Archive for November, 2008
Digital Versus Offset Printing
Tuesday, November 25th, 2008 | Design, Printing, Tips, Uncategorized | 7 Comments
There has been alot of question raised recently when clients contact me for webthris printing services, one of the most common one is, “What is the difference between digital and offset printing?” and “Which one do I use to print my materials?”
Let me first start by explaining what are the definition of both terminology.
Digital Printing: If you have your own personal desktop printer at home, then you would understand the meaning of digital printing easier. Digital printing directly produces the outcome without the need of films, plates and so on. It’s design to paper directly.
Offset Printing: Offset printing on the other hand, requires film and plates to be created before the printing process can begin (Modern Offset Printers allows the design to be directly printed on printing materials). Offset Lithography is the most commonly trusted high volume commercial printing technology. As mentioned earlier, the design is first exposed onto the film, which then will be transfered to the plates (which can be in the form of rubber or steel), and finally onto the printing surface. The lithography process is based on repulsion of oil and water. The image to be printed gets ink from ink rollers, while the non printing area attracts a film of water, keeping the non printing areas ink-free.
What are the Advantages of both techniques?
Digital Printing Advantages
- If you’re doing small runs, this method would cost alot cheaper.
- Shorter turnaround time
- Every print is the same.
- More accurate counts, less waste and fewer variations, due to not having to balance ink and water during press run.
Offset Printing Advantages
- Higher quality of image, better resolution, usually do not cause streaks or spots.
- You can use many types of printing surface, for example, paper, wood, plastic, cloth, metal etc.
- Many modern offset presses use “computer-to-plate” further increasing quality.
- Cheaper, the unit price per piece goes down as the printing quantity increases.
- Very effective for high volume jobs.
So when it comes back to the question of “Which printing method do I use?”, we should consider the following key points.
Quantity: Offset printing has a high initial cost, such as the ink, running cost and so on. Offset is usually done in quantity of 1000 rounds per printing. So when the print quantity is low, using offset printing is not recommended (unless you’re looking at a better quality printing). Digital printing would then be a better method to select when it comes to very low quantity printing.
Printing Medium: One of the things you have to consider is the printing surface. Digital printers usually have limited paper types that you can print one, some digital printer may not support papers which are very thick. Offset printing would then be your option as these printers can print on many surfaces such as plastic, metal, rubber and so on. The size also matters, digital printers usually supports smaller size printing (usually A3 or A2 size only). Offset printers can print bigger size.
Colour Usage: Digital printing uses the 4 colors process printing (CMYK- Cyan Magenta Yellow & Black). If you’re looking at printing something that are of 1 color or even 2 colors, offset printing would be a much more effective approach.
Pantone Color Printing: If you’re planning to print using the Pantone® Matching System, offset printing will give you the best match, since it uses actual Pantone® ink. Digital printing simulates the color using a four-color matching process, so some digital printers may offer less accurate color matching on projects.
Turnaround Time: If you need the particular printings to be done at a quicker time, digital printing would be a better approach as they are faster. Eventhough mentioned, offset printers nowdays can also produce the printings fast (Usually costlier machines).
Proofing Of Design: Digital printing would be more accurate to be used for proofing the printing items as what you see on the screen are usually the same when printed on paper (unless the screen resolution is different).
Customization: When you’re looking at printing something such as letterhead, namecards etc that changes very often, then you would want to consider using digital printing as you can print as and when required. Offset printing would be too costly to print a handfull of materials.
As a conclusion, you may use both printing technique, depending on what you require based on the points stated above. We should not take away either printing method as they are both have their own advantages.
Do visit our printing details, printing quotes and templates by clicking on the links below. www.webthrisblog.com is a website powered by www.webthris.com.
Webthris Printing Studio Links
- Namecard Printing
- Flyer Printing
- Brochure Printing
- Bookmark Printing
- Postcard Printing
- Greeting Card Printing
- Sticker Printing
- Letterhead Printing
- Corporate Folder Printing
- A4 Booklet Printing
- Desktop Calendar Printing
- Paper Bag Printing
- Notepad Printing
Apple Latest: iPod Nano
Thursday, November 13th, 2008 | Gadgets, Information Technology, Introduction | No Comments
Apple Latest iPod Nano
Apple has just launched their latest Ipod Nano with the innovative Apple’s Genius feature underlining most of the products in their latest portfolio. Together with their newest iTunes 8, Genius lets users automatically create playlists of songs that go great together in batches of 25, 50, 75 or 100.
Besides that, the 4th generation nano which also come is 9 vibrant colours becomes the thinnest nano ever with stunningly designed curved aluminium and glass enclosure. It also boasts a refined user interface, high resolution portrait display and integrated accelerometer. This basically means users need only to rotate the nano to go to Cover Flow and shake lightly to go into Shuffle mode.
The iPod Nano gives users up to 24 hours of music playback or four hours of video playback and is available in 8GB model for just RM599 and a 16GB model for just RM799. Both models come in silver, purple, blue, green, orange, yellow, pink, red and black. But if you’re an iPod fan, it really doesn’t matter what color it comes it, does it?
Apple iPod Nano Latest Colors
Google Chrome: A new take on the browser
Wednesday, November 12th, 2008 | Information Technology, Tips, Website | No Comments
Tired of slow Internet Explorer and not too excited about Firefox? Google Inc. launched Google Chrome, a new open source browser intended to create a better web experience for users around the world. Available in beta in more than 40 languages, Google Chrome is a new approach to the browser that’s based on the simplicity and power. Google Chrome was designed to make it easy for users to search and navigate the web for the content they’re looking for.
A combined search and address bar quickly takes users where they want to go. Often in just a few keystrokes. When users open a new tab in Google Chrome, they’ll see a page that includes snapshots of their most-visited sites, recent seaches and bookmarks, making it even easier to navigate the web. Each browser tab operates as a separate process; by isolating tabs, should one tab crash or misbehave, others remain stable and responsive and users can continue working without having to restart Google Chrome. Google Chrome can be downloaded at www.google.com/chrome.
Google Chrome Browser
- Review from SME & Entrepreneurship Magazine (October 2008), Malaysia Edition.
Plasma TV versus LCD TV
Friday, November 7th, 2008 | Gadgets, Tips | No Comments
Recently I had an interesting argument with my mum regarding which was the better television to buy. The plasma tv or the LCD tv. After researching a few websites online and after debating with a few friends. I came up with the following comparison. This blog should assist you in purchasing your new Television.
First of all, what do they individually define as.
The Plasma TV - consists of millions of multi-colored gas-filled cells. When electricity passes through the cells they light up and produce a picture. Plasma TV screens have a much higher resolution than tube TV screens. In fact, the picture is so clear it`s almost like watching a scene through a window. Screen sizes range from 42` to 65` wide and are 3` to 4` thick.
The LCD TV - LCD (light crystal display) TV screens are made up of a thin layer of liquid crystals sandwiched between two glass plates. When an electricity is sent through the crystals an array of tiny multi-colored pixels light up to create a picture. LCD TV screens are thinner and lighter than plasma screens. They are the most screens for computers, and are quickly gaining popularity as TV screens. LCD TV screens are anywhere from 1/4` to 4` thick and 2` to 65` wide.
Plasma TV vs LCD TV
Picture Quality - When it comes to which type of TV screen is sharper and shows more detail, plasma TVs have a slight edge over LCD TVs, though LCD TVs are catching up. Plasma TVs are also slightly better when it comes to viewing angle - how far you can sit to one side of a TV screen before picture quality is affected.
Screen Life - Screen life is the number of hours a TV provides before the picture begins to fade. Plasma TVs have a screen life of about 30,000 to 60,00 hours, depending on the make and model, while LCD TV`s have a screen life of 60,000 hours or more. Plasma TVs are also subject to `burn in.` This occurs when a TV displays a still image long enough for a ghost of that image to be burned into the screen. LCD TVs do not have this problem.
HD TV - Both plasma and LCD TVs display HD (high definition) signals for a sharper, more three dimensional picture. LCD TVs, however, have a slightly higher resolution (more screen pixels) then plasma TVs.
Portability - LCD TVs are thinner and lighter than plasma TVs, making them easier to move and easier to mount on a wall.
Prices - When it comes to which type of TV gives you the most bang for the buck, it depends on what you`re looking for. If you`re looking for a large-screen TV - 42` or larger - plasma TVs are currently cheaper than than similar-sized LCD TVs.
At the end of the day, it depends on a particular user on which type of Television screen they prefer and what sort of budget range they can afford. I hope this blog will assist you in your next television purchase.
- Thristhan
The Adobe Illustrator Mystery
Thursday, November 6th, 2008 | Design, Information Technology, Tips, Website | No Comments
I’ve been trying to train myself to use Adobe Illustrator, but learning a new software doesn’t seem as easy as they use to. I guess my capability and ability to absorb new knowledge has faded. Anyhow, the will to learn hasn’t stopped me from gaining this vital skill.
There are many reason that I have decided to master Adobe Illustrator. Some probably lies in the fact that when I need something urgent to be done, within a short period of time, that’s when other designers are busy with their own work etc. Or probably because I just can’t seem to convey the right Information regarding the design of an item, causing the freelancers being frustrated in working with me. Unnecessary frustration being built up, freelancers not satisfied with the prices being offered, all these can be easily solved, so I’m taking the effort to learn this special software.
For those who are not familiar with Adobe Illustrator or Photoshop, in a nutshell, these software are used for designing many artistic products such as posters, packaging, labelling and so on. And most printers also use these files to output the designs into printed products.
I know it’s gonna take time, probably forever for me to fully master this software but as I progress and as i discover new things. I will update this blog so that those newly learning will be able to move along with me.
As a start, I’ve windowshopped for books and after looking at the cost to purchase them, something i just cannot afford. So I decided to try some online tutorial websites, and managed to seek a few good ones. I assume that readers have already installed the Illustrator software into their personal computer (the latest being Adobe Illustrator CS3, but older versions can also be used).
My favourite tutorial website is http://www.ndesign-studio.com/resources/tutorials/ this website comes fully equipped with sample designs and downloadable templates that newbies like myself can use to practice their designing skills. Easy step-by-step will enhance your Illustrator techniques and knowledge.
Some of the tutorials they offer
- Learn how to draw a Halloween pumpkin from scratch.
- Make a trendy fashion ad with Illustrator Envelope Distort tool.
- Full detailed tutorial on how to trace from a photo.
- See how simple it is to make a complex Christmas tree.
- Learn how to create a 3D Vase in 5 minutes!
- Create comic style strokes with Illustrator Art Brush.
- And Many More…
Do experiment with this website as well as other websites that you are able to search on the internet. Adobe Illustrator will no longer be a mystery but a powerful tool for your designing needs. Do write in your comments and suggestions on how we can improve our skills with this remarkable software.
Adobe Illustrator Tutorial