Graphics 2 Press.com

Printed text or type is measured in point's and while most of us could care less how big a 18pt. letter is. But if you have found yourself in a jam and have no way of identifying the point size of some text, your in the right place. The following link will download a Point Size Comparison Chart.

Just as in text measurement there is also the weight of strokes or lines. Once again it is measured in points. If you find yourself in need of a accurate tool for measuring stroke weight feel free to download our Stroke Weight Comparison Chart.

BARCODE - A precise arrangement of parallel lines and
spaces that vary in width to represent data. A reader or
scanner interprets or decodes the barcode by measuring
the bar and space widths in relation to each other.

Elements of A barcode - All barcode symbologies share
common elements which make up the symbol. These are
the bars and spaces, the human-readables, and the quiet zone.
For more detailed information and some examples of barcodes,
try downloading our Barcode Decode Sheet.

Also available for download is our UPC Symbol Magnification Ruler. For identifying a barcode, or measuring an existing barcode, this handy tool makes a nice addition to your design set. It can be downloaded and printed from here.

View UPC Barcodes @ different magnifications

Fonts play an important role in the day to day corrugated design process here at
Graphics 2 Press. With that in mind we feel the customer should have as many options to help them in their design decisions as possible. Available for download is our Customer Font List.

One of the most time consuming tasks can be trying to match a font to an existing font. This process can easily take several hours. Before you beat your head against the wall trying to match your font. Use this handy service from our friends at MyFonts.com. Simply scan your font in on a flatbed scanner and upload it to their font matching database. Instantly you will receive (for free) a list of possible matches to your Font Issue. To upload your font scan, visit the link.

Ink Density Values - The overall balance of color in a print is determined by the strength (density) and color (hue and chroma) of the three process inks when printed. Only when these print factors have been stabilized can the percentage mixtures of the colored tone dots in the rest of the print be determined. Without close control of the inks on press and communication of colors and tone reproduction between press and prepress operators, there can be no guarantees of printing within the control parameters of a color management system. It has been shown through long experience that controlling ink density and gray balance on press may be the single most important function in color management of halftone process color reproduction. The following link will download our recommended Flexo Ink Density Values.

Halftone Screen - a pattern of dots of varying sizes applied to an image of varying tones, or same sized dots applied to a tint of color, when output to film for the printing processes
Screen Ruling - the number of dots per linear inch measured along the axis of each row.
Screen Angle - defining the angle of the axis.
Screen Dot Shape - generally Elliptical, Round or Square.
Screen Dot Range - minimum to maximum range measured as a percentage, 0% = white, 100% = solid.
Highlight Dot size - the smallest dot (% - original copy white).
Shadow Dot Size - the largest dot (% - original copy black)
Midtone Dot Size - a grey dot (%) relative to the original copies middle greys.

In the color separation process, you deal with four screens, because the dot patterns become a bigger problem. Patterns that are created by the combination of two or more screen grids are called moiré. There are acceptable and unacceptable moiré patterns. The only acceptable pattern is the rosette. Rosettes are pleasing to the eye and when generated properly generally do not detract from the images they recreate.

To form a rosette, the four halftone screens (cyan, magenta, yellow, and black) must be placed at different angles.

The conventional flexo angles are:

Black: 52°
Magenta: 82°
Cyan: 112°
Yellow: 97°

The method of printing, the plate type and product surface can all influence the preferred dot shape. i.e. Flexo Printing, on cardboard etc..

Feel free to download some examples of Screen's from the following link, note* download is large and may take a few minutes.

Trapping - When you have adjoining objects (type and lines) of different colors, registration is critical. Because press registration may not be perfect, it is necessary to overlap these colors to compensate for misregistration.

On a Flexo Sheet Feed Press, stabilization and control of your substrate through the press is vital for accurate, consistent clean print. This is achieved with the use of “Pull Bands”. Much like the tires on your automobile, good traction and control is found in the tread on your tires. The same theory applies here. We achieve maximum traction/control of your substrate through press with our “Diamond Back Pull Bands”.

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As a Demonstration to support our facts on Plate Weight
We ran two identical jobs. The first, (JOB A.) Was a standard
Liquid run mounted on .030 plastic with lead & trail edge.
The second, (JOB B.) Was our Extreme plate mounted on .030
plastic with lead and trail edge.
Results:
Total Weight
( JOB A. ) = 14.5 lbs.
( JOB B. ) = 6.25 lbs.
Difference = 8.25 lbs.

Edge Crush Test (ECT) was introduced to the industry as an alternative option
of measuring the stacking strength of corrugated fiberboard. Before ECT, the
Department of Transportation's Item 222/Rule 41 used only the Mullen Burst
Test which indicates the force of pounds per square inch needed to burst the
side of a box. With the revision of Item 222/Rule 41 boxmakers can measure
predictable top to bottom compression strength of the finished box or
boxmakers can use the Mullen Burst Test.

A BMC is a box manufacture's certificate. You will usually find it on a bottom
flap of the box. The BMC states the name and location of the manufacturer,
the minimum material specification being certified, and the gross weight
and size limits. The carrier may deny damage claim insurance if these
guidelines are not met.

THE FACTS ON PLATE WEIGHT

1.) Plate weight has a direct effect on the press. plate weight = press stress
2.) When shipping plates... Freight + Weight = $$$
3.) Lighter weight plates allow for press to run faster, which increase's your production per shift.
4.) Extreme plates take up less space by weight and volume, giving you more storage and less stress on your rack.
5.) The physical labor on the press operator is cut in half.