Harvesting used water reduces costs

The days have long gone where printers create film and then expose the image onto plates using a print down frame. Making plates for the press is now completely automated. Once a customer approves their Epson proofs the files are sent to the plate processor where a set of lasers fire the image into the surface of the waterless plate creating holes in the silicone coating . It is then developed in water with fine brushes, which washes any debris from the image surface and is then stacked in sets at the end of the machine.

This continual process means that we use a considerable amount of water during the developing stage. We harvest the water from the waste pipe which leads into two large tanks which are located in the room above the toilets, we then use the water to flush our toilets, and general cleaning. Good for the water bill, great for the environment.

February 2017 – messages from happy customers

Many thanks for the fabulous stationery. We are delighted as usual. Thank you also for the care and attentive service that Park Lane deliver! Hopefully we will giving away lots of the delicious new business cards at the Listed Property Show this weekend. Wendy T.

Yes, they’re all here and look great Jess P.

Thank you so much for the boards, they are perfect. Paula P.

Great, thanks Marc – I’ve had delivery of the file copies this morning. They look great 🙂 Gemma B.

Yep we’ve got them, they look fantastic Chris B.

Thanks for your help with the reports for our House of Commons event! Katy B.

Got our catalogues – everyone is happy. Thanks for doing a good job! Phil F.

Thank you the cards have arrived safely and are looking great Ute D.

 

Voltage Power Optimiser

I love green technology that continues to pay you back! We purchased this Voltage Power Optimiser around 10 years ago. This is an electrical energy saving device which is installed in series with the main electricity supply to provide a reduced supply voltage to our site equipment. It saves in the region of 12% p.a. on our electric bill which in turn more than offsets the extra cost for the 100% renewable electricity we use in the business.

The art of mixing ink

Accurately mixing an ink to a specific pantone colour is certainly an art. In this case we are mixing pantone 375 a green. As you can see blue and yellow weighed to the correct proportions should hit the colour correctly, but at Park Lane we also add other colours or additives to make it print better or improve the match to the pantone book. In this case we have added opaque white which produces a better lay down of solid ink. For 25 years we have been mixing inks and have a huge database of formulas, its the extra touches that make the difference, a bit like baking!

Maintenance is the route to quality

Printing using the waterless process requires the printing press to be maintained to the highest of standards, in order that it can be operated to an expected quality and consistency, which is then translated onto the printed sheet. Today new rollers have been installed in the yellow unit, and the unit is in its final stages of re-calibration.

The ink film thickness on the duct roller has to be set at its minimum of 6 microns.  This little gadget (in the image) reads the thickness to ensure that the ink applied to the new rollers is accurate.

It is imperative that this measurement is correct to ensure that the printed sheet matches to the Epson proofs quickly, as any variation which adds time and therefore loses efficiencies in the production process.

Other factors that may impact the thickness of the ink film may include air temperature.  If the pressroom is cold the ink will become stiffer and less mobile.  Air conditioning within the factory provides a consistent working environment, to eliminate these types of variations.

This is a very small part of the maintenance required to ensure that the manufacturing process limits any possible defects.  This helps to provide the exceptional quality we work towards – every time.

Lily and Me – Autumn Winter 2017 Collection

This clothing collection is inspired by rural woodlands, landscapes and gardens and the prints are bursting with beauty and the colour of nature.

Park Lane Press has had the pleasure of producing the brochures for this brand for a couple of years now.  The quality photography provides an opportunity for us to show what we can achieve on uncoated stock.

Reprographics

The higher the image dpi the higher the screen ruling we can run to achieve the best results in terms of detail even on uncoated paper. In this instance, we ran to 225 lines per inch, our maximum is 300 line.

Print

Using our waterless process allows us to run a special ink set which lifts the images providing a greater colour gamut, beyond what is normally achieved on a conventional four colour set and towards the original RGB images, giving a life like reproduction even on uncoated.

Finishing and mailing

Even though the brochure has 64pp it has been saddle stitched, great importance is always given to the page creep and we adjust accordingly within our normal protocol to ensure the creep is minimised. Adding a carrier sheet, we polywrap and mail on our Royal Mail account.

 

Which laminate should I use?

Lamination is a process where a very thin layer of plastic is applied to the surface of paper or card. It helps protect the print beneath.  It is also tear resistant and water resistant. Having materials laminated improves wear and tear in terms of handling, and potential damage from the sun

There are several types of laminate available on the market, many of my customers are unsure about which ones to use – here are details of the most common types.

Gloss laminate

This is the most commonly used laminate, generally used for book covers and brochures.  This laminate is the cheapest on the market and is extremely durable.  It provides lift to the image beneath, as the images become crisper and sharper providing more contrast. The laminate can be easily wiped clean if it gets dirty.

Matt Laminate

Matt laminate is also very popular as it provides a muted finish.  It is a softer look and has lower contrast on darker areas.  Matt laminate is affordable and is commonly used in conjunction with Spot UV for affect.  It has a velvet feel and is nice to handle.  The disadvantages of Matt laminate is that it can be easily bruised and scuffed with general handling, making the product look battered pretty quickly.  The darker the printed image the more easily this is visible.

Soft touch laminate

This laminate has become very popular in the past couple of years, mainly as it doesn’t mark very easily and it has a matt finish.  However the texture isn’t liked by everyone as it feels a bit like chamois leather. This laminate is more expensive than matt.

Anti -scuff matt laminate

This the most expensive of all the laminates listed but it does provide a higher quality product.  This type of laminate is best used on very dark areas of print where you want it to remain pristine and have a matt finish.

Spot UV Varnish

This effect isn’t so popular these days. Spot UV varnish is an offline UV application and if it hasn’t been managed properly at the printing stage can have a poor finish.  This is due to either “orange peeling” which can occur if too much spray is applied, or fit issues if the print isn’t registered properly.  If the UV runs over a fold or a spine it will crack, so please remember this at the design stage.  If printed correctly is can provide stunning results.

2017 Calendar

Our 2017 desk top calendar has been distributed and we have had some fantastic feedback. The calendar was printed with 4 colour text and a pantone double hit to the cover and easel, with a anti-scuff laminate to the outer and finished with a gold coloured foil, a truly beautiful piece.

After years of producing landscape wall calendars we felt that it was time for a change and with the move to open plan offices and limited wall space the desk option was the way to go. Les Welch at Lionhouse designed the job spending hours on the detail on each quote that interleaves the months using his creative brilliance. We are all very proud of the finished item. We still have few left should you like one.

Surprise purchase at the supermarket

It is a well known fact that printers like a tipple or two and all things print related, but Tim was very excited to find two of his passions on the supermarket shelf! We may be a waterless printer but there is always a place for other liquids.