We are passionate about the environment and we re-cycle every spare sheet of paper and packaging we possibly can. We strongly urge you to do the same. The difference in cost between reusing paper and starting from scratch is huge. However this re-cycling is NOT the same as using recycled paper. Re-cycling means using material again and in this context it means turning used letterheads, flyers etc into stocks which do not need to be white so that the ink from the first use is not relevant. Such stocks include Newsprint and Packaging. 

Re-cycled Letterhead and Leaflet Paper means taking used material and cleaning it to make it pristine white again. However ‘green’ the cleaning process is, it does not make sense to siphon off used paper and clean it, while at the same time virgin forests are being felled to make Newsprint and Packaging grades!! 

This has been our stance for some years now, however the situation is changing. As the proportion of paper which is recycled has increased the percentage of Newsprint and Packaging made from virgin pulp has considerably reduced. We are now at the stage where there is more surplus used paper than can be used in Newsprint and Packaging and so, finally, recycling in to Letterhead and Flyer grades makes sense.

Offset printing is a widely used printing technique where the inked image is transferred (or "offset") from a plate first to a rubber blanket, then to the printing surface. Based on the repulsion of oil and water, paper obtains ink from ink rollers, while the non-printing area attracts a film of water, keeping the nonprinting areas ink-free.

Digital printing is a widely used, plate-less system that involves the reproduction of digital images on a physical surface, like a copier. Each cycle of the printer transfers a fresh image – same or different – to the substrate.

How do I choose between offset and digital printing for my project?
If you have a very short run project, i.e. a handful of specialty posters, digital printing is a more affordable, effective option. Because digital printing does not require plates, initial set-up costs are much lower. This is especially the case when your short run project involves 4 or more colors. In addition, digital printing makes it possible to print variable information from print to print, which conventional printing cannot do.

For other projects, offset printing provides many distinct advantages, including:

• Consistent high image quality on short and long run projects
• Usability on a wide range of printing surfaces in addition to smooth paper (e.g., wood, cloth, metal, leather, rough paper)
• Quite simply, the beauty of ink on paper

SIZE
There are standard sizes for most every print job; business cards are 2" x3.5", letterhead is 8.5" x 11", and business envelopes are 4.125:x9.5". We're happy to customize to whichever specs you like, but in some cases, a custom size can waste a lot of resources, increasing price and environmental impact. Ask us for tips and tricks on smart printing or check out our Additional Resources page for standard envelope sizes and their enclosures, and templates for other common specs.

QUANTITY
With offset printing, most cost is in the initial setup of machines and mixing ink. On higher estimate quantities, you'll see that per piece price can drop dramatically. Once our press is up and running, you just pay for the paper running through it! For information on price breaks and press-efficient quantities, call today.

INK COLORS
Spot Colors
Spot colors are single, solid colors and tints of those colors that are used to make up graphics and text. A complete job can be created using only a single color (such as black, or blue), or two or three. The limit depends only on your budget and design. We recommend 1 spot color for a basic job, 2 spot colors for added visual effect, and 3 or 4 for complex projects and identities.

4 color process
Four color process printing uses combinations of cyan (blue), magenta (red), yellow, and black to create a huge array of colors. This process allows printing in "full color" for photos and projects requiring a large amount of color variation.

PAPER
Paper Finish
There are 2 main finishes for paper; coated and uncoated.

Coated paper is used for most magazines, baseball cards, and most book covers. It is easily identified by the glossy or dull coating covering the surface. Glossy paper tends to permit more crisp and detailed printing. 

Uncoated paper is used for most envelopes, forms, and writing pads. It is usually textured and soft to the touch. Due to its absorbency, images and text printed on uncoated stock tend to print softer than the same do on coated paper. The softness and texture tend to give uncoated stock a more warm and accessible feel than most "slick" coated stocks. 

Paper Weight
There are three main weights for paper; cover, text and writing.

Cover weight is great for business cards, presentation folders, and note cards. It is thick and sturdy.

Text weight is used for brochures, letterhead, envelopes, flyers, posters, etc. It is slightly heavier than writing weights, and is more opaque (which is great for business envelopes).

Writing weight is measured differently than text weight paper and is used mainly for stationery. Writing weight stocks are usually manufactured using some amount of cotton fiber or "rag" (25%-100%) and also a watermark, which make them very distinguished for personal and corporate stationery.

If your chosen stock does not come in a writing weight, most stocks have a similar weight in text that can be used instead.

AA – abbreviation for author’s alterations, changes client makes to artwork and copy

BLEED – an extra amount of printed image that extends beyond the trim edge of the sheet or the page

BLIND EMBOSSING – a design which is stamped without metallic leaf or ink, giving a bas-relief effect

COATED PAPER – paper having a surface coating that produces a smooth finish, from eggshell to glossy

DIE CUTTING – the process of using sharp steel rules to cut special shapes

DUOTONE – a term for a two-color halftone reproduction from a one-color photograph

EMBOSSING – impressing an image in relief to achieve a raised surface; either overprinting or on blank paper (called blind embossing)

FPO (FOR POSITION ONLY) - typically a low resolution image positioned in a document to be replaced later with a high resolution version of the same image

HICKEYS – in offset printing, spots or imperfections in the printing due to dirt on the press, dried ink skin, paper particules, etc.

LETTERPRESS – the first printing process, a relief method that can print from cast metal type on which the image or printing areas are raised above the non-printing areas

MAKEREADY – all work done to set up a press for printing

PANTONE/PMS INK – The Pantone method is based on 14 “pantone” colors that may be used by itself or in combination to create “PMS” colors

PMS (PANTONE MATCHING SYSTEM) – also referred to as “spot color,” is a method of applying a pre-mixed color of ink directly to paper and is useful for projects that require only a few colors (i.e., stationery, brochures, newsletters)

PERFECT BINDING – method used for binding soft cover books where sheets are held together with a flexible adhesive

PREFLIGHTING – all the information and skills needed to accurately and effectively determine if all job components required for output, and/or proofing, are met before a project enters the production workflow, including: font issues; linked images; missing page elements; completeness of electronic files

PRINTER SPREADS – also referred to as “impositions,” the process of laying out and printing multiple pages of the same book on a piece of paper in such a way that when folded (and cut) they end up in proper 1, 2, 3, 4 order for readers

PROCESS COLOR – also referred to as “CMYK” or “4-color,” applies four or more standard ink colors (basic four = cyan, magenta, yellow and black) in very fine screens so that many thousands of colors are created. Process color is useful for printing photographs, paintings, and very complex colored images

REGISTER – fitting two or more printing images in exact alignment with each other

REGISTRATION MARKS – crosses or other targets applied to original copy to use to register two or more colors in printing

SADDLE STITCH – the simplest and most inexpensive binding method where staples are forced through the backbone or spine of the booklet

SCORE – to impress or dent a mark in the paper to make folding easier

SELF COVER – A cover of the same paper as inside text pages

SIGNATURE – in printing and binding, the name given to a printed sheet after it has been folded

SKID – a platform support for a pile of cut sheets of paper

SPIRAL BINDING – a book bound with wires in spiral form inserted through holes punched along the binding side

SUBSTRATE – any material than can be printed on, such as paper, plastic, and fabric

TRAPPING – intentional overlap of colors to compensate for registration errors on press

TRIM OR CROP MARKS – in printing, marks placed on the copy to indicate the edge of the page

VARNISH – a thin, protective coating applied to a printed sheet for protection or appearance

WORK-AND-TUMBLE – to print one side of a sheet of paper, the turn it over from gripper edge to back for the printing of the second side; the side guide remains the same

WORK-AND-TURN – to print one side of a sheet of paper, the turn it over from left to right for the printing of the second side; the side guide changes but the gripper edge remains the same

A proof is a copy of your document after all modifications and printing setup processes have been completed. It is your best opportunity to make sure that the job comes out the way you expected, before it is printed. By carefully inspecting the proof, you can help us ensure accurate delivery of your finished print job.

The only way to get an exact proof representation before your job goes to print is to request a ‘Wet Proof’. This incurs a cost of £120+VAT but if your job includes large runs with invested design time, it is worth the expense to ensure an accurate result to meet your exact expectations.

If your proof is sent digitally (PDF) you will get an approximation on colours and density. This method enables you to check that the content text and layout is accurate (no typos or layout inaccuracies).

The obligation is on the client to check the proof before giving approval for us to proceed to final print.

Printers and monitors produce colours in a different way.

Monitors use the RGB (red, green, blue) colour reference, which supports a wider spectrum of colours. Printers use the CMYK (cyan, magenta, yellow, black) colour reference (ink based mix to produce every colour in the spectrum), which can reproduce most - but not all - of the colours in the RGB colour reference. Depending on the equipment used, CMYK generally matches 85–90% of the colours in the RGB reference.

When a colour is selected from the RGB reference that is out of the range of the CMYK reference, the application chooses what it thinks is the closest colour that will match. programmes like Adobe Photoshop will allow you to choose which colour will be replaced, other software may not.

PDF (Portable Document Format) is the most common and preferred file format for submitting artwork.

You can install a PDF print driver on your computer, virtually any programme can then generate a PDF file suitable for printing. Both commercial and free PDF print drivers are widely available online for download from different websites selling comparative products.

We recommend the Adobe product ‘Acrobat Professional’. Adobe pioneered this file format which has taken the print industry by storm. The only thing to be aware of is that not all pdf drivers correctly inbed the fonts. If issues arise, we recommend outlining all fonts (not ideal, but will solve some issues) within your document before exporting to pdf. The alternative is that you provide your original artwork and we will generate the pdf for you for an agreed fee.

InDesign and Quark have their own pdf export feature built in and Illustrator can be saved as a pdf native file. As with previous recommendations the best software to use is either InDesign or Quark.

We have a graphic design department which can turn your ideas into finished copy. The service includes logo design, forms design and copy writing, we can handle anything from a simple letterhead to a prestigious corporate brochure.

When scanning your photograph or anything else for that matter, you must ensure that you are scanning at an absolute minimum of 300 dpi (dots per inch). When preparing your artwork with images and photographs, when you provide your PDF, EPS or AI files please ensure that they are all embedded within your final artwork document.