Printing Design Basics (Part 2)

1. When designing the documents, it is necessary to set a relatively high pixel value, at least 300 dpi. Otherwise, it is very likely to result in low resolution, which directly affects the printing quality.
2. Bleed is required for every company and every document. During the printing process, there may be problems such as inaccurate alignment and incorrect cutting. Normal books have bleed on three sides. For Wiro books, it is required to have bleed on all four sides. Generally, 2 to 3 millimeters. If it is too little bleed and you have to make changes at the printing company, it will be very troublesome. The same principle applies to the corner lines and page information, which must be more than 3 millimeters away.
3. To make the proofing and printing easier to align, the black line K100 cannot be transparent; when placing the black bitmap on the base color, it is necessary to use non-reduced black coloring; for false shadows, use single K color, and for large black blocks, add C40% and M10%; the background should be smooth and natural without showing white; if using spot colors, please choose to be transparent. Otherwise, it will cause opposite colors. When using spot colors, we usually recommend using a little overprint. If you are not clear about the company's standards, you can ask the printing company for help.
4. When making the documents, especially for boxes and Wiro books, we often need to use the die line. Because for products without binding, they still need to be made into finished products, corresponding die line files should be used to create file samples for cutting or folding. For boxes, there are folding positions and cutting positions. We require the folding positions to be dashed lines, while the cutting positions to be solid lines. All die line files should be made with spot color overprinting. Because the die line is not output.
5. When outputting, be sure not to have low resolution and the fonts must be fully embedded. Translating lines is also acceptable. However, translating lines is not conducive to later file modification.
6. When providing the files to the printing company, you can provide the final PDF file or the layout file. If it is a PDF file, make sure it is an OK file. For the layout file, you must provide the printing company with the images and fonts used.
7. The printing company will require you to provide a set of final samples that can be used for proofing. Please make sure that this sample is consistent with your final file. At the same time, the printing company should also provide a set of final blue paper (i.e., the blue paper output from the back end). You must carefully check it. Even if you provide the PDF to the printing company, there will be risks of errors in different systems.
8. In addition to saddle stitching, wire binding, locked thread binding, and hardcover binding, there is also ventilation binding. Another common binding method is Wiro book binding, similar to a notebook, with metal rings or other materials threaded through the spine of the book, and there is also board book, directly pasted.
1. Saddle stitching: There is no spine, and the file is directly bound from the middle.
2. Wire binding: After folding the pages, it is directly bound with wire. Such books need to pay attention to the spine problem; otherwise, the glue may not be firm.
3. Locked thread binding: Also known as string thread binding. Compared with wire binding, it is when there is string threading when sewing. In this way, the glue application is much more secure.
4. Hardcover binding: Hardcover books generally use string thread binding. However, hardcover books have more complex post-processing techniques. For example, the text of hardcover books usually have a cover. The common method of making the cover is to remove the normal cover and add an additional 15MM border around it, and the cover should be larger than the book meat. Please refer to the requirements of each book model.
5. Ventilation binding: According to the principle that oil and water do not mix, when binding, we always avoid having ink on the areas where glue is applied. If there is ink, we will use a white block to cover it (this is usually handled by the printing company, not by the designer). However, ventilation binding does not worry about this problem. After the book is bound, a special machine is used to polish the spine of the book, making it slightly worn out. This way, the glue will directly stick to the white paper instead of the ink.
Generally, hardcover books are bound in a simple way. The main difference between paperback books and hardcover books lies in the cover and the surface. The standards of each printing company may vary. Please inquire with the specific company for details.
There is another common way of binding Wiro books. When we prepare documents, usually, except for the spine edge, the other three sides need to bleed by 3 millimeters. However, Wiro books require bleeding on all four sides because it has no spine and is cut on all four sides. Then, a special mold is used to make small holes in the spine area, and a ring made of a specific material is passed through to complete the binding.
There is another type of book called board paper book. During its production, it doesn't differ much from regular documents. The main difference lies in the printing and binding process. However, when creating the document, it is necessary to prepare and layout in double pages.
Due to the limited time and space, that's all I can write. If you have any questions, please send a message on Baidu. I also hope that the designers at the pre-press company can produce better and more compliant files with the printing requirements.