Digital Printing

For very "short runs" i.e. small quantities of printing, Digital is much cheaper than Litho.

A quantity as low as ONE COPY is entirely practical. Consequently, the artwork can vary on every copy of a digitally printed job and the price will be the same as it would have been if all copies were identical. For example, printing 100 copies of a two page PDF artwork to create 100 identical double sided A4 leaflets, would cost exactly the same as printing one copy of a 200 page PDF to create 100 different double sided A4 leaflets.

Setup Requirements

As explained above, we can print lots of different versions of, say, a leaflet, if you supply the artwork for each version as separate pages in a Print Ready PDF.

Alternatively, we can merge the Variable Data into the PDF for you.

An example of a very simple Variable Data text merge would be the introduction of a name to personalise a letter. However, we can make the variations between the differerent versions of the printed product much more exciting than that!

When you are specifying your print job by answering the questions on the Digital Printing Price Calculator page, if you do not need us to merge Variable Data, and everything you want us to print is contained in your PDF, please select the Print Ready PDF button.

If you would like us to merge variable data, please select the Variable Data File button, which will then make two more options appear: Names in Text and Names in Pictures.

Variable Data – Names in Text

Here is an example of a Names in Text Project.

As you can see in the two Postcards shown above, by using a Names in Text Project, the property developer Blumells are able to market all of the different types of houses in their new development to prospective buyers who have expressed an interest in a particular size and/or price of house. The text in the top left of the Postcard and the name and address on the right have been merged from a Excel file into an InDesign file which contains the common elements: the Blumells logo, the photograph of the row of houses (which constitute the new property development), the Royal Mail PPI and the blue white and mauve background.

For a Names in Text Project, please supply both a PDF and its source file (preferably an InDesign file) which contains the elements of your print job which do not change and an Excel file with the variable elements.

Variable Data – Names in Pictures (formerly known as Digital Smile Printing)

Here is an example of a Names in Pictures Project.

Using a Names in Pictures Project, TDG Autosport have created a calendar which contain a series of twelve pictures which give the impression that they have been specially set-up and photographed for each of their customers. Each picture in Daniel's calendar contains his name, likewise in Simon's and all the other customers' personalised calendars. In the June pages shown above, it looks like the boy on the beach has carefully arranged the stones to spell the words Daniel and Simon, but this illusion has been created by software which has manipulated the image and introduced their names into the picture.

Unfortunately, we can't magically move stones around in a picture of you on the beach! You need to choose images from our massive library of specially prepared pictures, which you can browse on here: www.namesinpictures.co.uk. There is a relaxing slideshow to watch.

If see an image you like, right click on the static image and save it to your computer; you can then use this when laying out your design. This low resolution image will have a number in the filename which identifies the image. Before you create the final PDF of your artwork, please delete the image and just set the number from the filename in the space where you want the Names in Pictures merged images to appear.

For a Names in Pictures Project, please supply a PDF which contains the elements of your print job which do not change (with the Names in Pictures images replaced with the number from the image filename) and an Excel file of the names we are to merge into the pictures.

Here is some much easier to understand general information about Digital Printing

Number of Pages in your File

We need all the pages in your PDF to be the same size and orientation. The consistent size requirement might sound obvious, but Acrobat will allow a PDF to contain both landscape and portrait pages in their correct orientations – by all means give us a combination of landscape and portrait pages in a PDF, but they must be presented to us orientated the same way. For example, a combination of A4 landscape and portrait pages must have either all the 210mm or all the 297mm dimensions at the head.

Full colour one side or both sides

Our Xeikon 5000 Digital Press prints on both sides of the paper or board, ensuring perfect back-up registration.

Digital Printing Sizes

Our standard sizes are:

• 105mm x 148mm (A6)
• 210mm x 148mm (A5)
• 99mm x 210mm (1/3 A4)
• 297mm x 210mm (A4)
• 297mm x 420mm (A3)
• 594mm x 420mm (A2)
• 297mm x 630mm (6 Panel A4, also known as Six Page A4, i.e. it can be folded twice to A4)
• 297mm x 840mm (8 Panel A4, also known as Eight Page A4, i.e. it can be folded three times to A4)

Custom sizes:

If you require a size which is not listed above, just choose the next size up e.g. for a size of 90mm x 200mm choose 1/3 A4.

We can produce any other size you may require with a maximum width of 480mm x virtually unlimited length.

Choice of Digital Printing Materials

• 100gsm uncoated white cartridge
• 120gsm uncoated white cartridge
• 115gsm gloss art
• 115gsm silk
• 150gsm gloss art
• 150gsm silk
• 200gsm gloss art
• 200gsm silk
• 280gsm gloss art
• 280gsm silk
• 350gsm silk
• 150gsm semi gloss
• 200gsm semi gloss
• 280gsm semi gloss

Finishing of Digital Printing

We now offer a wide variety of Finishing of our Digital Print, which includes Books and Booklets, which can be Hard Back, Saddle Stitched, Perfect Bound or Wire-o Bound.

Only the finishing which is possible on your Digital Job will be selectable, if the combination of size and material makes a particular finishing process unsuitable it will be greyed out on the list on the Price Calculator page.

Here is the full list of finishing processes:

• Collating
• Numbering
• Parallel Folding
• Creasing
• Crease-Folding
• Perforating
• Round Cornering
• Bespoke Cutting
• Bespoke Shape
• Gloss Lamination
• Matt Lamination

Digital Printing Production times

The following choices of turnaround times are available for Digital Printing.

Express turnaround – your Digital Printing order will be despatched in two working days.

Express Plus turnaround – your Digital Printing order will be despatched in one working day.

Economy turnaround – your Digital Printing order will be despatched in four working days.

Super Economy turnaround – your Digital Printing order will be despatched in eight working days.

If you require extra finishing, the number of working days will increase by a day or two. The despatch time, including the time required for the extra finishing, will be shown in the Product Description.

For a day to be treated as the first working day, we require your printing order and payment along with print quality artwork before 10am. Alternatively, for an additional charge, you can delay the printing order, payment and print quality artwork cut-off time to 3.30pm.

Artwork and PDF requirements for Digital Printing

• We operate a PDF workflow, so please supply your artwork as a Press Quality PDF. If you prefer, we can create a PDF for you, in which case we will email a proof to you for approval. There is an additional charge for this PDF creation service of £20 plus VAT.
• If any print reaches the edge of your finished job, please add 3mm bleed to all sides of your artwork
• We need a "quiet area" to ensure nothing important is too near to the edge of the finished item; so please leave a 5mm inner margin for anything other than backgrounds
• Supply files to us in CMYK, not RGB please
• Image resolution should be 300dpi or more
• Please embed fonts or convert all of your text to shapes

If you would like to download a PDF template you can do so from the Templates page which is accessible via the top menu bar.