Aftercare for Graphics

To get the most from your printed graphics and to ensure they fulfil their maximum life expectancy, follow these instructions. It will save you time, money and aggravation in the future as we cannot accept responsibility for damaged graphics which have been badly handled.

1. ALWAYS ROLL LAMINATED FLEXIBLE GRAPHICS WITH THE PRINT ON THE OUTSIDE! Why? Rolling graphics with the print on the inside can stretch the laminate away from the printed layer, causing bubbling and eventual de-lamination. It is especially important to follow this procedure for pop-up graphics and designer stand graphics which have mag-tape applied to the back, as rolling them with the mag-tape on the outside can cause the mag-tape and hangers to peel away from the graphic.
2. ALWAYS ROLL POP-UP GRAPHICS INDIVIDUALLY AND PLACE IN THE CASE ONE BY ONE! Why? If you try to roll them all up together, they will be (a) more difficult to place in and get out of the case, increasing the likelihood of you dropping them and (b) the inside graphics will be more curled than the outside ones so may not hang as well.
3. STORE FLEXIBLE GRAPHICS FLAT WHEREVER POSSIBLE TO AVOID PERMANENT CURLING! Pop-up drums are fine as they are designed to allow the graphics to sit very loosely rolled on their ends.
4. PROTECT EDGES AND CORNERS OF RIGID GRAPHICS! Some lightweight display boards, such as Kapa, are easily dented, so use corner protectors when in transit.
   
5. MAKE SURE YOU PURCHASE THE RIGHT GRAPHICS FOR THE ENVIRONMENT! Lamination alone does not make graphics waterproof. If you are planning to use your graphics outdoors, make sure you choose a waterproof print surface such as vinyl or self-adhesive vinyl, mounted on a non-porous materials such as foamex, or have paper prints encapsulated.
   
6. HANDLE GRAPHICS WITH CLEAN HANDS! Grubby graphics will never look the same again. In certain circumstances, lighter fluid or glass cleaner can be applied to laminated graphics to remove any greasy finger marks, but this will not be suitable for un-sealed prints. Apologies if this advice seems a little obvious, but when you’ve been in the business as long as we have you make no assumptions!
   

GGS Goes Wild!

Okay, so we haven't become so in-tune with our inner selves that we've decided to relocate offices to a teepee off the North Norfolk coast and done away with all worldly possessions (as this could be decidedly detrimental to business)! But we have been making the most of the great outdoors with some seriously nice 'youthful' people, defying all rumours that the kids of today can only function when attached to an electrical device.

Yes both big boss Chris (no that's not him on the left!) and our charming designer Michelle have embarked on some 'non-design related' extra curricular activities; You may have already sighted Chris popping out from a bush in 'Tyrells Wood' where he's been 'leading' Scouts on team building activities. Chris greatly enjoys passing his wisdom onto the kids, lets just hope the kids feel the same! Chris is hoping to embark on many more 'fun filled' Scouting activities over this summer so keep your eyes peeled.

Moving to a slightly higher level of expertise (sorry Chris!) Michelle has been helping out Dereham Sixth Form student's on their Duke of Edinburgh expedition training on the North Norfolk coast. Any excuse for her to dive under some canvas and she's off, so spending the weekend under the stars was really her idea of heaven! The sixth form pupils she assisted we're practising for their Silver Award which involves planning, training for and doing a 3 day (2 night) expedition laden down with full kit! All in all it was a fantastic week-end and thankfully everyone made it back to base in one piece, all be it a little sore!

So back to normality now for the GGS team until the call of nature beckons them once more...

Sending artwork to GGS

Artwork files can often be very large and sometimes awkward to send to our large format printing service, so we have put together a quick guide to sending your artwork over to us.

Artwork can also be supplied via CD, DVD and Flash/Pen Drive. You can also send artwork via free online upload sites such as mailbigfile.com and yousendit.com.

Uploading artwork to mailbigfile or yousendit:-
If uploading more than one file (several JPGs or a collected InDesign job for example) place everything together in one folder and either:-

PC Users: Create a zip file of it (right click on your folder and choose “send to” then “compressed (zipped) folder) and then upload your zipped folder which should have appeared next to your original folder (the folder icon for that new file will have a little zip on it)

MAC Users: Compress your artwork folder (right click on your folder and choose “compress ‘your folder name’”) and then upload your zipped folder which should have appeared next to your original folder and has a .zip extension (the folder icon for that new file will have a little zip on it)

Then simply follow the onscreen instructions on the relevant website. Hope this helps!

Supported Design Packages (when sending artwork)

When sending artwork over for our large format printing service, we recommend using one of the following design software packages.

InDesign CS3 (and below) -
Job should be packaged (use “package” under the “file” menu) to include all fonts, images (saved as CMYK and 100dpi at size of output or 200 dpi at half size, 400 dpi at quarter size etc) and with bleed (see relevant online artwork spec for your chosen product)

Quark 7 (and below) -
Job should be collected for output (use “collect for output” under the “file” menu) to include all fonts, images (saved as CMYK and 100dpi at size of output or 200 dpi at half size, 400 dpi at quarter size etc) and with bleed (see relevant online artwork spec for your chosen product)

Adobe Photoshop CS3 (and below) -
Saved as JPG or TIFF and in CMYK colour mode. Files to be 100dpi at size of output (200 dpi at half size, 400 dpi at quarter size etc) Bleed should be added (see relevant online artwork spec for your chosen product) If you are saving your work as a JPG (which is a compressed file format) higher compression = lower quality files and vice versa. Use High Quality or Maximum Quality to avoid JPG ‘artefacts’ in your artwork. If you are including text in your PhotoShop document the dpi needs to be slightly higher at 130dpi at size of output.

We also support:-

Adobe Illustrator CS3 (and below) -
Saved as an EPS file and supplied with all linked images (saved as CMYK). Fonts/type should be converted to outlines, if you are not supplying them, and with bleed (see relevant online artwork spec for your chosen purchase - poster/banner stand etc)

PDF -
Original artwork prior to PDF being created to have any imported/embedded bitmaps in CMYK colour mode. If supplying artwork in PDF format ALWAYS ensure that the “embed fonts” option is selected and that a “High Quality” option is chosen (not “PDF for email” for example)

To supply artwork in a package that isn’t listed here see if your design package will let you export your work as a hi-res PDF or hi-res JPEG

The GGS Jargon Dictionary

Here at GGS we like to make things as easy as possible for our clients to understand. However sometimes there are terms that may need explaining so we thought it might be useful to define some of the slightly more technical terms that pop-up within our exhibition, graphic design, web design and photography projects.

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Artwork – We use this term to describe the files we receive from you to print from. See our artwork software requirements article for more information.

Banner Stand - Tall thin portable banner system which has a graphic that is unrolled and held taught by a pole(s) at the back of the unit. See our full range of banner stands here. Also known as ‘pull-up banners’ or ‘roll-up banners’. Commonly also called ‘pop ups’ which is incorrect (see pop ups below).

Bitmap – An image file format that refers to the rows and columns (map) of dots or pixels that form as image.

Bitmap Images - Computerized image made up of a collection of dots or pixels; these images appear blocky when you zoom in; also known as raster images.

Bleed - Printing that goes beyond the edge of the visible graphic area.

Border - Margin or line between the image area and the edge of the paper.

Brightness - The brilliance or reflective quality of paper affecting contrast in printing.

Bulk - The thickness of paper relative to it’s weight.

CMYK - Cyan, magenta, yellow & black – the four basic colour inks which are used in the four colour process to produce a range of colours and create a colour image.

Colour Balance - Refers to the proper ratio of cyan, magenta and yellow ink during printing to keep colour consistency and produce the desired colour of an image.

Colour Correction - Methods of adjusting and improving colour qualities such as colour balance, contrast etc.

Colour Matching - Adjusting supplied digital file to match hard copy supplied by client.

Contrast - The range of difference between the darkest and lightest areas in an image.

Copy - Any material (text or artwork) to be used in printing a piece.

Crop - To cut off sides or portions of an image

Crop Marks - Lines at the edges of a sheet that show where the page will be trimmed.

Cyan - Shade of blue; one of 4 basic ink colours used in a 4 colour printing process.

Density - The degree of darkness of an image.

Dot - The individual element of a halftones; also referred to as a pixel.

DPI - Dots Per Inch: a measurement of resolution of a screen image or printed image defined by the number of dots that fit horizontally and vertically into one inch; the higher the DPI, the sharper the image.

Encapsulation - The process of sealing a printed graphic, front and back, with thin, clear vinyl or polyester. Often confused with lamination.

EPS - Encapsulated Postscript File: An Adobe graphic file format for high resolution images; it translates graphic and text into code that tells a printer to print in the highest resolution possible and also has low resolution view files for quick screen viewing.

Footprint - Area of floor or ground that is taken up by a display system (ie. width x depth).

Four colour process - The process of printing using the combination of four basic colour inks (cyan, magenta, yellow & black) to produce a range of colours and create a colour image. This is also known as a full colour process.

Full colour process - See four colour process.

GIF - Graphics Interchange Format: An 8-bit-per-pixel bitmap image format used widely on the web due to it’s portability. The format uses a palette of up to 256 distinct colours from the 24-bit RGB colour space. The colour limitation makes the GIF format unsuitable for reproducing colour photographs and other images with continuous colour, but it is well-suited for more simple images such as graphics or logos with solid areas of colour.

Gloss - Shiny coating on paper or highly reflective laminated finish.

Grain - The direction in which the fibres of a paper lie.

Graphic - At GGS we refer to any printed poster, banner, flag or wrap etc as a graphic, whether it is used with or without a display system.

Graphic Design - The use of visual elements to express a message.

Graphic Wrap - A printed polyester or vinyl graphic that wraps around a carry-drum, plinth, counter or table and fastens together with velcro at the back.

Grayscale - An image made up of a range of shades of black and white.

GSM - Grammes per Square Metre: Unit traditionally used to describe paper weight.

Halftone - Pattern of dots within a fixed grid to reproduce a continuous-tone image.
Hard Copy - A document or data printed on paper.

Hardware - Hardware at GGS refers to all non-printed elements of a display system (eg. Pop-up frame, carry bags, fixtures & fittings)

High Res - High Resolution: See Resolution

Image Area - Portion of a page or paper that is printed.

Inkjet - A high quality printed graphic produced by an ink-jet printer which squirts very fine jets of rapid-drying ink onto paper and other substrates. See our Large Format Print section for more information on our printing services.

JPEG - A commonly used method of compression for photographic images. The file format is known as JIF (JPEG Interchange Format) but most image editing software programs that write to a ‘JPEG file’ are actually creating a file in the simpler ‘JFIF’ (JPEG File Interchange Format). The name JPEG stands for Joint Photographic Experts Group, the name of the committee that created the standard.

Keyline - An outline drawing to show the exact size and position of artwork.

Lamination - Applying a thin clear waterproof veneer to one side of a printed graphic. Many people use the term lamination incorrectly to mean sealing a graphic completely, front and back, when they actually mean encapsulation.

Lines per Inch (LPI) - The number of lines of dots per inch in a halftone screen; the higher the LPI, the sharper the image.

Magenta - Also known as process red; one of the 4 basic ink colours in process colour printing; M in abbreviation CMYK.

Matte - Dull, non-glossy finish.

Mb (or MB) - Unit of megabytes or megabits. When referring to the size or data transfer rate of a storage device which is accessed in multiples of eight bits (e.g. RAM, hard disk) this almost certainly means megabytes, but when referring to the data transfer rate of a communications system it probably means megabits. Some years ago, it is claimed, “MB” always meant megabytes and “Mb” meant megabits but recently this useful distinction has been lost.

Micron - Unit of length (symbol µ) defined as one millionth of a metre, a length more properly known as the micrometre. The term micron was officially sanctioned as part of the metric system from 1879 to 1967 but is still commonly used to describe the thickness of papers, laminates and fabrics.

Modular - A self-contained exhibition stand that can be combined or interchanged with others like it to create different shapes or designs. Composed of standardized units or sections for easy construction or flexible arrangement.

Moiré - An undesirable screen pattern caused by incorrect screen angles.

Off - In printing, quantity is traditionally described as ‘1 off’ or ‘2 off’ etc. This is an historic abbreviation of ‘1 off a negative’ or ‘2 off a negative’ and now relates to how many copies of one design are printed from one digital file.

Opacity - The property of paper that maximizes the show-through on a printed sheet.

Pantone Reference - Pantone colors are described by their allocated number (ie. ‘PMS 130’). PMS references are almost always used in branding in order to maintain colour consistency.

PDF - Portable Document Format: The file format created by Adobe Systems, in 1993, for document exchange. PDF is used for representing two-dimensional documents in a device-independent and display resolution-independent fixed-layout document format. Each PDF file encapsulates a complete description of a 2-D document (and, with Acrobat 3-D, embedded 3-D documents) that includes the text, fonts, images, and 2-D vector graphics that compose the document.

Pixel - From picture element, the smallest resolved unit of a video or computer-generated image which has specific luminance and colour; also an individual light-sensitive unit in an array forming a solid-state sensor in a camera. Pixel dimensions may be fixed during manufacture or determined in a raster display by the number of scanning lines and the resolution along each line. Also known as dots.

PMS - Pantone Matching System: The standard colour-matching system used by printers and graphic designers.

Pop up Stand - A pop-up stand is a portable display stand that is simple to construct and portable. They are great for small to medium size exhibitions, events and presentation backdrops. Pop ups feature an internal frame that 'pops up'. Magnetic bars are then attached to the frame and the graphic panel 'drops' are magnetically attached. Pop-ups come in various widths and can vary in width and can also be joined together to create larger exhibition displays. Also known as Pop-up displays.

PostScript - A page description language developed by Adobe Systems that tells a printer how an image is to be printed.

PPI - Pixels per Inch: See DPI

Process Colours - The four basic colours used in printing to simulate full spectrum colour – Cyan (blue), magenta (red), yellow and black.

Quad - Referring to pop-up stands, a quad is a complete section of the lattice that makes up a pop-up frame. A 3x3 pop-up is 3 quads high by 3 quads wide.

RAL - A colour space system used mainly to describe paint colours for powder coating developed in 1927 by Reichsausschuß für Lieferbedingungen (und Gütesicherung).

Raster - To render an image, pixel by pixel, vertically and horizontally.

Raster Image - See bitmap image.

Resolution - Refers to the number of pixels in an image, expressed in pixels per inch (PPI) or dots per inch (DPI). The higher the number, the sharper the image.

RGB - Red, Green & Blue – The additive primary colours used for colour video displays as on a computer screen.

Rich Black - A darker and deeper black colour created by combining other ink colours with black ink. The values to create Rich Black is usually 40% Cyan, 30% Magenta, 30% Yellow, 100% Black.

RIP - Raster Image Processor – A device that translates data into dots or pixels.

Shadow - The darkest areas of a photograph or image.

Stoplight - A quality of the polyester that banner stand and pop-up graphics are printed on at GGS that prevents any silhouette of the hardware behind the graphic being visible when light is shone on the display.

Substrate - Any surface or material on which printing is done.

Tambour Wrap - Structural wrap (made from flexible mdf) used in 'Physique' portable counters to hold the base to the counter top. Can be fabric covered, covered with beech effect laminate or aluminium plated.

TIFF - Tagged Image File Format: A standard graphic image file format often used for storing high resolution images that can easily handle up to 24 bits of photographic image colour.

Tint - A mixture of a hue with white.

Total Printed Area - The full area of a printed graphic material, including bleed (edges to be hemmed, edges to be hidden by frame edges or roller banner base units etc)

Tree-Free - Refers to pulp or paper made without cutting down trees; paper made from cotton, or hemp or other resources.

Trim Marks - Marks on a printed sheet that show where to cut or trim the page.

Trim Size - The final size of a printed image after trimming.

Typesetting - To arrange or layout artwork and text for printing.

Vector Image - Images made up of solids, lines and curves that can be scaled or edited without affecting image resolution.

Visible Graphic Area - The area of a printed graphic visible once fitted in a display system or frame that may be covering the graphic’s edges.

Screw surviving...

Attended a truly inspiring seminar at the Holiday Inn North, Norwich, last Thursday. Presented by Nigel Botterill, CEO of N5, founder of 'thebestof' franchise and a top entrepreneur, it was called 'Screw Surviving...' and was billed as an event to 'ensure your business expands and grows during the recession and make 2009 & 2010 super prosperous years for you'

What a great way to spend a day. Full on right from the start, Nigel is highly motivational and packed his presentation with hints and tips on how to grow a business - and plenty of examples of how not to! It was thought provoking, inspiring, energising, revealing, enlightening, funny, and worth more than I paid! His dynamism is infectious and this was definitely the best of any such event I have ever attended. It is easy to see why he is in the top 50 entrepreneurs in the country.

Right; time to get on and put some of his ideas into practice...

Work Experience

I'm Paul Watson a mature student studying a B.A. Hons. Degree in Photography and Digital Media with UCS Suffolk, currently in the final stages of the third year (all course work completed and awaiting my final results.) I initially contacted GGS requesting a quote for printing and mounting my final exhibition piece which was done extremely efficiently, an A1 print mounted on MDF for what I though was a very good price. It was whilst arranging and discussing this job that I enquired about the possibility of spending some time with them on a work experience basis. It was arranged that I would spend the week beginning the 8th of June at GGS.

Having previously worked at a Print Finisher and studied Graphic Design at HND level I was keen to gain experience with a company that specialised in the different aspects of the design process. I was also interested in discovering more about web design, as I have recently been spending a lot of time expanding and developing my own website.

On the Monday morning that I arrived at GGS I was introduced to the staff at the regular Monday morning meeting and I was given a tour of the building, I was rather overwhelmed by the size of the company and the abundance of technical equipment. I spent the first morning in the large studio helping to construct a large exhibition stand that a client would be viewing in the afternoon. This was am interesting insight into the process of design and construction as all the elements of this job had been designed by GGS. Once the stand was viewed it was then dismantled and shipped off to the customer. The afternoon was spent in the Graphic Design department. Here I spent some valuable time looking at a number of live jobs and got busy familiarising myself with software such as In Design and Freehand on an Apple Mac.

On the Tuesday I assisted photo shoot that had been booked by a client who specialised in the design and manufacture of industrial safety helmets, this was an interesting experience as we were working with a model, taking portrait shots in which the main point of focus was the safety helmet. It was interesting to observe the various lighting techniques that were used to highlight the contours of each helmet. I feel that this was also a valuable insight into working with client and a model.

Wednesday was spent on location in an industrial unit photographing industrial equipment; these final images would be used in brochures and sales literature. Once again this was a valuable insight into the nature of a photo shoot of this kind. Becoming familiar with the type of kit that a professional photographer uses on location, and ways in which lighting is used in order to define the shape and form of the object. This was an extremely valuable and educational experience and I learnt a great deal; not only about photography but also about the nature of working as a professional in industry.

Thursday and I spent the first part of the morning observing the process of image conversion on the work from the previous day. Here we were concentrating on adjusting the contrast and brightness of each image slightly to reduce highlights, looking at histograms and the nature of RAW files.
I then spent much of the day in the Website Design department. Looking at various live jobs and learning about Dreamweaver and Flash software. Here we also spent time updating the GGS website and adjusting images to create an interactive Flash movie.

So far this has been an extremely valuable experience for me as a Photography Student wanting to work in the industry and I would like to offer my thanks to all the members of staff at GGS who have been so helpful and welcoming to me this week.

Friday
Today we started working on a photographic project for a company that manufactures curtains, we had to build a set in the studio that would display the curtains as they would appear hung in someone’s front room. After helping to construct the set in the morning I spent the rest of the day adding coats of white paint and making the set appear as clean as possible. I fitted the pole from which the curtains would hang and then we spent a great deal of time pressing the curtains so that they would look there best in the final photograph. As you can see, there is a lot more to photography than just taking photographs.

Monday
This morning we continued to work on the curtain photo shoot adding final touches to the set and hanging the curtains, we concentrated on the lighting setup using a spotlight, two flash lamps, and a large diffuser to create a bright daylight effect that appeared to come from the window. We then redressed the set in the afternoon and pressed and hung another pair of curtains using a different lighting setup, with only the one flash lamp and less overall brightness to create softer tones in the final image.

New Graphics for the Children's Hopsital Ward...

GGS have just come to the end of a major project producing ceiling tiles and wall and window graphics for the Children's Department in the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital.

The work was commissioned by Emma Jarvis of the NNUH Hopsital Arts Project who managed the complete refurbishment of the department. Local artists including BAFTA award winning Hannah Giffard, community artist and furniture designer Eloise O'Hare, illustrator Kate Green, and community artist Lisa Little all produced the magnificent illustrations and paintings which have transformed the interior of the unit, filling it with bright colours and captivating images to keep the attention of young eyes and minds.
Over 250 square metres of enchanting illustrations have been created to enhance the look and feel of the whole children's unit, and the end result is stunning. The images are fun, colourful and really brighten the whole area dramatically.

GGS worked on a similar project last year, sponsoring the redecoration of the children's A&E unit by providing over £2000 worth of wall and window graphics which also feature the beautiful work of Hannah Giffard. We were delighted to be able to support such a worthwhile project.