Achieving the highest quality of a printed product is a dynamic process that involves all stages of production.

Certainly, the print quality of a product is highly variable, relative to the medium and printing process. But, questions of design procedure, printing technology, and printed material are also essential.

Getting the best print quality available will not only increase the effectiveness of your printed product, but will also help you get the most out of your budget. The following tips are some of the most important considerations you should make when moving forward into production:

Shop Local

Arguably the most important step in guaranteeing print quality is proofing your work, and this is most easily accomplished by working with a local printer. Before choosing a local business, consider the printing process, printing material, and the services the business offers.

Additionally, do some research on reviews and customer feedback of the business in question, they will typically provide examples of other work. In order to guarantee the best quality product, you should implement proofing in every stage of the process. This will help to ensure colour correctness and overall quality of the design.

Paper Selection

Depending on the task, there is certainly a type of paper which is best suited for it. Exploring different paper options is more than aesthetic, it will also affect the penetration of ink and overall print quality of your image.

Paper selection will also effect the printer settings so that the entire printing procedure should be customized to the paper type. This adds an additional degree to the printing process which can lead to significant gains in overall quality.

Printing Process

There are a number of different printed processes which will yield a specific print quality for a specific application. In other words, one form of printing may be better for the material used and the overall application of your printed product:

  • Digital Printing: There are many forms of digital printing which can either utilize laser or inkjet systems to imitate more classical printing styles such as lithograph.
  • Offset Lithography: This is one of the most expensive process, utilizing custom-designed metal plates to press a printed image onto a substrate.
  • Screen Printing: This process utilizes individually designed screens to place ink in strategically designed areas.
  • Dye Sublimation: This is a digital process using a paper and fabric combination to transfer an image from the paper to the fabric.

Print Quality and Design

There are certainly a number of factors to consider when attempting to achieve the highest quality print. Printed material and process are significant, but so too is the actual digital format of the file used.

Choice between colour profile, image size, and whether or not it is a vector will affect scalability as well as the overall quality.

Convening with a printing professional is usually a good step in determining these details, but if the process is being undertaken individually then some research may be necessary. However, finding a good printing resource may ultimately be just as difficult as learning the complexities of the procedure itself.