Print lo1

Producing Print Based Media

LO1Richard Burn

To do• Explain method in own words

• When it was invented/by who (if information is available)

• How the method works/what do you need to do to use this method

• What does the method look like when used (include images)

• What are the costs involved with using this method• How quickly the process can be done

• Provide images to illustrate discussion• Reference at least one example with a

image.

Hand Printing Methods

EtchingThe etching method was first used in the 1500's to make prints by hand. Although we don't know for certain, we believe that Daniel Hopfer. To use this method to print, you need include metal (usually copper, zinc or steel), a waxy acid-resist called ground, hot-plate, beeswax tapers & a sharp tool. What you do is etch your design using a sharp object (usually an etching needle) into a ground covered metal plate. You're etching away the ground you do not want (the parts you want to be eaten away by the acid). Once you have finished the design you want, you place your plate into a bath of acid. In the bath of acid, the acid will eat away at the parts of the design not covered by the acid-resistant ground. This gives you the design. Once this part is done, the rest of the ground is washed off and then the ink is added all over the plate, so that the lines are filled with ink.

EtchingEtching is a very expensive and time consuming type of printing. The materials alone cost a lot of money, with print presses usually being around the £1000+ mark. That doesn't include the ink, metal & ground costs. Time depends on how much skill you have as an artist and the design you want.

On the right, you can see the finished result of a very detailed etched print. Etching is still used today by artists, but isn't used by big print companies as there are bigger and better ways to produce prints, that we will explore on the next slides.

LinocutLinocutting was first used by artists in 1905-13 in Germany by Die Brücke. Materials needed to do a linocut includes linoleum, sharp knife or v-shaped chisel or gouge, inked with a roller. How you do a Linocut print is actually very easy. What you first need to do is grab you tool e.g. A v-shaped chisel and a piece of linoleum in whatever size you desire. What you then need to do is cut into the design with the chisel which will remove parts of the linoleum (the parts will remain ink less when you put the ink in the design). After you have finished the design you would like, you roll the desired colour of ink onto the linoleum, making sure that you haven't got ink inside the chiseled parts. Once you have done this, you are ready to linocut print. You paled your linoleum down onto the desired material and then, with a clean roller, roll on top of the linoleum to transfer the print. The design comes out as a mirror image so bare that in mind when producing your design. The print can also be done hundreds of times.

LinocutThis method of printing is quite time consuming, depending on the skill you have. You have to re-apply ink a lot which makes the process a lot slower. It's incredibly cheap compared to some methods and is easy to pick up the basics. On the right, you can see the process of creating a linocut and the finished result of a of a detailed linocut print. Linocutting is still used today in places such as schools as it is cheap & is used by artists, but isn't used by big print companies as there are bigger and better ways to produce prints, that we will explore on the next slides.

Comparison

• Both types of print involve the use of ink.

• Linocut is a lot cheaper than etching.• Etching usually gives you more detail

that linocut.• Etching has been around a lot longer

compared to linocutting.

Mechanical Methods

LetterpressJohannes Gutenberg is the person who gets the credit for inventing the letterpress. This was around the 1440's. What you need for this kind of printing includes a set of letter blocks, ink & a printing press. What you first need to decide is what you want the letters to say. You then rearrange these letters backwards as the end result will be a mirror image. Once you have decided, you will then need to ink up the letter blocks in the desired colour you want. After you have done this, you will then put this all into a printing press which will transfer all of the letters onto the paper. This will leave a little indentation on the paper as well which is nice for the letters to stand out.

LetterpressLetterpress is less time consuming than what it replaced as a method, which was actually hand writing out books. As it is an old process, it is not expensive as it used to be. It pays for itself depending on how much you use it. It is also easy to use as you use it more and more. One page of letterpress can cost around £50 if you are paying for someone else to do it. On the right, you can see the finished result of letterpress print. Letterpress is still used today to produce birthday cards and such, but isn't used by big print companies as there are bigger and better ways to produce prints, that we will explore on the next slides.

RotogravureRotogravure was first discovered in the late 19th century. There isn't one person who has not been given the title of creating the printing method rotogravure. Cylinders are usually made of steel and then are plated with copper, engraved with a laser or a diamond tool or chemical etching. The method is similar to the etching method because you have to etch the design into the cylinder. The image is etched on to the cylinder and coated with ink so the etches are filled with ink. The excess ink is then removed and the then is rolled onto the material.

RotogravureNot incredibly time consuming, compared to the other methods of print we have looked at so far. It is very expensive to print using rotogravure. The start up costs are very expensive. Would only recommend this kind of printing if it's on a large commercial scale.

On the right, you can see a rotogravure printing machine. Rotogravure is still very much used today to produce large runs of newspapers leaflets and such. Still used a lot by large companies as they've owned these machines for a long time, making them cost efficient.

Comparison• These two ways of printing are very

different.• Rotogravure is used an an industrial scale,

whereas the letter press is for your own use.

• A letterpress is easier to find and own for yourself compared to rotogravure.

• Although letterpress may be more expensive than other types of printing, it is still a lot cheaper than rotogravure.

Digital Methods

PhotocopyingChester Carlson is credited as the creator of photocopying. The first proper photocopying machine was created in 1948. Photocopying is usually all kept into one machine but they do have individual components. A photocopier has inside it a cylinder that is covered by a photoconductive material. Which means the material becomes conductive when it has light on it. When the light is in the document the white parts will reflect the light onto the cylinder. Like stated earlier, the parts of the cylinder that are exposed to light become conductive. If there is no light, that is where the black parts of the document are and these are negatively charged. In the photocopier there is toner which is positivity charged powder which is directly attracted to the black areas of the document. This toner is transferred from the cylinder to a piece of paper. Heat is then applied which is then melted using heat rollers. That's how you make a photocopy

PhotocopyingPhotocopying is very cheap if you have a machine already. Most people have access to a machine at places like schools & library's. Also cheap because they can do short and long runs if need be.

On the right, you can see two people using a photocopy machine. Photocopying is still very much used today to produce copies of things in places such as schools. Rarely used used a lot by large companies as there are other methods of printing out higher quality prints.

Laser PrintingLaser printing was first discovered or thought of by Gary Starkweather. He came up with this idea in the late 1960's & early 1970's. Laser printers work in the same way as a photocopier, with a laser beam charging specific parts of a cylinder which then allows the powdered ink to stick to the negatively charged sections. Heat and pressure is then used to stick the ink to the page. The price of laser printers is around the £100 mark, which is inexpensive when you look at what it can do.

Laser PrintingLaser printing is incredibly cheaper compared to it's revivals like the photocopying machine. You can get a laser printer for around £100. They are perfect for home office use as they are relatively small as well.

On the right, you can see a laser printing machine. Laser printing is still very much used today to produce easy prints in offices. Cost efficient as they are very cheap to purchase & usually do not break easily. It is also available with added on features like faxing & photocopying.

Comparison

• You can tell that the technology behind a laser printer is similar to the technology in a photocopier

• A laser printer gives you colour copies, whereas the photocopier only gives you black on white printing.

• A laser printer is also a lot cheaper than a large photocopier.

• Both can be incorporated into the same product.

Print Methods Situations

To Do

• For each of the following scenarios, you need to decide on the best printing method to use.

• You need to explain your choice of method considering technical and aesthetic qualities, cost, speed and the skills and knowledge required.

100 high quality wedding invitations.

• Your client wants very high quality wedding invitation and is prepared for them to cost a lot of money and take time to produce. The invitations will be on high quality paper. The invitations will only have text on them.

Decision and justification

For the invitations, I would recommend letterpress. The letterpress takes a long time to get right, especially if there are going to be 100 needed. Because there is only text, letterpress is perfect for this. The letterpress can also work on the high quality paper the client has requested. I would recommend paying someone that is familiar with the equipment to do this work for you, this may cost more but the client states they are willing to pay a lot of money. This will also save time. Pricing is around the £300/400 mark if you were to pay for this online.

50 special edition greetings cards.

• Your client, a talented local artist, wants to produce small print runs of greetings cards. They do not want to use electronic printing methods. They need a cheap and simple method of printing so they can produce small runs of different designs but it needs to look arty and handmade when it’s finished.

Decision and justification

I would recommend linocutting. Linocutting gives a very handmade & arty look as no cards will look exactly the same, which is what the client is asking for. It's cheap which is what the artist wanted. Linocutting is also easy once the artists knows how to use the tools. It's not electronic which is also one of the points made in the brief. To get the tools needed, I would recommend this inexpensive Essdee Lino Cutting and Printing Kit by Essdee, which costs £24.27. The set Includes 6 different lino cutters, waterbased ink, hand guard, ink roller & tray, lino blocks. Which should allow the artist to do what they want to do. If any equipment runs out e.g. they need more Lino, they can just buy it individually.

3000 flyers for coffee shop.

• You client has a one week only special coming up and wants 3000 basic, single colour flyers to promote it. As the flyers will be given out in the street they only need to be cheap, in fact, the cheaper the better. They also need to be produced quickly.

Decision and justification

I would recommend using a photocopier. They can do single colour by putting in a colour piece of paper into the machine instead of white. They give you cheap copies & are very fast to produce. Most people have access to a photocopier somewhere e.g. a public library. One print usually costs 3p, so the overall cost would be £90 if you did it this way. This is still cheaper than most copying methods e.g. Laser printer. You would have to buy the machine and all the other equipment that comes with it, which would be of a higher price of £90.

100 copies of the village news letter.

• The parish council want to produce a monthly news letter for the village. It will be a single side of A4. It will mostly contain text but might occasionally have a black and white picture. It will be given away for free so should be cheap. The council would be interested in printing it themselves to save money.

Decision and justification

Photocopier if the pictures only have to be in black and white. I would assume that the council already have a photocopier machine available to them, so they would use that. They could also find a photocopier machine from elsewhere like a library which usually costs around 3p for one print. This will also be a very fast way to get these copies of the news letter, as one copy would typically take 15 seconds (on average) to copy.

10,000 copies of a fashion magazine

• WM Fashion want to produce a new catalogue to send out to its current customers as well as its existing ones. It needs to be high quality colour printing but it needs to have a low per copy cost.

Decision and justification

Rotogravure. 10,000 copies using a rotogravure machine will allow you to produce overall very cheap copies of the catalogue. The rotogravure also prints with a very high quality, which is something that the client is asking for. The pricing for this varies depending on what company you use. It would be more cost effective if you rented out or outsourced to a company that owns a rotogravure or specializes in printing for other companies. A rotogravure printer also uses colour which is perfect for what you need.