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Bookworks 2008 Exhibition
Posted on June 27th, 2008 by admin.
We’re excited about the Pacific Center for the Book Arts‘ triennial member show, BookWorks 2008, at the San Francisco Public Library (main downtown branch). Over one hundred books will be featured from July 1 - September 26, 2008 in the Skylight Gallery, with an impressive collection of books ranging in size, shape and subject matter. Please come by the opening reception on Tuesday, July 1, from 6:30 - 8 pm.
BookWorks 2008
San Francisco Public Library
Skylight Gallery, 6th Floor
100 Larkin St
San Francisco, CA 94102
Opening Reception: Tuesday, July 1, from 6:30–8 pm
More info: www.pcba.info
Pre-Press for Letterpress: Image Acquisition
Posted on May 20th, 2008 by admin.
Have you ever battled raggedy edges in Adobe Photoshop? When preparing your digital files for letterpress plates, the pixelated fringe surrounding type or graphics can make your printed piece look rough and uneven. Here are some tips for transforming those jaggedy edges into smooth, professional results.
Bitmap (Raster) vs. Vector Art
First of all, let’s define the functions of standard graphic software. Many designers and letterpress printers use Adobe Photoshop to create digital files for letterpress, where ragged edges tend to appear. Why does this happen in Photoshop, and not in Illustrator or InDesign?
The answer: Photoshop is a bitmap (also referred to as raster)-based program. It uses pixels to assign and manage both color and detail information. Because Photoshop works with a fixed number of pixels, the quality of a file is dependent upon its resolution (e.g., a higher resolution file = a higher quality print). However, when type or images are modified in Photoshop, fine details are often lost or compromised — that’s when fuzzy or jagged edges can emerge.
Unlike Photoshop, Illustrator and InDesign are vector-based programs based on mathematical calculations that represent letterforms and images. Thus, type and graphics can be resized and printed while maintaining the same crisp edge quality.
Best of all, it’s a cinch to compose and format your page layout in InDesign. Within an InDesign document, you can create text blocks as well as place native Illustrator (.ai) and PDF files, all without compromising final output quality. Both Illustrator and InDesign can also generate PDF files which are convenient to show to your clients as soft proofs.
Scanning
Now that we’ve established the differences between software applications, let’s see how we can capture the best scan from your scanner.
When scanning images for letterpress, it’s best to turn sharpening off and increase the contrast between the image and its background. This prevents images from picking up small artifacts (such as white cavities in solid areas) and translates into a cleaner scan which is easier to edit in both Photoshop and Illustrator.
Here’s an example of how a scanned image looks, the first without sharpening and the second (bottom) with sharpening. Notice the small white cavities in the second image:
Using Illustrator’s Live Trace tool
Once you have scanned your image, how do you refine those uneven edges? Here’s a sample image that we scanned in grayscale mode at 350 dpi (top image); below is the same file, after it was run through Adobe Illustrator’s Live Trace tool:
Here’s how you can clean up those ragged edges:
- Open your file in Adobe Illustrator (CS3 recommended)
- Select the desired image or text using the Direct Selection tool (open arrow tool)
- Go to Object > Live Trace > Tracing Options
- Under Tracing Options, you’ll see a variety of options for our process. We’ll use the Threshold tool to determine what we keep and discard of the image as it converts the bitmap information into vector art
- Play with different Threshold values to see how much detail you lose or hold; each image will vary. Check the Preview box to the right to see the transformed image.
- Once you are satisfied with your image, you can scale it up or down without losing any detail. However, avoid decreasing the overall image size by more than 15% to prevent loss of finest detail.
- If using InDesign, you can simply place your modified Illustrator file in its native format (.ai). Otherwise, you can simply use the native Illustrator file or save it as a PDF file for plate-making purposes.
Summer 2008 Classes
Posted on May 8th, 2008 by admin.
It’s warming up, and our Summer 2008 class schedule is now here! From June - August, we’ll be holding classes for intaglio, screen printing and letterpress. To register or find out more info, please email class@logosgraphics.net. All classes will be held at Logos Graphics. Here’s the scoop:
One-Week Summer Intaglio
- Wednesday, June 25 from 7-9 pm;
Saturday, June 28 from 1-5 pm - Cost: $85 + $15 materials fee
- Intaglio class syllabus
If you’re a photographer or printmaker, come to this introductory course and learn about the beautiful, easy and non-toxic process of intaglio. We’ll dive into each step of the intaglio process with the chance to make and take away fine art prints:
- Optimizing your digital photo files for photogravure
- Preparing ImagOn for copper plates
- Exposing the plates for printing
- Etching press fundamentals
- You’ll also get the chance to flex your freehand skills with alternative, non-photo techniques like toner wash-based printing!
One-Week Summer Screen Printing
- Wednesday, July 9 from 7-9 pm;
Saturday, July 12 from 1-5 pm - Cost: $85 + $15 materials fee
- Screen Printing class syllabus
Fancy making your very own shirts, bags, or posters? Try your hand at screen printing! We’ll cover essential foundation skills for screen printing using water-based inks. You’ll also have the opportunity to experiment with both paper and textiles.
Saturday Letterpress Sessions
Our popular Letterpress class series continues this summer, this time with specific topics requested by clients.
We teach a variety of “outside the manual” letterpress workshops, each conveniently held on a Saturday. Students who enroll in all three workshops qualify for a 15% discount on total fees.
Workshops include:
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Digital Pre-Press
Saturday, July 19 from 1-5 pm
Cost: $85This class is targeted at letterpress printers who use photopolymer plates, graphic designers and those who seek advanced digital pre-press production skills. We’ll show you the best way to lay out your digital files to be made into plates, efficient methods for converting bitmap type and graphics into vector outlines, and typographic fundamentals specific to letterpress.
Students of this class qualify for a 10% discount on future plate orders from Logos Graphics.
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Black vs. Black
Saturday, August 2 from 1-5 pm
Cost: $85The perfect black can be elusive to letterpress printers! Come and solve the mystery between different black inks and their responses to a range of papers. We’ll compare sized vs. unsized papers, and use a densitometer to examine edge sharpness, ink strength, and film thickness between different black inks.
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Job Planning 101
Saturday, August 9 from 1-5 pm
Cost: $85
Have you ever printed a job and then found that you’ve accidentally (or unwittingly) skipped a step in your job planning? Come to this class of essential, but often underlooked, job planning skills.
We’ll cover everything you’ll need to know to successfully execute your next job and maximize your (often limited) budget too.
You’ll learn how to properly choose and trim the right paper, layout digital type and graphic files for film and plate-making, determine the appropriate press sheet size, set up complex jobs (double-sided, tumbled or work-and-turn print jobs), as well as set the order of printing multiple pieces. A must for all printers.
Thinking About Paper: Margins
Posted on April 8th, 2008 by admin.
In letterpress, it’s a great idea to think ahead of the printing process — from your digital prepress to ink colors and, of course, your paper selection.
Clients often ask us about our popular paper trimming services (see our Trimming section for prices), and we encourage them to plan their press sheets to include a minimum of an extra 1/2 inch margin for the guide and gripper on the press.
This allows any type or graphics — especially those that bleed off any edges — to have adequate space on the sheet before the printed press sheets are trimmed to their final dimensions.
To be safe, we encourage you to include extra wiggle room on all four sides of the sheet (not only the guide and gripper edges) for you to position the plate properly on the press.
Remember, we offer two types of paper trimming services:
- Break down parent sheets into press-sized sheets - $35
- Break down parent sheets into press-sized sheets + trim your printed sheets to the final dimensions - $50
Paper Trimming, Scoring + Punching
Posted on December 7th, 2007 by admin.
We offer a variety of finishing services, including paper trimming, scoring and punching. Below is a list of our services:
- Break down parent sheets into press-sized sheets - $35
- Break down parent sheets into press-sized sheets + trim your printed sheets to the final piece size - $50
- Scoring and punching - We can also create professional scores and punches for fold-over greeting cards/invitations, book covers, etc. If interested, please send us a quote request.
Results from our “All About Paper” Class
Posted on November 21st, 2007 by admin.
Happy early Thanksgiving to all! A great group gathered at our shop last Saturday (Nov. 17) to try out and compare different papers on our Heidelberg Windmill letterpress. We had a range of traditional as well as green or FSC certified papers, including:
- Rives BFK
- Crane’s Lettra
- Somerset Velvet
- Classic Crest Cover (60% recycled, 30% post-consumer; FSC certified)
- Evergreen 50/50 (FSC certified)
- Synergy Vellum Double Thick Cover (50% recycled, 20% post-consumer)
- Mohawk Options Cover (100% recycled, 30% post-consumer)
- Strathmore Writing Cover Bristol (30% post-consumer)
Each student was able to punch and sew a sample book to take home. The classic choices for letterpress papers — Rives BFK, Somerset Velvet, Cranes Lettra — printed beautifully due to their softer, denser pile. Of the “green” sheets, Synergy received a great response, especially with a light soft pack with tissue paper behind the press tympan.
Hope y’all have a great holiday tomorrow!
Screen Printing with Ruby Lith
Posted on October 31st, 2007 by admin.
Here are a few photos from our early tests for a screen printing project at our studio. We took a local artist’s photograph of cattails, converted it into a vector file in Illustrator, and then cut the outlines of the vector image into ruby lith. The ruby was then exposed to a screen for editioning a series of screen prints:
Winter 2007-2008 Classes
Posted on October 20th, 2007 by admin.
We’re pleased to announce the following classes for the Winter 2008 season. They include two one-day classes as well as two five-week series, all taught at Logos Graphics. Come back to our website soon for more information and class dates!
1 Day Letterpress: All About Paper
If you have ever wondered about the differences between letterpress papers, this is the class for you! We’ll answer such questions as:
- How does one paper print differently from another?
- Which papers take a letterpress impression better than others?
- How does grain direction affect my printing?
- Which papers are readily available vs. pre-ordering?
- Cost comparison of papers?
Come to this one-day class and explore which papers are best for you, and try your own hand at testing several different types! We’ll provide samples of Rives BFK, Hannemühle, Crane’s Lettra, Somerset, and more for you to take home. Light snacks will be provided.
Class Fee: $40, includes one bound paper sample book; additional sample books available at $5 apiece
Date and Time: Saturday, November 17, 2007 | 10 am - 2 pm
Email us to sign up!
5 Week Intaglio: Photo and Hand Work
Held over five Thursday evenings, this intensive intaglio series encompasses an extensive range of intaglio techniques. Each week, we’ll dive into each step of the intaglio process with the chance to make and take away fine art prints:
- Optimizing your digital photo files for photogravure
- Preparing ImagOn for copper plates
- Exposing the plates for printing
- Etching press fundamentals
- You’ll also get the chance to flex your freehand skills with alternative, non-photo techniques like toner wash-based printing!
Class Fee: $400
All materials are provided for weeks 1 through 3, you provide paper for weeks 4 and 5.
Dates: February 7, 14, 21, 28; March 6
Time: 6:30-9:30 pm
5 Week Screen Printing
Screen printing is a quick and easy way to produce to beautiful prints. We’ll cover essential foundation skills for screen printing using water-based inks. Both paper and textiles will be used. This five-week series will be held on Thursday evenings.
Class Fee: $400
Dates: March 20, 27; April 3, 10, 17.
Time: 6:30-9:30 pm
Photos from SFCB Intaglio Class
Posted on August 9th, 2007 by admin.
Below are photos from the Intaglio class taught at the San Francisco Center for the Book.
Fall 2007 Classes
Posted on August 5th, 2007 by admin.
Below are Fall 2007 letterpress classes offered through the San Francisco Center for the Book. Feel free to drop a line with any questions about these exciting new offerings!
Pre-Press: Thinking Ahead for Letterpress Printing with John Sullivan
Area: Printing
Status: Available
Workshop ID: t3-090107-prt3
Sat Sep 01 10am-4pm
$110, materials fee includedIn this class John covers the details for careful planning and design to ensure successful printing. Subjects include document layout and setup for creating files to output negatives for photopolymer plates. This includes suggestions for artwork formats, imposition, double-sided printing and color separations. John will demonstrate printing and setup procedures.
Prerequisite: Letterpress I-III or permission from instructor.
We’re pleased to feature Saturday classes this fall at Logos Graphics, just ten blocks from the Center in the Mission district’s Project Artaud. John Sullivan has operated Logos Graphics for thirty years, offering full digital pre-press, photopolymer plate making, letterpress, offset and intaglio printmaking.
Tools List for Workshop
All materials provided
Running Film and Making Plates: Focus on Photopolymer with John Sullivan
Area: Printing
Status: Available
Workshop ID: t3-091507-prt2
Sat Sep 15 10am-4pm
$110, materials fee included
From plate type to substrate, learn professional tips for photopolymer platemaking and printing. John will demonstrate how to lockup a Boxcar base, register your plates, and back-trim your paper. Prerequisite: Letterpress I-III or permission from instructor. This class does not qualify you to rent the Center’s platemaker.
Tools List for Workshop
All materials provided
Heidelberg Windmill Press I: An Overview with John Sullivan
Area: Printing
Status: Available
Workshop ID: t3-092207-prt
Sat Sep 22 10am-4pm
$110 plus $15 materials fee
A fast and fiercely efficient machine, the automated Heidelberg Windmill platen press is the choice of many letterpress professionals. John will go over workflow of the press, covering the many different parts, the swift speed and the press in action. Students will be able to try their hand at running the press.
Prerequisite: Letterpress I-III.
Tools List for Workshop
All materials provided
Heidelberg Windmill Press II: Impression and Delivery with John Sullivan
Area: Printing
Status: Available
Workshop ID: t3-092907-prt2
Sat Sep 29 10am-4pm
$110 plus $15 materials fee
Learn the specifics of the impression settings and delivery tray. Using its suction windmill arms, the Heidelberg takes paper from the tray and delivers it to the tympan on which it is printed and then moved to the finished pile. Students will print, adjust impression, check for evenness and position the delivery tray.
Prerequisite: Letterpress I-III and Heidelberg Windmill Press I.
Tools List for Workshop
All materials provided
Heidelberg WIndmill Press III: Inking and Maintenance with John Sullivan
Area: Printing
Status: Available
Workshop ID: t3-100607-prt2
Sat Oct 06 10am-4pm
$110 plus $15 materials fee
Learn the features and benefits of various ink types as they relate to letterpress printing and the Heidelberg. Topics will include printing order of multiple color jobs, scale measuring and mixing and inking the fountain. John will also cover trimming with guide and gripper marks, press oiling and wash up.
Prerequisite: Letterpress I-III and Heidelberg Windmill Press I-II.
Tools List for Workshop
All materials provided
See Also:
Sat Sep 01: Pre-Press: Thinking Ahead for Letterpress Printing (Available)
Sat Sep 15: Running Film and Making Plates: Focus on Photopolymer (Available)
Sat Sep 22: Heidelberg Windmill Press I: An Overview (Available)
Sat Sep 29: Heidelberg Windmill Press II: Impression and Delivery (Available)
Sat Oct 06: Heidelberg Windmill Press III: Inking and Maintenance (Available)