Calendars

With the new year approaching fast, it’s time to begin thinking about calendars.  Not only do calendars have great function and design but they are also an awesome marketing tool for any business. An attractive wall calendar can be more than something that catches your eye –   they are used for planning upcoming events, marking special or important dates and a host of other business benefits. A creative, well designed calendar with your company logo will keep your business name up front and visible for the entire year and having that unique calendar will make it more likely your recipients will like it and want to keep using it.

Calendars come in all shapes and sizes and creating your own unique design can be a fun project in itself. Whether you’re selecting images of places, scenery or simply something that represents the culture of your company, a well designed calendar will give a lasting impression to whoever receives one. Want to give creating your own calendar a try?  Give us a call, because at Schneider Graphics we’re here to help make you AND your calendar look great!

Holiday Projects

With the holidays just around the corner, have you started planning your holiday print projects?

The holidays are a great time of year to show your personal creativity. Your friends, family and associates will always appreciate your holiday wishes with a custom greeting card with your personal touch. However, there are many other items to consider as well. Calendars with unique art or photos are also popular during the holiday season. Or you can take your creativity a step further with personalized gift tags. Cut them into shapes and attach some string for a one of a kind of look. Don’t forget your party invitations, custom gift wrapping and even holiday menus… Make it fun and let Schneider Graphics help you with planning your holiday print projects.

Color Trends

Color trends

Did you know that every year Pantone releases a list of color trends?

Color trends in 2018 moved away from pastels and towards more bright and bold colors. Ultra Violet or PMS 296 was Pantone’s color of the year in 2018. It is a vivid purple according to Pantone.

But there is more to it than just a color of the year. They list several colors that are trending throughout the year.

Pantone’s fall picks are natural colors with a very earthy feel.

2019 Pantone is predicting lively hues. Bright reds and oranges along with reliable classics. Pantone hasn’t predicted a color of the year for 2019 but they are showing many colors that have a great look.

It is amazing how Pantone gets all this information from designers. From fashion to home and puts it all together.

Visit Pantone’s website frequently to get the most up to date trends in color.

We love talking paper, inks, coatings and print techniques at Schneider Graphics. So please talk to your sales rep if you’re interested in learning more.

Why are printing proofs important?

Why are printing proofs important?

Proofs are a critical part of the printing process! It may seem obvious, but an actual hard copy proof gives the print buyer a chance to see exactly how their printing project is going to look once its finished. Proofs should always be reviewed for copy (spelling, capitalization, punctuation and grammar errors), color accuracy, folding, etc. At Schneider Graphics we proof nearly all our jobs on the exact substrate that is being used for the actual print project. This gives our clients the opportunity to make sure the final piece will have the look and feel they expect or are trying to achieve.

In addition to physical hard copy proofs, which we always recommend for any new printing project. We also utilize technology with sending what’s referred to as “soft proofs”. Soft Proofs are generally PDF files sent electronically. These work great for confirming that the correct file is being used for an exact reprint or checking corrections that may have been requested after reviewing a hard copy proof. They are also an excellent way to proof a project that may have a quick turnaround where time just does not allow for a physical proof to be sent.

Reviewing proofs are important and can literally save hundreds and often times thousands of dollars! So take the time and give your proofs the attention they deserve!

Strikethrough Coating

Strikethrough Coating… What is it?

Strikethrough Coating is a coating technique that not only adds a layer of protection to your printed piece but also adds a level of creativity. It is most often used to highlight a specific graphic or image with a glossy effect that really makes the subject stand out.

We achieve this effect by using an extra plate to apply a dull coating to only the areas that are not being highlighted. Then a special gloss coating is applied over the entire sheet. As the sheet dries, a chemical reaction occurs where the dull coating rises thru the gloss leaving only the required area with a super glossy finish.

At Schneider Graphics, we utilize strike-thru coatings on a wide variety of catalogs, brochures, pocket folders or any other projects where our clients are looking to have an object stand out or jump off the page! If you are looking to add a “WOW” factor on you next print project, maybe a Strikethrough coating is what you need!

We love talking paper, inks, coatings and print techniques at Schneider Graphics. So please talk to your sales rep if your interested in learning more.

Saddle Stitching or Perfect Binding

Saddle Stitching or Perfect Binding
Which is best?

With Saddle stitching, multiple pages are bound together along the fold with 2 or more staples. Saddle stitching requires the book’s page count to be in multiples of four so each sheet folded is counted as four pages. Saddle Stitching can’t support large quantities of pages and that page count can vary depending on the weight or thickness of the paper being used.

When perfect binding, the pages and cover are glued together at the spine using a strong flexible thermal glue. Perfect bound books can support a much greater page count because the width of the spine can be adjusted based on the determined number of pages. Copy can also be added to the spine for easy identification or to standout on a bookshelf.

Each of these binding methods has its own advantages. Saddle stitching is quick, more affordable and the finished pieces are a great marketing tool to showcase your business – they are also a great option as leave behind marketing material. Perfect binding allows for much greater page quantities with a very neat square binding edge. This option is a great way to add a professional look which can really boost the presentation of your marketing materials.

Need help setting up your Booklet printing project? Call us and find out how easy it really is to create that powerful first impression. At Schneider Graphics we have you covered with our state of the art offset and digital printing capabilities.

Respect the 5 second Rule

Variable Data – what is it… in simple terms variable data is when every individual sheet on a digitally printed run is customized. Whether it be a unique picture, graphic or even personalized with names and bar codes.

Did you know that you only have 5 seconds to convince your customer to read your mail? Studies have shown that 84% of consumers say they are more likely to open direct mail pieces that have their names printed on them.

Need help setting up your next variable data printing project? Call us and find our out how easy it really is to create that powerful first impression. At Schneider Graphics we have you covered with our state of the art offset and digital printing capabilities.

When to use PMS colors

PMS, stands for Pantone Matching System.

PMS colors are best used when branding is most important. Logos and stationary would be some of the best examples. PMS colors are usually used when a company demands that their corporate colors are consistent to their corporate identity.

Often a company’s PMS colors are as synonymous as their actual logo.

We use Pantone colors as a way to standardize – as with any industry from fabrics, paint and plastics, to ink on paper. This way colors consistently match without direct contact.

Most PMS colors can be replicated by using the four process colors (cyan, magenta, yellow and black) however, there is a risk that the shade of color could be slightly altered when using this method. This is often the case when a press operator is trying to match a skin tone or specific color on a photograph.  By having to increase or decrease one or more of the process colors to match the desired image, it may negatively impact the ability to match the PMS replication.

PMS inks are pre-mixed to match your color exactly. Using CMYK may only simulate the PMS color of choice.

Rich Black

When do you want to use Rich Black in your offset printing projects?

Often times using black alone doesn’t quite give you the deep, rich black density that your looking for when you have areas of solid blacks on your project . In those cases we recommend using “Under Color” to create what is commonly referred to as Rich Black. This is achieved by adding screens of cyan, magenta and yellow within 100% black.

It seems like today, everyone has their own opinion as to how much undercolor to use. Using too much or too little of the other colors can shift the tone of the black too. At Schneider Graphics, we have found that 20% cyan, 20% magenta, 20% yellow and 100% black works in nearly all cases for us. The key to getting the best grey scale balance in your rich blacks is to always use even amounts of cyan, magenta and yellow with your solid (100%) black.

With all that said there are those rare occasions when the equal undercolor can’t be used. Like when a photo was taken with a black background and the black background needs to fill a larger area of the sheet. In that situation, you would want to match the color percentages used in the photos background. Doing this would insure that you would not see a different density in the black from where your photo ended and your rich black began when the piece was printed.

If you would like to learn more about rich black or when and how to use it, contact your Schneider Graphics sales rep for more information.

How does shingling effect saddle stitched books?

Shingling or creep occurs when pages are added to saddle stitched books. The inner pages get narrower as more pages are added (nested) and depending on the thickness of the paper. This can cause elements to be cut off in the final trim.

How do we compensate for this?

By bringing the elements of the page in towards the fold one sheet thickness at a time. First sheet will be creeped in by the thickness of one sheet and the last sheet will be multiplied by sheets per thickness.

We use software to compensate for creep. It is something to keep in mind when laying out a book with many pages.