Education – Paper, Print & Design

At GSM, we've written a few articles on the various methods of binding. In this article we look specifically at the craft of case binding... Case binding is the method of binding ‘hardback’ books or documents. Unlike ‘softback’ binding methods, such as Perfect / PUR / Burst or saddle stitching, Case binding involves a significant amount of manual work. This extra work reflects the higher cost of this binding method. There are, however, many advantages with Case binding over the softback methods. Hardback documents can often be opened flat—which is not possible with a large Perfect / PUR or Burst...

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Working with printed colour requires not only creative flair, but also some technical knowledge about how colour is produced in print. In this article GSM takes a look at getting the most from CMYK colour. In the world of offset print, CMYK stands for Cyan, Magenta, Yellow and Key (black). It is also known as process colour. What is important to understand with offset print is the difference between onscreen colour and printed colour. There is nothing worse than seeing that the colours of a freshly printed piece don’t look anything like they did on-screen. This is not the fault...

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Using coloured text in printed magazines and documents is certainly more vibrant than stock standard black text on white stock. However, it can present some potential challenges at the printing stage. In this article, GSM looks at using coloured body text in print documents and how to avoid potential pitfalls... The use of coloured text is quite likely a knock-on influence from its popularity in digital design. Using colour when designing for screens is easy, as what you see is what you get. But, in the world of offset print, the print process itself adds technical challenges that the designer...

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The unexpected combination of design, colour & print finish, and choice of paper for the front cover of GSM10 created a result with a difference. Sometimes a little experimentation can create surprising results... For the cover of GSM10 we used a textured uncoated paper, BJ Ball Advocate Linen, on which we printed two spot colours - Pantone 876 (Metallic Bronze) and Pantone 804 (Neon Orange). Combining fluoros and metallics on an uncoated paper is usually a big "No No" but pushing the boundaries can create something special.. Replicating the Cover of GSM10 Advocate Linen is an uncoated textured paper from...

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Offset printing is more than a touch of a button. It takes skilled trades people, with years of experience, to transform an artwork file into a finished printed job. GSM takes a tour of Spectrum Print, in Christchurch, to see how it is done... So, what actually happens when you send an artwork file to an offset print house? We sent designer and photographer, Marty Anderson, along to Spectrum Print in Christchurch to find out. Marty shadowed a number of projects going through the printery so we could see the various stages of offset printing. The first thing that can...

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Recently, BJ Ball launched brand new swatch books to replace the older fan-apart system. No simple task when you need to accommodate and showcase more than 360 individual paper stock/weight combinations. In GSM14, we talk to Alf Walker, Creative Director at Zoo Creative, about the unique challenges and nuances of this complex project. The team at Zoo produced the original fan-apart swatches for BJ Ball back in 2014. It was an enormous project in itself, but we always felt there was room for improvement. Having the opportunity to design the BJ Ball swatch books a second time was very exciting....

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Digital print technology has evolved rapidly over the last five years. To the point that you can now create embellishment effects that, previously, could only be produced with offset or letterpress. This opens a whole new world of possibilities for designers when working on short-run print projects. In GSM13, we took a look at some of the latest finishes and print effects that can be achieved using digital print systems. Specialty Toners & Varnishes Some digital print systems have the capacity to use toners beyond standard CMYK. Depending on the system, these can include other supplementary colours such as white...

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