Printing Terms 101
Paper Fish Printing uses a variety of methods in producing a final product. Here is an explanation of some of the common terms you will hear at a print shop.
CMYK means Cyan, Magenta, Yellow and Black. These are the four colors that are needed to create all of the colors in the spectrum to provide full color printing.
Die Cutting uses a wooden die with metal (in the shape of the piece). It is placed on a letterpress and the paper is pressed onto the die and cut into the desired shape.
Digital printing most often uses a toner based system that creates full color. Digital printing is ideal for "smaller" runs.
Embossing uses heat and pressure to create a 3-D image on the paper. Heat, a metal die and a counter die are used on the Kluge letterpress as well. The image will be either blind embossed (the paper itself is raised with no added colors to the image), registered emboss (ink is placed directly on top of the raised image) or foil embossed (foil is placed on top of the raised image).
Foil Stamping is a process that uses heat and pressure to adhere foil to paper. A metal die (made of magnesium, copper or brass) with the image to be foiled is positioned onto our Kluge letterpress. Then a roll of foil is loaded onto the press. Foil comes in a dizzying variety of colors and even patterns. Gold and silver are the top two most popular colors chosen, but blue, red, purple, green, holographic patterns, tints and more are available. Foiling creates a flat image in whichever color you choose.
Offset printing is a process in which the press plate is inked up and the image is transferred (offset) from the plate to a rubber blanket, then to the paper.
Pantone® colors use a small number of base pigments, including black and white ink to acheive many different colors. Often referred to as a "spot" color, these pigments are mixed together to produce a single ink used on the offset press. If you use a magnifier you cannot see any "dots." (See Process Printing). The Pantone® Matching System (PMS) is a standardized color system.
Process printing uses CMYK ink on an offset press. These four colors create tiny dots that create a full color image. They cannot be seen by the naked eye, but if you use a magnifier you can see them. This method is most cost effective for "larger" runs.
Spot Color is a "single" color of ink.
Thermography is a process in which the ink that runs through the press to your piece is raised. The paper itself remains flat. A special powder and heat are used to "puff up" the ink so that it can be felt. At Paper Fish Printing, we provide regular thermography and laser printer safe thermography. Regular thermography is used on business cards and items that are run through an ink jet printer. Laser safe thermography enables a printed product to be used in a laser printer or copier without melting.
UV coating produces a high gloss shiny coating to your piece.