Digital mastery
Article Abstract:
The clarity of the digital type signal in print is enhanced by oversampling and by minimizing the signal-to-noise ratio. Several guidelines are presented to help control the signal-to-noise ratio, which describes the strength of the printed type relative to its production and reproduction methods. Reader comprehension of the high- and low-frequency components of the signals is related to the rhythm of the black lines and white spaces, and to the crispness of the edge of the letter stems. Noise, which interferes with comprehension, can be caused by lighting, jagged edges, or the tendency for ink to spread on the paper. The smallest part of the signal should be twice the size of the largest expected piece of noise, and an increase in type size will boost the signal in relation to the noise. Screening is not recommended, and only white or yellow print is clear on a black background. Text over an image is often unclear, and should only be done with care.
Publication Name: Publish
Subject: Publishing industry
ISSN: 0897-6007
Year: 1992
User Contributions:
Comment about this article or add new information about this topic:
The thin black line
Article Abstract:
Designers should draw the line at typography and typesetting and allow type designers and lettering artists the chance to become familiar with new electronic tools. There are basic differences between typography, typesetting and type design. Typographers use the type, and communicate what the writer has written. Typesetters provide type to typographers, according to the typographers specifications. Typesetting is traditionally associated with specialized machines and craftspeople, however modern typesetting is often associated with imagesetters. Consumers can save money by eliminating the typesetter, but the mistakes typesetters catch, such as hanging punctuation, then go uncorrected. In order to be a better typographer, a person should spend money on good text faces, throw out bad fonts, think about margins, leading, hyphenation and white space on the page; use professional help and get the job done correctly the first time.
Publication Name: Publish
Subject: Publishing industry
ISSN: 0897-6007
Year: 1991
User Contributions:
Comment about this article or add new information about this topic:
Designs to die for
Article Abstract:
Die-cutting can be used to create striking, memorable designs that will be an attention-getter for the client and a feather in the designer's cap. Die-cutting uses dies to perforate and cut printed sheets into various shapes and to score the paper so it can be folded into a three dimensional shape. But such projects require the early involvement of as many as six parties: the client, the designer, the service bureau, the printer, the diemaker and the trade shop which does the actual cutting of the design. In addition, an illustrator and converter to do the folding and gluing might also be involved. Another issue to be considered is paper choice, to insure that the paper is not so thick that it will crack or so thin that it will not be stiff enough to perform when a piece is opened. All of these factors can add a week or two to the projects schedule.
Publication Name: Publish
Subject: Publishing industry
ISSN: 0897-6007
Year: 1998
User Contributions:
Comment about this article or add new information about this topic:
- Abstracts: The 'invisible' technology. The changing faces of humanity
- Abstracts: Virtual reality: Is it real yet? The fable of the pebble and the pond
- Abstracts: Divisions of diversions. The rise and curdling of modernism. Karim Rashid: the art of experiential objects
- Abstracts: Horst. The penguin man: Bruno Zehnder. Rodney Smith: breaking the surface
- Abstracts: Arabian Horse World sets the pace. That shifty baseline. Makeover: Bravo! Dramatic design!