The number one difference between the then and now aspect of a print shop was the expansion of who could do what when Apple desktop units, laser printers, and a page layout programs became available to the everyday consumer. Anyone who possessed these three elements could more or less do the same things that print shops had been doing for years with X-Acto knives and hot wax applicators. The next big leap forward in the print business was the creation of page-layout applications. These applications rolled setting type, creating mechanicals, and stripping film all into one job. Not only were jobs being minimized but the pace that these jobs could be completed was increasing exponentially. Not only was the speed of the job being increased but who did what was being also being changed dramatically. Distribution of work was set to look more like this diagram below.
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| Graphic taken from Print Production with Adobe Creative Suite Applications. Claudia McCue. Chapter 1 Page 4. |
For example; before designers would indicate color break, however it was the prep workers job to use a process callled mechanical color to accomplish the color break. Now the graphic or article is ready to print the minute they hand it or submit the file to the printer. It is not just a template for someone elses work.
Sales Rep/Customer Service- The sales rep is your first contact and will get the ball rolling on your job. You discuss any concerns you have with him or her. Also determine if there will be any special finishing touches needed. The sales rep will also provide you with a cost estimate and give you an idea of the timeline the job will follow. Customer service rep will be your prime contact through out the job. Any changes or updates will be sent to him or her. They will also help you find or prevent problems with your job. The average salary for these types of work runs on average around thirty thousand dollars a year
Estimator- An estimator determines the job cost as a whole. In some cases estimating and planning are combined. A job cost estimator rakes in right around 57k a year.
Preflight Technician- A preflight technician is who checks for problems in the job before it runs. When problems are found you will be asked if you would like to fix the problems yourself your add a charge and have the company fix them. Preflight techs make on average around fifty three thousand dollars a year.
Prepress Operator- These people prepare the job for print. They prepare the plates that transfer the images to the substrate. They make around 27 thousand dollars a year.
Imposition- The layout of a job on the printed page.
RIP- Component in a printing system that makes the file ready for the printer. The middle man in a sense.
Trapping- Provides a combination of colors at the edge of abutting color areas to mask any slippage.
Die Cutting- A form of specialty finishing that includes a special cut.
Chapter 2
Halftone Dots- Tiny color dots printed to simulate shades of grey.
DPI- Dots per inch. Used to describe the resolution of an imaging device
LPI- Lines per inch. Frequency of halftone dots measured along a row of dots.
PPI - Pixels per inch. Describes resolution.
CMYK vs. RGB- Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, and Black make up CMYK or process color. Red, Green, and Blue make up RGB or spot color. CMYK is used usually for print where as RGB is used for web based monitor viewing.
Spot Colors- Used when necessary to print colors that fall outside the range of CMYK.
Registration- The alignment of all inks printed on a press.
Rich black happens when solid black areas larger than one square inch happen. They need to be beefed up to avoid appearing anemic. It is important so you are able to achieve the dark solid black you are looking for.
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