Your Frequently Asked Questions Answered

What's the difference between lithographic and digital printing?

Without going into the technical terms, lithographic printing uses ink, digital printing uses toner. Jobs printed lithographically are produced on printing presses, while digital printing is done on a copier. When someone says that a job will be printed digitally, it's just a fancy term for copying. Digital doesn't mean the quality is better, in fact in most cases it's the opposite. Most copiers are capable of producing excellent quality, however I am yet to find a copier that matches the quality of a printing press. Like most printing companies, we have a colour copier but I always like to show my customers the difference in quality and the best option for their printing job.

How do I know if my printing job is produced digitally?

I can tell straight away, but there are a few tell tale signs. Unlike presses, some copiers have an unstable registration system. This means that the image position can move between sheets. Also, if the copier isn't calibrated regularly, the result can be unrealistic or overly bright colours. Also the heating process of copiers can sometimes warp the printed sheet making it curly.

The best way to avoid disappointment is to always ask this question. Will my job be printed on a press or a copier?

Why is the price of 1,000 business cards not double the price of 500?

When you order 500 business cards, standard costs such as artwork, printing plates and press set up charges are identical to 1,000 cards. Therefore, the only price difference between 500 and 1,000 business cards is the cost of the extra card and a small amount of labour. The same principle applies to most printing jobs.

What is the difference between CMYK and RGB?

CMYK and RGB are terms used to describe the colour makeup of photos or images. RGB stands for Red, Green, Blue. CMYK stands for Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, Key (black). Computer monitors emit colour as RGB, while printers use the CMYK process. CMYK is also referred to as four colour process which is the most commonly used printing method worldwide. When images are downloaded from the internet in RGB, the colour can look washed out and faded when printed. This problem can be partly resolved by converting all RGB images to CMYK before printing using a graphic arts program like Photoshop or Illustrator. Some colours in RGB are impossible to reproduce in CMYK. The computer just chooses the closest possible colour match and unfortunately this can be vastly different to the original colour. To make things more complicated, your computer monitor will most likely emit colour differently to mine, which makes it almost impossible to match printed colours by eye. Colour conversion problems are very common in printing so when designing your own artwork, make sure you choose all your colours in CMYK format from the start.

What is the best format to supply my logos and files?

Generally speaking, EPS and PDF files are the best quality. JPEG and GIF files are usually internet quality and are unsuitable for print production. Also, it's a good idea to convert Word and Excel files to PDF as sometimes the formats can change between computers. Converting your file to PDF will "lock" in all the formats and fonts allowing us to print the file exactly as it should be.

Why is it important that I see a proof before printing?

Anyone who types on a regular basis will understand how easy it is to make a typing error? This happens frequently when designing a print job. In fact with printing, one thing occurs almost as much as typing errors, and that's customers not finding them. This is the reason why we always send proofs before proceeding with printing. Believe it or not, I once had a customer who missed the incorrect spelling of their name on a business card and I've lost track of how many people have got their own phone number wrong. The best advice I can give is to really take your time and read everything thoroughly.

Does my ABN have to be printed on my business card?

No. Many people have it, but there's no legal requirement to do so. By law, The Australian Tax Office requires you to have your ABN on letterheads, with compliments slips and tax invoices.