OUGD504 - Studio Brief 1 Print Pt 2

This afternoon we bought in five pieces of print, and I bought in a 8 Faces magazine, a zine that came with it, an Oasis drink label, a train ticket and a notebook.

In groups we had to separate the items into different categories. 
The first one was Format.

• Editorial
• Packaging
• Labels
• Flyers
• Products
• Tickets
• Business cards

Then we had to separate them into mass produced; short run and bespoke.

Then we separated them into colour, so monotone, two to four colour and then full colour.

We then arranged them into what processes were used to make them. Processes include digital print, debossing, spot varnish, screenprinting and foiling.

We then arranged them into Information and Wayfinding, Editorial and Publishing and Packaging and Promotion. 

We then arranged them into how much we thought they would cost to print in order of cheapest to expensive.

We then were asked to write down a list of things we don't know but would like to:

• How to do a gloss finish on resolutions
• How to print onto 3D products such as plastic
• How to emboss/deboss - costs, time, resources

We now have to find out the answers to these.

How to do a spot varnish finish on resolutions

It creates a shiny finish to certain areas on a design which can look really effective and make things stand out. There were a couple of things on the table which had this such as the 8 Faces magazine I bought in and a book that Jamie bought in.

A varnish is a clear ink that can be applied to designs to make them last longer as well as being able to create different effects. A 'spot' is an area of the design to which the effect is going to be applied. Varnishes come in a variety of thicknesses, and UV is the thickest which works well for spot varnish. It is done by a printer, which you tell where to apply the varnish - similar to a laser cutter I assume. However it is quite an expensive process as it uses an expensive bit of machinery and the more intricate it needs to be, the more expensive it is.

How to print onto 3D products such as plastic?

I looked at a company who print onto plastic, Reflect Plastic Printing, and use 'pre-press, printing and finishing machinery'. This picture shows a Komori press, which is what is used to print onto plastic. They use UV screen and Litho printing, and print onto Polypropylene, PETG, PVC and Vinyl.

How do you emboss and deboss?
I know that this can be done at Vernon street, but I don't know how it works or how to prepare for it. A few of us asked the tutors at Vernon street about this method and they said they would do a workshop for us tomorrow, so I will post the answer of this question on that blog post.