Process of common printing process

The commercial printing[printing?:printing cutting finishing solution] process involves several steps, such as prepress planning, prepress production, the selection of specific printing techniques, and the actual production tasks known in the printing industry as press runs.

The most common technique in the commercial printing process is called offset printing, and it requires the use of specialized printing equipment to transfer a finished layout to paper[paper?:paper sample maker cutting machine]. Completing the printing process involves both creative and technical stages. Each of these projects begins with decisions about the images or graphics[graphics?:graphics pattern] to add, the format of the written text, and the placement of each element on each page. This early phase of the printing process typically involves the work of graphic designers, writers, and editors who put together the project beginning with rough sketches and ending with finished artwork to be sent to the printing machines.The technical phase of the printing process begins with prepress production, in which the initial artwork is transferred to printing plates.

Once prepress production is finished, printers then plan the exact technique needed for printing each project. This phase of the printing process is one of the most important because it determines the needed printing equipment and materials, as well as the final costs and time constraints.

A final phase of the printing process is normally called the bindery phase. Its steps involve cutting the finished prints to the appropriate sizes, putting pages in the correct order, and packaging[packaging?:DCP-H series packaging sample cutter plotter] finished products for client delivery.