What Happens During Printing

Although some organizations can print materials in 24 hours, the printing is not of sufficient quality for most printed communication products, especially those intended for sale. A complete print job involves the following:

1. The printer reviews the printer’s markup copy and your instructions, and clarifies any confusing points.
2. The printer prepares the plates that will be placed on the printing press. This involves:
1. Arranging the pages as they will appear on the printing press. For example, if you are printing a 4-page flyer on 11X17 paper, pages 1 and 4 are on printed together on one side, pages 2 and 3 are printed on together on the other.
2. Handling any special instructions, such as adding screens to the text.
3. Taking snapshots of the pages. The printer takes a separate shot of each group pages for each color to be used in the printing process. For example, if you are printing a page in red and black, the printer photographs the pages twice: one capturing only those images to be printed in red, the other capturing only those images to be printed in black. The page literally goes through the press twice; once for the red ink, once for the black.
4. Creating plates from the negatives. Plates have extensions where the press should pick up ink and transfer it to the page.
3. The printer places the plates on the press and runs a first copy. The printer sends the copy to you for review. It is called a page proof or van dyke.

You only review this copy to make sure that the colors were properly separated and that the printer actually performed the work you requested. You should not change any other aspect of the communication product at this point. Doing so will result in creating all new plates for printing; this significantly increases the cost of your job and delays its ultimate completion.

Return the van dyke copy within 24 hoursof receiving it. The longer you hold onto the copy, the longer you delay the printer in completing your job.

4. After receiving your approval, the printer prints the communication product and ships it to the intended destination.

If you have not scheduled your job with a printer in advance of sending the materials, leave 3 weeks for the printing process. Although the printer can actually print the job in less time, the printer might already have work scheduled, which delays attention to your job. The three weeks also includes time for you to review the van dyke copy. The actual time needed for printing your communication product depends on a variety of issues, including:

• Number of pages. The greater the number of pages, the more time needed for printing.
• The number of colors. The greater the number of colors, the more time needed for printing.
• The type of paper. If you use a unique type of paper, you might need to allot time for the paper supplier to manufacture that paper.
• Timing and advance notice. Printers who are prepared for jobs in advance can turn them around more quickly than jobs given to them at the last minute.

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What Happens During Duplicating of Diskettes and CDs

The external service duplicates and ships the diskettes and CDs.

The CD is mastered, then duplicated.

Copies of the diskettes are manufactured, then assmebled with the labels.

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