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.

Park Lane Installs LED lighting throughout business

Park Lane has installed LED lighting throughout the offices and factory. SMARTech energy consultants used the data collected to produce an energy reduction plan for the business.  This plan identified opportunities to reduce energy consumption considerably at the site with a very quick payback on investment, also make significant reductions in carbon emissions. The building layout and the range of activities undertaken demanded different coloured light output in each location.  The new lighting solution involved retrofitting the current fittings to LED tubes, installing 600×600 LED panels, flood lights and integrating PIR sensor controls.

Good luck Libby

After 16 years of working at Park Lane as Environmental Project Manager and Sales Manager, Libby has sadly left the company to live in New York. Tim her husband has landed a fantastic opportunity to work in a school in Manhattan, they moved in July 2016 with their two boys and have settled in really well.

Libby has also made a change in direction in her career and now works at the New York Sports Club as a Personal Fitness Trainer, as triathlons in particular have been a true passion for her over the years, so it has come as no surprise that this has been her chosen vocation.

Libby was instrumental in the development of our Environmental Management System and has helped to achieve all our environmental credentials as well as the numerous awards we have won, as well as winning many major clients for the company.  Her hard work, diligence,and attention to detail has been hugely appreciated and will be missed.

We wish her happiness and success in her new life abroad.

January 2017 – messages from happy customers

Thanks so much for the samples of the brochure – beautifully printed as always – lovely, rich colours. And thanks for turning it around so quickly Sarah M.

The brochures arrived today, they look great. Thank you for seeing this project through. Geoff C.

I have just received the printed copies of the brochure and it looks great – thats for all your help on this Matt C.

The booklets have arrived and they are lovely! thank you! Ruth B.