DCI Print Management

What is Reprographics

Question: What is Contrast?
‍Answer: Contrast is the difference between light and dark shades. A high-contrast image has great shade difference between dark and light part.
More printing terms explained

What about printing Plates

Question: What is Etching?
‍Answer: Etching is used to produce formes for gravure printing. Etching is done with the aid of chemical treatment.
‍Question: What is Exposure?
‍Answer: Exposure is to impose light onto a photosensitive surface of a film or printing plate in order to transfer a motif.
‍Question: What is CTP?
‍Answer: CTP stands for Computer To Plate which means your digital artwork after processing is imaged directly to a printing plate missing out the expensive film processing.

The Printing Process

Question: What is CMYK?
‍Answer: CMYK is Cyan Magenta Yellow Key colour (black). The four colours in the subtractive colour system used for example in 4-colour printing. Also called process colours.
More About the Printing Process

What about paper

Question: What is Absolute Moisture?
‍Answer: Absolute moisture defines what proportion of a papers mass is water. Given as a percentage.
More about paper

What about Ink

Question: What is Full-Tone Surface?
‍Answer: Full-tone surface is a surface 100% covered with ink.
Question: What is Indexed Colour?
‍Answer: Indexed colour is a ready-mixed printing ink. The inks come in different shades and can for example be printed from their own plate in the offset process. Indexed colours are often used to supplement black, or when the aim is to create a precise shade not available in CMYK. A common indexed colour system is PMS.
More about ink

Finishes

Question: What is Embossing?
‍Answer: Embossing is pressing a pattern into a paper using a raised or etched relief, using stereo or embossing plates similar to Letter-Press plates. As a rule the thicker and softer the paper the better the result. Wood-free paper is recommended with higher strength. Sculpted embossing can be used to create several different levels.
More about finishes

Why Should I Use DCI Services

One Stop Shop for various print services.

Sourcing materials, samples and promotional items
Free project management when buying print
Independent project management
Impartial advice on potential/ existing print problems
Press passing as required
Personalised service

What can I help you find?

Here I will feature the most common questions from our blog or email. Hopefully the answers will help, but if you need further advice please do not hesitate to contact us. Thanks

Our Suppliers

DCI is presently working with fifteen Scottish based suppliers and three in London, which encompass all of the services required within print, through one contact source namely, DCI Print Management Ltd.

All the suppliers used are recognised as being amongst the best within the industry and all work to ISO standards.

The main advantage in using DCI is that project management comes free due to the trade prices charged from suppliers to DCI using our USP of "one stop shop".

A further advantage in using DCI's extra resources is to increase your time management, by allowing DCI to source estimates, materials, promotional items and press passing as necessary.

Ask Gary