Print lo1 pro forma

Producing Print Based MediaLO1

Your name

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

EtchingEtching first came about in the 1500’s to print by hand. Etching uses a metal printing surface to print out and etches the print design in to it using strong acid. The method to etch is quite technical for the era that it was founded; A waxy ground is applied to the metal printing plate. This is resistant to acid and products the plate. The artist then uses an etching needle to scratch the design in to the metal plate. The equipment for this method is metal which would usually be some sort of copper/zinc/steel. A waxy acid resist called ground, hot plate, beeswax and a shard tool which would be use to etch with. You etch away at the parts you do not want. The acid will eat away at the parts you do want. Once the plate is finished, it goes in to a bath of acid. The acid reacts with the metal, leaving small lines that sink in to the plate. The waxy ground is then washed off before ink is applied to the plate. The ink is rubbed in to the lines cut by the acid and wiped away from everywhere else. The plate is ready to be put through a printing press to achieve a print.

EtchingThis method of printing is very expensive. It also takes up a lot of time as you can imagine. The materials for this method make up most of the cost as there very expensive to buy. Then you have the print presses usually being about £1000+ mark. Of course all equipment costs are separate. The time all depends on the artist and how perfect they want the print to be it can from 2 hours to 6 hours +

This picture shows Etching in progress. As you can see its very detailed and it’s done by hand which takes a lot of time. Artists still use this method of printing. However big companies do not as it’s very expensive and time consuming.

LinocutLinocutting was first used as a method of printing in 1905 in Germany. This method includes Designs are draw on to the linoleum and then material is removed using a knife, a chisel or a gouger. The artist cuts away the parts of linoleum that are not required for the image. This type of print produces a reversal of the image you cut or a mirror image. Letters have to be reversed on the lino if they are to come out the right way round on the final print. Lino cuts are a relief printing method as the printing surface is raised up. The equipment used with this method includes linocut, shard bladed knife and a inker roller. Once you have cut the lino, ink or pain can be applied before you press it against whatever you are printing on. You can make images with several colours if you cut different versions of your lino, each one planned for the particular colour. This design will end up and come out as a mirror image. So when you are producing the design that is something you need to think about. You can do this method lots and lots of times.

LinocutThis method is incredibly cheap compared to the etching. The materials do not cost that much to purchase compared to the etching to. However like this etching this method is again very time consuming it also depends on the skill that you have to how long it may take you. Lino cut is quite a cheap method to start working with and creating simple designs is easy. It is often used in schools as an introduction to printing.

Lino cut is still used today but big printing companies do not use this as they are more better ways to print with a lot bigger results than this printing method. On the right you can see some example of lino cutting. They can make really interesting and detailed prints.

Comparison• As I have already said Linocutting is a lot cheaper than etching is. The materials for

etching are a lot more expensive than the materials for Linocutting. This make lino cutting a lot more available in schools and for artists. Whereas schools do not use etching. Etching however gives more detail than lino cut which is one of the better qualities to etching. Both of these methods use ink. Etching was one of the first printing methods which means it has been around a longer than lino cutting has. As it was founded in the 1500’s.

Mechanical Methods

LetterpressAround the 1500’s a printing method was founded called letterpress. This again was one of the early printing methods. This method of printing includes a set of letter blocks, ink and printing press. This method is not complicated compared to other methods. . Individual letters are arranged in order to create a page of type. This is then inked before being put in to the printing press. The press creates a large amount of pressure which transfers the ink on to the paper. The moveable type then allows for the letter to be rearranged to create another page. This is a relief printing method, like lino cut, because the printing surface is raised. The print is also a reverse of the printing plate so letters and words are created as mirror images to ensure they come out the right way around when letterpress printing creates an interesting look and indents the page slightly. It works very well of heavy paper stock such as wedding invitations and business cards.

LetterpressLetterpress is very simple which makes it a lot less time consuming. This replaced the method of copying books by hand writing each one to make the copies. It is not longer that expensive as time and technology has progressed. This method pays for itself depending how much you use. This method is easy to learn. You get better and better at it the more times you do it

Letterpress is still used today to create different types of celebration cards. More smaller cards companies will use this method as the bigger companies have better ways to print cards which can print larger batches. The images on the right show finished results of this method.

RotogravureThis printing method was founded in the late 19th century. With rotogravure printing an image is etched on the surface of a metal plate or cylinder . The etched areas are filled with ink and the raised portions of the plate or cylinder are wiped free of ink. This is very similar to the etching process. Once the printing plates are prepared, paper or other material is pressed against the inked plate or cylinder to make a print. This method is similar to the etching method. This is because you have to etch the design into the cylinder. This method can produce fine and detailed images like etching can do. It is like a more advanced etching method.

RotogravureThis method It can be used for short print runs but it is most cost effective on long runs as there is a considerable cost associated with setting up for printing. It can be used for CMYK printing where each colour is applied with its own plate or cylinder with drying steps in between. This is not a time consuming method which makes it so likeable. However it is very expensive.

This method is still used today with commercial printing companies. It is used to produce large runs of print copies such as magazines and newspapers. Companies will have owned these machines for a long time which makes this method for them cost efficient. Here is an image of the machinery used with this method.

Comparison• Rotogravure is used more in commercial environments compared to letterpress

which is more for an artists or a smaller independent companies use. Rotogravure is a lot more expensive than letterpress because of the machinery that you have to buy. A letterpress is a lot easier to own yourself than the machinery of the rotogravure. A rotogravure is more efficient and faster at printing lots of things at once such as magazines whereas letterpress is better at printing short runs of products such as birthday cards for a independent company.

Digital Methods

PhotocopyingThis printing method is a lot more modern than some of this other that I have talked about. The first proper photocopying machine was created in 1960. In photocopying it is normally all done by one machine which can be many sizes. Larger companies use very big photocopiers whereas you can purchase small photocopies for your home. Every photocopies has a cylinder which is covered in a photoconductive material that becomes conductive when exposed to light. When the lamp shines on the original document the white areas reflect the light onto the surface of the cylinder. The areas of the cylinder that are exposed to light become conductive. The area of the drum not exposed to light, the black parts of the document are negatively charged. The toner used in a photocopier is a positively charged powder which is attracted to the areas that are negatively charged (black areas).

PhotocopyingPhotocopying is very cheap. If you already have the machine then you will only need to buy paper and ink if you don’t have any. It gets expensive if you need to buy the machine for this method. Most people can access a photocopier at schools, home, libraries, work.

Photocopiers are both good for long runs and short runs. This machine is very much used today. Most businesses, schools, homes and work places will own a photocopier so they are very easy to find. Most electrical shops will also sell them like pc world or curry's. They are not really used to print out magazines and newspapers by big companies as there a more efficient methods of printing to do this.

Laser PrintingLaser 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. Laser printers are often smaller than a photocopier and cheaper to run. They produce good quality prints and do it quite quickly, making them perfect for small office use. Colour laser printers are faster than inkjet printers. They are usually how a lower cost per page cost. They can be used at home because they are very small. However big companies do not use them as there quality of printing is to much for this method. The price of one is around £100, This is a relatively good price for what this method of printing can do for you at home and at offices.

Laser PrintingThis is a cheaper way of printing compared to other types of printing I have discussed. It’s very much like a photocopier its cheap if you have the equipment it’s expensive if you have to buy it all. They are very well designed for office use and home use.

Laser printing is still a modern type of printing and is till used in offices and at home. They are cost efficient for people and they can produce long runs and short runs of prints. The outcome of the prints still look professional for the cheap price.

Comparison• Both laser and photocopying have the same type of technology behind them. They

both can be use in office and home use and can come in a verity of sizes. They both can give you coloured prints. They are both good value for money for the standard of prints that they produce however a laser printer costs a lot cheaper to buy than a photocopier. But they are both relatively cheap once you have bought all the equipment. They both can be incorporate 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 this I would use a letterpress. The letterpress method is a better method for making high quality cards/invitations. Letterpress allows the invitations to have a lot of detail at a high quality standard it also allows the invitations to be printed on high quality paper like the brief wanted. However this method would take a long time to print each card when there is 100 that need to be printed but the brief does state that they are happy for it to take a long time. The cost of this print would be expensive costing at least £300 it would be advised that a professional company should be paid to do this as then the result would be to a high standard and they would have all the equipment.

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

For this client I would recommend the linocut. This method is perfect for individual artists because it creates a handmade look with each card because each card will be different which makes it look arty. This method is perfect for short print runs because it takes some time to create each card. It is quite time consuming. Another great quality of this method is that its very cheap to create. This is why it is perfect for independent artist use. This method is very simple to use this is why it is very popular in schools. It is not electronic which was one of the points in the brief and there is only a few tools that you need but nothing to complicated. If they run out of equipment it is very cheap to buy compared to other printing methods like etching. They can pick the tools up very cheaply for example a set of Linocutting tools on eBay can cost £7.99 and the linocut costs £6.99-£15.99. This is why I think it is the perfect method for this brief.

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 For this brief I would recommend the method of printing to be a photocopier. This method is good for long runs of printing which in this case is perfect for. As 3000 prints need to be printed. They can single colour by changing the colour of the paper instead of using white paper. This is a very fast process and can be very cheap. As they are very easy to get hold of. Libraries will have them and other public places like schools and business centres. They are very easy to get. It only gets expensive if you buy one yourself. One print usually costs 3p at the minimum it could be more at some places. They are still a lot cheaper than a lot of other printing method and a lot more faster and effective for this type of print product.

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 The photocopier will be the cheapest printing method that they can use. As they say it will be in black and white it will be even cheaper for them to print it off a photocopier. As the minimum cost is 3p per copy they will be saving on the extra cost for colour. This method is great for long runs as it is fast and print off an A4 sheet of paper really fast. The council will own a photocopier because they are a large establishment running a business so this will sae them money as they can do it themselves and they won’t have to ask a company/pay to do it for them. This method most suits this brief because it is most effective as it is very fast taking about 20 seconded to print each sheet depending on how much text and images are on the one side. This will be very fast for the amount they need to print. This will make is monthly and they will not be pushing for time each month which they might be if they sent it off to a company to do.

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 is most effective for long print runs. This is how to make the most of this printing method. This method is quite expensive if you need to buy the machine but cheap if you already have one. The other option is to pay a company to print them on their machine which could also be expensive. But overall the cost mixed with the time it takes is overall is worth the money. The actually copy cost is cheap costing as little as 10p a sheet in some companies. This printing method can also use colour which is perfect for this magazine. As they want high standard printing this is what this machine gives you. A lot of big print companies will use this method to print magazines and magazines because of the high standard of printing and of how fast it is with long runs.