So you have printed your document and now what? This is a question most people don’t think of when acquiring a printer for home use or the office. Ironically, this is the aspect in which a professional printer can add the most value. Without a big addition to the costs a printer can turn a pile of printing into a product. In the printing world, we call this “finishing”, and it can make your printing much more effective and pleasant to use.
Typical processes include combinations of:
- Creasing [to make sure paper folds accurately without cracking]
- Folding [to make a compact leaflet out of a bulky flat piece of paper]
- Laminating [to provide a durable finish with a good feel to it]
- Numbering and perforating [for coupons, raffle tickets and duplicate books]
- Padding [an inexpensive way to turn an unruly pile of paper into a useful pad]
- Binding [in various forms, makes a document much more user friendly]
- Sticker application [makes a simple sticker into a useful sign]
The one thing all of these have in common, is that the “finished” product becomes more than just ink on paper. This can make the information more appealing, useful, more valuable and more readily consumed.
There are other specialised finishing processes including, foiling, embossing, varnishing, die-cutting, eyeleting, packaging, stringing and so on. What they all have in common with the above processes is that they require specialist training and, equipment beyond just a printing machine. One can avoid all these add on costs by simply making use of a printing company that can take care of these things in house from start to finish.
Experienced printing specialists will consider the requirements of each relevant finishing process such as binding margins, trimming, registration tolerances and many other practical issues including the budgeted timescales. Planning for the processes beyond printing is an area where an experienced designer, print estimator or print manager, can add enormous value and save on potential wastage.
The added value will set you apart from your competition and make your printing so much more effective in the hands of your clients.
A well finished product differentiates one in the eyes of the consumer and clearly separates an amateur product from a professional product.
“Beyond Paper & Ink”.
