Quick question for all you graphic designer-types

[lazarus corporation]

I'm looking to get some postcards of my artwork printed.

Standard postcard size (which seems to be around A6), full-colour photo of my artwork on the front with a satin-type finish, black & white back (a couple of lines of text only), 300-350gsm card.

I'm thinking of doing 3-5 different postcards, each with a print run of ~200.

So, my question is: Can you recommend a printer that is both reasonably good and cheap-ish that could do said job reasonably well and deliver the finished goodies to Brighton, UK.

Bonus question: if you're interested in earning a few quid by taking my RGB image files, converting them to CMYK, and fitting them into whatever fancy graphics format the printer wants (and dealing with all the bleeds and other graphic design nonsense) then drop me a PM to let me know what you'd charge me.

[abridged]

Ah Printers! Shudder! Maybe an option would be to ask who the local galleries use? They usually have a good idea if there's anybody decent locally.

[lazarus corporation]

Ah Printers! Shudder! Maybe an option would be to ask who the local galleries use? They usually have a good idea if there's anybody decent locally.

Hmm that's an idea. I'm not looking for superb quality (and the corresponding high printing costs), though, because I plan to give them all away.

[Izzy HaveMercy]

Maybe online printing is an option?

Here in Belgium I use Fujiprint, seems the UK branch is here http://www.thephotoshoponline.co.uk/digital.htm

No experience with that one, of course...

IZ.

[Quiff Boy]

let me ask the designers at our place tomorrow

they will have some suggestions re: rub to cmyk (i suspect it's best if you actually work in cmyk to begin with rather than converting )

i'll also ask around re: printers. a few people i know have flyers done regularly using online printers, where you just send them a tiff or psd...

i'll ask around tomorrow

[markfiend]

Do proper print shops still exist, or it all laser-print ink-jet type malarkey these days?


*Edit: and by "proper" I mean real four-colour process, offset litho printing on a Heidelberg press weighing in at a metric fückton.

[Pista]

Looked at this earlier this year & was quoted 1 euro per card with a minimum print run of 250.
I'd be interested to see if there is the possibility of better pricing though

[lachert]

with such small quantity (200 from each kind) rather forget about offset printing, price will kill you, better try to find some good laser, me think

[James Blast]

I'll drop Paul a line later on, I'm just up. I use a top notch digital printer in Glasgow, they deliver nationwide and they won't break the bank.

[markfiend]

with such small quantity (200 from each kind) rather forget about offset printing, price will kill you, better try to find some good laser, me think

Oh yeah I didn't think of that.

[James Blast]

there is 'digital offset' Oh fiendish one, leave it tae us pros lachert baby!

[markfiend]

My knowledge of the print industry predates "digital".

[Being645]

My knowledge of the print industry predates "digital".

... ... so does mine at large ... though mostly it's being processed under out of use - ready fot check out to bin ... with loads of that job done ... ...

* still I remember that colours change, if you turn a document from RBG into CMYK ... but no please, don't ask me to explain why ... ...

[James Blast]

okay, I really won't ask

just dunno why you needed to join in

[Being645]

okay, I really won't ask

just dunno why you needed to join in

You don't need to know everything .. ...

[lachert]

there is 'digital offset' Oh fiendish one, leave it tae us pros lachert baby!

and where is it, closer to good old offset or closer to bad old lasers?

[Sita]

Do proper print shops still exist, or it all laser-print ink-jet type malarkey these days?


*Edit: and by "proper" I mean real four-colour process, offset litho printing on a Heidelberg press weighing in at a metric fückton.

To answer that for Munich - in the beautiful inner-town premises of the fine traditional printing house, where many a goff album's booklet or exquisite digipack saw the light of day, there is now a Yoga studio, solicitors, and all the usual hip s**t that changes each month

[markfiend]

Yeah. The old print works in Manchester where I learned all this stuff from my Dad is now hip flats.

They had some guy on that "Stephen Fry's Planet Word" at the weekend setting some proper hot-lead type... in a museum. I used to watch the guys at Dad's work doing it for real. (And a hell of a lot quicker!)

All things pass. This too shall pass.

[Sita]

This too shall pass.

Let's be optimistic, crappy digital printing shall pass too

Markfiend did you stay in your dad's business for a while at least?

[James Blast]

there's plenty of 'proper' print shops out there although the decline in numbers over the last 20 years is shocking, to survive these days the ones that are left have had to invest £millions in digital presses

@lachert a good digital offset job is indistinguishable from traditional offset

[markfiend]

Markfiend did you stay in your dad's business for a while at least?

I never worked there, the business went bankrupt when I was about 16 or 17. But my Dad used to take me and my brother in when we were kids. Health and Safety would go mad these days I suppose.

[Sita]

Health and Safety would go mad these days I suppose.

That's why we all had interesting childhoods, back then