Showing posts with label printing. Show all posts
Showing posts with label printing. Show all posts

Thursday, May 22, 2008

Canvas Prints: How To Transfer Your Masterpieces To Print

By: Carla San Gaspar

Having your portrait on canvas need not be expensive or frustrating. You can opt not to spend a fortune hiring a painter, which mind you, does not guarantee satisfactory results. You can rely on your own skill, imagination and canvas prints to create your magnum opus.

It doesn’t require long years of disciplined practice, nor does it require genius like talent. All it takes is some computer know-how and a reliable printer to create your piece de resistance.

Canvas Printing

You can fully enjoy your photographs and digital images on a new plane. Canvas prints are an ideal material to print your images. These are perfect for artwork and photo reproductions and would hold well the colors and the details of your images or design.

However, sometimes, it takes some effort to furbish these images to create the effect you want to on the canvas prints. Here then are some ways you can achieve this.

Adobe Photoshop and Canvas Printing: Achieving Digital Effects

Now, you can select your favorite photograph, be it your portrait, or even a landscape, a picture that has that painting potential and have it printed on canvas. You can use Adobe Photoshop to add effects that will make your snapshot look like a bona fide artwork.

Here are a few Photoshop techniques to turn your snapshot into an object of awe:

• Adjust the color of the snapshot by making it more subdued. This can create a soft texture to the overall design, making it seem like an old-painting. Create a new lawyer of the image, and make adjustments in the hue and saturation (Ctrl + U). You may choose to lessen the saturation of the whole image and highlight a few key colors such as red or orange. Play around with the tonal values until you achieve the results you wish.

• Using the blur tool, you can make the unimportant elements blurry to give a softer effect and to emphasize the more poignant elements (i.e. the eyes)

• Use the brush strokes filter to create the illusion of brush strokes.

• You can create the washed out effect. Create a new layer and fill it with white. Using the eraser tool, erase parts you want to be visible. Play around with the layer opacity, and the eraser’s options.

• To create the chiaroscuro effect, you can burn the areas where the shadows are supposed to fall.

• If you want a spotlight effect, you can play around with the lighting effects in the filter section under Render.

Have fun with it. After all, it is your masterpiece. However, it might do well to remember some of these details for your canvas printing.

• Make sure that you’re photo has a good resolution. Talk to your printer about their requirements.

• Unlike card stock, canvas being made of fabric is soft and does not have a definite form. It is a good idea to frame it and mount it.

• It is very important to select a printing company that offers high quality printing. Ask them for an online proof of your image so you can be sure that you will have the output you want.

Good luck and have a beautiful gallery filled with your canvas prints.

About the Author
This article aims to provide readers valuable information about tips and guidelines for printing http://www.largeformatposters.com/Canvas-Prints.html. To find more interesting topics please feel free to visit http://www.largeformatposters.com/canvas-printing.html

Brochure Printing: When And Who Should You Call About Your Prints?

By: Carla San Gaspar

Brochure printing, as with any other printing jobs present, may present itself as an easy print project. With online printing companies, you can easily source out the printing company you need and fill in all the information necessary to complete a job order or transaction.

But what happens, if in the middle of it all, you encounter some problems? Whether it is during placing a job order, your brochure printing status or anything else?

The printing process used to be very exhausting and quite complicated. With technology, everything else can be synthesized so all the details and the necessary steps for it work cohesively. However, this is not to say that it does not require human facilitation.

Printing is still a hands-on process where the printing company requires the expertise of printers to maintain the quality, definition and color accuracy of your prints. This is especially for custom job orders where communication between you and your printing company is vital.

Should You or Should You Not Call

When it comes to your printing project, it is only normal for you to know just who or how your print job is attended to. If you are already familiar with online printing, you know that everything is done accordingly, however, if you do want to make sure, remember some of these tips before you place that call.

1. Printing companies contact clients if there are any major flaws or errors in your files that would greatly affect the outcome of your prints.

2. When in doubt, always make inquiries or call a sales or customer representative. They can answer your questions about shipping, turnaround times, and custom job orders – specifically for brochure printing if you want other folding options.

3. If you are worried about the status of your jobs or you aren’t sure if the file you submitted is correct, you can duly call the printing company to verify. You can also wait for the proof to arrive so you can see for yourself.

4. Proofs are sent to you by the pre-press department so you can check for any typographical errors in your text since these are not reviewed by the printing company. You should also check other details since the concern of the pre-press department is centered on achieving optimum print quality.

You should also pay attention to any comments placed by the pre-press department, if there are any, so you can make necessary changes.

5. You have the liberty to call your printing company if you are still working out some details with regards to your custom printing project.

6. If you are also working out on some details on your printing project, you can duly call the professional whom you acquired help from, like a pre-press expert or an in house graphic designer from the printing company.

7. Any changes that you wish to make while or as the graphic designer is working on your project should be brought up immediately. This will help you save time and avoid any delays so you can print right on schedule.

8. Brochure printing may not be the most complex process or print product of all, but it truly does help if you can acquire a printing company that has the necessary services to give you a satisfying printing experience.

An efficient customer service that is matched with printing excellence can give you a peace of mind and convenience that you need for your brochure printing project.

About the Author

The Sticker Printing Process And Working Out The Turnaround Time

By: Carla San Gaspar

What does your sticker printing product specifications actually say? And what does each product or detail contribute to your sticker printing? To its success? To its failure? Sticker printing may not be a delicate matter, but it can be with all the processes a normal print job undergoes.

An Overview of the Printing Process

An overview of the printing process with which stickers undergo is vital so you know how to approach it. It also gives you a good idea on how you will work out the timeline of your printing project, from turnaround time to shipping and the like.

For custom sticker orders, it may also give you an idea on the turnaround time your printing company of choice might need in producing your prints. Nevertheless, here is a short run on what your stickers undergo.

1. Once the printing company receives your files, it will be reviewed or evaluated. This is the proofing process where the pre-press department of a printing company checks for any errors, concerning the print quality, color and the like. Afterwards, a proof will be sent your way for approval.

2. Once you approve the file, it will be ganged. This is where your stickers are put in place on a huge sheet of paper along with other print jobs. If your stickers are made into single-run projects, then the whole sheet would be just your stickers. This makes for a whole plate consisting of only your design. Hence, making it a very expensive sticker printing.

3. Plating comes next which also involves color separation for offset sticker prints. Color separation involves creating plates for each of the colors cyan, magenta, yellow and black.

4. Sheets of paper or a roll of paper is then fed into the press.

5. The stickers printed on paper label must be left to dray using machines.

6. Afterwards, the stickers once again go back in line where it will be cut to size.

7. Stickers are then prepared for shipping.

Other Sticky Sticker Processes

The printing process that your sticker undergoes is only shown for standard sticker order. It will take a longer time to produce custom stickers because within this short and overly simplified overview, other jobs will be included down the line.

1. Spot Colors – If you want a very specific color on your stickers, then it would have to undergo spot coloring. This is an expensive process for the printing company needs to buy the exact paint needed for your job through the Pantone Matching System.

If a printing company runs prints with an advanced press, this can easily be achieved since everything is relayed. CMYK inks and spot colors are applied and dried in a single run.

2. Die – Cutting involves printers to make dies. Dies are the shapes pressed unto the paper to cut it into the right shape or dimension. The complexity of the cut that you want will affect the kind of material used to make the die with and making the die itself. This can make die cutting cheap or expensive, long or short too.

Dies are also made for embossing if and when needed for your stickers. It creates a raised, almost 3-dimensional effect on your prints.

3. Foil stamping too involve the use of dies and metallic ink colors. Again, the drying process may vary and may take time.

Communicate with your sticker printing company closely when working out a custom sticker project. This gives you a better idea on how to work out the deadlines and prepare your sticker campaign much well ahead as planned.

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