Commercial printing is one of the most popular ways businesses expand their brand name. These services can help your organization boost brand awareness and reputation. However, not many people understand how it works. That’s why we’ll review some of the most common commercial printing tips every client should know.
High-end printing products can make a great impression among your targeted audience. It also improves your credibility with customers, the public, and your team. That’s why choosing the right commercial printing service is vital for helping your business stand out.
In this article, we’ll go over the most basic tips you should know when starting your printing journey. You’ll also learn more about commercial printing and how you can choose the correct types.
Commercial Printing Overview
Before you begin your commercial printing journey, it’s important to understand what exactly our service offers and how it can make a difference in helping your company get noticed.
Commercial printing refers to the process of printing large volumes of items for commercial purposes. This includes printing anything from magazines, catalogs, postcards, billboards, and your unique products.
Thanks to our thriving technology advancements, printing services can offer several different methods and techniques for printing. These allow prints or a broad spectrum, both big and small. Whether you want a small, delicate piece or a large billboard poster, we have you covered.
In addition, the commercial printing industry's variety of methods and techniques ensures perfection and exquisite quality products without wasting precious time.
If you need a large quantity of copies, commercial printing is the most efficient and cost-effective way to create your publication.
Commercial Printing Tips
Now that we’ve got the basics covered let’s take a look at the most common printing tips you should always consider.
This comprehensive list will undoubtedly help you get a better understanding of commercial printing and its offerings.
Get an informed discussion about your project
Before indulging in any project, make sure you consult with your printing company about your goals. Describe your vision and requirements, which will lead to a joint solution on how to realize your goals.
Here are some topics you should consider discussing:
The types of files your commercial printing service accepts. Generally, most commercial printers work with PostScript files and PDF files. They’ll provide you with the necessary information on creating these files for your publication. If you run into services that use other options, ask for ways to submit your printing design.
Talk over your requirements. Let your printing service know about the quantity, quality, size, stock, color model, binding, folding, deadlines, and budget before finalizing your decision. Ensure that the company you’re working with has the necessary items you want in stock.
You should state whether your publication will include scanned pictures.
Discuss any prepress tasks. This includes tapping or page imposition.
Feel free to ask for any recommendations or additional information to help you achieve excellent results.
Understanding the different types of commercial printing
In the commercial printing industry, you’ll stumble upon various methods and techniques that can provide various outcomes. So, it’s understandable if you have difficulty choosing the right type.
Here’s a quick list of the most common types of commercial printing so you can have a better understanding of what you’re looking for:
Digital printing: This printing method is one of the most popular in the industry. The process involves printing digital designs directly onto items and products. This technique is commonly used for printing labels, letters, newsletters, banners, menus, and similar items.
Offset lithography: Lithographic printing is a traditional way to print products with the highest quality. With this method, we can handle large quantities with efficient precision and excellent results. Paper, plastic, and boxes are the most common materials printed with offset lithography.
Flexography printing: This method is the most cost-effective way to tackle prints on uneven surfaces. The process includes rubber plates that transfer prints onto any given item. It’s most popular in the food industry since it uses safe and non-toxic inks.
LED UV printing: LED UV is the most modern way to print on products with ultraviolet light and a unique drying method. With LED UV, you can print on various materials, including silk, lux, or uncoated paper.
Consider what products can be printed
Even though commercial printing encompasses various materials and products, we should also discuss what items can be printed.
Our options are fairly limited when printing with a standard printer from home or the office. With these resources, our printer can handle only paper. So, posters or leaflets are most likely our only options.
However, with commercial printing services, the possibilities are endless. We can easily tackle different printing surfaces or materials with the right techniques. Moreover, we can create and customize a broader range of items.
This can include printing the following:
Business cards
Direct mail
Postcards
Magazines
Booklets
Catalogs
Flyers
Newsletters
Posters
Presentation folders
Menus
Books
Manuals
Brochures
While these are only a few of the possibilities, we can clearly see the diversity commercial printing services can offer.
Learn about the color spectrum in commercial printing
Learning about the color spectrum and CMYK is one of the more important commercial printing tips you should consider. This is because colors are dealt with differently in the commercial printing industries.
When printing something from an office computer, the image is seen in RGB, or red, green, and blue color format. So, when we print something from a PC, the result can come out with slightly different colors from the ones appearing on the screen. This is because the RGB spectrum is so broad that many subtle changes can occur.
On the contrary, in the commercial printing industry, you may come across the term “CMYK”. This represents Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, and Key and how you view color. This spectrum gives the best possible outcomes to your prints that are the closest design to the original. This ensures you get the results you want.
Conclusion
The commercial printing industry is an essential part of any business looking to gain more visibility and brand awareness. Now that you understand more about these services, you can confidently indulge in this journey.
Make sure you inform yourself enough so that you can recognize the possibilities of your goal. Understand the difference between each method and choose the correct one. And lastly, ensure you’re printing the right products with the right colors.
So, we hope this article has provided you with useful commercial printing tips!
Steve Bates
Steve is the president of CityPress and brings a wealth of knowledge from the printing industry to readers, helping them make more informed decisions in an ever changing printing space.