OUGD504 - Brief 3 - Commercial Printing Estimates

OUGD504: Brief 3: Type In Context

Commercial Printing Estimates 

Following on from my commercial considerations I wanted to see roughly how much it wold cost to produce my publication, although these estimates were taken from online printing services and would not be accurate with the inclusion of the GF Smith Stock and cotton thread saddle stitching it gives me an estimate and critical awareness to take away from this brief. I unfortunately did not have time to contact high end creative printers due to the time contains of the brief. I was supposed how cheaply the publications could be printed in this format however would opt to choose a more specialist print house such as evolution print or pressision printers as they have more creative printing strategies and would allow me to create a higher quality resolution with the use of specialist papers and a more sophisticated binding method. 


www.bookprintinguk.com

http://www.inkylittlefingers.co.uk

http://www.printmasters.co.uk

OUGD504 - Brief 3 - Commercial Considerations

OUGD504: Brief 3: Type In Context

Commercial Considerations 

The talks from visiting professionals made me realise that by resolution should have commercial application and therefore needed to consider the commercial considerations of producing my publication on a larger scale rather than the bespoke mock up I will make for the resolution to this brief. I realised through these talks there are a range of factors taken into account when producing a publication commercially which aim to lower the overall cost of production. 

When considering the commercial printing process that my publication would need I arrived at the conclusion that digital or litho printing would be the most appropriate methods as due to the specialist nature of the publication a mass scale run would not be feasible as the product is likely to be sold in specialist bookstores to a niche market therefore would not be a subsequent demand for huge volumes making digital or litho the most cost effective printing processes. 

The cut out on the cover would probably be die cut if produced on a large scale, although this will increate the production cost it creates a bold iconic cover that appeals to the audience and makes the book visually engaging. Die cut seemed the most effective method for this however after talking to evolution print found they would have to outsource laser cutting for the cut out as they waves were too intricate for their machines however this would vary when contacting a range of printers if producing the publication commercially. 

My publication is currently saddle stitched by hand in a contrasting cotton thread which elevates the quality of the design however if produced on a larger scale may have to be stapled dependant on the excess cost of thread binding each book. Stapling will also reduce any human error that may be a result of hand stitching as it will be done mechanically ensuring the production of the outcome is as efficient as possible potentially at the expense of the aesthetic although these are necessary concepts that would be discussed with the printers in depth. 

If producing my publication commercially I would have to justify the selection of stock. The use of GF Smith stock for the covers will increase the overall production cost however due to the specialist target audience of creatives and graphic designers feel the stock choice is justified  it will appeal to this creative target audience. The stock choice gives the publication a high end aesthetic that feels great in the hand and due to the target audience feel it would be appropriate for the covers and to use a standard cheaper stock for the content. 

Due to the specialist nature of my publication the demand will not be as high as a main stream book therefore will have to market my publication at a slightly higher price point to ensure it is commercially viable. This reinforces my design decisions to use higher quality materials as this will naturally make the customer feel it is high end publication and worth a higher price than a simple staple bound inject printed zine. 

These commercial considerations demonstrate my insight to designing with a commercial mind, I have highlighted my awareness of potential commercial compromises that would need to be made to ensure the commercial viability of the product from a cost perspective and am aware of commercial limitations. 

OUGD504 - Brief 3 - Evolution Print Talk

OUGD504: Brief 3: Type In Context

Evolution Print Talk

Evolution print came into the studio to give an overview of commercial printing which was really helpful in giving an overview as to how this can link in with my practise and creating commercial considerations whilst designing. They are based in Sheffield and deal with premium high quality printing. 

I was told about the 3 main types of printing they deal with; Web Print which is printed onto a large roll, perfect for newspapers or magazines that are produced in a mass scale. Digital printing which is mot suitable for short runs or around 300-400 as it works on a click charge in which you pay for every sheet of side printed on and Litho printing which falls in-between the two in terms of suitability for runs. Litho produces CMYK plates which is where the bulk of the cost lies and then the physical printing is fairly cheap. He explained there is a fine line between digital and litho printing in terms of cost effective printing he estimated that 500 is the cut off point between digital and litho in terms of the most cost effective printing. 

I was given good tips on commercial considerations such as 60+ pages for a publication is typically where perfect bound books start. 8,16,32 page booklets are the cost effective when produced and you can get the most for your money, I feel this will be really useful when designing on a budget in the future. He explained they use FSC paper which can be used as a good selling point to the client as it suitable, they further this by using vegetable inks and have other environmental protection procedures in place to limit the effect on the environment. 

This talk gave me a great insight into the commercial print world and how I can design in future with certain commercial considerations. I will take away a lot from this talk and have a better understanding of how to work with the printers when ultimately producing live work. 

OUGD504 - Brief 3 - G F Smith Talk

OUGD504: Brief 3: Type In Context

G F Smith Talk 

Matthew Scarf from GF Smith came into the studio to give a talk about the company and how it influences the industry as well as how I can start to use them as a student. He gave a brief history of the company before talking about the different paper options they supply the main strand being the colour plan selection which features 50 colours, 25 embossings and 8 weights these are all dyed creating beautiful high quality stock that has no white edges and a luxurious feel. They also stock a range of specialist papers that each have unique properties and can elevate the quality of a project. Matt talked us through the factory services the offer which included; 

• Handmake envelopes
• Duplexing 
• Bespoke dummies 
• sampling service

He talked about how we as students can request samples through the university to allow us to start to engage with the stock within our current practise. I took away from the talk how the choice of stock can inform a design and really elevate the quality of the outcome, the papers from GF Smith will create a luxury feel for the resolution and further appeal to an audience. Following the talk matt brought in a range of samples for us to look at all using GF Smith stock this demonstrated to me just how the informed use of approbate stock can elevate a piece of print and add a totally new dimensions and connotations to the resolution.  

Samples:

From the talk I took away that I could use GF Smith stock to create a much higher quality publication, I found that it would be unfeasible from both an availability perspective and commercial perspective to produce my whole publication from GF Smith stock but could use it for the cover to create a high quality luxury feel to the publication. Looking through the sample book I looked at a range of colours ultimately deciding on Turquoise from the colour plan section to experiment with,  I chose 220GSM for this to create a significant weight for the cover. I also chose a selection of Plike paper from the specialist papers section, I loved the texture of the paper and vibrancy of the colours featured, The ink sat interesting on the stock adding an almost reflective quality to the text. I Chose the 330GSM Orange ensuring a high quality thick cover that would complement the inside spreads and have a great feel within the hand and look amazing with its bold and vibrant colour. To contrast this I chose the 140 GSM black Plike I chose a lighter weight for the smaller cover to reduce the bulk on the spine and reduce the overall thickness of the publication. 

The online order form is 25 sheets minimum which would be unfeasible for a mock up however due to the small scale of my publication the A4 sample size would be big enough to produce my cover from the samples. Although the use of GF Smith stock will increate the production cost of my publication I feel it will be necessary if it elevates the quality of the resolution and will be appropriate due to the specialist target audience who will have a informed knowledge of stock if they are from a creative/Graphic design background.