Printing Services: Finishing Services for Finishing Touches Part 1

by

Owen M

When a printing company prints your files, the whole printing process isnt complete yet. Finishing jobs are part of the whole printing process and part of the whole printing services you avail when you acquire a printing companys services.

What Finishing Touches can do for your prints?

Finishing is an important step in printing for it prepares your prints to become more functional. A variety of finishing services will tell you that this important step buffs your prints to make it look more professional and presentable as well.

Finishing is a post-production service where prints are organized and prepped up according to the specifications you have put in for your print product of choice. Whether it is an offset printing project or a custom one, all your print projects undergo finishing.

Variety of Finishing Options

Finishing is not just one simple step, but a collection and sometimes a combination of different processes and techniques used to shape your prints to perfection.

Printing jobs, as said earlier, does not end with producing sheets upon sheets of colorful prints. These seemingly fresh and raw prints are still to be refined through finishing. Postcards, as an example, undergo finishing because it simply needs to be cut down to size.

However, the same postcards may need more than just cutting. Depending upon certain needs or demands, postcards can be die-cut or laminated and the like.

Here then are some popular finishing selections available to make your prints truly effective, functional and astounding all at the same time.

Binding

This process is used to hold all the pages or sheets of a multi-page document such as newsletters, calendars, catalogs or booklets and magazines just to name a few.

The most common binding available and used by printing companies is saddle-stitching where a couple of staple wires are attached to the spine of the book/booklet, holding all the pages in place. Unlike other popular binding techniques, it doesnt require drilling or punching holes just to hold all the pages together.

Other binding techniques are coil binding, Wire-O binding, plastic comb and case binding.

Cutting

Cutting is simply done to remove the bleeds on your prints, so that the cut can be made as precise as possible along the trim line. Your prints are cut to your desired size, disposing the 1/8 inch bleed along the sides.

Cutting, however, is different from die-cutting as die-cutting involves cutting your prints according to a specific shape.

Collating

This process sits alongside binding as it is responsible for organizing the pages in the right sequence. When it is time to put all the printed inside pages and cover pages together, it is through collation that you can flip through your magazine and find the right page easily.

Drilling

If you want to put in holes for your calendars, drilling is used to create the holes you need to hang them up with. Popular hole sizes for calendars are 3/16″, 5/16″ and 1/4″.

Folding

Brochures are one of the most popular materials with folding. Folding creates folds on your print, virtually dividing them into appropriate sections. Greeting cards and pockets folders are also run through wheels or rules to create such folds. However, thicker stock undergoes scoring too to make folding crisp and perfect.

Popular folding options include bi-fold or half-fold, tri-fold, Z-fold, map fold and gate fold.

These are but some of the finishing touches involved in your prints. See how you can come up with better ideas in customizing your prints with these kinds of finishing and see how you can appreciate your prints better.

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Printing Services: Finishing Services for Finishing Touches Part 1}