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From file to finished print
As a graphic technician you stand between the digital file and the finished physical product. Your task is to make what looks good on screen look at least as good on paper — in large quantities and without errors.
Before anything runs on the machine, the files are checked. Are the colours set up correctly? Is there enough trim? Is the text sharp? An error discovered before printing costs minutes — the same error discovered after printing can cost an entire print run.
Colors on a screen and colors on paper work differently. The screen blends light while printing blends dye. Therefore in printing one typically works with four primary colors that together can render a large color spectrum.
| Color system | Where it is used | Principle |
|---|---|---|
| RGB | Screens | Blends red, green and blue light |
| CMYK | Pressure | Blends cyan, magenta, yellow and black ink |
| Specialty colors | Logos and precise brand colours | Mixed colour for uniform result |
When the machine is running, you watch quality the whole time: are colors right, is the print sharp, is the paper clean? You take sample sheets and compare to the approved result. If you spot a deviation, you adjust before it affects the whole run.
After printing, the product often needs to be trimmed, folded, stapled, or glued. A beautiful print that is trimmed crooked or folded incorrectly is still a defective product. Therefore, post-processing is just as important as the printing itself — this is where the product gets its final form.