Simple Answers to Basic Printing Questions
by Tom Boonstra • administrative director

Maybe you are wondering about a few of the terms on this site or are just new to the dynamics of printing. If so, this is a little guide to help you.

There is no doubt that professional designing and printing can be a great help to your church. It gives a professional and attractive appearance, and other people, just like you, are more likely to look at a tract or read a bulletin when the aesthetics are appealing. However, before you enter this world of graphic designing and printer’s ink, there are a few basics you should know

Paper
The first basic element of printing is the paper. Most printing is done on glossy paper, with a few exceptions like letterhead, bulletins, and some postcards. Paper can be tricky because numbers and descriptions get mixed together, so one 24# paper might actually be heavier than another 60# paper. Here is just a quick comparison of some of the most common papers. The MM Factor is a scale with true relativity (100 is twice as heavy as 50) so that you can discern how heavy these actually are. We’ll save you from having to worry about what the MM factor actually is; just know it is a solid ratio.

Paper Finish
The only two basic finishes are gloss or matte. Most 4/4 printing is gloss, while letterhead, bulletins, postcards, and some tracts will be in a matte.

Color
Color is another one of the basic elements of printing. The simplest and cheapest way to print is in black. This is called one color printing. If you want to use a color other than black, it is called a spot color, or a PMS color. You can also get two, three, or four color printing. When you do four color, it is actually full color. That is because you can mix the four colors (yellow, magenta, cyan, and black) to form any color.

The designation used for color is (colors on front) / (colors on back). Therefore, 1/0 would have one color on the front and no colors on back, 2/0 would have two colors on the front and none on the back, and 4/4 would have full color on both sides.

Folding, Scoring, and Perforations
There are several post-printing processes that might be used on your printed piece. The most common is folding, which is simply as you would imagine. The second is scoring, which is similar to folding, but usually for heavier paper. With scoring, the paper has a line pressed into the paper, which can then be easily folded. This is great for heavier papers which usually can’t be folded without creating small tears along the fold. On some smaller sizes of heavier papers, such as pieces smaller than 8.5”x5.5” in a 100LB gloss cover, printers will only score and not fold. You would have to fold these by hand. Lastly, perforations are sometimes used, especially in the 8.5”x14” bulletins. These are so a portion of the paper can be easily torn out, for use as a visitor’s card or commitment card, for example.

Turning Time
A job usually takes about 5-8 days to be printed from the time we send your file to the presses. This can be done faster, but be prepared to pay over 35% extra for 2-4 day printing and over twice as much for next day. Some small quantity items (under 1,000) are printed next day as a standard. Also, be aware that some things cannot be rush printed.

Another way to speed up you turnaround time is to rush ship. We usually ship UPS, so be prepared to pay an extra 40%-300% for 3-day shipping, 80%-420% for 2-day, and 350%-600% for next day, depending on how far from California you live. As you can see, the best thing to do is to contact us early about your printing needs. We highly recommend at least one month of advance notice for custom designing with printing, if not more, and at least two weeks for template tracts and brochures. Be aware that we do charge rush fees for rush custom designing.

Quality
Quality is something that we can’t really describe in numbers, but you can be sure that Fundamental Media strives for the highest quality in our printing and designing. Almost all of our full color materials are printed with a 200+ linescreen on cutting edge presses from the finest press manufacturers.

Quantity and the Printing Process
Commercial printing is far more than the color inkjet that you have next to your family computer. Four color presses can fill an entire room and print thousands of pieces an hour. Ink is mixed for each job and paper is fed through the press. Then the printed paper is cut on all four sides to make it the right size and to make sure that the ink is perfect right up to the edge. After the pieces are printed, they are taken if needed to be folded, scored, or perforated. Some undergo other special processes, such as punching holes in calendar backs. All of this process is important to know because it helps us to understand the dynamics in the price variations for printed materials. Why is it that you can only buy certain quantities and why do the per-piece prices vary so much, especially between 1,000 and 10,000? We need to remember the benefits and problems with buying in bulk, whether it be in bags of flour or in brochures for your church. One of the difficulties in mass printing is that it is hard to stop at an odd number of pieces, just like it is hard to find 17.63lb. bags of flour. The standard amounts that we work with are 1000, 2500, 5000, 10000, and so on in increments of five thousand. Amounts under 1000 can be done, but are relatively expensive. Also, since each job has a certain amount of necessary basic tasks, such as the paperwork on the order, loading the ink, packaging for shipping, and job tracking, small orders are expensive. You will notice that the piece price drops almost in half from 1,000 to 10,000. It is not that people are charging unfairly, it is just that small orders take more work comparatively. After 10,000, the price basically evens out and the price drop is minor.

Banners
Banners keep with most of the rules for paper printing. We currently offer 4/0 banners on 13OZ vinyl material. If needed, we can work out a custom banner for you with different colors or a different material. The vinyl is very sturdy and can be ironed if needed with a warm iron through a cloth, similarly to delicate fabrics. We also offer a discounted price on our massive 8x12.5 banner. This size of banner prints at a lower resolution because of its size and is therefore less expensive per square foot.

Thank You
Well, I hope you feel a little bit more prepared for working with commercial printing. We know that you will be pleased with the result when you see your new tracts, banner, bulletins, or OutreachCards. If you have any more questions, please call Fundamental Media and let one of our knowledgeable staff members help. Thanks again!

Ministry Contact Information:
Fundamental Media • 3354 W. Clinton Ave
Fresno, CA 93722 • www.fundamentalmedia.org