Digital Graphic Process Trends

Companies that understand how to use the digital graphic arts process will soon leave opponents who still use traditional processes to leave. The so-called digital graphic arts process refers to a set of production methods that integrate the use of technologies such as digital photography, digital copying, computer-to-plate, color management, standard digital files, and digital process management. Manuscripts and images are stored on computers until they are printed. , and transported by the network at high speed. Through the practical application of different companies, it has been confirmed that digital production methods are superior to traditional production processes in terms of time, operating costs and quality.
The advantage of digital photography is to take a 4×5 light film in terms of product photography. It takes time to print it out to know the true effect. Before the lamp is not printed, all the camera settings, including the position of the light source, the camera position, the shooting angle, etc., cannot be moved. In case the effect is not satisfactory in case of shooting, it is necessary to make additional shots and it is not necessary to start all over again. Therefore, we have to wait for a long time, so some photographers use bracketing in order to fight for time, that is, in the same shooting angle, changing the depth of field and aperture combination to take more than one, I hope one of the results is satisfactory. For some products that are more complex and difficult to shoot, sometimes dozens of films are used to surround them. When the designer receives the light film, it is scanned again. Only after the image can be used for production and production, the scanning process is usually handled by the plate-making company or the export company. However, due to the loss of a large number of scanned human resources in recent years, the quality of the scan is often unsatisfactory.
Digital photography solves most of the costs incurred in the photography and scanning process. The most important one is the cost of material consumption and time waiting. Since there is no lamp, it is naturally not necessary to wait for the time of printing the parts (of course, there is no consumption of materials such as Polaroid), because the image after shooting is already an electronic file, and it does not need to pay time for scanning. Efficiency is much more than scanning before shooting. As far as quality, some of the most advanced digital cameras currently capable of recording color ranges, tone levels, resolutions, etc., have been more than just filmers in terms of general advertising or commercial design requirements. Even beyond the ability of the film, together with the elimination of the printing and scanning processes, the images after the shooting will not be distorted. At least in theory, the quality that digital photography can achieve is beyond the reach of traditional processes.
However, the current problem is that many digital photographers do not understand the color theory of CMYK. When an image is still in good condition in RGB, it loses too much color and level after it is transferred to CMYK. The effect is greatly overshadowed. So if you need someone to take digital photography, it's best to find a digital photographer who knows CMYK. Your image will look better when printed. If you are a digital photographer yourself, it is recommended that you learn CMYK's color theory as quickly as possible. When photography enters the age of digitalization, it is equally important to drive light and ride color space. If you are a traditional photographer, I suggest you learn digital photography and CMYK as soon as possible. Separation, otherwise it is easy to lose your job.
The advantage of digital proofing Another technology with obvious advantages is digital writing. Traditional manuscripts must be exported to the film before they can be drafted. It is therefore difficult to communicate with each other and verify the quality of the work. In many cases, the designer has to spend a lot of time explaining to the customer that the red color the customer sees will turn orange after printing. The green color the customer sees is actually blue, the purple color is not like this, the yellow color is another way. And so on. The client must anticipate the final color effect. The greatest benefit of digital copying is that at the draft stage, proofs that are very close to the printing effect can be obtained, avoiding many communication difficulties and unnecessary guesses. At various stages of subsequent production, digital proofreading can be used to check the quality of the production. Whether it has deviated from the specifications laid down in the design, this type of inspection is particularly important for maintaining the consistency of the color of the entire printed matter with respect to the number of pages or the duration of the project.
In addition to being more efficient than traditional scripting, digital writing is generally superior to traditional scripting in terms of color emphasis and stability. Therefore, companies that make good use of digital copywriting are not only superior in terms of efficiency and cost, but also have an advantage in quality.
However, one thing to note is that some inkjet printers must be very careful when selecting paper and ink, because some materials have a short shelf life of only 24 hours, and they gradually change color, which is not suitable for digital writing. For this spot color simulation, there are still many areas for research and improvement. As for the other factors affecting the benefits of digital copying, the accuracy of the ICC Profile is a factor. Since the techniques used to create the ICC Profile are very different, the situation of the color gamut distortion is quite serious. Some Profiles even have the wrong balance of gray, which causes all printing to be color cast. Obviously, the use of problematic Profiles is not able to demonstrate the advantages of digital copying. Printing companies need to pay more attention when accepting Profiles.
Advantages of computer-to-platemaking Computer-to-platemaking can be said to be the home of digital graphic arts. Almost all printing companies that have used CtP agree to use CtP to dramatically increase production efficiency. Without CtP, the time for each print for stencil printing and toner transfer is about 15 to 20 minutes, and thus the loss of paper is at least about 100 to 20 sheets at a time. After using CtP, the first sheet of paper can almost register. If the CPP 3's PPF file is used, the ink supply volume will be adjusted before the printing machine is unprinted, and about 20 to 30 sheets of paper will be needed to adjust the printing capacity. Hue and gray balance, reduce waste paper, shorten the time, the cost is naturally more competitive.
Using CtP in addition to saving material and time, it also increases the ability of printing companies to handle outlets. Everyone knows the benefits of FM. However, the increase in outlets has always been a headache. When the film is exported, it will increase the number of outlets, as does the zinc plate version. Both of these outlets cannot be completely avoided in the traditional platemaking process. With the increase in outlets, the benefits of using FM networks will be gone. At present, the companies that print the FM network employ almost all of the CtP technologies. Using traditional plate-making techniques, it is difficult to find a foothold in the FM network market. In the process of adopting CtP technology, the printing companies in Hong Kong have encountered the greatest difficulties, not the lack of equipment capacity or the lack of funds, but the lack of digital knowledge and the inability to fully utilize the potential of the equipment.
Preparing for the future The replacement of production technology is often not a change in the way of work, and its impact is more likely to extend to the entire graphic arts industry, or even change the existing industry structure. In this case, there are many examples. For example, DTP almost made all Zhiyu companies vanish. Computer projection technology has caused the slides to collapse and black-and-white laser printing has caused most of the small factories that operate scraps and pieces to go. There are numerous examples of other buildings being knocked down due to technological changes.
The digital printing process is a tornado storm. The intensity is stronger than any previous technical upgrade. Printing companies should prepare for knowledge as early as possible.