Printing

All DTP programs need a printer. At minimum a proofing sheet should be able to be produced. With the aid of a medium resolution printer it is possible to produce a final 'camera ready' copy. This is a copy that can be printed from to produce a publication.

Dot matrix printers cannot produce the required quality that can be achieved with ink-jet and laser printers. All the high end DTP programs produce Postscript (a page description language) that controls the printer to produce a high quality output. Inkjet and dot matrix printers usually cannot produce this  high quality.

Laser printers with resolution 300-600 dpi (dots per inch) produce good line graphics and text but it is not sufficient for photographic reproduction. Commercial publishers are able to take files from DTP programs and print at a resolution of 1200 to 2400 dpi onto bromides or photographic film using high resolution Lintronic printers.

Small runs of 500 copies without photographs can be achieved with a laser printer and a photocopier more economically.

If the publication has a reasonable print run then the work is more economically suited to a printing press. Pre-press is the term used to describe all the  tasks that go into converting camera ready artwork into printing plates that are used on the printing press.

Printing with a printing press involves two main actions.

1.      Ink is transferred from a metal printing plate to paper at high speed.

2.      Presses only print one colour at a time.

 

 

Terms

TYPESETTER           PRESS                      CAMERA READY ART        BLUELINE

POSTSCRIPT           THUMBNAIL  NEGATIVE                            OFFSET LITHOGRAPHY

PLATE                       DRAFT                       STRIPPING                           

Theory Exercises
P235 Q1 to Q2