those developed in previous years) technique for obtaining a photoreproducible original layout without a metal set. Electric typewriters with typographic type, in which the ink from an ink ribbon is transferred by letter onto paper, produce originals for reproduction in reflected light. Typesetting can be combined with phototypesetting.
Photocomposition. Phototypesetters have evolved from the simplest hand-held printing-quality typesetting devices to automatically controlled devices that provide very fast processing of text arrays. Phototypesetting is based on a photographic process (with a very short exposure time) in which characters are exposed one at a time on photographic film or stabilizing photographic paper. It can be computerized and requires two types of equipment: a tape puncher with a keyboard and a phototypesetter controlled by punched tape. One phototypesetting machine can handle multiple punches. When a key is pressed, the perforator fills on a paper tape a code combination of holes of the corresponding typographical sign. On phototypesetters with manual operation, alignment of lines, i.e. adjusting them to a given length is performed by the operator. To do this, it monitors the counter, which registers the occupied and free parts of the string length. Computerized installations, on the other hand, do not require such line-by-line alignment. The operator fully concentrates his attention on the continuously typed text, and the information from the punched tape is entered into the computer with the program installed in it for automatic switching to a standard format. Modern phototypesetting machines are high-speed devices, the design of which allows the use of several operators at once, working in parallel on the keyboard of tape punchers. It is customary to divide them into machines of three "generations". The first generation machines are simple photomechanical devices. The inserted perforated tape sets the position of the matrix frame, which is structurally similar to the matrix frame of the letter-casting typewriter store. The main difference is that here the matrix frame does not contain matrices for casting letters from metal, but photo negatives of typographic characters. When the punched tape calls out a particular letter, the matrix frame is mechanically set to a position in which that letter can be exposed at the right place on the photographic paper or film. The font size is changed by moving the optical magnifying system. The second generation machines, the most common at present, have a disk or drum type carrier, around the circumference of which transparent letters of the alphabet are printed. When the type carrier rotates, the inserted perforated tape starts the exposure device, which gives a light flash at the moment when the desired letter is in the path of light. When exposed, the light carrying the image of the letter passes through a magnifying system, the position of which determines the type size. During exposure, the stepping mechanism determines the width of the letter and moves the film or paper into position for the next letter to be exposed. The performance of phototypesetting machines of the second generation is much higher than that of the first, ranging from 20 to 600 characters per second or more.

The third generation machines are high-speed cathode ray tube setups with no parts to make mechanical movement during typing. In such installations, all characters are stored in the form of font sets in the computer's memory. When they are called by the input punched tape or magnetic tape, the computer displays them on the monitor screen. With the help of the optical system, signs are instantly registered on the photographic material. The font size is adjustable by electronic means, performance can range from 100 to 10,000 characters per second, depending on the desired print quality.

At the end of the set, the exposed photographic material (film or paper) remains in the opaque cassette. The photographic film undergoes chemical processing in a dark room, and the resulting negative is directly used to make a printing plate. On photographic paper, after processing, galleys of text are obtained, similar to a test print.
reproduction installations. Originals for copying in the manufacture of offset printing plates are transparent photographic images (on film) of text typed by the methods discussed above, reproduced prints, photographs, illustrations and all other materials that need to be presented in printed form. Reproduction cameras are used to obtain such intermediate originals. In the manufacture of printing forms, three types of reproduction originals are used: line, halftone and color. Line originals, like letterpress line plates, contain only lines and dark areas without halftone gradations. They serve to reproduce reproducible prints, phototypesetting galleys on paper, graphics, pen drawings, etc. Halftone offset originals, like letterpress halftone clichés, contain up to 30-45 tone transitions from saturated to zero density. When making a line or halftone reproduced original layout, photomontage is usually performed. All line originals are pasted onto sheets of thick paper in the position in which they should be on the final printed sheet. The result of such an operation, similar to the page-by-page imposition of the text in the case of a metal set, is a mounted original layout of the entire printing order. This original layout is photographed as a whole. After exposure in a reproduction camera of a line layout original, a halftone original is placed in the camera, and the camera is set to the size. To reproduce a halftone original, it must be converted to a halftone dot image. This is done using a halftone screen as described above. The line and halftone negatives are then aligned in an appropriate imposition pattern so that they are subsequently placed in the correct position on the printed sheet of paper. After that, the negatives are transferred to the mounting sheet, which becomes the carrier of all the negatives used in the manufacture of offset printing plates.
Multicolour printing. A color original is more difficult to reproduce than a line and halftone original. this requires color separation. The colors of subtractive mixing - blue, green and red - are formed by superimposing cyan and magenta, cyan and yellow, magenta and yellow, respectively. To accurately reproduce the desired color, such as green or orange, you need to accurately reproduce the ratio of its three color components - yellow, cyan and magenta. This is achieved by using three color separating filters, each of which transmits only the light corresponding to its color to the black-and-white photographic film. Then it is not difficult to reproduce the same mixture of colors on paper by sequentially applying yellow, blue and red inks from three different printing plates. As a rule, a fourth form is also added - for black, which allows you to increase the range of density and increase clarity in shadow areas. Color separation is carried out in a reproduction camera, but there is also a more modern method of electronic color separation, which will be discussed in more detail below.

Color separation photography requires four exposures of the original on separate films. The first exposure is through a red filter that only lets in the cyan, or blue, light from the original. The second exposure is through a green filter and only red or magenta light is recorded. At the third exposure, only yellow light is recorded through a blue filter. The fourth exposure, for black, consists of three partial exposures: one through a red filter, another through green, and a third through blue. Four color separation negatives are used to make offset plates, one for each ink. When printed sequentially, these forms accurately reproduce the color composition of the original.
Production of printed forms. Offset printing plates are usually made from metal foil with a thickness of 0.01-0.05 mm. The two main types of such forms are surface and "deep offset", the latter also including bimetallic ones. Surface forms are the actual forms of planar printing: their printing areas are located on the same level as non-printing areas. The protective photosensitive coating can be applied by pouring in the center of the mold, followed by rotation for alignment or by rolling. Form materials with a pre-applied photosensitive protective layer are also produced. Surface forms are usually used in cases where the circulation does not exceed 45,000. Deep offset forms are processed in the same way as surface forms, but their non-printing areas are buried by chemical etching. Due to this, such forms are more print-resistant than surface ones, and can withstand up to 500,000 prints. Bimetallic forms consist of two layers of different metals, one that is very well wetted by ink (for example, copper) and forms printing areas, and the other is poorly wetted by ink (for example, unpolished chrome) and forms blank areas. Bimetallic forms accurately reproduce high-quality images and maintain up to 3-5 million prints.
Offset machines. Flat offset printing machines are divided into flatbed and rotary. Rotary machines according to the type of printed material (paper) are divided into sheet and roll. In terms of the design of many units, inking units, and other offset presses, they are similar to letterpress presses. Their main distinguishing feature is the presence of offset transfer cylinders and dampening devices.

Sheet offset machines. In a sheet-fed rotary offset machine, the printed image is transferred from the form to paper using three cylinders - plate, transfer and printing. The flat print form is fixed on the plate cylinder. The moistening apparatus applies a thin layer of a moisturizing solution to its blank elements, after which the inking apparatus rolls paint on it. When the plate cylinder rotates, the colorful image is transferred to a smooth rubber-fabric plate fixed on the transfer cylinder. This plate transfers the image onto a paper sheet held by grippers on the impression cylinder. The sheetfed offset machine can be single-color and multi-color. Multi-color machines are aggregated from separate printing sections (containing plate, transfer and printing cylinders) with separate inking and dampening devices - according to the number of colors printed. The paper passes from one section to another, and a complete impression is obtained by successive imposition of colors. The order of ink application is determined by the specific order specification. Most often they are superimposed in this order: yellow, red, blue, black. One typical type of rotary offset press is the double-sided sheetfed press. It has two plate and two transfer cylinders. On both plate cylinders it is fixed according to the printing form, and colorful images are transferred from the forms to the corresponding transfer cylinders. The paper is clamped between the transfer cylinders, and colorful images are transferred from them to different sides of the paper sheet. In this case, one transfer cylinder plays the role of an impression cylinder for another. Another type of sheetfed offset press is the flatbed press. Here, the flat print form and paper are placed on the machine's taler. A carriage with a transfer cylinder, moistening and inking apparatus moves above the thaler, which moistens the surface of the form in one pass, rolls paint on it and transfers the colorful image to the transfer cylinder, and from it to paper.
Roll offset machines. Web offset presses, like letterpress web rotary presses, print on a continuous paper web. The printed web is either re-rolled or cut into sheets, folded, stitched and bound according to the order specification. Roll offset machines are divided into sectional, double-sided and planetary. Sectional, like a multi-color sheet machine, consist of several sections (according to the number of colors printed), each printing its own color on one side of the paper web. In a double-sided machine, the transfer cylinder of one section serves as an impression cylinder for the transfer cylinder of the other, so that the paper web is printed on both sides in one pass. In a planetary press, ink sections are grouped around a common printing cylinder. Printing is carried out when the paper web passes between it and the transfer cylinders of the individual sections.
GRAVTURE
Gravure printing is the process of printing from honeycomb ink cells chemically etched away from the surface of a copper, cast iron, steel or aluminum cylinder. There are thousands of such cells per square centimeter of the area of ​​the cylindrical surface of a metal printing plate. The process begins in a reproduction camera with the transfer to film of an image of a reproduction print, proofs of typed text material, line and halftone photographic illustrations. The transfer of a photographic image from a photographic film onto a plate cylinder is carried out using a light-sensitive intermediate layer of the so-called resist. One of the most common resists is sensitized gelatin "pigment paper". Light from a powerful lamp is directed through photographic film onto acid-resistant pigment paper. Under the action of light, the gelatinous coating hardens. Where there is less light, i.e. in dark areas, gelatin is less hardened than in light areas. After exposure, the pigment paper is applied to the plate cylinder and the unhardened resist is washed out. The cylinder is placed in an acid bath, in which the printed areas are etched to a depth depending on the amount of tanned resist remaining on the cylinder. The result is a cylindrical intaglio print with etched cells of varying depths. The depth of the cell determines the amount of ink filling it, and hence the tone (grayscale) in a given area of ​​the printed image.
Electronic engraving. Electronic engraving, unlike the preparation of a gravure printing cylinder, consists of only two steps: photographing and engraving. The original is photographed, and the image obtained on the film is scanned by a photoelectronic device. The electronic pulses that occur during scanning control the cutter, which creates cells of different depths on the surface of the cylinder.
Gravure printing machine. After etching or engraving, the surface of the gravure printing cylinder is coated with a layer of chromium to increase its service life. Then the cylinder is mounted in the printing press. The gravure printing machine does not have ink supply, reel and roll systems. Its plate cylinder, when rotated, is partially immersed in a reservoir of liquid paint. Excess ink is removed from its surface by a squeegee mechanism so that ink remains only in the recessed areas of the image. The cylinder is then brought into contact with the printing paper.
SPECIAL PRINTING METHODS
Along with the three main methods (high, offset and gravure printing), a number of other types of printing are used in the printing industry. Almost all of them are special. Some of them are discussed below.
Screen printing. Screen printing is widely known not only in the printing industry. A handmade or photomechanically made stencil is applied to a dense mesh of silk, nylon or stainless steel stretched over a wooden frame. Paper or other sealing material is placed on a flat surface, and a wooden frame with a grid so that the grid and a stencil adjoin closely to the printing material. Then thick paint is rolled over the stencil with a rubber roller. Where, in accordance with the printed image, the ink passes through the stencil, it also seeps through the mesh onto the printed material. Screen printing is versatile. It is suitable for printing on a wide variety of materials, from glass and metals to wood and textiles. In addition, this process allows you to apply thick layers of paint. The above manual process screen printing can be mechanized using sheet-fed or web-fed presses that produce between 200 and 6,000 prints per hour.
Phototype. The phototype ensures the reproduction of the original with high fidelity, but it is suitable mainly for small-circulation products. There are two options for phototype: one with a very dense grid for exceptional clarity and tonal gradations, and the other with smooth tone transitions, no halftone screen and no halftone dots. In the first variant, a negative is exposed on a printing plate covered with gelatin through a raster grid. In bright places, gelatin hardens under the action of light and becomes water-repellent, but is easily wetted by paint. The finished form is dried, bent and fixed on the plate cylinder of the printing machine. Here it is moistened by the rollers of the moisturizing apparatus, and the colorful image is transferred to the transfer cylinder, and from it to the paper fixed in the grips of the printing cylinder. In the second version of phototype, there is no need for halftone gradations created by the raster. The glass plate is coated with a binder and a solution of gelatin with bichromate, and then it is exposed through a film negative. In the illuminated areas, the gelatin is hardened in proportion to the intensity of the light passing through the negative. After exposure, the plate is washed in an aqueous solution of glycerol; at the same time, non-tanned areas swell more strongly than tanned ones, resulting in a change in the surface of the phototype layer and the formation of blank and printing elements that create a complete illusion of a tone image on the print.
Embossed colorful embossing. This is a special printing method in which areas of paper covered with ink are raised. It is used for printing high quality invitation cards, letterheads, business cards. The reproduced printed material must be engraved. The ink is applied to the engraved form, and the excess is removed so that the ink remains only in the recesses of the form. The paper to be printed is then placed on top of the form, and another form is placed on top, the bulges of which exactly match the depressions of the first. When pressed, the paper is simultaneously sealed and embossed.
Raised print. This method also gives relief printing, but it is technically simpler. When the printed sheet exits the letterpress press, polymer powder is applied to the fresh ink and the paper sheet is introduced into the heating device. The polymer, when heated, causes the ink to swell, causing the printed surface to be raised. Although the quality of the resulting product is lower than with the method of relief colorful embossing, this is more than offset by the versatility, simplicity and low cost of the embossed printing method.
BINDING PROCESSES
Bookbinding processes are an important part of book printing. These include cutting, folding and stitching.

Cutting and folding. Printed sheets of book and magazine publications are cut to the desired size on single-knife paper-cutting machines. Such a machine consists of a horizontal thaler table, on which stacks of cut sheets are laid, and a steel knife with an electric drive. With the help of a feeder (back), the stack of sheets is set to a given cut size, and the knife is lowered, precisely and evenly cutting the stack into two parts. Folding (the operation of folding printed sheets into a notebook of a given format) can be performed manually and on automatic machines. In high capacity cassette machines, the sheet is fed by rotating rollers. When it reaches the stop, the leading edge of the sheet stops, but the feed rollers continue to move the rest of the sheet. The sheet is bent and forms a loop, which is caught by the folding rollers and compacted into a fold. Folding machines can be configured to fold multiple times or fold, punch, slit, glue and cut to final size in one operation.
Binding processes. The most complex processes are stitching and binding in the manufacture of book products. The three main types of bookbinding and binding work are as follows: the production of books in binding covers, the production of book and magazine publications in paperbacks and mechanical fastening of notebooks (with a spiral, rings, staples, etc.).
Books in binding covers. Rigid bindings are used in cases where durability is required. The process of making books in bound covers consists of eight main operations: 1) cutting sheets, 2) folding and pressing, 3) stapling sheets into notebooks, 4) completing blocks, 5) fastening blocks, 6) processing blocks, 7) preparing blocks for bonding with binding covers; and 8) connecting blocks with covers. As a result of cutting and folding sheets, notebooks are obtained - parts of a book, each of which was printed on one sheet. Notebooks are sewn into blocks. Block sewing with wire is carried out in two ways: stitch and stitch. Editions, completed with a tab, are stitched together. In this case, the wire staples pass through the fold of the spine of the block from the outside and are bent inside. Blocks completed with a selection are stitched together: the block is stitched with wire staples at a certain distance (4-5 mm) from the edge of the spine. The most common method of block fastening in a notebook is sewing with threads, and threads can be sewn block by block - stitched and stitched. In case of notebook sewing with threads, the notebook of the block is stitched through the spine fold and fastened with the previous notebook with the same threads. It is more economical and provides a stronger bonding of the stitching of the block, completed with a selection, with an indent of 4-5 mm along the entire spine. After the book blocks are stitched together, press crimping and gluing of the spine are carried out. Crimping reduces the thickness of the spine (increased due to stitching), which improves the conditions for subsequent trimming. In addition, during crimping, the strength of the connection of notebooks increases and the solidity of the spine of the block increases. Compressed blocks are cut from three sides to the desired format on three-knife cutting machines. For publications of medium and large volumes, the spines of book blocks are rounded. At the same time, it improves appearance books, as well as its disclosure. The processing of the block is completed with a sticker on the spine of the block of reinforcing elements (fabric tape and paper strip). The last operation is the connection of blocks with binding covers. An adhesive solution is applied to the endpapers and valves of the gauze, and then the block is inserted into the lid. In order to avoid warping of bound books, they are kept (with heating) under pressure until the glue dries.
Paperback editions. The blocks made in the manner described above are connected to covers made of printed or cover paper (or paper with a polymer coating and non-woven materials) with an adhesive applied to the spine.
Removable fastening. Holes are punched along the edge of the pages to be fastened, into which plastic or wire spirals, split rings, etc. are then inserted.
NEW TECHNOLOGY
Advances in modern technology, especially in the fields of automation, electronics and computers, have revolutionized printing. The transformation began in the 1950s with the advent of photocomposition and electronic color separation. But the full possibilities of these innovations were revealed only in the 1970s, when video terminals were created that provide the ability to view and correct typed text, and electronic dot generators that allow you to create halftones directly in electronic color separators. These changes, as well as the emergence of microcomputers, gradually led to the fact that the printing industry turned from a craft into a high-tech production.
Kit. Phototypesetting, which appeared in 1950, gradually developed. The first phototypesetting machines were purely mechanical devices for typesetting photographic type. Later, electromechanical devices appeared that produced images of typographic characters on photographic paper. These images could be enlarged or reduced by optical means. Finally, fully electronic typesetting systems were created. Such systems are capable of converting images into digital form at a speed of up to 500 characters per second and displaying them on a monitor screen or, using a laser beam, on photographic paper.
Input. The printed material can be introduced into the typesetter in a variety of ways. Direct input is performed directly from the keyboard connected to the typing device. In this case, the speed of the latter is limited by the speed of the operator, but the text for input can be pre-recorded on the information carrier. Standalone keyboard devices record text for input on a variety of media. Optical input devices scan a typewritten original, convert the image into electronic signals and register it. Universal optical scanners can read texts made in any typewritten or typographic font. The text is displayed on the monitor, which makes it possible to make edits and perform page layout directly on the screen. A word processor is software for a personal computer that allows you to enter, store, view, edit, format, typeset and print texts in the same way as it is done with a specialized typesetter. High-speed laser printers provide print quality that is not inferior to that made by means of traditional printing.
Page layout. Electronic typing devices provide systems for pre-typing text processing that compose text and graphic material into pages that can serve as reproducible originals in the manufacture of printing plates. In this case, the graphic material is entered by digital image converters, such as conventional optical scanners. Devices for raster image scanning and bitmap writing are capable of producing high-resolution text and graphic illustrations.
Data transfer. AT computer technology information is represented by a digital signal consisting of the numbers 0 and 1. The digital signal can be transmitted over ordinary telephone lines, over a coaxial microwave cable, over radio with satellite relay and over an optical cable (laser beam). Thus, information can now be transmitted over long distances at the speed of light. Newsweek, Time, and U.S. News and World Report magazines, which are recruited weekly at their central offices, are exemplified by the use of this technique and are then sent via satellite to printers around the world. Transferring huge amounts of digital data can be time consuming. Therefore, a data compression (compression) method is used. The data compression ratio can be 8:1, 10:1 and 20:1 depending on the required image clarity.
Electronic color separation. Electronic color separation machines, which appeared in the 1950s, made it possible to simplify and speed up color separations and color correction. Such a machine consists of four main components: 1) an input rotating drum on which the original is fixed, 2) a scanning head with photocells and light filters that produce electronic signals of the intensity of red, green and blue, 3) a color separator-color corrector that converts color signals into four print colors (yellow, magenta, cyan and black) corrected according to the set program, and 4) an output rotating drum on which the output film is fixed for exposure with color corrected images, resulting in yellow, magenta, cyan and black photoforms. The Electronic Separator cuts separation time from 4 hours or more to 10 minutes or less, eliminating the need for manual color correction in most cases.
Electronic color prepress systems. Electronic typesetting and electronic color separation significantly reduced the time spent on these two important operations, and the bottleneck was the operation of separating photographic film into layouts of text and illustrations. Electronic systems (comprising typesetting systems, image processors, and typesetting machines) have been developed to allow layouts of text to be composed with some black and white illustrations. Digital electronic systems (with scanners, image processing stations, editing tables and output scanners) have also been created for editing text with color illustrations.
Electronic layout. Using the computer-aided design method, film editing systems have been developed that determine the format of the set and the dimensions of the layout and margins, the position of registration marks, page numbers, the location of headers and footers, etc., as well as the processing of image elements, the layout of originals by color, and the placement of illustrations printed on spread , and defining other positional data. After the layout is done on the film or, as appropriate, on the mask sheets, the elements of the film images are fixed on the mounting sheets. An editing machine has been created that automatically applies film image elements to editing sheets in accordance with the digital data of the layout.
Sample color images. When the films are mounted in a layout for making a photoform, a test image is needed to check the correct arrangement of elements, including colors. In addition, a test image is needed to evaluate how the publication will look after the printing press. Registration marks, color layout and layout of illustrations on spreads are checked. A proof print to check the final corrected image was previously always done on the press. Impressions for internal proofreading during the printing process were made on a separate test color printing unit. Prints on the printing press itself are expensive. If, however, to make printing plates and make prints on other machines similar to production ones, then this requires a lot of time. In addition, an impression made on one machine may look different than an impression made on another, or even on the same machine under different conditions. In addition, the volume of color printing is increasing so rapidly that a completely different proofing rate is required. Most color proofing systems are not expected to match machine prints exactly. Some use dyes, others use dry pigments, also use plastic bases, coated plates, multi-layer images on thin films, pigment toners transferred onto a special substrate. The main difficulties remain poor reproducibility of test images, insufficient research of printing processes and their low controllability. But there are a number of systems that allow you to get well-reproduced test color images five times faster than on printing machines, and, moreover, not lower, but even higher quality. Systems are being developed with coloring agents such as printing inks to produce test images on a printing substrate. Except for magazine advertisements, which are proofed by the customer for approval, the previously conventional machine proofs have largely been superseded by proofs produced on special machines.
Printing methods. Due to the simplicity of preparatory operations and the manufacture of printing plates, offset printing has now become the most common printing method. But deep offset forms and even some bimetallic forms have been supplanted by photoforms. Positive photopolymer plates withstand over a million prints on web offset presses for magazine and catalog printing. Difficulties in maintaining the balance between ink and water are eliminated by the development of printing plates that do not require dampening. In printing systems "computer - printing form" electrostatic forms are used, exposed to laser radiation. Photoform scanners control the ink nozzles of the printing press. Modern web printing machines are equipped with automatic registration, waste control and microprocessor control systems. Gravure printing has always been a high-volume printing process. At present, the development of this printing method is in the direction of ensuring its efficiency in the field of small print runs and short times. production cycle, which was previously dominated by offset printing. Gravure printing cylinders were most often made from multi-tone images that are difficult to correct and control. The most common method of manufacturing such cylinders is electromechanical engraving. With this method, multi-tone images on a rotating drum are scanned by optical heads, the signals of which are fed to a computer for digitization. Digital signals control a diamond-tipped cutter that cuts cells of various widths and depths in the copper coating of a rotating plate cylinder blank at a speed of about 4,000 cells per second. The cylinders are usually proof-printed on special presses and are either manually corrected by chemical etching or remade. The process has been greatly accelerated and improved by the use of halftone engraving, which uses full-scale halftone images in electromechanical engraving devices (as in offset printing), and color proofing machines that mimic the impression of a printing press. With these improvements, gravure can now compete with offset in the small-circulation market. Other methods for producing gravure printing cylinders include: 1) laser engraving, in which cells of varying width and depth are burned into the plastic coating of a plate cylinder blank by a laser beam controlled in accordance with digital data from an electronic scanner, electronic color prepress system or computer; 2) the use of a photopolymer that becomes extremely hard after illumination and processing; 3) electron-beam engraving, in which 100,000-150,000 cells per second are engraved on the surface of a copper-coated plate cylinder blank, which makes it possible to reduce the production time of the plate cylinder by 3 times compared to electromechanical engraving.
Other printing methods. Many of the new printing methods differ from traditional ones in that they do not use printing plates and are contactless. Such methods are based on photographic, electrographic, magnetographic processes, inkjet-printing technology, thermography, mechanical plotting and electroerosion.
HISTORY OF PRINTING

The history of letterpress begins with the invention of collapsible type by I. Gutenberg in Strasbourg. In 1440, Gutenberg introduced cast metal characters from which words could be typed for printing. True, in China, clay letters with relief signs - hieroglyphs - were used 400 years before Gutenberg, and Koreans 300 years before him cast letters from bronze. But such a technique was not common in Europe until Gutenberg, whose contribution received worldwide recognition after he printed the famous Mazarin bible. Initially, type was cast by hand by type founders, each of whom measured it in his own way. But as a whole branch of the printing industry grew, the need for uniformity arose, and in 1764 a typographic system of measurement in points was introduced. It was developed by the French word-writer P. Fournier, and later improved by F. Didot, after which it was widely distributed in industry. This system is used in many countries (including Russia), except for England, the USA and some others, where a slightly modified system has been adopted. The invention of the first type-setting machine in 1823 is attributed to W. Church, an American living in England. Later, D. Bruce improved his car. But only in 1885 O. Mergenthaler, an inventor of German origin, who worked in the USA, patented the linotype - the first practically suitable string-casting machine (see MERGENTALER, OTMAR). The monotype letter-casting machine was invented by T. Lanston in 1888. In 1905, W. Ludlow created a large-pin string-casting machine, and in 1911, G. Ridder built the first intertype string-casting machine.

The first printing presses were manual wooden presses. In North America, the first such press was started in 1638 by S. Day in Cambridge (Massachusetts). In 1790 W. Nicholson invented the flatbed printing press in Great Britain; about 1800 C. Stanhope built the first cast-iron printing press with manual paper feed; in 1810 F.Koenig put into operation the first flatbed press with a steam drive; in 1827 I. Adams invented a crucible printing press with a steam drive; in 1865 W. Bullock created the first roll printing press.

A ROTARY PRINTING MACHINE, which prints text on 10 cylinders as workers manually feed sheets of paper into it, was built in 1846 by the New York firm of R. Howe and Company.

Offset printing. Approximately in 1796 in Munich (Germany) A. Senefelder began to apply the method of lithography. The process was based on the use of porous Kelheim stone, which is easily polished to a silky smooth surface. Senefelder applied his drawings to such a stone with greasy pencils made from wax, lamp soot, oil and soap. When moistened, the stone absorbed water only where its surface was not oiled with a pencil. Thanks to the success of Senefelder, who produced high-quality lithographs, the lithographic printing method has spread widely throughout the world. But the technique remained primitive until in the second half of the 19th century. no improved flatbed printing press was invented. However, the images had to be painted or etched on a stone form in a mirror-image form so that they would have the correct appearance after being transferred to paper. In 1905, A. Rubel in the USA invented offset printing and built a printing machine with image transfer from a printing plate, first to an intermediate transfer cylinder, and then to paper. In 1906, F. Harris developed and began to produce a similar machine. Although offset printing has taken the lead in the world of printing, Senefelder's original lithographic technique with stone molds is still used to make highly artistic reproductions.
Dictionary of foreign words of the Russian language

These are products produced by printing houses as a result of the production technological chain of the printing process: product design, prepress, postpress and finishing works.

In order to receive quality printing products, requires high qualification and experience of many people, high-quality materials, modern equipment, as well as well-coordinated work of all departments, the purpose of which is the operational production printing products high quality.

Modern printing houses are divided into two large groups. As a rule, large printing houses print products of large circulations (newspapers, magazines, etc.), while online printing salons offer urgent printing of small circulations of printed products, as a rule, of an advertising nature.

3. Promotional Products . This group of products is perhaps the most numerous in terms of types of promotional printed products offered: these are both, and, leaflets with and without, and posters, etc. can also be attributed to advertising printed products that work directly at the points of sale and stimulate the buyer to purchase a product. Promotional products are the most diverse products in their implementation, because they have a very difficult task - to attract the attention of a potential client, to interest him, to convey information about the proposed product and service. Therefore, advertising specialists are forced to constantly come up with new types of promotional products that can interest and surprise potential customers of the company and attract their attention. Printing houses, in order to produce competitive promotional products, have to look for ways and possibilities to implement the most unusual design ideas.

4. calendar products. - the most versatile. What functions calendars do not perform: it is time control and business planning, it is a wonderful office decoration, a wonderful gift and an effective advertising medium. No wonder the calendar is a very popular printing products. For 16 years, both by individual order and wholesale, has been one of the leading activities of our company. We know the process in detail, so we offer you the manufacture of all types of calendars: and desktop flip calendars, the most popular office calendars - convenient and attractive and pyramid calendars, and, of course, our faithful little helpers -. We issue timesheet calendars needed by accountants, calendars for gardeners and gardeners, indicating all fasts and holidays. We also produce non-standard "image" calendars using cut-out forms and exclusive finishing.

POLYGRAPHY: BASIC CONCEPTS

What is polygraphy?

As a rule, many consider the printing industry as the industry for the production of printed products. Others call printing all the products that modern printing houses produce. In principle, both are right.

Polygraphy is a generalized concept for various areas of the printing industry, as well as for a huge variety of printing products that we use daily for a variety of purposes. We encounter printing every day: at home, on the street, and in the office. The range of printing products produced by modern printing houses is incredibly wide: these are leaflets and booklets, books, magazines and newspapers, posters and posters, brochures and catalogs, postcards and invitations, packaging, labels, stickers, stickers and even ballots for elections in government bodies authorities. Without printing and printing products in our time, it is impossible for a business to exist, no matter what area it belongs to.

According to the definition, printing is the process of repeatedly obtaining an image (replicating it) on a printed material by transferring ink from a medium. And this process of replicating printed products (in other words, printing or printing) is carried out by printing companies - printing houses.

Benefits of Digital Printing

Digital printing is one of the most popular modern methods printing in the printing industry. With this printing method, it is possible to print documents directly from a computer, without additional prepress processes. This significantly saves time for the production of printed products.

Digital printing is a technology for obtaining impressions using a variable printing plate. Changes to the press are managed by the publishing computer at each stage. Printing short runs using digital printing is very profitable and cost-effective due to savings on costly prepress operations.

Digital printing makes it possible to produce short runs of printing products and provide customers with a wide range of printing services for the production of one or another type of printing products. The quality of prints is not lower than in offset printing, but at the same time, when using the digital printing method, it becomes possible to personalize prints, quickly change text or images. Significantly reduced not only the cost of prepress, tk. printing plates and films are not made, but also the risk of quality loss at these stages of printing. Digital printing is characterized by the use of any medium - paper, self-adhesive base.

Using digital printing, you can make business cards, flyers, booklets, calendars various kinds, forms, self-copying documents, flyers, wobblers, stickers and much more. Speaking about equipment for digital printing, it can be noted that the market for the proposed printing equipment for digital printing is currently rich in various equipment (digital printing machines and printing systems for industrial printing houses, copiers, printers). Digital printing is widely used for printing short-run advertising or commercial publications, which can be modified during the production process even after each print.

Based on the foregoing, the following advantages of digital printing over offset can be distinguished.

• Using the digital printing method makes it possible to make preview copy or print a trial version of future products before the printing process itself. This will help to pre-evaluate the quality and design of products and make the required changes in a timely manner.
• Digital printing allows you to print small runs (up to one copy) in the shortest possible time (up to several minutes) without significant impact.
• Digital printing does not require pre-press preparation in the form of printing plates and films. This makes the digital printing process itself inexpensive and reduces the risk of loss of image quality in the prepress process.
• Digital printing products are of high image quality. The amount of toner used to create colors in an image is controlled by the computer, and precise color matching eliminates the need for superimposing colors to hide imperfections, a feature unique to digital printing.
• Digital printing allows you to personalize data and enter numbering, make changes after each print is printed.

Production of printing products

The quality of advertising printing consists of three components - this is the idea, the level of design and the quality of printing. Therefore, with the right approach, work on an advertising booklet, catalog, poster should begin with the development original idea, slogan, uniform style. After that, the designer’s task is to find the most optimal and accurate way to implement it (whether it’s photography, three-dimensional images, attracting an artist, etc.). And only at the final stage is the selection of a printing house in accordance with the design features and requirements for printing.

Directly the cycle of production of printed products (printing) takes place in three stages.

• Preparing the finished layout for printing
• Seal
• Post-press processing

The first stage is the preparation of the layout for printing: checking the finished layout, bringing the layout to the requirements for the manufacture of a particular type of printed product, assembling the imposition strips (distributing the layout strips in a special way for subsequent post-printing), etc. The second stage is the actual printing process itself. Oddly enough, but in most cases this stage takes the least time in the entire production cycle and is mainly determined by technical specifications and condition of the press. Well, the last, third, stage of production of printed products is post-press processing. This includes many varieties of processes to give the desired appearance of printed products. Printed sheet cutting, folding (for booklets), stitching (for catalogs, magazines), bookbinding (folders, diplomas, diaries), die-cutting, etc. High-quality post-print processing gives the product an individuality, conceived by designers, and distinguishes the finished product from others. Any type of printed matter needs post-print processing, at least cutting. In some cases, the time required for post-print processing in the manufacture of this product can be several times longer than the time spent on printing and even on the development and preparation of the layout.

Paper Formats and Sizes

Paper size is a standardized paper size. AT different countries various formats have been adopted as standard at different times. Currently, two systems dominate: the international standard (A4 and related) and the North American. The international standard for paper formats, ISO 216, is based on the format of a paper sheet having an area of ​​1 m². The standard has been adopted by all countries except the United States and Canada. In Mexico and the Philippines, despite the adoption of an international standard, the American Letter format is still widely used. All ISO paper sizes have the same aspect ratio, equal to the square root of two, this ratio is approximately 1:1.41. The most widely known ISO format is the A4 format. Also, this standard assumes three series of formats - A, B and C.

Series A	The size	Series B	The size	Series C	The size
A0	1189x841 mm	B0	1000x1414mm	C0	1297x917mm
A1	841x594 mm	B1	707x1000mm	C1	917x648mm
A2	594x420 mm	B2	500x707mm	C2	648x458mm
A3	420x297 mm	B3	353x500mm	C3	458x324mm
A4	297x210mm	B4	250x353mm	C4	324x229mm
A5	210x148mm	B5	176x250mm	C5	229x162mm
A6	148x105mm	B6	125x176mm	C6	162x114mm
A7	105x74mm	B7	88x125mm	C7	114x81mm
A8	74x52mm	B8	88x62mm	C8	81x57mm

Series A

The largest standard size, A0, has an area of ​​one square meter. The long side of the sheet has a length equal to the fourth root of two, which is approximately equal to 1.189 m, the length of the short side is the reciprocal of this value, approximately 0.841 m, the product of these two lengths gives an area of ​​1 m². Dimension A1 is obtained by cutting sheet A0 along the short side into two equal parts, as a result of which the aspect ratio is preserved. This allows you to get one standard paper size from another, which was not possible with traditional sizes. Preserving aspect ratio also means that when scaling an image from one aspect ratio to another, the aspect ratio of the image is preserved. A1 format is A0 cut in half. In other words, the height of A1 = the width of A0, the width of A1 = half the height of A0. All formats smaller than A1 are obtained in a similar way. If we cut the format An parallel to its short side into two equal parts, we get the format A(n+1). Standard values ​​for heights and widths of paper sizes are considered to be their rounded values ​​in millimeters.

Series B

In addition to the A series of formats, there are also less common formats of the B series. The area of ​​the sheets of the B series is the geometric average of the two subsequent sheets of the A series. For example, B1 is between A0 and A1 in size, with an area of ​​0.71 m². As a result, B0 measures 1000x1414 mm. The B series is almost never used in the office, but has a number of special uses, for example, many posters come out in these formats, B5 is often used for books, and these formats are also used for envelopes and passports.

Series C

Series C is used only for envelopes and is defined in ISO 269. The area of ​​sheets of series C is equal to the geometric mean of sheets of series A and B of the same number. For example, the area of ​​C4 is the geometric mean of the area of ​​sheets A4 and B4, while C4 is slightly larger than A4, and B4 is slightly larger than C4. The practical meaning of this is that an A4 sheet can be inserted into a C4 envelope, and a C4 envelope can be inserted into a B4 heavy envelope.

Types of printing products

Printing (printed) products are the main means of mass information and communication between people, a powerful tool for promoting political and scientific knowledge, a means political struggle and expression of public opinion, as well as the custodian of the spiritual values ​​of all ages and all peoples. The currently produced printed matter is very diverse in its form, specific purpose, terms of publication, and technical execution. Below are the most requested this moment types of printed matter.

• Form
• Forms self-copying
• Leaflet
• Booklet
• Brochure
• Calendar
• Business card
• Folder
• Notebook
• The envelope
• Kubarik
• Label
• Label

Form

A paper sheet, usually A4 or smaller, containing elements of corporate identity or information of a permanent nature (waybills, acts, etc.), is intended for subsequent filling.

Forms self-copying

Several sheets of special self-copying paper, fastened on one side with a special adhesive that makes it easy to separate the sheets.

Leaflet

Paper sheet, usually A4 format, printed on one or both sides, in one or more colors, advertising or informational content. Assumes a slightly higher quality of printing performance than that of the form.

Booklet

Non-periodic sheet edition in the form of a single sheet of printed material, folded (folded) into 2 or more folds.

Brochure

A non-periodical text book edition with a volume of more than 4 pages, interconnected with glue, springs, sewing with a paper clip or thread.

Calendar

A printed edition, which must include a calendar grid. There are calendars: pocket, quarterly, flip calendars on a bolt, calendars "house" and "tip house".

Business card

A sheet of thick paper or cardboard, usually 50x90 mm (sometimes in other formats), containing information about a person or company.

Folder

A product made of thick paper, cardboard, or resin designed to hold a small number of sheets of paper. It is mainly used as an element of corporate identity. There are several types: one-piece (made from a whole sheet of material), with glued pockets (a pocket-valve is made from a separate sheet of material and then glued to the “crusts”), with a lock fastening (the folder can be laid flat and then reassembled, not tearing it), with adhesive bonding.

Notebook

A stapled or end-glued stack of paper, blank or with corporate identity applied, with a cover.

The envelope

One of the types of corporate identity media. There is a wide variety of types of envelopes.

Kubarik

Small stack of paper, taped on one side for easy tearing. Used for operational records. As a rule, it carries elements of corporate identity.

Label

A sheet of special (label) paper of a small format containing information about a product or product. Assumes an adhesive method of fastening.

Label

A piece of cardboard in a small format containing information about a product or product and accompanying it, assuming a hinged method of fastening.

Post-press processing

Post-press processing refers to all operations with printed products that are performed after the printed edition leaves the printing press, and until the moment the print run is handed over to the customer. In other words, post-print processing is the final stage in the production of printed products. Some types of post-print processing are performed only for certain types of printed products, and some - for all at once. So, for example, lamination is possible only for paper products, while die-cutting is possible for all types, including plastic products. The following are the main types of post-processing in digital printing.

• Sheet cutting
• scoring
• Folding
• Stitching
• Foiling
• Rounding corners
• die cutting
• Perforation
• lamination

Sheet cutting

The final size of a printed sheet in printing is formed using sheet cutting - a post-printing stage that cannot be avoided by any type of printed product due to a number of technological limitations that arise when printing both offset and digitally.

The finished sheets are stacked and cut off on each side - this is how the white margins (the so-called non-printing area) are removed and the sheets are given the exact dimensions and the desired shape. This stage of post-print processing is called trimming. Often there are several future copies of printed products on one sheet (for example, this is how business cards are printed), and after printing they are also separated using sheet cutting - this will be called cutting.

As for models of brochures, catalogs and other printing that does not use spring binding, they are cut off after completing all technological operations, including sheet binding. This is due to the fact that this way you get a perfectly accurate sheet size and a neat, even cut of the finished printed product.

scoring

A type of post-printing processing of printed products, in which a line is indicated on paper or cardboard in the places of the future fold in the form of a track pressed into the paper. With the help of creasing, paper products acquire the required shape more easily, acquire additional strength at the fold points and avoid cracking of both the paper and the ink layer.

Creasing is performed on special creasing machines or with the help of blunt knives. After scoring, the products are folded along these lines. The creasing is mainly used for cardboard and all kinds of paper, the weight of which exceeds 175 g/m². It is also used on laminated paper surfaces and where there is a continuous seal on the fold. The number of fold lines is not limited.

Folding

Folding is the application of fold lines on paper without preliminary punching with a blunt knife and can be done both manually and on special equipment. The manual version is used in the preparation of small runs. Folding is performed on papers of medium weight (up to 150 g/m²), but if it is necessary to fold for paper over 170 g/m² or cardboard, a creasing operation is necessary, this will help to maintain a good appearance of the product on the fold.

Folding allows you to draw the final look finished products. It can be booklets, brochures, catalogs, all kinds of promotional items, drawings and much more. The simplest example of folding is flyer folded in the middle.

Stitching

Binding is a technological process, as a result of which a certain number of sheets are combined into a notebook, the so-called brochure. It is customary to call a brochure a publication with a volume of more than 4 pages of a block interconnected. The number of sheets in the product is limited by the selected method of binding and the tasks of the brochure itself. Stitching is used for printed products such as notebooks, brochures, catalogs, notebooks, etc. There are three main types of stitching: staple binding (paper clip), seamless adhesive bonding (hot-melt glue) and winding on a spring.

Staple binding is commonly used for brochures, catalogs and magazines. As a rule, no more than 40 sheets are fastened in this way. If there are more sheets in the printed publication, then you need to use metal springs or hot melt adhesive (KBS). Depending on the design, size and number of sheets per block, 1, 2 or more staples can be used. Binding can also be done with silk or polyamide thread and used as an element for multi-page publications such as books.

With adhesive seamless bonding, the elements of the book block are fastened with KBS glue along the spine. With the help of KBS, it is possible to fasten products, the block of which consists of paper with a density of not more than 170 g / m², with a spine thickness of up to 3 cm. This method booklet is usually used for products that can no longer be stapled due to a large number pages and hard cover. As a rule, these are various multi-page products: catalogs, magazines, books. Often a similar method of fastening is used in the preparation of annual reports, abstracts, term papers. Binding design can be done according to the customer's request.

Very often stitching is carried out using springs (combs). A similar method is most often used for fastening notebooks and notebooks, but it is also used for catalogs, abstracts, tablets, etc. The printed sheets of the block and covers are perforated (holes are punched along the edge) and fastened with a spring. It is possible to staple a block up to 100 sheets of offset paper 80 g/m² thick (depending on the diameter of the spring itself). The advantages of such a brochure are that the sheets and covers in publications can be quickly replaced if necessary. Depending on the volume and purpose of the product, both a metal spring and a plastic one can be used. The metal spring looks less presentable and spectacular, but its advantage is the strength and reliability of fastening. The plastic spring has a more attractive appearance, it is practical and convenient to use, but under any load (for example, when falling), the spring can damage the bound sheets of paper with its sharp edge.

Foiling

Foiling or foil stamping is the operation of applying a shiny metallic foil in the form of individual letters or specific areas. This gives the effect of silvering or gilding, but foil of a different color can also be used - red, green, blue, yellow, etc. Embossing is carried out on manual, semi-automatic and automatic embossing presses under high temperature or cold.

Foil stamping allows you to give the finished product a special appeal and a more expensive and elegant appearance. The embossing process is expensive but very effective, which is why many customers prefer this finishing method. Embossing on designer papers and plastic looks very interesting.

Rounding corners

Rounding corners used in the manufacture of small format publications to make the corners more round, which do not bend like sharp ones, do not break. In addition, after rounding the corners, the product acquires a more accurate appearance.

Corner rounding is used for calendars, business cards, notebooks, etc., and can be performed not only on paper products, but also on plastic products (badges, tags), as well as on any other type of printing products. Depending on the size of the product and the equipment used, the corners are rounded with different radii (the standard value is 6.38 mm). Rounding corners does not spoil the image, does not affect the structure of the material, is a purely aesthetic step in the processing of printed products.

die cutting

Cutting (cutting) is used to give the finished image the necessary shape, other than rectangular. Die-cutting equipment allows, using a press from a single sheet of cardboard, paper, plastic or leather, to obtain a shape of any complexity, ready for use or in need of subsequent assembly. Used for the manufacture of folders, boxes, wobblers, shelf talkers, any printing products non-standard shape. The simplest example of using rounded corners is a 100x70mm pocket calendar.

Perforation

Perforation is a set of holes located in a line, in a sheet or roll material, providing an easy and precise tearing of the material along this line. It is created using special perforating knives.

Perforation is used in the manufacture of various printed products: tear-off calendars, notepads, invitations, tickets, coupons, postage stamps, stickers, spring notepads, diaries with tear-off corners. The choice of hole shape for punching: square or round holes depends on the overall style of the product. In addition, perforation is often used instead of creasing. Thanks to perforation, the fold of products made from high-density materials is neat and the paper does not break. As an example of the use of perforation, one can consider tickets for a concert with a detachable part "Control".

lamination

The process of covering images with a special transparent glossy or matte film with a thickness of 80 to 250 microns on the front side or on both sides of the image. This processing method allows you to protect the image of external mechanical, water, chemical, temperature influences, increase the image density and give an attractive appearance.

Glossy films significantly improve the image, perfectly convey colors, make colors contrast, saturated, juicy and bright. Finishing with a glossy film is similar in visual effect to UV varnishing, but provides more reliable protection of the publication from external influences (especially at the places of fold, cut and creasing). The disadvantages of glossy films include the fact that in strong light, glare appears on the laminated surface, making it difficult to perceive fine details and text information.

Matte films prevent the occurrence of such reflections, give a special depth and velvety to the pattern, and allow you to make inscriptions on the surface of a finished publication. Covering with a matte film looks very respectable and is most suitable for decorating expensive advertising and representative products.

Lamination of printed products is carried out using special equipment - laminators. According to the method of fixing the film, it is customary to distinguish between hot and cold lamination. When hot, the printing publication, together with the film, is rolled between rollers heated to the desired temperature. The heating power is determined based on the characteristics of the materials used. With this method, an increase in temperature leads to the activation of the adhesive layer, and the pressure exerted by the rollers contributes to the attachment (pressing) of the film to the product. In cold lamination, films with an adhesive system that reacts only to pressure are used. This method is justified for materials that are particularly sensitive to temperature effects.

From the ancient Greek "printing" is translated "I write a lot." In the modern sense, printing is the multiple reproduction (printing) of graphics and text and directly the industry that produces printed products: business, advertising, packaging / labelling, book and magazine runs of various sizes.

Ever since the 15th c. the printing process was invented, it is constantly developing and modernizing: new technologies, printing forms, printing materials, paints, etc. appear. In the modern world, there are many types of printing on the print market, for which a wide variety of technologies are used. It would probably take a whole book to describe all the technologies in detail. This article will only talk about the main types of printing, into which printing methods are conventionally divided.

Printing can be both advertising and educational, informational in nature. The great advantage of printing is its materiality. In order to acquaint consumers with your company and your services, you do not need to give them a link to the site, you just need to give them your business card or booklet. Not all potential consumers have access to the Internet, so a simple leaflet can be much more useful than a popular and promoted site.

Yes, there is no doubt that printing is basically the printing of newspapers and magazines, but in addition, printing involves the production of many other printed products. For example, printing can be used to make inscriptions and pictures on clothes, here printing is most likely represented by silk-screen printing. In this type of printing, printing involves the use of screen printing technology.

A modern printing company is an organic fusion of the industrial process of reproduction of printed products, the creative process (design development of printed products, etc.), post-print processing (lamination, embossing, perforation, stitching, sewing, binding) with full-color, operational printing.

The main printing methods are:

Gravure printing.

High (typographic (book), flexography).

Screen printing, including screen printing.

Flat printing (iris and pad printing, lithography).

In modern printing, the following printing methods are most common:

Digital and offset printing.

Offset printing.

Flexography (flexographic printing).

Embossing.

Silk-screen printing (silk-screen printing).

Printing products can be touched, you can take with you and re-read anywhere and at any time. You can get acquainted with it on the street, in the subway, in the forest and in your own apartment. Printing is unobtrusive, like television advertising, or banners on the streets. You can postpone it until better times and get acquainted with it at any convenient time. In addition, printing is much cheaper than television, radio or Internet advertising, and its result can be no less effective. The impact of printing on the mind of the consumer can be much longer than other types of advertising.

Offset printing

Offset is a classic printing method, popular in modern printing. Provides good quality printed products, high detail and halftone reproduction. Operates mainly in large circulation, is used in the manufacture of full-color newspapers, brochures, glossy magazines, booklets, representative advertising products.

silkscreen

Silk screen printing (in the classical sense) is the technique of transferring an image through a silk mesh stretched over a frame. Today, instead of silk, nylon (polyamide), polyester monofilament, metal meshes usually act as a uniform material. The formation of gap elements is carried out by a photochemical method directly on the grid. Textiles, all kinds of metals, polyvinyl chloride, paper of various densities and types, various plastics, leather, glass, rubber, ceramics and many others are used as printed materials. All kinds of plastic / payment cards, advertising brochures, stickers / labels, illustrated catalogs, business cards, document forms and other types of business and advertising printing products are produced by silk screen printing. Screen printing is used to print images on plastic bags, T-shirts, etc.
Digital printing

In digital printing, printed products are produced using the so-called. "digital" equipment (printers, MFPs, etc.) dealing directly with text/graphics from electronic files, and not from "physical" printing forms. It is conditionally divided into large-format and sheet digital printing.

Large format printing

Large-format is a popular method for the production of indoor (interior) and outdoor advertising inkjet printing. The dimensions of the seal sometimes reach: width - five meters, length - tens of meters. Sheet-fed - digital printing in one, several colors or in black, used for the production of large quantities of all kinds of promotional materials: business cards, advertising booklets, media cards, flyers, etc. Digital printing has undeniable advantages: no need for large production areas, no difficulties with electricity (a “standard” household power supply can be used), it is possible to print small runs of promotional products and documentation without serious prepress costs. The disadvantages of digital printing include: lower ink fastness and worse print quality compared to offset printing, rather high cost of printed products.

Printed products of a modern printing company:

POS products: various shelf talkers, dispensers, price tags, mobiles for outlets.

Packing materials, containers.

Book and magazine printed products.

All kinds of calendars: desktop, pocket, wall, corporate (with branding).

Office printing: business cards, self-copying forms, notepads.
Ukrainian

As you can imagine, digital printing is the most popular.

The appearance of printing is the embodiment of the intention of its creator. It can be very original and individual, attract the attention of the consumer and advertise the product. Conversely, products can be so boring and primitive that they do not achieve even a hundredth of the predicted result.

Digital printing

In digital printing, printed products are produced using the so-called. "digital" equipment (printers, MFPs, etc.) dealing directly with text/graphics from electronic files, and not from "physical" printing forms. Conditionally divided into large-format and sheet digital printing

The final size of a printed sheet in printing is formed using sheet cutting - a post-printing stage that cannot be avoided by any type of printed product due to a number of technological limitations that arise when printing both offset and digitally.

The finished sheets are stacked and cut off on each side - this is how the white margins (the so-called non-printing area) are removed and the sheets are given the exact dimensions and the desired shape. This stage of post-print processing is called trimming. Often several future copies of printed products are located on one sheet (for example, business cards are printed this way), and after printing they are also separated using sheet cutting - this will be called cutting.

High quality and original printed products business card any firm. These are fashion products, which often say more about the company than anything else. advertising companies taken together. To create printing that best meets corporate identity and the idea of ​​the customer, many organizations prefer to use the services of professional graphic designers. It is the specialists who will be able to create an original, memorable and high-quality product.