pikaole
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[tips]Things I consider before printing
🕑 Added 2024-03-23 07:00:34 +0000 UTCI will share the plan I have when making items and some printing tips :D
BUT! I am just an artist who has done printing a lot and am not expert about printing skill, so please consider this to be just my personal opinion/behind making story and read for fun.
Things I consider before printing.
1. Compare the work you print on multiple monitors.
(Your work monitor, iPhone, friend's Galaxy phone, Cintiq, etc.)
Monitor Calibration can reduce errors, but it is often difficult for us to do this.
You will be able to adjust the colors before printing...Or maybe it could cushion the impact when actual print come out π
2. Test printing is essential for important printing
The final result looks different depending on the paper and coating.
This is what I tested with 12 versions. (There are 10 in the picture, but there were two more)
They look similar, but number 1 is darker and number 12 is brighter.
In the case of stickers, when they are coated, the stickers tend to become darker due to the color of the coated paper itself!
These are samples of the different holographic coatings I have.
If I put over this coated hologram paper to a print of my painting I can easily see what the final print will feel like.
Making test print will ensure safety when doing bulk printing later, and will also make it easier to reprint if a factory error causes a defective copy. (Of course it depends on the factory's service π )
If test printing is not possible(Due to the small number of printing units), adjust the level or curve and send the printout in a slightly bright state is safe. This depends on the printer's situation at the factory, but in my experience of printing in many places, most prints tend to come out darker. And having your print come out darker than you expected is always worse than having it come out lighter... π When I was a baby artist, I once printed 200 postcards without adjusting the level, and I cried when I received the package.
Depending on the paper, the color and brightness when printing the same picture differs.
That's the reason the print shop may provide paper sample book.
In my case, I have information about the different level values to adjust before printing for the factories I frequently use and the paper I frequently use.
For example, I print on paper with pearls by adjusting the image to be a little darker than on paper without pearls. (This also depends on the type of pearlescent paper.)
3. A day to avoid printing.
RAINY DAYS!!!!!
Printing conditions can be really bad on rainy days. The defect rate is very high. Especially if you're printing dark pictures... that could spell the worst.
For example, if you check the weather and it looks like this, it is best to postpone printing until a clear day. Last summer, the rainy season was so long here. I couldn't wait to print it and did it..... and as a result, I had to print it all again π
Busy day of print shop
Printing conditions at the factory are poor on days when printing is busy. I heard it tends to come out darker. People here describe it as printing like burnt.
Before a big anime conference. or before or after the holidays, Election season...
It is best to avoid printing on days like these. If the factory is busy, not only printing quality but also service quality may decline, so it is a good idea to check these things for the best results.
Preparing early always helps.
Those of you who are part of my very early patreons may remember.. In the very early days when I was sending out patreon letters, I did a reward survey a month before shipping. Now, I have been preparing for October rewards from March π
Here is 6 month plan to prepare for patreon physical reward.
It's actually much more detail plan than this, but to summarize, it feels like this :D
We can manage it systematically through a schedule.
In my case, I usually use a total of three schedule books.
There is a monthly plan for the digital tier and a weekly plan that includes my personal plan.
Hm.........Honestly, I am a planning addict πππ
Thank you for reading!
![[tips]Things I consider before printing](https://img5.leaqio.com/storage/9/kw/nw/9e04c0-019e8c3a-807c-7d81-8686-d5396c4f1787.jpg)
Comments
pikaole
Thanks for reading! Haha, I've been making postcards and stickers for a long time, and I wanted to share what I think about making them. As far as I know, there are follow artists here so may this help π
joverton
Thanks for taking the time to explain this stuff to us. You don't have to, because you already provide so much art work, and digital and physical items for us! But the effort to include us in the background of your work is greatly appreciated :)
pikaole
The paper becomes damp and the ink does not dry well. So, the ink on the front side gets effect on the back side.
fred
I had no idea weather affected printing. What does it do??
