Chord: The Basics of Lithography and Finishing

Overview:

The Lithography and Print Finishing workshop at LCC contains many different machines which all have very specific uses. However, all of the printers in these areas use plates and take time to set up and operate, meaning that, while time-consuming and slightly more expensive, they can produce effects and colors which are impossible to achieve on a digital printer.

Notes:

Basic Information

Print and Type Department
1. Includes
  - Machine-based print finishing
  - Lithograph printing
  - Risograph printing
  - Letterpress
  - Hand-done bookbinding

Print Finishing
1. Can be for anything at all
  - Posters
  - Books
  - Magazines
  - Business cards

Labeling System
1. Green -> Anyone can use
2. Yellow -> Use after induction
3. Red -> Only use with a technician
The Importance of Bleed
1. Bleed is 3mm around the printed object
2. Image MUST reach past that line
3. Critical to printing and one of the most common mistakes

Equipment in the Finishing Room

In-Line Stitch Machine	Lightbox	Speed or Strip Binder
Stab Stitch Machine	Saddle-Stitch Machine (wire thread)	Folding Machine
Drill	Board Cutter	Guillotine
Perfect Binding Machine	Perfect Binding by Hand	Nipping Press

The Guillotine
1. Creases and cuts in huge amounts of paper
2. Works according to exact measurements
3. There are safety precautions built in
4. To use, press down on the foot pedal and press both buttons simultaneously

Different Kinds of Binding

Perfect	Saddle Stitch	Stab Stitch
In-Line	Spiral	Strip

Folding and Creasing

Folding is done with a knife and machine, as large pages are fed in, folded, perforated, and ejected from the other side
Capacity crease
1. Stretches, instead of breaks the paper’s fibres and stops ink from cracking

Equipment in the Printing Room

Risograph Printer
1. Plates cost 1 pound each
2. Low quality
3. Cheap prints

Platemaker
1. Plates cost 10 pounds each
2. Special aluminum plate is wrapped around a cylinder and the image is exposed onto this plate by the machine
3. Makes use of pre-flight software to do screen-checks before creating the plate
  - Makes sure resolution, format, and everything else is in order
4. Makes plates for the lithograph printers, like the offset press

Epsom Printers
1. Can print on two sides
2. Can print on your own paper and substrate
3. Substrate can be thick
Flat-Bed Press
1. Based on a motion of cylinders
2. The cylinder rolls over the substrate
3. You can print on any flat substrate
  - Glass
  - Cardboard
  - Paper

Thermo
1. Heats powder placed on wet ink and creates a shimmer
2. Only works on a project which has not been printed digitally
  - Very good for letterpress, screenprinting, and risograph

Offset Lithography Printer
1. Works on a principle of cylinders and images which are “offset”, meaning the substate never touches the actual plate
2. You are able to print a wide array of colors which are impossible to fully replicate digitally
  - Can also use spot colors
3. You are also able to print in metallic colors

Four-Color Press
1. Prints many copies very fast
  - Usually intended for mass production
2. The printer prints black, then blue, then red, then yellow in the CMYK color scheme
  - The K stands for black because it is the “key” color