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Print Production Craft

The practical craft behind professional print production.

17 posts · Engineering

  1. 1

    Building Print Software? Learn the Craft First

    Building print SaaS or web-to-print software? Learn why understanding the print craft-bleed, make-ready, offset vs digital-keeps your quotes and orders correct.
  2. 2

    How Commercial Printing Really Works: The Big Picture

    Commercial printing isn't 'hit print' at scale. Learn how a print job flows through five physical stations, why pricing is non-linear, and where defects hide.
  3. 3

    Offset Lithography: Why Big Print Runs Cost Pennies

    Offset lithography prints most of what you touch. Learn how oil-and-water chemistry, the crossover point, and CMYK make big runs cheap per copy.
  4. 4

    Digital Printing Explained: Toner, Inkjet, and Personalized Print

    How digital printing works without plates, when it beats offset, and why variable data lets every piece be unique. A plain-language guide to toner and inkjet.
  5. 5

    Screen vs DTG vs DTF: Which Print Method Wins?

    Screen printing, DTG, DTF, pad printing or embroidery? Learn how to pick the cheapest, most durable custom apparel printing method for any order.
  6. 6

    Wide-Format vs Flexography: Which Printing Wins Your Job

    Wide-format inkjet and flexography are opposite ends of printing. Learn which one prints banners and which mass-produces labels, and how to price each right.
  7. 7

    Why Your Print Looks Wrong: CMYK, Bleed & Preflight Explained

    Learn why screen colors shift in print and how CMYK, Pantone, bleed, and preflight keep files clean. A plain-language prepress guide for designers and builders.
  8. 8

    Paper GSM, Points & Coatings: The Print Stock Cheat Sheet

    Learn paper GSM, lb basis weight, caliper points, coatings, and grain direction so you can spec print stock like a pro and avoid costly mistakes.
  9. 9

    Finishing & Bindery: Why Print Jobs Are Won After the Press

    Most print complaints aren't printing problems, they're finishing problems. See how cutting, folding, coating, and binding turn flat sheets into products.
  10. 10

    How a Print Shop Actually Runs: Workflow, Imposition & Turnaround

    A clear guide to how a print shop runs a job from order to shipping - preflight, imposition, gang runs, proof approval, and realistic turnaround time.
  11. 11

    Print Shop Pricing: Why 250 Cards Cost Almost as Much as 1,000

    Learn how print shops really price jobs: make-ready, setup amortization, markup vs margin, waste, and the offset-vs-digital break-even that decides cost.
  12. 12

    Print Fulfillment: Why a Light Box Can Cost a Fortune

    Print fulfillment is unlike normal ecommerce: your inventory is raw paper, and shipping starts when printing ends. Learn parcel vs LTL, DIM weight, and more.
  13. 13

    Eco-Printing: How to Prove Green Instead of Claiming It

    Learn how eco-printing really works: recycled paper, soy inks, FSC certification, carbon offsets, and how to make green print claims buyers actually trust.
  14. 14

    How to Model a Print Product in Software (Not as a SKU)

    A print job is a recipe, not a product row. Learn how to model print products in software with priced options, proof gates, pricing strategies, and shipments.
  15. 15

    Print Lingo Decoded: A Plain-English Glossary

    Bleed, CMYK, GSM, saddle stitch, spot UV - a plain-English print production glossary that turns confusing printer jargon into terms you actually understand.
  16. 16

    Print Production FAQ Every Software Builder Should Know

    A plain-English print production FAQ for software builders: offset vs digital, CMYK, GSM, bleed, preflight, gang runs, and how print pricing really works.
  17. 17

    Print Production Cheat Sheet: The Specs Pros Memorize

    A scannable print production cheat sheet covering process selection, paper weights, bleed, CMYK, binding, and pricing formulas you can skim before any job.