Print study task four; specialist production & definitions.

Book binding. 

There are various commercial techniques in use today. Today, most commercially produced books belong to one of four categories:

Hardcover binding

A hardcover, hardbound book has rigid covers and is stitched in the spine. Looking from the top of the spine, the book can be seen to consist of a number of signatures bound together. When the book is opened in the middle of a signature, the binding threads are visible. Signatures of hardcover books are typically octavo (a single sheet folded three times), though they may also be folio, quarto, or 16mo. Unusually large and heavy books are sometimes bound with wire.

Until the mid-20th century, covers of mass-produced books were laid with cloth, but from that period onwards, most publishers adopted clothette, a kind of textured paper which vaguely resembles cloth but is easily differentiated on close inspection. Most cloth-bound books are now half-and-half covers with cloth covering only the spine. In that case, the cover has a paper overlap. The covers of modern hardback books are made of thick cardboard.

Some books that appeared in the mid-20th century signature-bound appear in reprinted editions in glued-together editions. It is often difficult to find a copy of such books stitched together in their original format. They are sought for aesthetic and practical reasons.

A variation of the hardcover which is more durable is the calf-binding, where the cover is either half or fully clad in leather, usually from a calf. This is also called full-bound or, simply, leather bound.

Library binding refers to the hardcover binding of serials and paperback books intended for the rigors of library use. Though many publishers have started to provide "library binding" editions, many libraries elect to purchase paperbacks and have them rebound as hardcover books, resulting in longer life for the material.

Methods of hardcover binding

There are a number of methods used to bind hardcover books, from them:

1. Case binding is the most common type of hardcover binding for books. The pages are arranged in signatures and glued together into a "textblock.". The textblock is then attached to the cover or "case" which is made of cardboard covered with paper, cloth, vinyl or leather. This is also known as perfect binding, cloth binding, or edition binding.
2. Oversewing, where the signatures of the book start off as loose pages which are then clamped together. Small vertical holes are punched through the far left-hand edge of each signature, and then the signatures are sewn together with lock-stitches to form the text block. Oversewing is a very strong method of binding and can be done on books up to five inches thick. However, the margins of oversewn books are reduced and the pages will not lie flat when opened.
3. Sewing through the fold (also called Smyth sewn), where the signatures of the book are folded and stitched through the fold. The signatures are then sewn or glued together at the spine to form a text block. In contrast to oversewing, through-the-fold books have wide margins and can open completely flat. However, the text block of a sewn-through-the-fold book is not very secure, which can cause some signatures to come loose over time. Many varieties of sewing stitches exist, from basic links to complex decorative stitches. While Western books are generally sewn through holes punched along the fold, some Asian bindings, such as the Retchoso or Butterfly Stitch of Japan, use small slits instead of punched holes.
4. Double-fan adhesive binding starts off with two signatures of loose pages, which are run over a roller—"fanning" the pages—to apply a thin layer of glue to each page edge. Then the two signatures are perfectly aligned to form a text block, and glue edges of the text block are attached to a piece of cloth lining to form the spine. Double-fan adhesive bound books can open completely flat and have a wide margin. However, certain types of paper do not hold adhesive well, and, with wear and tear, the pages can come loose.

Different types of the punch and bind binding include:

Punch and bind

1. Double wire, twin loop, or Wire-O binding is a type of binding that is used for books that will be viewed or read in an office or home type environment. The binding involves the use of a "C" shaped wire spine that is squeezed into a round shape using a wire closing device. Double wire binding allows books to have smooth crossover and is affordable in many colors. This binding is great for annual reports, owners manuals and software manuals. Wire bound books are made of individual sheets, each punched with a line of round or square holes on the binding edge. This type of binding uses either a 3:1 pitch hole pattern with three holes per inch or a 2:1 pitch hole pattern with two holes per inch. The three to one hole pattern is used for smaller books that are up to 9/16" in diameter while the 2:1 pattern is normally used for thicker books as the holes are slightly bigger to accommodate slightly thicker, stronger wire. Once punched, the back cover is then placed on to the front cover ready for the wire binding elements (double loop wire) to be inserted. The wire is then placed through the holes. The next step involves the binder holding the book by its pages and inserting the wire into a "closer" which is basically a vise that crimps the wire closed and into its round shape. The back page can then be turned back to its correct position, thus hiding the spine of the book.
2. Comb binding uses a 9/16" pitch rectangular hole pattern punched near the bound edge. A curled plastic "comb" is fed through the slits to hold the sheets together. Comb binding allows a book to be disassembled and reassembled by hand without damage. Comb supplies are typically available in a wide range of colors and diameters. The supplies themselves can be re-used or recycled. In the United States, comb binding is often referred to as 19-ring binding because it uses a total of 19 holes along the 11-inch side of a sheet of paper.
3. VeloBind is used to permanently rivet pages together using a plastic strip on the front and back of the document. Sheets for the document are punched with a line of holes near the bound edge. A series of pins attached to a plastic strip called a Comb feeds through the holes to the other side and then goes through another plastic strip called the receiving strip. The excess portion of the pins is cut off and the plastic heat-sealed to create a relatively flat bind method. VeloBind provides a more permanent bind than comb-binding, but is primarily used for business and legal presentations and small publications.
4. Spiral binding is the most economical form of mechanical binding when using plastic or metal. It is commonly used for atlases and other publications where it is necessary or desirable to be able to open the publication back on itself without breaking the spine. There are several types but basically it is made by punching holes along the entire length of the spine of the page and winding a wire helix(like a spring) through the holes to provide a fully flexible hinge at the spine. Spiral coil binding uses a number of different hole patterns for binding documents. The most common hole pattern used with this style is 4:1 pitch (4 holes per inch). However, spiral coil spines are also available for use with 3:1 pitch, 5:1 pitch and 0.400-hole patterns.
5. Proclick (GBC) is a relatively new binding style that was originally designed for use with a 3:1 pitch wire binding hole pattern. This type of binding uses an element that snaps shut and can be easily opened for editing purposes. The editing abilities of this style make it popular with direct sales organizations and mobile offices. Proclick is manufactured exclusively by the General Binding Corporation.
6. ZipBind is also manufactured by the General Binding Corporation and offers easy editing. However, the binding spines for this style are designed to work with the 9/16" plastic comb binding hole pattern. Like Proclick, Zipbind spines can easily be opened and closed without the need for a binding machine. Thus the addition and deletion of pages is a simple process provided that the pages have already been punched.

Thermally activated binding

Some of the different types of thermally activated binding include:

1. Perfect binding is often used, and gives a result similar to paperback books. National Geographic is one example of this type. Paperback or soft cover books are also normally bound using perfect binding. They usually consist of various sections with a cover made from heavier paper, glued together at the spine with a strong flexible glue. The sections are rough-cut in the back to make them absorb the hot glue. The other three sides are then face trimmed. This is what allows the magazine or paperback book to be opened. Mass market paperbacks (pulp paperbacks) are small (16mo size), cheaply made and often fall apart after much handling or several years. Trade paperbacks are more sturdily made, usually larger, and more expensive.
2. Thermal binding uses a one piece cover with glue down the spine to quickly and easily bind documents without the need for punching. Individuals usually purchase "thermal covers" or "therm-a-bind covers" which are usually made to fit a standard size sheet of paper and come with a glue channel down the spine. The paper is placed in the cover, heated in a machine (basically a griddle), and when the glue cools, it adheres the paper to the spine. Thermal glue strips can also be purchased separately for individuals that wish to use customized/original covers. However, creating documents using thermal binding glue strips can be a tedious process which requires a scoring device and a large format printer.
3. A cardboard article looks like a hardbound book at first sight, but it is really a paperback with hard covers. Many books that are sold as hardcover are actually of this type. The Modern Library series is an example. This type of document is usually bound with thermal adhesive glue using a perfect binding machine.
4. Tape binding refers to a system that wraps and glues a piece of tape around the base of the document. A tape binding machine such as the Powis Parker Fastback or Standard Accubind system will usually be used to complete the binding process and to activate the thermal adhesive on the glue strip. However, some users also refer to Tape Binding as the process of adding a colored tape to the edge of a mechanically fastened (stapled or stitched) document.
5. Unibind is a variety of thermal binding that uses a special steel channel with resin rather than glue inside of it to give it a more sturdy bind to hold the pages in place. Unibind can be used to bind soft covered documents with a look that is similar to perfect binding. It can also be used for binding hardcover books and photo books. Like Thermal Binding, unibind usually requires you to purchase a one piece coverset to bind your documents. However, Unibind also offers SteelBack spines that allow you to use your own covers in the binding process. The majority of Unibinds covers can be printed on as well to give documents a unique finish. (Unibind is also the name of a International binding company)

Stitched or sewn binding

Types of stitched or sewn bindings:

1. A sewn book is constructed in the same way as a hardbound book, except that it lacks the hard covers. The binding is as durable as that of a hardbound book.
2. Stapling through the centerfold, also called saddle-stitching, joins a set of nested folios into a single magazine issue; most American comic books are well-known examples of this type.
3. Magazines are considered more ephemeral than books, and less durable means of binding them are usual. In general, the cover papers of magazines will be the same as the inner pages (self-cover) or only slightly heavier (soft cover). Most magazines are stapled or saddle-stitched; however, some are bound with perfect binding and use thermally activated adhesive.

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Print study task four; specialist production & definitions.

Problem solving. 

With print production the same problem can be solved in a number of different ways. The same design can be printed onto a range of different colour stocks so there is the option for the consumer to have which ever colour they prefer and to have a range just to mix the whole idea up a bit. The design could also be printed onto different types of stock because this solves the print problem and will guide the designer in the right direction as to which particular stock works best. 

Nerdy Dirty Illustrations for Nerds in Love.

These particular designs could be printed straight from the computer software to the printer as the easiest possible option. The same designs could also be screen printed due to the minimalistic use of colour because the printer wouldn't need so many different screens and the design would suit a handmade look. If the design was to be mass produced it could also be printed via a lithography machine but this tends to be a more popular option with advertisement posters rather than one off designs like these. 

The Music Series.

These designs are another that would work as a screen print due to the limited colour usage but because I feel they are more of an advertisement they would more than likely be mass produced therefor lithography would be more suitable because this is a lot less time consuming. Digital screen print could also be an option but lithography is still likely to be the cheaper and faster process. 

Bourne Branding.

Business cards could be printed digitally because generally a client will order a lot but not so many they need to be mass produced and then when they have ran out they will order some more. Printing in this way will possibly save the client money because they can't really estimate how many business cards they will give out on a day to day basis so they buy as they need them. If the client had a business which was very well known and popular this could be different because they could give out 20+ business cards a day therefor they would probably use lithography and keep a store of the business cards. 

Beer Crate.

It's pretty clear that this product would be pad printed to get the best possible finish on the product of the logo. However, you could also apply the logo to the product by digitally printing stickers onto an opaque sticker sheet and then applying this by hand. The digital printing of the stickers however would not only be more time consuming when applying this by hand but it would also cost more because this product is more than likely to be mass produced. 

gi GO.

Two different processes could be used to produce this packaging with one being considerably more expensive than the other. If the client wanted the highest quality finish and design they could print gravure because this is the sharpest print finish so will give the best quality and the client will obviously want the product to look its best so that consumers buy it. This is the more expensive process out of the two options however. The second option would be lithography and more likely the one the client would choose to keep their costs down as they would want thousands of this packaging. Both processes work in a similar way so are suitable for mass production. The packaging would also be die cut and the see-through section added on. 

Print study task four; specialist production & definitions.

Lithography is the other end of the spectrum to digital printing press in the sense that it suits mass product more because the machine can produce the quantities faster and the cost is less because you generally send larger jobs to be printed by offset or normal lithography. Lithography can print both small designs and larger and this process would work out reasonably for smaller designs because you can fit more on a page. 

Print study task four; specialist production & definitions.

Digital press. 

http://h10010.www1.hp.com/

Digital print is usually used for smaller print jobs because it takes longer and is not as time consuming to set up so it seems more worthwhile putting smaller jobs through this way. 

Print study task four; specialist production & definitions.

Banner and billboard printing. 

Being able to blow artwork up to these sizes means that a client has many options when it comes to the scale of their work. These machines also hold the capability of being able to print on to vinyl so that the design will last a long time once its put up in the outside world. The machine is loaded with a roll of paper so its quite handy with the fact it can be left to do its job and won't run out of paper unless the clients design is longer than the roll. Generally banners are not mass produced so although this process is expensive due to the ink and amount of stock used it tends to be more of a one off for a client so they expect the highest quality. These machines also mean that there is no need for a design to be tiled across small sheets of paper because when this is done it can be messy and you can lose quality in the design with the breaks in the sheets being semi visible. 

Print study task four; specialist production & definitions.

Screen printing machine. 

With an automatic screen print machine this means that you can get the same handmade finish for a product such as a poster, t-shirt etc but the products can be mass produced because a machine will produce so much faster than having people do this technique by hand. This will save a client time which is a plus because time equals money and means this technique doesn't just have to be used as a one off. 

Print study task four; specialist production & definitions.

Different stocks & benefits. 

Loft Investments.

A business card needs to look of high quality and last quite a while so a client can refer to it when wanting to get in contact with someone. A lot of business cards tend to be printed on some kind of semi-thick card because it looks high quality but doesn't necessarily cost a lot (as seen above). Due to the fact the stock above is not too thick the designer has been able to request a duplexed business card so one side is white and the other red, this also gives the design quality. A thicker stock tends to make it easier to foil block too because theres more material for the foil to take to and this is a further thing that adds to the quality. Card tends to be quite a popular stock choice because it comes in so many different colours and can be quite cheap when bulk bought. 

Typical Day Poster.

Trace is still a very experimental stock but tends to be cropping up more and more throughout design work. With the particular piece I have chosen the designer states that they chose trace to enhance the meaning of the piece so this means stock can also be used to help designers communicate a message they are trying to get over to their audience maybe more successfully. Trace is another stock that is quite cheap so would cut the cost of mass production of a design. It suits a particular style of design and can help a designer become more experimental with their work in terms of how the inks may take to the trace as they may be not as bright or brighter. There is sometimes value added when this stock is used because an audience may be more drawn to it as its different. 

Context identity.

Thick card is also very useful when wanting to create a design with de-bossing or embossing because the card has higher tolerance than stocks such as paper which would probably just tear. Due to the thickness of this particular stock, after the area has been embossed the shadow left gives definition and adds value to the piece because it stylises it. The fold has also been embossed to make this easier to fold in half and the stock is clearly not too thick for this because usually if this is the case the stock would split. 

Limited Edition Anchor Poster.

This stock looks similar to cartridge paper which is thicker than normal paper but not as thick as card, it is of higher quality to normal printer paper. This is another stock that would save money if a design was to be mass produced as its quite cheap to get hold of. The paper is of a matt effect but the inks apply quite well to the stock so the images printed are still of high quality. There is no problem with colour change as such either because the cartridge paper is a white colour. This type of stock would benefit a designer who is producing something that is to be given away as a promotional flyer etc because generally expensive stocks are not used for this. This stock is also thick enough to be used as a leaflet, packaging and posters etc so is multi functional in a sense. 

Stuart Semple Art Catalogue.

Embossing a design into plastic is an exciting alternative for designers because its quite a unique idea at the moment with few things that have been printed in this way, thats probably due to the fact its a more expensive process so not really considered with mass production. It means the designer doesn't necessarily have to come up with some sort of visually exciting design because the plastic cover itself is exciting enough and captures attention easily. The plastic cover for the book also means that the stock the actual book is printed on will be well looked after because one protects the other. 

Inventory Design Invitation.

This particular stock is textured so its probably another quite expensive option. Its the sort of stock that is typically used for occasion cards so is meant to be long lasting and look high quality. Its clear from the example above that the designer can apply various finishes to the stock so this options for this are quite open. The stock clearly comes in different colours so this is another range of options available. It does however, seem that this stock could be quite limiting because if you were to print with inks on to this they are highly likely not to take to the stock due to the coating that gives it a slight shine. It seems to suit particular products such as occasion cards and business cards.

Holiday Card.

This is basic glossy stock and can be glossy on both sides or just one which is perfect for greetings cards as seen in the example above. This type of stock gives many options for printing depending on the look the client wants the cards to have, it could be screen printed, lithography or digitally printed. Generally digital print and lithography will be the most popular options depending on if the card is limited edition or to be mass produced. The glossy quality of the stock gives the design a high quality finish which is why its usually a popular choice. It also a reasonably priced stock to get hold of too. 

Samuser Avec Le Franais.

This stock is antique style paper, it has visible texture but actually feels smooth and this particular factor makes it look of high quality even though its similar to that of everyday printer paper. This is another stock that can be printed on in a range of different ways such as lithography, screen print and digital print giving the designer a few options if they choose to use it. The style adds sophistication to this particular piece and fits with the old fashioned idea with the wax stamp being used too. The paper gives more of a characteristic rather than a high quality finish so will most likely be chosen for style. 

William Morris London.

This stock is useful in the sense that the same one has been used for the folding leaflet and the boxes too. It will probably make the whole print process cheaper because there only has to be one stock sourced and it can be bought in bulk. The glossy style of the stock makes the items look of a high quality therefor more desirable. The stock is clearly thick enough to be folded and be free standing so this gives the designer more options if they were to extend the range of products they designed, because they could possibly use the same stock again. 

Packaging Designs.

When printing crisp packets the print process is usually limited to flexography because this is the process used to print onto foils and plastics (such as straw wrappers). The foil used for these particular packages comes in different thicknesses so there is a choice depending on what you are packaging depending on how fresh the product needs to be kept. The great thing about foil is due to its glossy quality, it gives quite a high quality looking finish and makes the colour look quite vibrant. 

Business Cards.

Accent Creative Identity.

Plastic business cards are becoming more and more popular and there are a few design options when it comes to what can be done with them. The first example I have shows that the text has been embossed into the card and then also spot varnished on nearer the bottom. This generally means the design doesn't have to be too complex and 'pretty' because these features make the design unique and interesting. The second business card has the design printed on to it but again this design can be kept quite simple because the fact it comes on plastic is exciting enough. The great thing about business cards being made like this is that a business card is usually meant to last so that one person can get in touch with another as all their details are written on the card and because its plastic its not going to tear and can be kept for so much longer. It will also make the designer more memorable in a sense because of this unique design. Although the process is probably more expensive it has a positive outcome in the long run.