Reduce Costs Without Cracking

A heavy crease, about 3mm wide, is pressed into the board before folding to assist with the prevention of cracking along the fold in papers & boards over the weight of 160gsm. Creasing is especially important if the job is printed over the folded area.

There are various methods in producing the crease, but the two most popular are detailed below.
The most reliable is using a Heidelberg cylinder, which presses the crease into the board.  Although you achieve a quality crease and it would be recommended for anything over 250gsm in weight, it is expensive. A die needs to be produced, the sheets run slowly through the machine and there is the separate process of folding.

A Tri-crease can be used as an alternative.
This is an attachment which fits onto the folding machine, allowing a crease and fold to be produced in line and will run as fast as the folding machine. Although a more cost effective process, there are limitations in the weight of material that’s suitable, usually up to 200-250gsm.

So next time you think a job needs creasing... ask yourself,
"Can I get by with a Tri ?"

3 Quick Tips For Getting Print Delivered On Time

1). It sounds simple but check you have the full delivery address (including postcode, telephone number and contact name if possible). Most of the overnight couriers use postcodes these days, so if your shipment is important and time crucial, it’s worth spending the time double checking it’s correct. These can be can be verified for free online at www.royalmail.com/postcodes4free Make sure the address label is securely fixed to the package/s and include a return address, just in case!

2). Use suitable packaging. If you want your shipment to arrive in one piece use sturdy corrugated boxes (minimum of double walled) of the correct size and weight for the content and use bubble wrap. Cramming something into the wrong sized box will end in tears as the box will either split from being overfilled or damage the goods if they are rattling around in a part filled box. Ensure these are securely fixed and sealed with packaging tape.

3). Use the correct courier for the size of the job. We use several different overnight carriers depending on the size of the shipment, we wouldn’t necessarily send an envelope containing a printing proof out with the same company that we would use to send 6 boxes or a pallet. It’s a competitive market use it to your advantage.

p.s. Much to my colleagues disapproval I always try and re-use packaging, it’s good for the environment and saves on costs. It may not look smart, but what does that matter as long as the content is received in perfect condition!

How to achieve a dense black - Litho printing

How to achieve a dense black? 
Many contemporary designs use large areas of solid dark colours. Black solid areas in particular, have a tendency to look dull or washed out when printed in 4 colour process, especially on uncoated and matte paper finishes. Generally speaking this is because the black ink used in CMYK (litho process), is less dense, than that used in a single colour 'black only' job.

"The best way to 'achieve a dense black' is by using an underpin; it isn't as complicated to set up as some people may think."

The solution is an 'underpin'
An underpin works by boosting the black's density with a neutral colour underneath; but without creating an overly large amount of ink on the sheet.  For a designer, or an artworker, the easiest option is to create a 'special black' for the areas they want to appear dense and dark. 

A 'special black'? 
The 'special black' needs to contain the underpin colour and can be easily created in most design packages.  The most commonly used underpin is a 40% tint of Cyan. So our custom black needs to be created as a 4 colour process colour with a 4 colour break down of: 40% Cyan, 0% Magenta, 0% Yellow, and 100% Black. See below for a visual

Advantages! 

For an easy way to create a dense black, the use of a 'special black' colour works brilliantly.  The main advantage of this method, is to keep the normal process black colour available for any type used in the design (which would look messy with an underpin). 

Also, this technique is the most widely used, and litho printers are generally comfortable printing files which use the special black method.

A unique Christmas Card Design

Are you tired of being offered Christmas cards where your logo and company details are simply dropped onto a generic design? Have you had the humiliation of receiving several Christmas cards that share your design?

So you want to be unique, you have a wonderful design but find the cost prohibitive? fret no more!

We can offer you a high quality Christmas card, including envelopes and delivery for nearly half of what you would normally expect to pay.

Simply click on the link

New easy way to Upload Artwork - no more FTP!

I feel that our lives and those of our clients are going to be a little easier from now on. Uploading large artwork files to ftp sites can be temperamental to say the least. The stress of urgent print jobs is often made worse because the files can't or won't load.

Well all that has changed. All you need to do is log onto the avenue printing website , enter your username and password and then enter the Customer Area page.

The progress bar does what it says so you know exactly when uploading is finished. Once upload is complete, an email is automatically generated and sent to your account manager. Try it! you'll love it!

Once you have used our new Artwork Upload facility we would love to know what you think.