ARTISAN

What is meant by 'Web Offset' printing?

It states on this site that the Artisan presses are gapless, what does that mean?

How do you match the colour on press if no colour proofs are provided?

What Q.C. procedures do you have in place to maintain consistency throughout the run?

What inline finishes can be applied to my printed covers?

What colour profile should I apply to my proofs?

Do you have a specification for the supply of PDFs?

Can I provide pages in readers spreads?

I am using Adobe InDesign to create my PDFs. Are there any special settings for making the pdf?

How can I send files to you?

What are the most efficient ways of packing my job?

Can my job have inserts bound into it?

What is meant by 'Web Offset' printing?

Web refers to the use of continuous rolls of paper (or webs) supplied to the printing press instead of sheets. Offset is the term for the lithographic printing process which uses a rubber covered cylinder to offset a high quality printing image onto the paper.

It states on this site that the Artisan presses are gapless, what does that mean?

Gapless presses are fitted with the latest technology printing cylinders that are fitted with a rubber covered 'tube' instead of a traditional flat blanket. This enables the press to run more consistently at high speed while maintaining a high quality printing image throughout the print run.

How do you match the colour on press if no colour proofs are provided?

Artisan have GMI closed loop colour control system fitted to every press, this scans the sheet with a spectrophotometer, this run's in house or customer defined density targets.

What Q.C. procedures do you have in place to maintain consistency throughout the run?

Artisan operates a strict Quality Control procedure on press, checking and saving time stamped copies every 10,000 impressions. The GMI closed loop colour control system monitors and maintains consistency throughout the run, if required a retrospective report can be obtained detailing the performance and tolerances achieved.

What inline finishes can be applied to my printed covers?

With the use of our 5 unit presses and in line UV varnishing units we can provide Gloss, Matt and Silk heatset overprint sealer varnish plus a high Gloss overall or spot U/V varnish, all of which are applied inline.

What colour profile should I apply to my proofs?

Industry recognised Fogra 39L as this is the standard that we use for our own proofing and Artisan achieves very high standards when matching to these on press. This standard of proofing forms part of the ISO 12647-2 specification.

Do you have a specification for the supply of PDFs?

We have a document that is supplied to you by the Production Department when you initially start working with Artisan and is available to download from in the Technical Guide section. If this does not provide all the answers you need, a phone call to Artisan should give you the extra support and advise that you need.

Can I provide pages in readers spreads?

Yes if necessary but we would prefer one page per PDF. By supplying singles, the cost of any corrections in kept to a minimum and allows for greater flexibility.

I am using Adobe InDesign to create my PDFs. Are there any special settings for making the pdf?

Yes PDFx1a but please be careful to check any transparent effects. If there is any uncertainty, then please call or email Artisan for further advice.

How can I send files to you?

You can send them via the internet using our secure prepress portal called InSite. Links to this site are available on this page. It allows you to upload the pages direct into the Artisan pre press environment and from there you can track the movement of all of your pages, from any PC/Mac with an internet browser.

What are the most efficient ways of packing my job?

If you job will be going to an onward distributor or maybe a mailing house, your copies will probably be best packed as BPOP. This stands for Bulk Packed On Pallets and means that copies are stacked in suitable bundle sizes, held together by a nylon retaining strap and palletised securely. This is the best method if the recipient is going to be further handling the copies (ie running them through another production line). More complex options include shrink-wrapping which is where each of the single strapped bundles are shrink-wrapped in a clear polythene film. This latter method bridges the gap between BPOP and boxing. Boxing or carton packing literally sees the bundle housed inside an often bespoke sized box.

Can my job have inserts bound into it?

There are a number of ways and therefore a number of things to think about with inserts. They can easily be bound into or indeed loose inserted into a job and it is important that any supplied insert falls within the specification outlined in our guidelines. In short, the best thing to do is to send in some samples so that the Production Department can have a look at them to determine whether there could be any implications. Implications can include physical size, number of pages to the insert, static causing copies to stick together, shape, perforations, the list goes on.

Need technical help? We have a selection of documents which cover most technical queries and highlight common problems. Click on the links below to download more detailed information.