BBS Archives: Laser proofs

Laser proofs

Written by Tammy on Mon Mar 9 16:48:36 1998 GMT

Hello again....

I have another question, and the board (guide) was SO helpful in answering my last inquiry!!

Is is acceptable to provide a print shop with 600 dpi laser proofs (separated for spot color) for reproduction as business cards and newsletters?

I already do this with one press service for a newsletter, (which of course doesn't provide the best of quality, but it's not bad, and it's cheaper) although it's simply gray- scale.

Having worked a designer in a quick-print shop, I used to separate spot colors, and print to a 600 dpi laser printer, which the press dept. used to take a shoot with a camera to make film negatives for plate burning. The resulting product always seemed to be of a rather good quality....but, from what I have read getting started in this business, it is not the industry standard.

I understand that most designers provide a zip cartridge with the files, graphics, fonts, etc, for output directly to film with a high resolution imagesetter (which is what I do at work, as a newspaper editor), but we use process color separations. And I figure this is necessary for the intrcate screening of photos, etc...But is it necessary for simple spot color as is used on business cards and newsletters, or will the 600 dpi laser proofs suffice for this purpose?

When I worked at a paper that was strictly black and white, we also printed to 600 dpi laser printer, where the pages were then shot with a camera to make negatives for plate-burning....

Having a file output on an imagesetter can be a scary propsition for someone such as myself who is using True Type fonts, and it can also be expensive....I'm looking to save myself and my customers some money without compromising quality....

So, for a standard business card, or newsletter with spot color output to 24 lb paper, would 600 color-separated positive laser proofs be the way to go? Under what circumstances would output to high resolution imagesetter be warranted?

Thank you so much for your help. I really, really appreciate it, and if I can help anyone with page layout questions, editing, etc, I'd be happy to try and help out! Thanks!!

Re: Laser proofs

Written by desktoppub (Guide) on Mon Mar 16 18:40:40 1998 GMT

I believe you've gotten a good reply already. I would echo that last line of advice -- check with your printer. Get their recommendation. They may have some special guidelines or suggestions specific to how they work. They can advise you both 'in general' and as to specific designs -- whether or not the proximity of spot colors / intricacy of the design will reproduce well from laser printouts.

I've done some business cards from laser print outs -- most turned out fine but there was one where the logo was simply too intricate to reproduce well (although the laser proof looked fine). The printer did warn me that might be the case but the client was more interested in the money savings! Oh well.

So, What's important is "is the quality acceptable to the client compared to the cost savings." In general, I think the 600 dpi laser print outs can be acceptable but do take care to get the best original quality possible -- fresh toner, good paper for the camera-ready.

The suggestion about pre-printing newsletter shells is a good one too. Design permitting, you might go with high- resolution output on the shells then 600 dpi on the rest.

jacci

Also see, Prepress Tips and Commercial Printing.

Re: Laser proofs

Written by The QuickMouse on Tue Mar 10 17:21:59 1998 GMT

Nancy:

I send files for stationery packages to a print shop via a BBS, and they use a 600dpi printer for output. Their product is of an excellent quality, and I have sent them lots of spot color seps involving traps, etc., and have never been disappointed with the results.

When I print from my 600dpi laser printer, I use the best quality stock that I can find. I am very pleased with Hammermill's S28/70 Photo White. It does cost considerably more than 24 lb. laser stock, but, in my opinion, the cost is negligible when you consider the quality that it produces.

I have just had 1,000 shells for a newsletter printed on one side in color, with screens and a photograph, on 80 lb. coated stock. My client needs 250 of these each quarter with different text, so having the shells printed all at once saves considerable money. The printer has told me that 600dpi laser prints will be just fine for the black text on the shells. Since Lino is about $12 a page in my area (San Francisco), that would add another $48 to the quarterly newsletter. In this case, it is unnecessary, but perhaps your client would be willing to pay the extra cost for better output.

Bottom line: When in doubt, check with your printer.

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