Adrian Sleeman | Current trends in printing technology

Technology lecture, 14^th January 2011

The printing processes have been experiencing great developments in the last decades. The technical advances allowed not only better final results, but also different professional relationships and workflows as well as for more environmental friendly attitudes.

Amongst the biggest developments are a change in process – CTF to CTP – that allows for a more economic, accurate and faster production; and an improvement in printing quality, through a process that creates more detailed images due to the point size and distribution – Stochastic or FM screening.

The designers now assume a different role in the process.

They must possess the knowledge of the different technologies available, their requirements and constrains, and which ones better suits their needs according to the nature of the work, quantities, budget, etc.

By controlling a greater part of the process, the creators are now more responsible for the ending result.

The designer must nourish a relationship with the printer based on confidence and collaboration in order to learn from his expertise and be receptive for advice on processes, materials and costs. This way, the designer can better manage his own expectations and the client’s.

Sustainable aspects start now to be taken into account, and the possibilities include non-toxic inks, sustainably sourced paper or more ecological processes.

Also in this field the designer is the major responsible for the final work and its impact, either through reducing the amount of material, selecting more sustainable ones, equate the usage of single or multiple assembled materials, to name only a few.

The printing and finishing possibilities are endless; knowing beforehand what this industry can offer, what we can expect from it and how we can contribute towards better solutions allows a more informed design process.