Work-and-Turn vs Work-and-Tumble

Turn & Tumbles

This is going to be a short and sweet post about work-and-turns vs work-and-tumbles, which are a couple different printing methods when printing double sided on a press. Most of the time you wouldn't worry about whether or not your job is a turn or tumble unless you are the one printing it, but it's interesting to know, and knowing how it works could possibly save you money. When printing on a press, after one side of a piece of paper is printed on, the main difference between the two is which way the paper is turned in order to print on the back side. It all depends on the size of your artwork and how it is laid out and printed on a plate.

A work-and-tumble (or work-and-flop, or work-and-roll) is when a sheet of paper is fed through the printer, then turned over long ways (below) and fed back through the printer to print on the opposite side. On the first pass through the printer, one side of the paper is used as the gripper edge (where the printer grabs the paper to pull it through), then when turned over, the opposite side of the paper is used as the gripper edge, resulting in a slightly smaller available printing area. This method makes it a little more difficult to align the images on either side.

A work-and-tumble.

A work-and-turn (or print-and-turn) is when a sheet of paper is fed through the printer, then is turned over short ways  (below) and fed back through. This method keeps the same gripper edge, which makes it easier to align and has a slightly larger printing area than a work-and-tumble.

A work-and-turn.

Now, like I mentioned, it all depends on how the artwork is laid out to be printed. If an image, like the one below, is printed and is turned as a work-and-tumble, the image on the back would obviously be upside down.

A work-and-tumble with upside down artwork.

Whereas, if it were turned as a work-and-turn, the image on the back would be right side up.

A work-and-turn with artwork right side up

Although if the image on the sheet was rotated, then the job could be turned as a work-and-tumble.

A work-and-tumble with artwork right side up.

MIND BOGGLING!

Back to the saving you money part, which is always exciting. A trick printers have to get a cost effective job done is to do a job 2-up on a sheet (where instead of a single print, one piece is printed twice on a larger sheet of paper and cut down) and do the front and back images side by side on the front and then flip it over and print the same thing on the back. This way, instead of having to pay for a plate of the image on the front and a plate for the image on the back, both are being printed at the same time on one plate.

It can be kind of difficult to wrap your head around it without seeing a physical example or without doing it yourself (I know it took me a little bit), so get out a sheet of paper and a pencil and try it for yourself.

Image Resolution

Raster vs Vector

There are two different kinds of images: raster images and vector images. Being able to distinguish the two are very important when designing for print. Let's start by first explaining what DPI means.

DPI means Dots Per Inch; these dots are calles 'pixels'. A pixel is a tiny square with an assigned color value. Much like an object is made up of a bazillion itty bitty atoms, an image is made up of thousands of tiny dots. The more dots per ich you have, the higher resolution your image will be. Now, what exactly is a raster and a vector image?

A raster image is an image made up of thousands of pixels. These images can be scaled down, but once it is scaled up it begins to lose resolution.

A vector image is an illustration that is made up of vector data (not pixels), and can be scaled down as well as scaled up without losing any resolution. As long as the illustration is kept as its original file, it can be scaled as much as you want. But, and this is important, once it is saved as a jpg, gif, pdf (print), etc, the vector data turns into pixels and can no longer be scaled up. For example, if you were to draw something in Adobe Illustrator, you can open and close Illustrator and scale the image as many times as you wish and the resolution will never change. But once you save that image as a jpg, you can still open it in Illustrator, but you can no longer scale it up.

Here we have two images, one is a raster image and one is a vector. Neither has been scaled. Can you tell the difference?

How about if we scale them up?

The image on the left is a vector, and the image on the right is a raster. Notice how when it's scaled the pixels in the raster image get bigger, giving it a choppy 8-bit look. The vector image on the left, however, has not lost any resolution because it is still its original Illustrator file, and can be scaled however I wish to scale it.

Out of the numerous file types out there, only a few can hold vector data. Among the few vector types are AI files (Abode Illustrator native file type), EPS files (similar to AI files and can hold vector as well as raster data, but are not always reliable), and INDD files (native InDesign files).

Most of the other types of files are raster files. Among these are JPGs, GIFs, PNGs, PDFs, TIFFs, PSDs (native Adobe Photoshop files), etc. I'm sure you've heard of most, if not all, of these files. Although, I won't go into all the nitty gritty details about each one right now, but each file type is different in its own little way. Some have different resolutions, transparencies, colors, etc. It all depends on what you're saving for.

Checking your resolution is quite simple, especially if you have Adobe Photoshop handy. Open your document in Photoshop and go to 'Image' and 'Image Size', and the Image Size window will pop up. This will tell you the Pixel Dimensions, Document Size, and your Resolution.

Depending on what your image is for (web or print) you can adjust your resolution as you wish. If your document's resolution is at 72, like the image above, and you change it to 300, note that the size of the document gets smaller. This is because Photoshop squishes all the pixels together in order to give it more detail, but at the same time making the picture smaller . Keeping the physical size the same and upping your resolution to 300 is the same as scaling up in size, in that you lose resolution.

For a web image, it is suggested to have the resolution at 72. If you need to change the size of the image, you can do so under Pixel Dimensions. For a high resolution print image, it is suggested to have the resolution at 300, and to change the size, you can do so under Document size. The difference between Pixel Dimensions and Document Size, is when designing for web you don't design by inches, you design by pixels, and vice versa for print.

In order to change your resolution, open the same 'Image Size' window, and uncheck the 'Resample Image' box, which will link your resolution and your document size (so they will change fluidly), and simply type in your desired resolution size.

In Illustrator you can set up your resolution preferences when creating a new document. A majority of the time you probably won't change much in this window other than setting the size of your document and (hopefully) your bleed settings, but it does give you the option to name your document, set a number of artboards, and the spacing between artboards as well.

Illustrator actually gives a couple different areas to change your resolution preferences. Under 'New Document Profile' and under the 'Advanced' tab. In the New Document Profile drop-down, you can select what you are designing for and it will automatically set your profile for you, and under the Advanced tab you can change this profile manually. It's best to just go by the automatic 'New Document Profile' options.

InDesign, on the other hand, does not give you the option to change your resolution preferences. InDesign handles all files from other programs and any drawing done within the program is vector based. It is set to 300dpi and will not change.

Sharing InDesign Files

Links, Packaging, & Back-Saving in InDesign

There are a couple different things to consider when getting ready to share your files with your Printer or Designer: packaging, links, and back-saving a file to be compatible with an earlier version of InDesign. (We at MMP-MarketMailPrint set up and do most of our work in InDesign CS5, so this post will be InDesign specific.)

Links are images that are linked to your InDesign document from outside the document itself. When placing a photo into a document, go to 'File' and 'Place', and select your photo. The catch, though, is once the outside image is moved, renamed, or deleted, the link is broken and your high resolution picture is now low resolution. Notice the difference in the images below. The business card on the left has all of its images properly linked. Whereas, the business card on the right has lost its links for the image and font, therefore resulting in a low resolution image and the replacement of the name's font to something generic.

(Left) Business Card with proper links. (Right) Business Card with missing links.

This is where InDesign's nifty little packaging trick comes in handy.

Packaging, in InDesign, is when your document and all the links and fonts it may hold are gathered, copied, and conveniently put into one easy-to-access folder. This makes it easy for someone to zip and send a file to their Printer or Designer with all the necessary bits and pieces.

Before packaging, always make sure to Preflight your document. At the very bottom of your InDesign window, there is a small area that tells you if you have any missing links or not.

Preflight Menu dropdown.

 If you click on the small arrow, it will bring up your Preflight Menu. Click on 'Preflight Panel', and your Preflight panel will pop up. This is a quick and easy way to see if you have any missing links or if you are all ready to package.

In order to package your files, and go to 'File' and 'Package', and the Package window will pop up. Go through the different panels on the side making sure that no links or fonts are broken.

Package window, showing Found links and Missing links.

In each panel's window, it will tell you that a certain number of links or fonts were found and a certain number of links or fonts are missing. If it says something is 'Missing', then a link has been broken and will be replaced by (as mentioned earlier) a low res picture or a generic font.

InDesign lets you find and reattached your lost links and fonts in this window. I, however, would suggest Canceling out of the Package window, relinking from your document, then repackaging, unless you are confident enough in what you are doing. You want to be careful you have all the correct photos.

In order to relink your photos, open the Links panel on the right side of your window (or if it's not open, simply go to 'Window' and select 'Links').

Link panel with a missing link alert, and showing the location of the 'relink' button.

 All your photos will be listed, and if any of them have the stop sign symbol with the question mark then YOUR LINK HAS BEEN BROKEN! Simply click the 'Relink' button at the bottom of your list and find your appropriate file, and voila! 

Once you've made sure you have NO missing links, click 'Package', and the 'Printing Instructions' window will pop up. It is not necessary to fill out this window unless directed by your printer, so press 'Continue'. Lastly, name your folder and click 'Package' to save it to a location. Now, if you go and find your file, your document and all of its links and fonts will be nicely bundled into one tidy and convenient location.

As mentioned before, we at Austin MMP currently use Adobe InDesign CS5, and every once in a while we run into a customer who has a file from the newer version (CS5.5). InDesign often has trouble reading files from different versions, and since not everyone shares the same application, InDesign has another nifty trick where a newer version can save to be compatible with the previous version.

This is called back-saving. All you do is go to 'File' and 'Export', as if you were exporting normally, but before you press save click the drop down menu for 'Save as Type', and select 'InDesign Markup (IDML)'.

Where to find the 'InDesign Markup (IDML)' selection in the Export window.

This will save your file to be compatible with NOT ONLY CS5 but CS4, also! Remember, though, that this is still a normal InDesign file, and needs to be packaged and sent together.

Margins & Bleeds

What are Margins and Bleeds and how do I set up and export my files with them?

A couple things about printing and design that not a lot of people know or sometimes understand is margins and bleeds. As a Graphic Designer, I've spent years developing this useful habit, so I don't (nor any other person working in a print shop) expect everybody to know what they are and how to set up their files with them.

A margin is the area in between your text/artwork and the edge of the page. In the example below, the black lines are the edge of the page (where the business card will be cut) and the red line is the designated margin space. It is suggested to leave at least an eighth (.125) to a quarter (.25) inch of space from the edge of the page (depending on the size of your piece). This business card has an eighth of an inch margin space, because it is fairly small.

Margins (red line) on a business card (3.5in x 2in)

All the text and artwork is inside the margin space, so if this business card were to be printed it would not lose any important information after it was cut down. Good margin spacing is highly suggested because even if something is being printed on a big expensive printer, the pages do move ever-so slightly (some more than others). In the image below, this stack of trimmed paper shows how the papers shift as they go through the printer. It is not drastic enough to be extremely noticeable in the end, but it moves just enough to easily lose a chunk of text if you are too close to the cutting area.

A block of paper showing the movement of the paper when it goes through the printer.

Also, often times when a piece of paper is going through a printer, the printer needs an area to grab onto to pull the it through the machine. Therefore, if an image is supposed to print on the area where the printer has a hold of it, it will obviously not print.

A bleed, on the other hand, is the part of the artwork or background that goes beyond the cutting area so when the piece is trimmed down to it's finished size there are no white borders around the edge. The reason for bleeds is that it is extremely difficult to print color all the way to the edge of the page, so in order to achieve a full bleed a document is set up on a larger sheet of paper and trimmed down. For example, if a standard 8.5 x 11in flyer is set up for bleeds, it will be printed on an 11 x 17in piece of paper and trimmed down to it's finished 8.5 x 11in size so the color can go to the edge of the flyer.

In the example below, this business card is set up with a full bleed. The black lines are where the business card would be cut, and the red line is the edge of the bleed. Much like margin spacing, it is suggested to give the bleed an eighth (.125) of an inch to account for the movement of the paper. Because the blue color bleeds across the edge of the business card, there will be no white borders!

Bleeds (red line) on a business card (3.5in x 2in)

It is fairly simple to set up a document for bleeds. In Adobe InDesign and Illustrator, when creating a new document it gives you the option in the initial 'New Document' window (In InDesign, it is under 'More Options'). Just type in your desired bleed width in each of the four boxes.

The InDesign 'New Document' window, where to find the bleed and margin settings. (Note: Not all 'New Document' windows are the same, this image shows a general location of the settings and what to look for.)

In programs that do not give you the option to set up bleeds (like Photoshop) the easiest way to account for the bleed is to set up your document with an eighth of an inch extra on each side. For example, if the 8.5 x 11in flyer needs bleeds, set it up as 8.75 x 11.25in. Don't forget that each side will get an eigth of an inch, making the document a quarter of the inch bigger all together.

A lot of times it is simple to make up for a document not having bleeds when printing, but if your file is set up right it makes it easier for printers to set up and print your job quickly.

Just remember to stay away from the edge of the page. 

Now that you've gone through ALL this trouble setting up your document with proper bleeds, InDesign doesn't automatically export your document with your bleeds. So in order to export your document with your bleed setting AND crop marks simply go to File and Export. A window will pop up, type in your desired File Name and by 'Save As Type' click the drop down menu and select 'Adobe PDF (Print)'. Make sure 'Adobe PDF (Interactive)' is not selected. Click 'Export' and a new window (Export Adobe PDF) will pop up, this is where you will adjust your settings for crop marks and bleeds

The InDesign 'Export Adobe PDF' window, where to set up for bleed settings and crop marks

In the panel on the left, select 'Marks and Bleeds'. In this window, make sure to click the check boxes for 'Crop Marks', 'Bleed Marks', and 'Use Document Bleed Settings', this expands your document to show the bleed as well as give the necessary lines to show where it will be trimmed. After you have selected the proper check boxes, click 'Export' to finish exporting your document as a .pdf file.

Never hesitate to talk to your Printer or Designer, and ask questions. We're here to help!