How to work out paper weight in grams

To work out the actual physical weight of a printed item without the aid of scales can be calculated very simply. Paper stock is measured by ‘grams per square metre.’

In order to calculate an individual non-printed item use the following formula.
width(m) x height(m) x stock(gsm) = grams

Example A: a flat sheet measuring 270x613mm printed on 90gsm Matt Art would be calculated by the following:
0.270 x 0.613 = 0.16551
x 90 grams per square metre
= 14.8959 grams

Example B: A standard A4 sheet of 80gsm Bond copier paper would be calculated:
0.210 x 0.297 = 0.06237
x 80 grams per square metre
= 4.9896 grams

Please note that this does not take into consideration ink; special finishes like foiling or spot UV. A general rule of thumb I use is with each process add 1 gram to the equation.

Example A = 14.8959gram + cmyk 2 sides(+1), spot UV(+1) and foiling(+1).
Total weight would be rounded to 18 grams.

PDF Distiller Workflow

Creating an effective PDF workflow is relatively simple and a straightforward process. Implementing a distiller workflow is very useful within a production studio utilising multiple operators.

There are only three components which form the workflow:
• Distiller Settings (ie. newsprint, and offset)
• Watched Folders (which may sit locally or on a server)
• Print Settings (within InDesign for exporting postscript files)

All these take little time to set up and once in place, you will not need to think to much about weather a PDF has been created using the appropriate settings.

Firstly, ensure your Distiller Settings are correct and named appropriately for easy identification. Create different settings for different applications, for example, settings for offset print work and another for newspaper advertising.

 

Secondly, setup a ‘Watched Folder’ within Distiller from the settings menu. However, identify a location where the folder will be easily accessible, either locally on your hard drive for personal use or on a network server for multiple operators to access.

Load the appropriate settings for the desired watched folder, and select your post processing options. Add additional watched folders as required.

 

Thirdly, setup Print Presets within InDesign to ensure your postscript files are created with identical print settings each and every time.

 

Once all three systems are in place, you are ready to print your postscript file into the appropriate ‘in’ folder, which is then processed and placed in the ‘out’ folder of your chosen watched folder. There is no need to change to the required distiller setting in the distiller application as the postscript file will be automatically processed using the predefined setting of that folder.

TIP: Setup shortcuts on you local machine or on the network to quickly print your postscript files to the appropriate ‘watched folder'.

Filename Principals for Images

In a studio environment when working with many designers and operators it can be very difficult to maintain a recognised workflow for images that have been modified for various print media.

Personally, adding certain abbreviations to the end of an image filename can save much time, confusion and headaches.

For example; a professional photographer supplied high resolution RGB 300dpi image for a new advertisement campaign. Obviously the image will need to be optimised for various scenarios including press, magazine and large format printing. However before preparation for these formats the client has as requested some Photoshop work to enhance the image. 

Firstly, the original image must be archived to an ImageServer in its original format. Secondly, Photoshop enhancements are applied and saved as a duplicate copy.

Lastly, various preparations for the desired output scenario are applied and again re-saved as another duplicate.

Applying simple abbreviations to the end of the original filename, images will be easily identifiable to all operators within the studio. The final filename may look something like: originalimage_psd_cmyk_gcr_usm_sm.tif  which would explain the various processes that the image has been through – saving time and frustration.

A general list of abbreviations may include the following:

_cmyk (converted to CMYK)
_gcr (grey component removal applied)
_usm (unsharp mask applied)
_adj (Photoshop work has been done)
_sm (image have been resized smaller)
_lge (image has been resized larger)

This approach will benefit the next operator to easily identify weather a retrieved image will be suitable for another medium.

quality assurance system

When working on any job for the same client, it may be difficult to ensure the correct branding, colour and various other elements are being used each and every time – especially when working with a team of operators.

I highly recommend creating a top-level base folder named QA System which has permission restrictions to ensure files are not altered or deleted. In addition, create a custom icon for the particular client within the ‘Work in Progress’ folder for quick identification of clients whom have a QA System in place.

 

When creating the QA System for any client, create the following folders and files:
• Brandmark  (layered file – see brandmark variations)
• Secondary Visual Language (layered file)
• Colour Palette (custom swatches – see colour palettes)
• Typefaces
• Templates (ie. business cards)

When working with new or retrieved artwork; follow the below checklist to ensure all elements have been used and up-to-date.
1. Load fonts into the font management software
2. Import / replace the appropriate layer from the brandmark file
3. Import / replace the secondary language
4. Import colour palettes, replace and remove unused colours
5. Ensure the template is used (if required)

The main benefit of this system, is that additional colours, brand variations and secondary visuals can be added and modified at any time which ensures the most up-to-date elements are used and maintained throughout the lifespan of the client.

brandmark variations

When creating brandmark variations they can certainly become numerous. White, mono, cmyk, rgb just to name a few. A nice, simple and effective way to keep these variations in check is to use the layers in Illustrator.

 

By using each layer as a container for each variation, these can then be imported into Indesign or any other numerous applications that are able to read layers. 

Simply select the appropriate layer that you wish to use when importing. Only the selected layer will be shown and printed.

 

Ideally each brandmark on every layer should be in the same position for ease of placement when importing.

colour palettes

Using colour palettes effectively requires a systematic approach to filenames, storage and general house-keeping. Working with brand variations these will result in colour conversions for various output purposes; ie. spot and cmyk. 

A particular feature I find extremely useful is to create a custom palette for clients. 

Utilising Illustrator, remove all the unused colours from the swatches palette, including black and white.

Renaming the swatch to include, say a client code or job number, will also prove beneficial when importing these palettes into another application for easy identification. Once you are happy with the swatch palette structure, save the ‘swatch library as ASE…’

 

The resulting file will be able to used throughout the Adobe Creative Suite for an effective and consistent use of the particular clients colour palette.