Printing Knowledge: WHAT IS A QR CODE?

So you may have heard that QR Codes are set to become the 'next big thing' but thinking to yourself, what is a QR Code? QR or Quick Response Codes are a type of two-dimensional barcode that can be read using smartphones and dedicated QR reading devices , that link directly to text, emails, websites, phone numbers and more! You may have even got to this site by scanning a QR code!

 

Try to scan the below QR CODE to see the results:

 

QR codes are huge in Japan and across the East, and are slowly beginning to become commonplace in the West. Soon enough you will see QR codes on product packaging, shop displays, printed and billboard advertisements as well as in emails and on websites. The scope of use for QR codes really is huge, particularly for the marketing and advertising of products, brands, services and anything else you can think of.

 

SHOULD I CARE ABOUT A QR CODE?

 

With as many as half of us now owning smartphones, and that number growing on a daily basis, QR Codes have the potential to have a major impact upon society and particularly in advertising, marketing and customer service with a wealth of product information just one scan away

 

WHAT IS ENCODED IN A QR CODE?

 

In its simplest sense a QR Code is an 'image-based hypertext link' that can be used offline – any URL can be encoded into a QR Code so essentially any webpage can be opened automatically as a result of scanning the barcode. If you want to encourage someone to like your Facebook page – have your Facebook profile page as the URL. Want your video to go viral – encode the URL in your QR Code. The options are endless.

 

In addition to website URLs a QR Code can also contain a phone number – so when it is scanned it prompts the user to call a particular number. Similarly you can encode an SMS text message, V-card data or just plain alphanumeric text. The smartphone or 2D barcode reading device will automatically know which application to use to open the content embedded within the QR Code.

 

WHAT SIZE MUST A QR CODE BE?

 

Generally speaking, the larger the QR Code, the easier it is for it to be scanned, however most QR reading devices are able to scan images that are small enough to fit on a business card for example. This of course assumes that the quality of image is good.

 

WHO INVENTED THE QR CODE?

 

Denso-Wave - a subsidiary of the Toyota Group - are attributed with the creation of the QR Code as far back as 1994. Originally it was designed to be used to track parts in the vehicle manufacturing industry, but its use has since grown tremendously.

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Shopping Paper Bag Printing Size, Regular Size, Printing Size

Shopping Paper Bag Printing Size, Regular Size, Printing Size

1) 155W x 210H x 55D (mm) 

 

This is the smaller size we made usually, if you need to make it smaller than this size, please double check it with us. As, it's used for packing small items, not so heavy products usually.

2) 150W x 290H x 55D (mm)

 

This is the small size bag, it's used for packing standard size products, like A5 size books. If your product size is not too big, you can consider choosing size for your paper bags.

3) 195W x 280H x 60D (mm)

 

This is the normal size paper bag. It can be used to pack some standard size products like B5 size books.

4) 220W x 320H x 65D (mm)

 

This is the common size paper bag. It can fit the standard A4 size products. It's a better choice for packing most products.

5) 270W x 300H x 80D (mm)

 

This is the rarely used size, as it's for some products in special size, like the catalog with size 250 x 250 mm.

6) 300W x 240H x 70D (mm)

 

This is the bigger size paper bag than the common size. Actually, you can put your items in lanscape / horizontally.

7) 330W x 260H x 90D (mm)

 

This is also the lanscape / horizontal stype paper bag size. The advantage for this kind of size paper bags is that, you can put the items inside very easily, and you can also print your paper bag with company logo or advertisement on both sides of the bags. It'll have a good visual for showing it to others.

8) 290W x 400H x 80 (mm) 

 

This is the big size and popular size paper bags. It's used for packing big size clothes, shoes, cosmetics, books, etc.yellowprinting.com

9) 320W x 430H x 105D (mm)

 

This is the biggest size paper bag we made usually, if you have bigger size requirement on this, please double check it with us. It's also the popular size paper bags.It's used for packing big size clothes, shoes, cosmetics, books, etc.

If you'd like to print your paper bags in China, please kindly work with Yellow Printing. We'll certainly print the good quality paper bags for you.

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Color information you should know about while preparing the artwork for printing?

Will the designer remember all the CMYK or RGB colors while preparing the artwork for printing?

The answer is NO. There're so many colors, it's difficult to remember all of them. However, the designers always have the good sense of the colors.

So, what should we do when we have to use the CMYK or RGB color for designing?

RGB: It's the short form of (Red), (Green) and (Blue). 

All the colors you see on the computer is mixing these 3 original colors. Actually,  RGB is a self-luminous color. You do not need the extra light to see them.

For example, in our daily life, there's TV set, monitor, cell phone, PC, etc, all of them is with these three orginal RGB colors only. How come? It's impossible, as you see different colors on them. Yes, correctly, as there're 256 levels of color, from level 0 to 255 (0-255).They're showing 256 kinds of RGB colors, and mixing them together to show you the final different colors. 

Well, maybe the above explernation is still very compliacted for you. Let's show you how to understand it well as in below:

As RGB is self-luminous, just imagine that there're 3 magical spot lights with Red, Green and Blue color. And, you can adjust it from level 0 to 255. 

Now, you only turn on the Red light to the max. level (255), then you'll see the Red color as in below picture:

Then we switch it into another light, we turn on the green light only to the max. level (255), that's the Green color you get.

From the above, we know that, the color value for Red is (R:255 G:0 B:0) and Green is (R:0 G:255 B:0). Likewise, Blue is (R:0 G:0 B:255).

So, let's trun on two lights at the same time to see what'll happen. Just trun on the Red light and Blue light, keep the Green light out. You cannot see the red color or blue color anymore, interesting, you'll see Megenta color instead.

Then you'll know the color value for Megenta is (R:255 G:0 B:255).

What color shall we see if we turn on all of the three lights at the same time ? Take a guess...It's white color!

Amazing! So color value of white color is (R:255 G:255 B:255).

To find out more colors, just try it by yourself as we show you above.

However, you cannot use RGB format file for printing, it's CMYK colors in printing. yellowprinting.com

            C: Cyan    M: Magenta   Y: Yellow   K: Key(blacK)

Actually, we can mix C, M, Y to get the black color. However, this kind of black color is not pure black. It'll looks like dark grey color or dark brown color. And, the printing cost is higher for doing this, so we use K color instead. That's why we call it CMYK printing nowadays.

For CMYK color, we call it the reflective color. You need the light (no matter the sunlight, flash light or other lights) on it, then the color will reflect to your eyes.

To understand it, you cannot take it as a spot light anymore. You just can imagine it as a kind of ink.

For example, you're a painter, you have four kinds of inks C,M,Y,K with the white paper on hand.

You only paint the Cyan color on the paper, then you'll get Cyan color only.

So, the color value of Cyan is (C:100 M:0 Y:0 K:0).

Likewise, if you only paint the Yellow color on the paper, then you'll get Yellow color only.

So, the color value of Yellow is (C:0 M:0 Y:100 K:0).

What color shall we get if we painted Cyan and Yellow together on the paper? Aha, it's green color! 

So, the color value of green color is (C:100 M:0 Y:100 K:0).

Just try it at your side, you'll get many other colors. And, how many colors will you get totally?

For CMYK, it's total: 101(C)x101(M)x101(Y)+101(K)=1,030,402 colors

For RGB, it's total: 256(R)x256(G)x256(B)=16,777,216 colors.

So, there're many kinds of RGB colors that cannot be pinted out in CMYK printing.

Such as the Purple color in RGB mode, it's very shinning. It looks very beautiful on your computer, you'd like to print it out with your printer.

Then you'll get the below color instead:

Oh, my God! What happened? Is my printer broken?

The above information is the personal understanding about colors from YellowPrinting, if you copied it to eleswhere, please show the original source of this article, thanks.

Printing knowledge: paper Characteristics

Printing knowledge: paper Characteristics

Basic Size and Basis Weight

The basis weight refers to the weight in pounds of 500 sheets of paper when it has been cut to that paper's standard basic size. For example the basic size for Bond paper is 17 x 22 inches. If 500 sheets (a ream) of Bond is cut to its basic size of 17 x 22 inches and weighs 20 pounds, it is classified as 20 lb. bond. If a 17 x 22" ream of Bond paper weighed 24 pounds it would be called 24 lb. Bond, and so on. The chart below contains some common paper types and their basic size.

Paper Type	Basic Size
Bond Ledger Offset Book Cover Index Bristol Vellum Bristol Printing Bristol Tag	17" x 22" 17" x 22" 25" x 38" 25" x 38" 20" x 26" 25-1/2" x 30-1/2" 22-1/2" x 28-1/2" 22-1/2" x 28-1/2" 24" x 36"

ISO Size Standards

The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) has established standards for paper sizes based on the metric system (millimeters). The standards have been grouped into three different series of requirements: "A-series", for general printing, "B-series", for posters, and "C-series", for envelopes, postcards, and folders. The "A" series is the most commonly used with sizes ranging from A0, which is the largest, down to A8. The A-series sizes are all represented as a part of the area of one square meter with a length to width ratio of 1.414. The size A0 is equivalent to the area of a square meter with each smaller size being 50% of the size of the preceding one. A1 is 50% of the area of A0, A2 is 50% of A1, and so on. Another way to look at it is that when an A0 sheet is cut in half, two A1 sheets are produced, and when an A1 sheet is cut in half, two A2 sheets are produced. Some of the sizes for the A-series are shown in the illustration below.yellowprinting.com

North American Size Standards

Although the ISO size standards are common in many parts of the world where the metric system is the established standard for measurement, North American sheet sizes are based on inches and are shown in the illustration below.

Universal Web Sizes

The paper rolls shown below are the standard widths used on web presses. The illustration also shows the standard ISO sheet sizes and the standard North American sheet sizes that can be obtained from each roll width .

Caliper Readings

The chart below shows the actual thickness of various weights and grades of paper. The readings are taken with a caliper or micrometer gauge, which measures the thickness of the paper in thousandths of an inch.

Paper Type	Thickness	Paper Type	Thickness
15 lb. Bond 20 lb. Bond 24 lb. Bond	0.003 0.004 0.0045	100 lb. Tag 125 lb. Tag 150 lb. Tag	0.0075 0.009 0.0107
28 lb. Ledger 32 lb. Ledger 36 lb. Ledger	0.005 0.00525 0.00575	4 Ply Railroad Board 6 Ply Railroad Board 8 Ply Railroad Board	0.018 0.024 0.03
50 lb. Regular Offset 60 lb. Regular Offset 70 lb. Regular Offset 50 lb. Smooth Offset 60 lb. Smooth Offset 70 lb. Smooth Offset	0.004 0.0045 0.005 0.0025 0.003 0.004	50 lb. Gloss Coated Book 60 lb. Gloss Coated Book 70 lb. Gloss Coated Book 80 lb. Gloss Coated Book 100 lb. Gloss Coated Book 120 lb. Gloss Coated Book	0.0025 0.003 0.0035 0.004 0.005 0.006
90 lb. Index 110 lb. Index	0.007 0.0085	50 lb. Coated Cover 60 lb. Coated Cover 100 lb. Coated Cover	0.00475 0.006 0.0095

Finish

The finish refers to the surface characteristics of the paper such as how the paper feels...is it smooth such as glossy cover or rough with an antique finish? Does the paper have a glossy appearance such as coated glossy papers or is it dull like bond paper. Does the paper enhance the look of the printed piece similar to watermarked paper or is it purely functional like newsprint? Does the paper have a high ink absorption rate as does Vellum or poor absorption such as on coated papers?Finishes can be applied to paper during the manufacturing process or produced offline. A finish such as Laid can be created while it is being manufactured with the use of a marking roller that forms the pattern in the paper while it is still wet. Paper finishes provided offline are usually accomplished with steel rollers that press the pattern into the paper. The offline finishes are known as embossed finishes. Some common paper finishes are described below.

·         Cockle - A cockle finish simulates characteristics of hand made paper with a wavy, rippled, puckered finish. The effect is obtained by air drying the paper under minimum tension.

·         Felt - Felt is a soft texture on uncoated paper that is created during the papermaking process with a either felt covered roller or with a rubber roller with a felt pattern that creates the finish. It can also be accomplished as an offline process. The felt finish does not affect the strength of the paper.

·         Gloss - A gloss finish produces a shiny and reflective surface on one or both sides of certain coated papers. A higher gloss is usually seen on higher quality coated papers. The gloss finish is produced from compounds added during the paper making process.

·         Laid - A laid finish has the appearance of translucent lines running horizontally and vertically in the paper. It is produced during the papermaking process with a special roller that creates the pattern in the wet paper.

·         Linen - Linen finished paper resembles linen cloth and is usually produced after the papermaking process as an offline embossing process.

·         Matte - A finish on certain coated papers that is smooth but gives a dull appearance. A matte finish, as well as other types of coated paper, are good choices for print jobs in which high quality is required.

·         Parchment - A paper finish that has an old or antique appearance and is the result of washing sulfuric acid over the paper and then quickly neutralizing the acid wash. This process melts the outer paper fibers which fill the voids in the rest of the paper. Parchment is very durable and grease resistant.

·         Smooth - A smooth finish is the result of the paper passing through sets of rollers during the papermaking process. This process is known as calendering.

·         Vellum - A vellum finish has an eggshell appearance and is consistent and even but not as much as a smooth finish. Vellum is one of the most popular uncoated finishes and paper with this finish has a high ink absorbency rate.

·         Wove - An even finish in uncoated paper with a slight texture made by a felt roller covered in woven wire.

Grain

The grain of the paper refers to the direction of the fibers in a sheet of paper. Long grain paper refers to paper in which the fibers run in the same direction as the longest measurement of the paper. On rolls of paper for web presses, the grain runs along the length of the web. Short grain paper refers to paper in which the fibers run in the same direction as the shortest measurement of the paper. When paper is torn, it will tear easier and straighter when torn parallel with the grain. It will also fold easier parallel to the grain and produce a cleaner fold than if folded across the grain. Laser printers require long grain paper for the best results. Short grain paper may not feed properly into a laser printer and the heat produced by a laser printer may result in the sheets curling as they come out of the printer. 

Whiteness

The whiteness of paper is the measure or its ability to reflect the colors of light equally. The more evenly a paper reflects all colors of the spectrum, the whiter the sheet. Some papers may reflect slightly cool colors back to our eyes and give the illusion that the sheet is actually brighter than white paper. If white paper has a slight warm appearance it will not appear as bright as a sheet that reflects a cool color, however warm colors printed on a warm sheet will appear stronger than when printed on a cool sheet. Cool colors printed on a cool white sheet are also enhanced in the same way. There is no such thing as a pure white sheet of paper, since the white that we see is always influenced by the lighting of our environment and the reflections from surrounding objects.

Grade

The grade of a paper refers to the type or category of the paper contents which provide a level of brightness or surface characteristics used to determine the grade level of the finished paper stock. Grades are classified from "Premium" at the highest level to "5" at the lowest level. Some text and cover stocks are listed simply as A or B grades since fewer grades of the text and cover stock are produced. A table illustrates the grade levels of paper according to the degree of brightness.

Brightness

Brightness refers to the percent of light reflected back from a sheet of paper as measured by a light meter reading. Contrast is reduced and highlights are not as strong when paper with a lower brightness is used for a printed piece. The quality and brightness of paper is organized into six categories:

Paper Brightness
Premium Number 1 Number 2 Number 3 Number 4 Number 5	Quality Quality Quality Quality Quality Quality	= = = = = =	88.0 to 95.0 Brightness 85.0 to 87.9 Brightness 83.0 to 84.9 Brightness 79.0 to 82.9 Brightness 73.0 to 78.9 Brightness 72.9 and below

Opacity

Opacity is the measure (percent) of the amount of light passing through a sheet of paper. Some papers have more fibers and/or fillers and as a result are more opaque than others. Papers containing more fibers and fillers have the ability to hold a printed image without showing through to the backside as easily as papers without as many fibers and fillers. Just because a paper is thicker does not guarantee that it is more opaque than a thinner paper. Some thinner papers may be more opaque because there are a greater number of fibers and/or fillers in their composition. 

Smoothness

The smoothness level is a measure of the surface characteristics of paper. The flatter or more even the surface, the higher the level of smoothness. With a smoother surface, the stock can provide a fully shaped ink dot resulting in a sharper and higher quality image.

Holdout

Holdout refers to the property of ink remaining on the surface of the paper rather than soaking in. A coated glossy paper has a high holdout rate while a paper stock such as newsprint or 20 lb. Bond has a high absorption rate or a low holdout rate. 

Acidity/Alkalinity

The pH (potential for Hydrogen) measurement of paper determines the degree of acidity and alkalinity in the stock. The pH scale has readings of 0 to 14 with 7 being neutral. Readings below a pH of 7.0 are acidic and above are alkaline. Each single digit actually equals a measure of 10, so a stock measuring 4.0 pH is 20 times more acidic than one measuring 6.0 pH. Paper can have an acid base, an alkaline base or it can be neutral with a pH of 7. Most paper manufactured in the 20th century was of an acid base. Acidic papers deteriorate in a relatively short period of time, and should never be used for printed items that are intended to last for many years. Since the 1970's, most of the paper used for book publishing and other printed materials where permanence is of importance, has been alkaline paper, which lasts much longer than acid based paper. Alkaline paper is manufactured with fillers such as calcium carbonate, which bring the pH above 7. An acidic paper like newsprint has a pH around 4.5 which becomes lower once it is printed. The acid level tends to break down the paper and it can deteriorate rapidly, which is why newspapers tend to yellow and fall apart in time. Alkaline paper (a pH above 7) is said to be permanent, but papers that have a neutral pH are still best for preserving items like photographic albums and as matte boards for artwork.

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Printing Knowledge for Prepress Printing: Color Separations

Printing Knowledge for Prepress Printing: Color Separations

In order to reproduce or prepare a full color image for printing using four process colors, the image must be divided into the the individual subtractive primary color components. The separation process can be accomplished photographically or electronically.

Photographic Separations: Using a large process camera, a full color image is converted into halftone negatives which contain a series of dots of various sizes to represent shades of gray. The dots are achieved with the use of special screens placed over the negative material during exposure. When printed, the smaller dots create the lighter areas of the image, with the lightest appearing white, and the larger dots make up the darker areas of the image, with the darkest appearing black. This system of using the halftone screens directly with the film is known as the Direct Screen Photographic Color Separation method. A halftone negative is made for each of the separate subtractive color components of the image (cyan, magenta, yellow) and black. The four halftone negatives are records, in varying shades of gray dots, for each of the separate color components and are known as "Color Separations".

Another photographic technique known as the Indirect Photographic Color Separation method is also used. The original image is separated into the individual primary color components and continuous tone films are made for each of the separations. From continuous tone films, the halftone negatives or positives are created. The advantage in first creating continuous tone separations before creating the halftones is that the continuous tone separations can be reduced or enlarged and corrected before the actual halftone films are produced.

Color separations created from photographic methods are used to prepare analog plates for traditional printing methods. Each plate corresponds to one of the four colors, cyan, magenta, yellow, or black. The plates are coated with the corresponding ink colors during the printing process and the inked image from the plates is transferred to the substrate. The varying sizes of the halftone dots on the plates determines the amount of ink that will be printed on the substrate. The dots from each of the different colored images overlap to produce the full color image.

Electronic Separations: The electronic separation of an image into its individual color components has become the most popular and labor saving method of producing color separations. The original image is placed in a scanner which stores the image as a digital record. The digital image can be imported into a software program such as Adobe PhotoShop™ where the color separations can be produced with the click of a mouse. The scanned image and/or the color separations can be quickly manipulated and edited in an infinite number of ways with the tools provided with the software. Color separations created electronically can be output to film to prepare analog plates or they can be used for Computer-to-Plate applications and digital printing.

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China Book Printing: Types of Finishing - Binding 1/2

Binding is generally considered to be the process of fastening the sheets of a publication in the proper order and most often within a protective cover.

There are various methods of binding available that can be selected for the type of publication and/or for the type of handling it will receive.

Perfect Binding

Perfect binding is one of the most commonly used binding methods. It is used for many types of publications.

Pages for a perfect bound publication are gathered, stacked, and placed in special equipment where the binding edge is covered with glue. A cover is then attached to the book to complete the process.

This method is most successful when the paper grain runs parallel with the spine of the book. Magazines and books may have the title and other information printed on the flat spine of the cover.

Perfect binding is one of the most automated of the binding methods. It can be divided into three main categories: hot adhesive, cold adhesive, and thermal binding

Hot Adhesive Perfect Binding Hot glue is the most widely used of the perfect binding adhesives. Books are usually 1/4” up to 2 1/4” thick depending on the thickness of the substrate. A major disadvantage with hot adhesive is that the book cannot lie flat when it is open. The binding will break if too much pressure is applied in attempting to make the book lie flat when it is open.

Cold Adhesive Perfect Binding Cold glue is not used as often as hot glue because it is more expensive and requires more time to cure than hot glue, but it is stronger and more flexible.yellowprinting.com

When the cold adhesive is used in conjunction with a scored and hinged cover, the book is able to lie flat when it is open without cracking the binding. Books with perfect bindings made with cold adhesive range in thickness from 1/8” to 2 1/4”.

Thermal Binding Thermal binding is similar to the hot adhesive method of perfect binding in that adhesive and heat are used to form the binding, but instead of hot glue, an adhesive strip is used.

Pages are fed into a machine where an adhesive strip attached to a wrap around cover is applied to the binding edge of the pages. Heat is applied so that the adhesive strip and cover are adhered to the pages.

Plastic Comb Binding

Plastic combs are another binding method that allow for the addition or removal of pages from a book. The system involves punching rectangular holes into pages, which are then slid over the fingers of the plastic comb.

A standard 11” sheet would have 19 holes punched into it. The plastic combs are durable and come in a variety of colors. Book titles or descriptions can be printed on the spine of the plastic comb so that the book can be identified when it is being stored.

Spiral A spiral binding consists of a continuous wire, which is coiled through evenly spaced holes that have been punched into the pages of a book.

The spiral wire can be made of metal, plastic, or plastic coated metal. Plastic is available in a variety of colors, but the metal spiral has a limited color selection.

When the books are open, the pages lie flat. The pages can also be folded over completely, which makes spiral binding a good choice for training manuals, cookbooks, notebooks, and calendars

Double Loop Wire Binding

Double loop wire binding consists of a series of double wire loops from a continuous pre-formed wire, which are inserted into pages that have been punched with square or round holes.

The loops of the wire are held opened by a machine to allow the pages to be inserted over the loops. Once the loops are closed, extra pages cannot be added.

Double loop wire works best for books of one-inch thickness or less. Many technical manuals and cookbooks have this type of binding and they are very popular among architects

Double loop wire binding is also known as “Wire-O-Binding”. Listed below are the types of wire available.

3:1 Wire: With this wire, the paper is punched 3 holes per inch, which is 32 holes per standard 11” sheet size. It is available in sizes ranging from 3/16” up to 9/16” in diameter. It has the best appearance of all double loop wire.

2:1 Wire: Pages are punched with 2 holes per inch or 21 holes per standard 11” sheet size. 2:1 wire is used for binding books that are too large for 3:1 wire and is available in sizes ranging from 5/8” to 1”. The wire is more durable and sturdy than 3:1 wire. 19 Loop: The pages are punched with 19 rectangular holes per standard 11” sheet size and the wire comes in diameters ranging from 1/4” to 1”. The wire is similar in appearance to 2:1 wire.

Loose Leaf

Loose Leaf Binding is one of the simplest methods of binding. Cut pages are punched with holes to accommodate the rings or posts contained in the binder. An advantage to both ring or post binders is that pages can be added or removed easily.

The ring binder also has the advantage of allowing the pages to lie flat when the book is open, making it a good choice for technical or training manuals. An allowance for the inner margin (gutter) must be made to allow for the holes that are punched in the pages

Post Bind

Binds a group of loose leaf sheets using a screw and post inserted through the holes that are punched in the sheets

If you are looking for a Printing Company, try to contact Yellow Printing

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