[wiseguide]
HOW TO
print
YOUR
STATIONERY
SYSTEM
Style Guide
Logo
2
[wiseguide]
time to print!
This is it. Are you excited?
Soon you will be holding
your NEW business cards
in your very own hands!
Month 00, 2016
First, you need to make a few decisions.
Please read through this guide
to determine how you will go
forward with your printing process.
We’ve given you some pros and cons
along with some information to better
educate you on the printing process so
that you can ultimately make the best
decision for your company.
[wiseguide]
printing process - digital
Unlike offset where printing plates are involved,
digitally printed business cards, letterhead and
envelopesare printed directly from a digital file on
a computer. Digital printers transfer four colors of
ink [cyan, magenta, yellow, and black] to paper
simultaneously, producing a full-color print after only
one pass through the printer — meaning that each
piece takes less time to print and is less expensive
to produce than other printing methods.
advantages
files needed
to print digital
• Fast and inexpensive
• Printing plates are not required
• No minimum quantities. Print as few as 10
PDF
High Resolution
.pdf files
• No color limitations
disadvantages
• Lower quality
• Possible color matching issues
[wiseguide]
printing process - offset
Offset printing, also called offset lithography, is a
method of mass-production printing in which the
images on metal plates are transferred (offset) to rubber
blankets or rollers and then to the print media. Printers
often use the term ‘spot color’ when referring to offset
printing. In this process a metal plate needs to be
developed for each color passing through the press.
For example, if your logo is 2 PMS colors, there will be
2 plates created. Each color is passed through the press
seperately. Unlike Digital printing where it is all printed
at the same time.
files needed
to print offset
PDF
High Resolution
.pdf files
EPS
Ai
Illustrator
files
The main advantage of offset printing is its high and
consistent image quality. The process can be used for
small, medium or high-volume jobs. There are two types
of offset printing machines in common use for
publication today. In sheet-fed offset printing, individual
pages of paper are fed into the machine. The pages can
be pre-cut to the final publication size or trimmed after
printing. In web offset printing, larger, higher-speed
machines are used. These are fed with large rolls
of paper and for high-volume publications.
advantages
• Consistent high image quality
• Sharp and clean images and type
• Long printing plate life if properly developed.
Plates may achieve run lengths of more than a million impressions.
disadvantages
• Plate production and printing press setup fees.
• Minimum quantities are usually 250 pieces.
Fonts
You can order fewer but you will still pay for the 250 minimum.
[wiseguide]
color consistency
The Pantone Matching System is clearly the authority on
color and has long been the standard for defining “spot
colors.” If you have a red star in your logo, you want that
star to always appear in the same shade of red – not
fushia on your letterhead, reddish orange on an
employee’s shirt and some shade of burnt red on the
brochure. The PMS system is a way to standardize that
color for the printing process.
Any PMS color, printed from a single ink, can also be
translated into the closest CMYK match. Your red star
can be printed by the 4-color process method when you
choose to create a full color piece. There will be a slight
variation in the shade or hue of the red, however – no
PMS to CMYK conversion is exact. In most cases, the
difference is tolerable or even unoticeable.
Have a
discussion with
your printer to
learn which
process is best
to produce
your print
materials.
If you need or want your logo to match exactly on every
piece you produce [a brochure with photos, stationery,
business cards, etc.] the only way is to budget for
5-color offset printing when printing a brochure. That
way, CMYK color can be printed as needed and another
pass through the press to get the PMS color of that star
exactly the same as it appears on your business card
every time.
Your company PMS colors are located in your company
style guide along with your CMYK translations.
[wiseguide]
paper stock
digital
Business card &
note card stock:
100 lb. Cover
Matte Stock
Premium Matte
White
Letterhead stock:
70 lb. text
Matte
In-House Stock
White
Envelope stock:
Envelopes to
match Letterhead
Stock
White
Brochure stock:
100lb. Text
Matte
In-House Stock
disadvantages
• Very limited paper
stock choices. What
they have is what
you get.
The recommended paper for printing
stationery items and brochures:
offset
Business card &
note card stock
130 lb.
Classic Crest
Smooth
Double Thick Cover
Solar White
Letterhead stock
24 lb.
OR
70 lb. text
Classic Crest
Smooth
Writing
Solar White
Envelope stock
#10 Square
24 lb.
Classic Crest
Smooth
Writing
Solar White
Brochure stock
65 lb. Cover
OR
100lb. Text
Classic Crest
Smooth
Solar White
advantages
• Endless choices
of high quality
paper stocks.