Following on from the tutorial session with a tutor, more research into production techniques both actually used for the production of the leaflet and also possibilities if it was produced commercially as well was undertaken, to get a broader scope of what is actually available and appropriate to use for different purposes.
Commercial techniques
Die cutting
Die cutting it used to create multiple, identical cuts or folds. A pre-designed steel cast blade, called a die, is used to cut the stock, fabric, metal or plastic, and is simply lowered down to the item, cut, and then brought up again, a very quick, simple motion which is easily repeated. To create creases, a blunt blade can be used in exactly the same way. For efficiency, the die can cut through several layers at once depending on the thickness.
If the leaflet was to be produced commercially, with a lot of copies needing to be produced, then die cutting would be used to cut the diagonal edge of the leaflet, which would save a lot of time and would be a lot more precise than using a guillotine or scalpel. Die cutting could also be used with a blunt blade to crease the folds in the leaflet, which would also result in a lot more accuracy and save time.
Litho printing
In lithography, a design or image is separated into it's Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, and Black colours which are transferred onto individual metal plates. These plates are then inked up in their respective colours and then the images are transferred onto rubber rollers, which then transfer the ink onto the stock. The stock never normally comes into contact with the metal plates, which prolongs the life of the plates. Also, due to the slight give in the rubber rollers, this allows the ink to be easily transferred onto textured stock, canvas, material or even wood without compromising the design. Each colour is printed individually and in order, the black being the last to print, so the colours are built up to produce the complete design.
One of the advantages of litho printing is the ability to produce a large quantity of consistent, high quality images or designs effectively. Litho printing can be used for small, medium or high quantity print volumes, however it is most cost effective with high print volumes, as you only pay for the metal plates once, so to get the most use out of them would be cost effective.
Litho printing is not very cost effective or practical for one off print jobs, as the plates can be quite expensive and for only one print, digital printing may be more appropriate.
If the leaflet was to be produced commercially and on a mass scale, litho printing could be a possible print method, as it produces accurate colours consistently, and if a large amount of prints are being produced, then this could be quite a cost effective method. Also, the CMYK colours can be replaced with spot colours if necessary, to create a colour that is outside of the CYMK spectrum, or to ensure that each print is completely identical in that one shade, or if a specific colour s required.
Digital printing
A digital press is a machine than prints directly from digital files onto a variety of stock. Digital printing is best suited to low volume prints as it is generally charged by the sheet, which with a large run could mount up to quite a bit. The printers used are generally large volume and/or high volume laser or ink jet printers. Although it is more expensive per page, files can be printed straight from their digital format, and it doesn't require the technical stage of producing metal plates which litho printing does. Digital printers can also accommodate fast turnaround runs and modifications after each page if necessary, which litho printing doesn't.
If the leaflet was to be produced on a smaller scale, digital printing may be the more cost effective and adaptable, however, due to the per page pricing, this method would be too costly for larger print runs.
Techniques used
Scalpel cutting
To create the diagonal edge to the leaflet, the angle was simply outlined on the digital file and printed out, and then cut using a ruler and scalpel, which is time consuming if there were several copies to be cut, and also it is very easy to go wrong cutting with a scalpel, as you rely on your own skill rather than a machine which you know will cut it precisely and correctly continuously. Using a scalpel was however effective at the time, as it is easy to come across, as there are always some in the studio, and you can do it anywhere, you don't have to go to a professional printers to use it, which was very practical for producing this leaflet in the college.
Ink Jet printing
The leaflet was printed on the standard Epsom ink jet printers in the digital print studio at the college, as these produce fairly high quality prints, and it was possible this time to print it double sided as well, which wouldn't be if there were a large quantity, as this is not good for the printers.
Researching techniques used for commercial printing was very beneficial as it has shown all the different printing methods available for different types of jobs, and which are most appropriate. It has also broadened my knowledge of die cutting, which was vague initially, which will be really useful for future projects where this could be used if it were to be produced commercially as well.
This research has also highlighted how different production methods are for commercial production and producing products in the studio as well, how something is appropriate for studio production, but would be time ineffective and costly if it were produced this way commercially. This is something to consider when completing live briefs where products could potentially be produced on a commercial scale, and would have to be considered in the design process to fit to these methods.
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