Digital Printing
Digital Printing is the reproduction of digital images on physical surface, such as common or photographic paper, film, cloth, plastic, etc.
It can be differentiated from litho printing in many ways, some of which are:
* Every impression made onto the paper can be different, as opposed to making several hundred or thousand impressions of the same thing from one set of plates, as in traditional methods.
* The Ink or Toner does not absorb into the paper, as does conventional Ink, but forms a layer on the surface.
* It generally requires less waste in terms of chemicals used and paper wasted in set up.
* It is excellent for rapid prototyping, or small print runs which means that it is more accessible to a wider range of designers.
Variable-data printing (VDP) (also known as variable-information printing (VIP)) is a form of on-demand printing in which elements such as text, graphics and images may be changed from one printed piece to the next without stopping or slowing down the printing process, using information from a database or external file. For example, a set of personalized letters, each with the same basic layout, can be printed with a different name and address on each letter. Variable data printing is mainly used for direct marketing, customer relationship management and advertising and invoicing.
The technique is a direct outgrowth of digital printing, which harnesses computer databases and digital print devices to create high-quality, full color documents, with a look and feel comparable to conventional offset printing.
Variable data printing enables the mass customization of documents via digital print technology, as opposed to the 'mass-production' of a single document using offset lithography. Instead of producing 10,000 copies of a single document, delivering a single message to 10,000 customers, variable data printing could print 10,000 unique documents with customized messages for each customer.
There are two main operational modes to VDP. In one methodology, the document template and the variable information are both sent to Raster Image Processor (RIP) which combines the two to produce each unique document. The other methodology is to combine the static and variable elements prior to printing, using specialized VDP software applications. These applications produce an optimized print stream, such as PostScript and PPML, which organize the print stream efficiently so that the static elements are only processed once by the RIP.
There are several levels of variable printing. The most basic level involves changing the salutation or name on each copy. More complicated variable data printing uses 'versioning', where there may be differing amounts of customization for different markets, with text and images changing for groups of addressees based upon which segment of the market is being addressed. Finally there is full variability printing, where the text and images can be altered for each individual addressee. All three types of variable data printing begin with a basic design that indicates which sections can be altered and a database of information that fills in the changeable fields. Since 2005, the term TransPromo or transpromotional has emerged to cover the merging of promotional content and transactional print pieces by involving more business users in the printing process.
The returns for variable printing vary from double the normal return at the basic level to 10-15 times the return for fully variable jobs. This naturally depends on content and the relevancy of that content, but the technique presents an effective tool for increasing ROI on marketing campaigns.
Origin of the Concept
The term variable-data printing was first introduced to the printing industry by Frank Romano, Professor Emeritus, School of Print Media, at the College of Imaging Arts and Sciences at Rochester Institute of Technology.[citation needed] However, the concept of merging static document elements and variable document elements predates the term and has seen various implementations ranging from simple desktop 'mail merge', to complex mainframe applications in the financial and banking industry. In the past, the term VDP has been most closely associated with digital printing presses. However, in the past 3 years the application of this technology has spread to web pages, eMails, and mobile messaging.
Card stock, also called cover stock, is a paper stock that is thicker and more durable than normal writing or printing paper, but thinner and more flexible than other forms of paperboard. Card stock is often used for postcards, playing cards, catalog covers, scrapbooking, and other uses which require higher durability than regular paper. The texture is usually smooth, but can be textured, metallic, or glossy.
Card stock thickness is often described by pound weight. Pound weight is the weight of 500, 20" by 26" sheets. This differs from how text stock is determined, which assumes 500, 25" by 38" sheets. Most of the world used the term grammage to describe the weight of the paper in grams per square meter. The term Card stock is used to describe paper with weights from 50# to 110# (about 175 to 400 g/m). In the US, card stock thickness is usually measured in points or mils that gives the thickness of the sheet in thousandths of an inch. For example, a 10 pt. card is 0.010" thick; 12 pt. is 0.012".
Pad printing is a printing process that can transfer a 2-D image onto a 3-D object. This is accomplished using an indirect offset (gravure) printing process that involves an image being transferred from the printing plate (clich) via a silicone pad onto a substrate (surface to be printed). Pad printing is used for printing on otherwise impossible products in many industries including medical, automotive, promotional, apparel, electronics, appliances, sports equipment and toys. It can also be used to deposit functional materials such as conductive inks, adhesives, dyes and lubricants.
Physical changes within the ink film both on the clich and on the pad allow it leave the etched image area in favor of adhering to the pad, and to subsequently release from the pad in favor of adhering to the substrate (material being printed).
The unique properties of the silicone pad enable it to pick the image up from a flat plane and transfer it to a variety of surface (i.e. flat, cylindrical, spherical, compound angles, textures, concave surfaces, convex surfaces).
Page orientation is the way in which a rectangular page is oriented for normal viewing. The two most common types of orientation are portrait and landscape. Portrait orientation is where the height of the page is greater than the width, and is more common for the pages of books. Landscape orientation, where the width of the page is greater than the height, is often used for images and diagrams that need to be wider than a portrait page.
Page orientation is also used to describe the dimensions of a video display. The most common video display orientation is landscape mode, specifically known as the 4:3 ratio which is 4 units wide and 3 units tall, and the more recent 16:9 widescreen landscape display mode. Portrait screen orientation does exist for computers, but is not in popular usage. Portrait is preferred for editing page-layout work in order to view the entire page on the screen at once without wasted space along the sides.
For comments and inquiries about this article visit:Digital Printing and Color Printing
http://www.moxicopy.com
It can be differentiated from litho printing in many ways, some of which are:
* Every impression made onto the paper can be different, as opposed to making several hundred or thousand impressions of the same thing from one set of plates, as in traditional methods.
* The Ink or Toner does not absorb into the paper, as does conventional Ink, but forms a layer on the surface.
* It generally requires less waste in terms of chemicals used and paper wasted in set up.
* It is excellent for rapid prototyping, or small print runs which means that it is more accessible to a wider range of designers.
Variable-data printing (VDP) (also known as variable-information printing (VIP)) is a form of on-demand printing in which elements such as text, graphics and images may be changed from one printed piece to the next without stopping or slowing down the printing process, using information from a database or external file. For example, a set of personalized letters, each with the same basic layout, can be printed with a different name and address on each letter. Variable data printing is mainly used for direct marketing, customer relationship management and advertising and invoicing.
The technique is a direct outgrowth of digital printing, which harnesses computer databases and digital print devices to create high-quality, full color documents, with a look and feel comparable to conventional offset printing.
Variable data printing enables the mass customization of documents via digital print technology, as opposed to the 'mass-production' of a single document using offset lithography. Instead of producing 10,000 copies of a single document, delivering a single message to 10,000 customers, variable data printing could print 10,000 unique documents with customized messages for each customer.
There are two main operational modes to VDP. In one methodology, the document template and the variable information are both sent to Raster Image Processor (RIP) which combines the two to produce each unique document. The other methodology is to combine the static and variable elements prior to printing, using specialized VDP software applications. These applications produce an optimized print stream, such as PostScript and PPML, which organize the print stream efficiently so that the static elements are only processed once by the RIP.
There are several levels of variable printing. The most basic level involves changing the salutation or name on each copy. More complicated variable data printing uses 'versioning', where there may be differing amounts of customization for different markets, with text and images changing for groups of addressees based upon which segment of the market is being addressed. Finally there is full variability printing, where the text and images can be altered for each individual addressee. All three types of variable data printing begin with a basic design that indicates which sections can be altered and a database of information that fills in the changeable fields. Since 2005, the term TransPromo or transpromotional has emerged to cover the merging of promotional content and transactional print pieces by involving more business users in the printing process.
The returns for variable printing vary from double the normal return at the basic level to 10-15 times the return for fully variable jobs. This naturally depends on content and the relevancy of that content, but the technique presents an effective tool for increasing ROI on marketing campaigns.
Origin of the Concept
The term variable-data printing was first introduced to the printing industry by Frank Romano, Professor Emeritus, School of Print Media, at the College of Imaging Arts and Sciences at Rochester Institute of Technology.[citation needed] However, the concept of merging static document elements and variable document elements predates the term and has seen various implementations ranging from simple desktop 'mail merge', to complex mainframe applications in the financial and banking industry. In the past, the term VDP has been most closely associated with digital printing presses. However, in the past 3 years the application of this technology has spread to web pages, eMails, and mobile messaging.
Card stock, also called cover stock, is a paper stock that is thicker and more durable than normal writing or printing paper, but thinner and more flexible than other forms of paperboard. Card stock is often used for postcards, playing cards, catalog covers, scrapbooking, and other uses which require higher durability than regular paper. The texture is usually smooth, but can be textured, metallic, or glossy.
Card stock thickness is often described by pound weight. Pound weight is the weight of 500, 20" by 26" sheets. This differs from how text stock is determined, which assumes 500, 25" by 38" sheets. Most of the world used the term grammage to describe the weight of the paper in grams per square meter. The term Card stock is used to describe paper with weights from 50# to 110# (about 175 to 400 g/m). In the US, card stock thickness is usually measured in points or mils that gives the thickness of the sheet in thousandths of an inch. For example, a 10 pt. card is 0.010" thick; 12 pt. is 0.012".
Pad printing is a printing process that can transfer a 2-D image onto a 3-D object. This is accomplished using an indirect offset (gravure) printing process that involves an image being transferred from the printing plate (clich) via a silicone pad onto a substrate (surface to be printed). Pad printing is used for printing on otherwise impossible products in many industries including medical, automotive, promotional, apparel, electronics, appliances, sports equipment and toys. It can also be used to deposit functional materials such as conductive inks, adhesives, dyes and lubricants.
Physical changes within the ink film both on the clich and on the pad allow it leave the etched image area in favor of adhering to the pad, and to subsequently release from the pad in favor of adhering to the substrate (material being printed).
The unique properties of the silicone pad enable it to pick the image up from a flat plane and transfer it to a variety of surface (i.e. flat, cylindrical, spherical, compound angles, textures, concave surfaces, convex surfaces).
Page orientation is the way in which a rectangular page is oriented for normal viewing. The two most common types of orientation are portrait and landscape. Portrait orientation is where the height of the page is greater than the width, and is more common for the pages of books. Landscape orientation, where the width of the page is greater than the height, is often used for images and diagrams that need to be wider than a portrait page.
Page orientation is also used to describe the dimensions of a video display. The most common video display orientation is landscape mode, specifically known as the 4:3 ratio which is 4 units wide and 3 units tall, and the more recent 16:9 widescreen landscape display mode. Portrait screen orientation does exist for computers, but is not in popular usage. Portrait is preferred for editing page-layout work in order to view the entire page on the screen at once without wasted space along the sides.
For comments and inquiries about this article visit:Digital Printing and Color Printing
http://www.moxicopy.com