Communication Lifecycles

How long does it last?

The communication device in your hand. The shopping list in your pocket. The e-mail on your screen. The computer on your desk, the stack of publications in your office, the books in your library, the historical documents in your local museum...what's the lifecycle of communications? It varies widely, but in most cases, longer than that great idea your client just killed.

Ever-shorter lifecycles in electronics are not always good. Information in paper communications, while not as easily updated, can be accessed as readily twenty years from now as today. Not so true with electronic documents - you have to keep up with current hardware and software to read them over a span of time. Can you say floppy?

Email.....5 Seconds

Shopping List.....2 Hours

Periodicals.....6 Months

Cell Phone.....18 Months

Computer.....5 Years

Web Site.....5 Years

PDFs.....16 Years (so far)

Book in the NYC Library.....23 Years

Love Letter.....64 Years

Gutenberg Bible.....555 Years (and counting)

*Borrowed from 'This is Ed: #13 Balance' by NewPage Corporation

Kyle's Article Featured in Printers Trader Northwest Magazine!

I was recently approached by Sandy Hubbard, Editor and Publisher at Printer's NW Trader Magazine, who just so happens to frequent this blog! She had read my post about Bridgetown's recent acquisition of a Xerox DocuTech and wanted to publish it in their monthly magazine. Here is the article from September's edition:

Black & white with colorful results

by Kyle Richardson

To meet the increasing demand for affordable black and white duplication, Bridgetown Printing in Portland recently added a Xerox DocuTech 6180 to its existing equipment lineup. The digital press, known for its in-line finishing capabilities, can collate both printed and pre-printed sheets. Vice president of sales, Steve Plattner, commented on the recent purchase: “The Xerox Docutech allows Bridgetown to expand the range of services we offer — in this case high quality, quick turn, black and white reproduction and binding to help meet our clients’ growing needs for personalized materials, manuals, workbooks, and other text-intensive projects.”

To enhance the DocuTech’s capabilities, a Powis Parker tape binder with a separate foil-labeling device was also purchased. The tape binder uses a variety of colored tapes, which are inserted one at a time into the labeler. A small keyboard allows the user to type in the title information, and, after inserting a silver or gold foil cartridge, the tape comes out several seconds later, foiled and ready for binding. What does this mean for Bridgetown’s clients? In short, Bridgetown is turning black and white into some colorful results.

Kyle Richardson is an account executive with Bridgetown

Printing and author of the blog “All That’s Fit to Print.”

The Bindery: Start With The End In Mind

One of the most important aspects of any printed project is the final touch, or the "finishing department", as it is called. It is critical with any project to plan with the end in mind. Understanding folding, as well, is essential to effective bindery planning. Paper can be folding in many ways. Mismeasured folds are the cause of many reprinted jobs. Generally, you can expect a tolerance of 1/32 inch per fold. This varies according to the weight and the caliper (thickness) of the paper stock and the location of the folds. Proper planning in the design and production stage will help eliminate errors.

Illustrated are the most common folding styles used in print production today. Using standard names will help ensure good communication between designers and printers.

No Sugar Coating Around Here!

I recently received this question from a fellow professional in regards to using a varnish vs. aqueous coating on a project:

"Can you weigh in on a debate about coatings? I've received conflicting information from two of the printers I work with on what acqueous coating is versus varnish. Can you give me information about them both, their purpose, their effect on the sheet? And also, are there other coatings I should be aware of? In general, I am using coatings to seal the sheet and prevent ruboff, but I don't want the coating to be evident; in other words, it shouldn't change the feel of the sheet. One printer tells me acqueous is the way to go, the other says it's varnish. Thanks, Janet."

Here was my response:

"Hi Janet! You pose a great question. Here is my take on it:

Aqueous coating: generally used for protection of the sheet and to prevent scuffing of inks. If you are looking for a non-obvious coating to protect your sheet but not give off a glossy look or feel, a dull or satin aqueous is the way to go. This can be done in-line on our sheetfed press. As a side note, we also offer “writeable” aqueous, meaning if you want to protect a sheet but still allow users to write on it with ink or even inkjet addresses on it, we can do this.

Varnish coating: generally used for an aesthetic appeal. There are different types of varnish, like gloss, dull, and satin, but we generally see gloss used. We recommend using a varnish if you are doing a spot gloss piece, because it tends to pop more than the aqueous. This can also be done in-line on our presses.

UV coating: a high-gloss coating that will thicken your piece. This is as close as you can get to laminating without actually laminating. This can be done off-line.

I hope this answers your question. Thanks for asking me and if you have any more, keep ‘em coming! -Kyle"

And that's the truth: I love helping out others and answering questions. If you've got a question that is just really bugging you and keeping you from sleeping at night (or just a normal question), feel free to email me at krichardson@bridgetown.com. Have a great weekend everyone!