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Printing Quotes: 8 Tips for More Accurate Figures

March 8, 2011 By ksdigita Leave a Comment

Article by carla san gaspar

Printing quotes are much easier to obtain once you have completed details about your project. With today’s online innovations, one can obtain print quotes by just visiting the website and logging online and following the given instructions.

It is a far cry from the time when print quotes obtained from traditional print companies were often unreliable and change incessantly. Moreover, upon comparison with other print companies, differences were often markedly high and some companies lacked standards that the industry follows.

Fortunately, online printing companies now offer price quotes instantly even without you uploading your files. Still there are a couple of things you should know to obtain an accurate price quote. It begins by preparing all the information beforehand along with the questions about your print project.

Find out more about your printing quotes and know what you are paying for. Remember to always ask questions from your printer and patiently wait for their email or other responses. Knowing now will give you a more definite cost to work with for your printing project.

1. Quote deadline

Tell your printer when you need to have the price quote. Never assume anything or your project will lose precious time before it is completed. Please note that obtaining the quotes gets the ball rolling more than anything else.

2. Quantity

Determine beforehand the number of copies that you need. Find out about bulk purchases and how you can save some more money.

3. Paper Stock

Ask your printer for the different materials available for your print project. Make sure you are both referring to the same exact thing when you finally determine the look you want to achieve for your prints.

4. Coating:

Choose which type of coating you prefer and include this information so that the printer can factor this in the quote. Know the characteristics of UV versus Matte. Aqueous coating, on one hand, is set as a default coating for most prints and comes free.

5. Color format:

4/4 is full color printing on both sides of your print material. 4/1 means full color on front, while the black is in black & white. Lastly, 4/0 is full color on front while the back is left blank.

If you worry about money, 4/0 is the cheapest way to go, but then again, you won’t be maximizing the space available for your print material.

6. Final size:

Be aware of the final measures of your project. When you design, there is always a bleed measuring.25 inch that printers require. Always remember that bleeds are cut off and any design you’ve placed in it will be for nothing.

If you order a print with 8.5 x 11 dimensions, the design file should measure 8.75×11.25. Still, you are only going to pay for 8.5×11 and no other size.

7. Printing deadline

Provide the printer with exact details on when you need to obtain the print output. This is especially useful because it will allow both the printer and you to synchronize what you need and when you nee it.

Once you’ve demanded a timeline more than what the printer can offer you, expect adjustments in your printing quotes.

Some printers have online tools that will instantly give you quotes. These are not only helpful but they are pretty convenient to use. Custom printing quotes, however, have to have a more detailed description of their work and may need to upload their file that a more accurate printing quote may be given.

Let printing quotes fully work to your advantage. Open your communication lines to your printer and see that they know what you need. Remember, printing quotes are as accurate as the details you give them.

About the Author

printing quotes provides clients an estimated prices on your print jobs. More on this topic can be found at Color Printing Wholesale

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How to Prepare and Send Files for a Foolproof Offset Printing Process

March 8, 2011 By ksdigita Leave a Comment

Article by Print Papa

When you have sent your business files for printing, ranging from a simple business flyer to greeting cards, it is not only money that is being invested. The reputation and brand image of your company is also at stake, with the printed version of the documents representing your company wherever it is dispatched. Hence, knowing the basics to a foolproof sending of printing material is what often defines the fine line between success and failure:

File Application:
——————–

Files, ready to be dispatched to the printing agency (or service bureau), should be checked for the version of applications they have been developed in. If the agency does not have the same version, an accurate print of your files would not be possible.

Agencies often reject files that have been developed in non-professional applications, such as MS Publisher (files which have a.pub extension). Professional software applications include the Adobe formats, Corel Draw and QuarkXpress applications. Make sure that you have not used such an application or have not upgraded to a newer version, while the agency is still using the older formats.

Font:
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Font is another huge aspect that counts while trying to obtain perfect prints. Many companies and individuals use personalized font types, trying to provide style and suavity to the file. However, while sending files for printing, make sure they are accompanied by separate font files too, especially those used in the documents you intend to print.

This is important as many offset printing agencies only possess a set category of font types. Thus, if the font used in the documentation is not available to the printing agency, they may substitute the fonts with what they have. This can significantly ruin the whole look of the document, apart from altering formatting, text flow and indentations too.

Graphics:
———————

Graphics is another factor that may influence how your printed files look like. Some points to keep in mind before you tinker with the graphics:

–EPS and TIFF formats are the safest to use, else consult your printing agency or service bureau.
–Do not compress the graphics or images.
–Changing the names of the graphics files before re-linking is not advisable.
–The original files, apart from the already embedded images/graphics should be sent to the agency for assistance in troubleshooting during the complete process.

Sending the Files:
———————-

Keep a track of the following things before you assign the printing agency your project.

–Make a detailed list of all the files, images and fonts that have been used in your files and send them to the agency.
–All original artwork or photographs are to be sent to the agency for FPO placeholders.
–Clearly indicate the areas where the agency is to pay special attention – including punch-lines, artwork in a brochure, contact details, etc.
–Send a dummy or have a mock-print issued by the agency to check the obvious font or textual differences in the printed versions. Rectify accordingly.
–Files can be sent through various channels – CD/ DVDs, zipped or compressed files or even through electronic or conventional mails.

Now that you know of the basics that would help you gather a great offset printing output, keep the aforementioned points in check while sending your files to the agency for printing. For more information or need to learn more visit our Blogs or FAQs at http://www.PrintPapa.com

About the Author

PrintPapa, Bay Area’s Premier Print shop for short runs of 50 sheets to longer runs of thousands of sheets. Our main goal is to provide the best quality output at the best price. We are big time into e-commerce and make it easy to order, track & proof it online. Visit our website at http://www.PrintPapa.com to learn more about printing and related technologies. Visit http://blog.printpapa.com to read some interesting articles

We needed highly accurate parts to best replicate the actual fossils found. Academic research does not allow us to have anything less than an accurate replica of a fossil skeleton, Objet was the only solution that offered us such capabilities Anthropological Institute University of Zürich

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7 Essential Pieces of Information for Getting Accurate Printing Quotes

March 8, 2011 By ksdigita Leave a Comment

Calling up a printing services company with vague specifications about your printing job will result in a vague quote. Whether you’re printing a one-colour business card or a multi-coloured poster, your printer will need to know some essential pieces of information:

Size – flat, folded and page numbers?

If you’re working with a particular format, you need to equate your presentation with the product type and the look you want. Think about the presentation as a
whole product. Your software will give you the basic specifications direct off the files.

Quantity – quite simply, how many?

Print runs work on a volume basis. More will be cheaper per unit, but how many do you need? What sort of circulation will the print copy have? Do you need file copies? Is there a mailing list to consider?

Colour – spot colour or CMYK? Both sides coloured or just one?

Colour specifications are worth spending some time on with your printer. The spot colour is a general purpose colour scheme. CMYK colours are a digital mix of colours with preset values. Either may be appropriate, but you need to consider the options available on merit. This can be an issue in business card printing and brochure printing where colour is a major design element.

Paper – weight, brand and colour?

Paper quality directly affects print quality. Low grade paper and high quality printing simply don’t work. The paper must be able to proved print quality. Paper is basically measured as gsm, (grams per square metre), fine, photo paper, etc. If you have a requirement for high quality print, go with the best quality. Brands of paper and colour should also be factored in as quote elements when making your inquiry with the printer.

Binding – perfect, staple, sewn?

Binding quality has a lot to do with the look of your print. Some binds are ultra-durable, like sewn binding. “Perfect” binding is the common adhesive binding. Look at your options, particularly in terms of the size of the print document.

For commercial documents, it’s also advisable to check with the printer about relative strengths of binding. You particularly need to ensure a strong bind which is appropriate for larger documents like reports or documents over 5cm in depth.

Any special cuts or folds to be included?

Commercial and other types of print job often include folds, cuts, or other forms of presentation. This is an area where you’re strongly advised to consult your printer to ensure these complex structures are properly done. These elements are itemized on the printing quotes, so you’ll have your costs factored in up front.

Proofs – what is the proofing method?

Print proofing is an important quality control on the print specifications. The proofing process is designed to ensure accurate resolution of print materials on the finished product. The printer will also provide information which explains the print proofing method, as well as the required formats for documents.

 

Australian Trade Printers provides and distributes printing services to all businesses, companies, schools and government entities Australia wide at a low cost. For high quality product and fast turnaround, visit Brochure Printing

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