Chapter 4&5 summary

Chapter 4 starts off explaining about some of the first cameras, scanners and other photographic resources. They were huge, very slow, and took a highly skilled graphics arts professional to work them. As time has gone on, technology has improved and images have been moved from film to digital pixels. Pixels are the smallest unit of information in a digitized image. Pixels are little square boxes that altogether make up an image. Now that we have digital cameras, we can upload our photographs straight onto our computers. Most cameras today save their images as JPEG's which is a compressed format to make file size smaller. However, professional cameras can save can save their photos in a RAW file format which is an uncompressed format. This means that you can change or manipulate the photo without losing information. However, since it is uncompressed it is a huge file size it takes up a lot of memory. In the end you have to convert it to a different format to get it produced.

Resolution of an image is a different matter. Mostly, it is measure in pixels per inch(ppi). For web the standard is 72 ppi at final size. When we had smaller hard drives there was a debate at what resolution to print images at. However, since we are now advanced and have huge hard drives the standard for printing images is 300 ppi. Bitmap images are often called "line art images". they contain only black and white pixels. Mostly bitmaps are very high resolution with small file sizes that provide very clean images.

The chapter then goes into the downfall of scaling your image up or down. Also with making corrections or changing an image. They say it is a lot of work to fix and a lot of stress to get it to look right so try not to do it. Cropping images should be done when actually putting the photo in your layout. Another idea is to save the crop as another image. Rotating images can be tricky but to keep the image in the best possible detail use 90 degree increments. If you do rotate or change you image expect some lost details.

The last two big things they talk about is appropriate and inappropriate image formats for print. first it goes through the appropriate formats. The most commonly supported image file format is TIFF(tagged image file format). It is accepted by most applications that accept images.Photoshop EPS(encapsulated PostScript) is a flexible file format but has a big file size. TIFF and EPS have been the two most used formats. Then we have Photoshop Native (PSD) document. It's use has been mostly used for images in Photoshop and since old habits die hard they still flatten PSD's and use TIFFS and EPS. Next is a Photoshop PDF(portable document format). The pixels are put in a PDF wrapper that can contain vector and type elements without converting the vector parts to pixels. It also talks about RGB versus CMYK in this section. It tells us that scanners and digital cameras see in RGB but no one used RGB for print anymore. Therefore they tell us to make sure to convert files to CMYK before you print or you will be frowned upon. Then it goes into inappropriate image formats for print. It goes through four different formats. The first is Portable Network Graphics(PNG). These are images that are intended for web and onscreen use because it has no support for CMYK color space. The second one is BMP(abbreviation for bitmap). It also does not support CMYK even though it has color depths up to 32 bits(millions of color). It is also unsuitable for print. The third is Graphics Interchange Format(GIF). GIF is good only for web but not for print. The last one is JPEG(Joint Photographic Experts Groups). It has a small file because it has a lossy compression. That means that is discards information in your image to make the file size smaller. JPEG's are not altogether bad but you are better off saving it as something else and not using it to print.

Chapter five is all bout Vector Graphics. Vector graphics are pixel free and are not subjected to the scaling restriction that rasters are. There are different vector file formats and its good to know which ones are good for print. Encapsulated PostScript(EPS) is the most common file format for vector artwork. It is a contain for PostScript information that makes other applications understand it. While you can place EPS files into a wide range of applications it has to be in the originating application to do any editing. EPS files can be placed but they cannot be opened in other applications, you have to open and edit it in its originating application. Most often time you don't have to use EPS files now because you can use the native file format for that app. And if you are not placing artwork into another file but saving it as finished artwork the best way is to save is as a PDF to protect it from unwanted editing. Then there are vector formats that are not appropriate for print. Such as Microsoft Windows Metafile Format(WMF), Enhanced Metafile Format(EMF) and Raster Formats. WMF's and EMF's are intended for applications such as Microsoft Word and Power Point and do not support CMYK; therefore unappropriated for print production. You can export rasters into TIFF, JPEG, PNG and BMP but if you don't need to raster you vector artwork then export it and keep your native file format.

It also talks about how to handle text in your vector artwork. The most common methods are embedding and outlining. Embedding fonts means that you can embed a font into an EPS or AI file for placement in another application. It will be available for display and printing but not editing. Outlining text is simply creating outlines around text so you don't have to worry about embedding fonts. You might lose detail in you font but you don't have the risk of losing them.

To incorporate images into vector files you can either link the images or embed them. Most people prefer linking images; however you can embed images in your drawing when creating EPS or AI, to make sure that your files won't get lost. Embedding does add size to your file. But what if you want to edit the image and its not your artwork? Simply copy to the clipboard, open Photoshop and edit it in Photoshop.

You can avoid unnecessary complexity by simplifying your paths. Create more with less. Using less points makes it look smoother and easier to print. To make life eve easier use the programs for what they are intended for. Use Illustrator for artwork and InDesign for Page Layout.

Sources: All content came from our textbook :Print Production by Claudia McCue.

Note Pad Project

For our first project, we are creating a 5x7 self promotional notepad that shows potential employers what we can do and make them interested in our work. Having a piece that will not only show off my work but will also give them information about me and allow them to go check out more of my designs through my QR code will be a very productive piece of work. Therefore my target audience is potential employers and the purpose is to promote myself and my work. My call to action would be my QR code. It just tells them that if they like what they see they can find out more by going to my blog or website. The project specifications are as follows:

5x7 in notepad

Black ink only

It could or could not have a bleed.

50 sheets per pad

Padded

Chip board back

Thumbnail sketches

Here is my Rough

For my rough I used a .125 bleed and a .25 margin. I do have a bleed on my that runs off the page. I got a price from printing services for my notepad. For one notepad it would cost $3.39. I also asked the price for if I had 100 printed. The cost for 100 notepads was 118.47 which would put them a little over a dollar each. 

This is my final draft. I used a .125 bleed and a .25 margin. I created the vector images, and the ink splatter came from Illustrator Symbols. The QR code was generated at http://qrcode.kaywa.com/. As for my master image list elements, I used 2 Reverses(the Spill it out text and the Simply Regan Text), a vector art(the pen), and a gray-scale raster(the QR code). Overall, this project turned out to be a lot better than I anticipated.

Chapters 1,2 &3 summary

Chapter one starts out going through the designing and production processes back in the day before the world of digital. The work was so much more strenuous back then, and a much longer process. The different parts of the process such as design, photography, color, printing and finishing were done separately. Then the chapter goes on to talk about the modern flow we use in the design process today. One of the new elements we have today is Raster Image Process(RIP). RIP is a specialized computer that translates PostScripts or PDFs to a high resolution bitmap image that output device follows. It also talked about the Finishing Process which is everything that happens to the product after it is taken off the printer. Finishing can include folding, binding, trimming, die cutting, embossing and foil stamping. Most of the measuring used today is in picas or points. Picas and Points are both units of measurement. There are six picas in an inch, and one pica equals twelve points. There are seventy two points in an inch.Text size, leading, baseline grids, and the thickness of rules and strokes are almost always specified in points.

Chapter two is about ink on paper. It starts off with a "2 color" job which is black and white printing. There is only black ink being used and the white is the paper, but it is still called a "2 color" job. Next, it talks of halftone dots on printed works and how many lpi(lines per inch) are normally used. Lpi describes the frequency of the halftone dots measure in a row. Dpi(dots per inch)  describes the resolution of imaging devices such as a desktop printer, or imagesetter. Ppi(pixels per inch) is image resolution and the most common convention is to save images at 300 ppi.

Then the chapter goes on to talk about colors. It starts off with CMYK(cyan, magenta, yellow, and black) which are the four basic colors that make up most the different colors you see in printed work. They mix these four colors to create shades of varying color. However, CMYK can not print all colors. There are some that are out of the CMYK range. In this instance, they use spot colors. Spot colors are an individual ink color that is mixed for a certain job.

Next it turns to press issues. one of those issues is registration. Registration is important because it is the alignment of the different colors of ink. If the inks overlap they will mix and not look right. Even with the software we have today sometimes the machines go wrong and we have misregistration on the product. Which could be colors overlapping, different parts of the design being push one direction or another, etc.

The chapter also talked about Variable Data Publishing(VDP) and Imagesetters. VDP is part of digital printing. Simply put it is putting customized information or images to gear toward every single recipient of the printed work. It is more expensive but has great feedback. Now an Imagesetter is also a digital device for putting images on film. A RIP creates a high-resolution bitmap that the imagesetter uses to expose the film in the right areas.

Chapter three is about binding and finishing. First it talks about preparing your comments so they will print correctly, and making sure they can be printed. It has four rules to follow. Rule one: Build to correct trim size. That way you don't have something randomly in the middle of an eight and half by eleven piece of paper. Rule two: Provide bleed. We do this so nothing of importance will be cut off when printing our design. Rule three: Stay away from edge. Again if we put stuff near the edge you will be able to tell if the cutter made a mistake and see where something got cut off. But that also goes for margins as well so nothing will be creased in you work. Rule four: Follow the print specifications. Which helps the printers out so they do not have to go back in and change anything.

Then the chapter takes a turn towards folding and binding. It takes about getting a "printing dummy". A printing dummy is a folded and numbered blank representation of how your pages will look when printed, and folded. The binding methods it talks about are saddle stitching, perfect binding, case binding, comb binding and coil binding. It talks about is die cutting. Die cutting is creating special dies to score and cut specially shaped edges or complicated folding into a custom shape or design. all these processes are apart of the finishing process. other processes it talks about are embossing and foil stamping.

All of this made me realize just how much goes into this whole process and how much time it all takes. I am excited to learn some of these things for myself this coming semester. All of the information I got was out of our text book called Print Production by Claudia McCue.

QR Code Research

 
A QR code or quick response code is a bar code that can be read or decoded by digital devices such as your cell phone or QR code reader. It is used as an advertising spin. If you want or need more information for something you saw because they didn't have room on their product, all you have to do is scan the QR code and it takes you directly to their website, blog, or other website they may have. Anyone can can have a QR code. There are several code generators online that are free. Just give the website the proper information and it will generate one for you. Most websites that you can generate the codes on also has a feature where you can track how many people are scanning your code and essentially how popular the code is. I would want to use a QR code on my work so that my name and work can get out there to possible employers. If they scan my QR code they could view all of my work and information on my website or blog. If I was targeting a certain audience with my work, the QR code could give them more information that what I put on my printed designs.


Sources used for this post:
http://beqrious.com/show/how-it-works
http://qreateandtrack.com/features/measure-qr-code-success/
http://www.qrstuff.com