Five Easy Ways to “Talk the Talk” with Printers

When clients contact us to describe a project or request an estimate, some phrases we use can cause momentary confusion due to “printer jargon.” To take some of the mystery out of our day-to-day jargon, we came up with five common examples to “talk the talk” when describing your project.

Flat versus Finish Size

“Is 8.5x11 the flat size or the finish size?”

This is one area that often trips people up, especially when they are printing a folded or bound project. For example, you are printing a newsletter that will be folded in half and then in half again. The flat size would be the size of your newsletter when it is fully open (for example, 11x17). The finish size would be the size of the newsletter after it has been folded (first to an 8.5x11 and then to a finish size of 5.5x8.5). Specifying flat size or finish size can save a lot of confusion.

Are you looking to save a little money, too? Ask us what would be the most cost-efficient size, production wise, that would still achieve your project’s goal. Bring in a sample or dummy of the project and ask if it would work just as well slightly smaller, or folded differently, etc.

Pages versus Sheets

“Is that 12 sheets of paper or 12 numbered pages?”

This is another area that can be baffling. Sheets and pages are often confused for one another. Pages often refers to the number of individual fronts and backs, often called numbered pages. Sheet is a term that describes the whole piece of paper. For example an 11x17 newsletter that folds in half has four pages, but is only one sheet of paper. The best way to describe your project would be to refer to the numbered pages and, in the case of a booklet, if that count includes the cover. For example: “I would like to print a booklet that has 16 numbered pages, including the cover.” We’ll figure out the number of sheets.

Colors

“What color is your project?”

When we ask this question, we are trying to determine how many colors your project will have. This is important to know for both offset printing and digital printing, but in this instance, we are focusing on offset. (See the “Print” article in this newsletter for further reference.)

If you have lots of beautiful, color photos and/or several different colors, then your project is probably a four-color process job. Are the colors just black and red? That would be what we call a black and one Pantone color job. Are the colors blue and red? We would call that a two Pantone color job. With each Pantone color, the press has to be washed up. Count the number of colors your piece has and tell us. If all else fails, bring in a printout or email a PDF to us. (What is a Pantone — or PMS — color? See the “Glossary” on the “Links” page of our website.)

Something to keep in mind is, typically, the more colors in your project, the higher the price. However, do not be afraid to ask us for suggestions to help you achieve the look you want with your project, while watching the bottom line.

Folds

"Is that a letter fold or a 'Z' fold?"

Describing a fold can be very difficult without visuals. One way to avoid confusion would be to create a folding dummy and share it with us. This can also serve as a double check to make sure your piece is folding correctly. (See the article, "Folding Dummies Can Be a Project Saver" in our summer 2008 newsletter, archived online.)

Another option that we offer is an explanation of popular folds on our website. If you visit: www.HowardPrintingInc.com/Service/Folding.htm, you will see illustrations of different types of folds.

Remember, if your piece is going to be folded and mailed, be sure to have the design approved with the post office. This will save you time and money in the long run

Choosing a "White" Paper

Which white is white?

White comes in many different shades. Specifying what white you would like can be challenging. Some examples include Bright Whites, Pure Whites, Cool Whites, Warm Whites, and Natural Whites, just to name a few. Be as specific as you can, mention that you are looking for an off-white or a bright white. If you have something specific in mind, bring in a sample. Visual aids can be very helpful!

Looking for a "greener" paper choice? Recycled whites can vary in their brightness depending on their recycled content. Let us know what percentage of recycled content you would like, and we can help find the right white for you.

Back to newsletter