May 27th, 2013
Posted in Design, Prepress | Comments Off on Custom Printing: Adobe Dumps Creative Suite in Favor of Creative Cloud
Very soon Adobe will stop selling packaged software for a one-time fee. Going forward, designers will need to subscribe to (or “rent”) the software, paying approximately $20.00 to $50.00 per month for various levels of service ranging from access to one Adobe software package to access to all key Adobe applications. Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in Design, Prepress | Comments Off on Custom Printing: Adobe Dumps Creative Suite in Favor of Creative Cloud
May 26th, 2013
Posted in Book Printing, Scheduling | Comments Off on Book Printing: Schedules May or May Not Be Flexible
I like to think that most things are negotiable when buying custom printing services.
A client of mine who is producing a self-published book describing his family’s experience in World War II came to me with a request yesterday. His 9” x 12” perfect-bound print book had already gone to press, and he had seen proofs (actually a one-off version of the text produced on an HP Indigo, since the press run will only be 65 copies for family and close friends). Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in Book Printing, Scheduling | Comments Off on Book Printing: Schedules May or May Not Be Flexible
May 24th, 2013
Posted in Digital Printing | Comments Off on Digital Custom Printing: Indigo B2 Format Opens Doors
In Douglas Adams’ Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Universe, the number “42” is presented as “the answer to the ultimate question of life, the universe, and everything.” Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in Digital Printing | Comments Off on Digital Custom Printing: Indigo B2 Format Opens Doors
May 22nd, 2013
Posted in Digital Printing | Comments Off on Digital Commercial Printing: Personalization is King
In the 1967 film The Graduate, one of the older characters, Mr. McGuire, tells Dustin Hoffman’s character, Benjamin, that the future is (in one word): “plastics.” In the world of printing, I’d say the word is now “personalization.” Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in Digital Printing | Comments Off on Digital Commercial Printing: Personalization is King
May 20th, 2013
Posted in 3D Printing, Digital Printing | Comments Off on Digital Custom Printing: 3D and Inkjet for Fashion Items
I’m seeing a lot more variety in the use of digital 3D and fabric custom printing within the fashion world, and I find this extremely exciting. It shows that print is more than ink on paper. It also shows that there’s a market for the mass customization afforded by digital custom printing. Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in 3D Printing, Digital Printing | Comments Off on Digital Custom Printing: 3D and Inkjet for Fashion Items
May 6th, 2013
Posted in Digital Printing, Prepress | Comments Off on On Demand Book Printing: Why You Request a Proof
Old habits die hard. And this goes for print book proofing as well. Choosing a particular type of proof without considering your goals misses the point of proofing. Certain proofs are not always appropriate for a book run. Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in Digital Printing, Prepress | Comments Off on On Demand Book Printing: Why You Request a Proof
April 30th, 2013
Posted in Large-Format Printing | 2 Comments »
I’ve been reading a number of articles and promotional pieces on large format printing presses. The technology is improving in leaps and bounds, providing options for large format signage, point of purchase displays, fleet and vehicle graphics, window graphics, backlit displays, and packaging. Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in Large-Format Printing | 2 Comments »
April 23rd, 2013
Posted in Book Printing | Comments Off on Custom Printing: A Sample of the Art of Letterpress
I picked up a booklet of poetry and illustrations in a thrift store yesterday for fifty cents. It was really more of a pamphlet, like a program for the theater, 6” x 9”. It caught my eye for several reasons. Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in Book Printing | Comments Off on Custom Printing: A Sample of the Art of Letterpress
April 22nd, 2013
Posted in Envelope Printing | Comments Off on Envelope Printing: Window Options for Envelopes
I’ve been receiving a lot of direct mail custom envelopes with large windows recently, and I’m intrigued. The windows run almost from one side of the envelope to the other. Compared to the small address windows I’m used to, these look like plate-glass windows. Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in Envelope Printing | Comments Off on Envelope Printing: Window Options for Envelopes
April 18th, 2013
Posted in Catalog Printing | Comments Off on Custom Printing: Polybagging Case-Study Redux
In an earlier blog posting, I noted that a client of mine who had produced a directory of non-profit educational organizations was having problems with the polybagging material in which the print books sent to subscribers had been wrapped. Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in Catalog Printing | Comments Off on Custom Printing: Polybagging Case-Study Redux