The printing press check is a step in the
printing
Printing is a process for mass reproducing text and images using a master form or template. The earliest non-paper products involving printing include cylinder seals and objects such as the Cyrus Cylinder and the Cylinders of Nabonidus. The ...
process. It takes place after a
printing press
A printing press is a mechanical device for applying pressure to an inked surface resting upon a print medium (such as paper or cloth), thereby transferring the ink. It marked a dramatic improvement on earlier printing methods in which the ...
is set up but before the print run is underway.
While errors should have been corrected during the
Color Proofing and
proofreading stages, the main purpose of a press check is to make sure that the color on press comes as close as possible to the color proof. Color proofs are valuable guides, but due to the inherent differences between color proofing techniques and printing itself, proofs will match the printed sheet with varying degrees of exactness.
Areas that are commonly evaluated at a press check are:
* Flesh tones or corporate logo match colors.
* Overall color balance across the sheet.
* Paper stock (checking for correct color, weight or texture).
* Content (looking for missing elements and confirming copy changes).
* Registration (checking sharpness, color overlapping, edges of images and screened type).
* Physical defects (checking for broken type, odd scratches, hickeys, spots or ghosting).
Post press check
While some printing jobs are delivered as printed, most printing is usually not complete until it is converted into a "finished" product. Post press includes various types of finish work such as trimming, embossing, foiling, die-cutting, scoring, folding and bindery. Post press checking can include:
*
Embossing: Defects that are commonly checked for are un-sharp edges, pinholes, ruptures and "halos" (shadows around the emboss).
*
Foil stamping: Defects to be avoided are feathering, color changes, scuffing, peeling and un-sharp edges.
*
Die-cutting: Defects that are commonly checked for are clean cutting and correct positioning.
* Folding/ Bindery: Before the printed sheets are folded or bound it is common to make and review a trimmed dummy of the finished piece. Defects that are commonly checked for are page order and alignment.
[ Wednesday, 23 August 2017 ]
See also
*
Prepress Prepress is the term used in the Printing and Publishing industries for the processes and procedures that occur between the creation of a print layout and the final printing. The prepress process includes the preparation of artwork for press, media ...
*
Pre-flight (printing)
{{Unreferenced, date=October 2008
In printing, Preflight is the process of confirming that the digital files required for the printing process are all present, valid, correctly formatted, and of the desired type. The basic idea is to prepare the f ...
*
Color printing
Color printing or colour printing is the reproduction of an image or text in color (as opposed to simpler black and white
or monochrome printing). Any natural scene or color photograph can be optically and physiologically dissected into thre ...
*
Offset printing
*
Modern engraving
References
Further reading
*{{cite book
, last = International Paper
, title = Pocket Pal - Graphics Arts Production Handbook
, location = Memphis, TN USA
, publisher = International Paper Company
, year = 2000
Printing terminology
Print production
Proofreading