Sappi Fine Paper North America

At the Printer

From pre-press to binding, the printing process is sophisticated, complicated and requires expert knowledge along the way. More importantly, every project is unique, so it is essential to meet with your printer and a Sappi salesperson to talk about the distinct opportunities and challenges that your job presents. Through years of experience, they know how to orchestrate the expert team of color separators, proofers, pressmen and bindery operators to produce the best results.

It is also important to have a clear idea of what will be expected of you and the printer leading up to press time, as well as what to anticipate at the press check. Below is an overview of the press check process so you can minimize surprises and familiarize yourself with procedures.

Original Files
Clearly, what you provide the printer to start with has the greatest impact on what you’ll get back. Although there are industry standard file formats, some printers have special requirements. Be sure to ask in advance how they would like your files prepared. Also, confirm that the printer has the fonts you’re using; if not you will have to provide them.

Signature
The printer must balance finding the most efficient and economical layout for your job (one that will use the paper and press time most economically) with one that avoids any problems with color contingencies on press. The number of pages, the finished size and the press size are all important factors to consider.

Proofing
There are a variety of proofing methods available today, and each choice is somewhat different. Your printer has chosen the proofing medium that works best within their workflow system and comes the closest to forecasting what the printed results will look like. In both analog and digital proofing methods, low-end systems are used as an inexpensive double-check for page layouts, color breaks, and copy corrections while high-end systems are used for color approvals.

Marking up a Proof
Often, it isn’t possible to be in the same room with your printer when going over color proofs. If you aren’t in the same room, at least make sure that you are in the same kind of lighting. It’s essential that you and your printer are viewing the originals and the proofs in a controlled and consistent lighting situation. A color or light booth, with light boxes and overhead lights, that meet the specified 5000° K ANSI standards and color-neutral walls, is critical when discussing or looking at color long distance. The environment in which color is viewed can impact it dramatically, as you can see by looking at the same image under incandescent (home) lighting versus fluorescent (office) light.

The Pressroom
You’ve approved the color proofs and you’re in the pressroom ready to roll. Start by establishing a rapport with the pressman. He is there because of his expertise in the capabilities of the press he’s running and how to get what you want on paper. Needless to say, he knows more than you do about how his press can achieve the color you desire and how to make changes, so don’t be afraid to ask his advice. Good communication is paramount to a good press check.

Step-by-Step Approval
Make sure you have all the materials you’ll need on hand, such as final color proofs, product swatches, ink draw-downs (ink on paper tests) and patience. This is your opportunity to check print quality. Is the color right? Are the flesh tones realistic? Is it in register? Does the type have crisp edges with clean knockouts? Check for hot spots, broken type, scratches and dirt.

As a rule, it’s always better to tell the printer what you want, or what you want to change, rather than telling him how to do it. For example, you can say that an area “looks too red” and let the printer decide what the cause of that is. If you tell him to take magenta out, you may find out when it’s gone that the problem was actually that there was not enough cyan or yellow. Let the printer use his expertise to solve problems. And keep in mind that it’s always better to make a series of small shifts rather than big ones. Don’t hesitate to ask the printer to take the press sheet and fold and trim the sheet for you to visualize how the color is running from page to page, especially if the image and/or copy crosses over the gutter.

Signing Off
When you like it, sign it. On a multi-form job, you’ll want to have all your approved sheets available at press to compare with the current press form. You’ll be able to see how images clean up and color “settles in.” Modern presses are designed to run fast and you will generally see a much cleaner sheet once the press gets up to speed. Keep approved sheets, printed on both sides, to bring back to your office for future reference.