Seven inevitable errors in the printing industry
We are a big printing company in Shenzhen China . We offer all book publications, hardcover book printing, papercover book printing, hardcover notebook, sprial book printing, saddle stiching book printing, booklet printing,packaging box, calendars, all kinds of PVC, product brochures, notes, Children's book, stickers, all kinds of special paper color printing products, game cardand so on.
For more information please visit
http://www.joyful-printing.com. ENG only
http://www.joyful-printing.net
http://www.joyful-printing.org
email: info@joyful-printing.net
1 text error in typesetting
Typesetting is an important process before printing. To be precise, typesetting is a textual arrangement work performed by the design and production staff using the corresponding software under the customer's instructions and requirements. Therefore, from the perspective of the printing house, the customer is usually required to sign the confirmation before the plate making. However, sometimes due to the tight time of the work, and based on the degree of trust between the two parties, the customer may sometimes completely devolve the right to confirm the typesetting to the printing house. In this case, in the event of a problem, the customer may blame the design producer for irresponsibility, such as typos or other typographical errors.
It should be said that the occurrence of such errors is not caused by the mechanical problems mentioned above, but completely because of the problem of process control. Therefore, we generally require a customer's signature to confirm before the film is proofed. These errors can be greatly reduced or eliminated by mutual comparison. Even so, in fact, there may still be some errors in the manuscript confirmed by the customer.
In this regard, we recommend drawing on the practices of certain multinational companies. They are generally based on strict principles after the printing of important printed materials. This information is for reference only. The company does not bear any errors in the printed matter. Responsibility" to eliminate joint liability arising from typographical errors.
2 film and proofing error
After the design and production staff completes the typesetting work, they enter the dispatching process, which is what we usually call the proofing. In general, the laser imagesetter has a filming accuracy in the range of 0.01-0.1 mm. At the same time, due to the difference in the film used, it will also cause certain errors.
The most direct manifestation of this error is that in four films (black, red, yellow, and blue), if a film (such as a black plate) has a problem and needs a patch, the film is different when the film is output. The rate may vary (not in the same batch of film), which in turn leads to dot changes, and the film that is compensated may be inaccurate with the previous three films. Therefore, it is necessary to form a shape at the time of filming, and to minimize the patch. Of course, the garbled or font changes caused by the font replacement when the film is released, if the relevant personnel are responsible, it can be avoided.
After the film (film) is finished, the traditional analog proofing needs to use a set of four films for proofing. In the proofing, in order to be accurate and stable in the color of the four-color ink proof, it is necessary to control and standardize the three links, namely equipment, materials and quality standards. On the equipment, it is necessary to adjust the pressure of the proofing machine, the temperature of the plate and the air cushion blanket to ensure that the proofing machine is in the best working condition; in the material, the same series of inks of the same brand should be used, and the four colors of different brands should be used. The ink will cause the sample to be different from the characteristic file in the scanner, which directly affects the color correction accuracy.
In addition, the paper should be standardized. In principle, the same type of paper should be used for proofing and printing; in terms of quality standards, attention should be paid to the density value of the field and the relative contrast of printing. If these factors are not taken into account when proofing, it will result in errors in the printed product compared to proofing.
For example, the ink used for printing is different from the ink used for proofing; the paper used for printing is different from the paper used for proofing (such as using different brands of paper, or using different types of paper, such as copper plate, film and special paper); The dot gain is minimized, resulting in a small white hole in the center of the dot. If these deviations occur, it will directly lead to the printing of finished products can not catch up with the proof.
In fact, even if the same set of film, if you proof twice, the proofs you make will be different.
3 color error
There are three kinds of color errors. The first is that there is a deviation between the printed matter and the color of the proofing; the second is that there is a certain degree of inconsistency in the color of the inside and outside of the same batch of printed matter; the third is that the color of the printed product in the printed matter is deviated from the actual color itself.
The first difference is that we usually say that we can't catch up with proofing during printing. The reasons are discussed above, such as ink problems, paper problems, and dot reduction problems. For such differences, the printer should try to catch up with the sample. If the difference is very large, the customer should be notified in time, and the customer will sign the sample in person.
The second difference is also an objective problem, and the printing machinery itself has been difficult to solve. We know that in the printing process, ink inking is a dynamic balancing process. When printing, when the ink on the ink roller is reduced to a certain extent, the printing machine automatically inks to compensate. The "a certain degree" here directly leads to a deviation between the finished product printed on the front of a batch of printed jobs and the final printed final color.
The third difference is actually a psychological expectation problem.
We have met a customer who claims that the printed product is not exactly the same color as the actual product. It is considered to be detrimental to the company's image and even affect the company's order, and we believe that the color deviation is acceptable. In this case, it should be said that this deviation exists objectively and cannot be completely attributed to the quality control of the printing house. As we mentioned earlier, it is impossible to say that the color of the printed product is completely consistent with the proofing, not to mention the ink color deviation inside the same batch of printed materials. Proofing is only due to the first out, can be used as a reference standard, and the customer may be pre-emptive, that the proof is good and correct.
In this case, we usually take into account the color of the product image, then the color of other images, and finally the decorative color bars or color blocks. For the printed samples for ordering, we recommend that the customer add a piece under the printed matter: "The color in this print is for reference only, the color is subject to the actual product", so as to avoid unnecessary disputes.
4 paper error
Due to the problem of the papermaking process, the brightness, thickness and texture of the same paper produced by different paper manufacturers will be different.
For example, the same gram weight coated paper produced by three paper mills has different textures. Of course, the difference is not too big. Another example is Asia-Pacific offset paper. The fineness and whiteness of paper are better than other domestic manufacturers, but the price is also about 50% higher.
In addition, the same gram of paper produced by the same manufacturer may have slight changes in the production process due to different factory time, and the brightness, thickness and texture are different due to acceptable errors. In fact, in the label of each batch of paper purchased by the printing house, the paper mill made such a statement in advance, and requested that it could not be mixed with the previous paper, so as to avoid deviation when the user compares. For the printing company, the printing product pattern to be used should be provided to the customer before each printing, and the printing should be confirmed by the customer to avoid such disputes.
5 printing machinery error
The error in printing machinery is reflected in two points. One point is the overprint accuracy problem, and the other is the ink color problem. We know that color printing is actually a four-color overprint, that is, red, yellow, blue, and black, and the contents of the overprint are reflected on the film, which is the dot we mentioned earlier. Generally speaking, it is one by one. Small dots.
According to China's printing machinery industry standards, the registration accuracy of the printing machine, that is, the superposition accuracy requirement of the dot is 0.033mm, the actual mechanical precision is generally higher than this standard, mostly 0.01mm, of course, some printing machinery is 0.1mm ( Mostly monochrome machines). Even so, if you use a 40x magnifying glass to observe the printed product, you can still see that the superposition of its dots is deviated. Therefore, in the process of handing over the printed products, we can only reach the point where there is no problem with the naked eye. Unless the printed products are rare treasures of the millennium, it is impossible for the printing house to accept the customers to take the magnifying glass to pick up the problem.
For the problem of ink color, there is also a certain deviation due to the compensation of the ink amount of the inking device, which has been discussed above and will not be described herein.
6 cutting size error
After the printing is completed, the next important step is to cut the printed product using a paper cutter. When cutting the finished product, due to the error of the cutter itself, the error after cutting the finished product is also objective.
In fact, according to the relevant national standards, in the printed products of RMB, the error range of the cutting size is 0.5mm, and the error range of the securities printed matter is 1mm. In other words, the size of the renminbi and the circulation securities are not exactly the same, but the error must fall within a certain range. For general prints, the size error of the cut is ±2 mm.
7 psychological expectation error
Specifically, the psychological expectation error should not fall within the scope of the printing error we are discussing. The reason why this problem is mentioned is because in the process of dealing with customers, this problem is a problem we often encounter, difficult to solve, and have to face. For long-term exposure to printed products, after long-term experience and knowledge accumulation, for which errors are acceptable and which are unacceptable, there is already an insight into the right and wrong, and it is easier to communicate with the printing house.
Some customers may have very high psychological expectations when making printed materials, hoping to make the prints beautiful. For these customers, the printing company has to take on the task of education and training market and communicate with customers. After all, print is a print, not a work of art. Poor communication is an unpleasant memory for both parties.