Printing Craft Practice

course outline

Topics

• Evolution Structures and Legal Aspects of the Printing Industry

  This module covers the historical context, organizational structures, and legal framework governing the printing industry.

• Historical Development of Printing in Nigeria

  Including problems facing the industry related to cost and availability of materials and equipment.

• Trade Houses in the Printing Industry and Basic Activities

  Covers Publishing, Commercial press, Gravure press, Screen Printing Press, Metal Printing Press and their functions.

• Organizational Structure of a Typical Printing Industry

  Including Relief/Letter press, Planographic, Intaglio process, Screen process, Commercial Printing, Package Printing, Publishing, In-plant, Quick Service Printing.

• Careers in the Printing Industry

  Such as Machine operators, Camera men, Proof readers, Binders, Estimators, Sales people, Sales Manager.

• Relief Process

  Explore the relief printing process, from production sequence to the applications of this method.

• Uses of the Work Ticket

  To guide the printer on material quantity, time estimation, and machine selection.

• Planographic Process

  This module describes the planographic printing process, its production sequence, and typical applications.

• The Planographic Process: Image and Non-Image Areas

  Focus on elements like the plate, Offset/Lithographic Printing where image and non-image areas are on the same plane.

• Production Sequence in the Planographic Process

  Includes layout and dummy preparation, type setting, stripping and camera work, plate making, proofing, printing/machine work.

• Intaglio Process

  Discover the intaglio printing process, its production steps, and common printed products.

• Production Sequence in the Intaglio Process

  Includes layout, camera work, gravure plate/cylinder preparation, proofing, press work.

• Intaglio Process Prints

  Examples include security materials like stamps, money labels, gift items, corrugated carton, light packaging wrappers, wall papers.

• Stencil Process

  This module introduces the stencil printing process, its production sequence, and applications, including a comparison with other printing methods.

• Comparison of Printing Processes

  Compare relief, planographic, intaglio, and stencil print processes based on cost, time, and durability.

• The Factory Act

  Outline the general requirements of the Factory Act as they apply to the printing industry.

• Health and Safety

  This module focuses on identifying and applying safety rules to prevent hazards and industrial mishaps in the printing industry.

• Instruments and Materials

  Identify and describe the proper use and maintenance of design instruments and materials.

• Layout Preparation

  This module enables students to identify paper properties and typefaces, and to combine design elements for typographic layouts.

• Basic Principles of Design

  Covers symmetric and asymmetric harmony, from thumbnail to final camera-ready artwork.

• Colour Combinations

  Explain the theory of colours and practically apply them in designs involving multiple colours.

• Theory of Colour

  Understanding primary, tertiary, complementary, and natural colours for proper visibility.

• Hand Composition

  This module covers the identification and correct use of composing room tools, accurate measurements, and handling of various typesetting tasks.

• Uses of Composing Room Tools and Equipment

  Includes frame and contents, type cases, composing sticks, typescales, galleys, chases, quoins, imposing surfaces.

• Methods of Measurements from Composing Sticks

  12 pt letter Em lower case, 12 pt quads, quotation, mechanically set line methods.

• Mechanical Composition

  Identify and explain the functions of various mechanical composing machines, and perform basic operations and maintenance.

• The Monotype: Keyboard and Caster

  Covers paper spool, measure on, running matters, centred matters, simple tabular matters.

• The Linotype Machines

  Linotype and Monotype matrices, measurement, spaces band and spacing techniques, magazines, and distribution methods.

• Photo-Composition

  This module focuses on operating photocomposing machines, processing materials, and proofing composed jobs.

• Photocomposing Machines: Parts, Functions, and Practical Use

  Includes jobs, measurement, filmset matters, common errors, correction, and use of computers.

• Proof-Reading and Correction

  Learn to read proofs, detect errors, and understand the legal aspects of publishing and printing.

• Cameras and Ancillary Equipment

  Identify and state the functions of process camera parts, ancillary instruments, and materials used in process camera work.

• Process Camera Parts and Functions

  Ancillary instruments like densitometer, contact cabinet, drying cabinet, developing trays/sinks. Materials include screen filters, gray scale, films, developers, and other chemicals, noting their characteristics.

• Photographic Image Production

  This module explains the optical principles of image formation, various light sources, and how to evaluate image density in process photography.

• Process Camera Operations

  Apply principles of half-tone dot filtration and exposure calculation, and produce various types of combined and specialized prints.

• Computer Operation

  This module introduces the computer, its components, software, and its application in colour separation for printing.

• Retouching Instruments and Materials

  Identify and describe instruments and materials used for retouching and colour correction.

• Application of Chemicals

  Explain the chemistry and application of various chemicals, and use colour charts to deduce dot size combinations.

• Usage of Specified Chemicals for Density Reduction and Dot-Etching

  For continuous tone negatives and selected areas of half-tone negatives/positives to obtain required dot sizes.

• Retouching Techniques

  Rectify defective negatives and positives and apply various techniques like air-brushing on continuous tone originals.

• Process Engraving

  Describe and use instruments, equipment, and materials for process engraving, including powderless and electronic etching methods.

• Line and Half-Tone Work

  Line work of solid areas and uniform density, half-tone with dots of varying shapes.

• Conventional Methods of Gravure Cylinder Preparation

  Includes direct transfer, diffusion, electro-mechanical, and laser cutting methods.

• Processing Non-Metallic Plates

  Steps include obtaining blank sensitive plate, placing plate and negative in vacuum frame, exposure, spray etching solution, installing plate and printing.

• Electronic Engraving Principles

  Involves attaching original copy to cylinder, photoelectric cell scanning, and transferring to the cutting head (e.g., varioklischograph).

• Duplication Process and Foundry-Work

  Describe tools and materials for duplicate plate making, prepare formes for stereotyping, and produce electrotype shells.

• Forme and Moulds for Duplicating Plates: Stereotype Making

  Steps include assembling type and image carriers, forming matrix/mould, metal casting, and removing excess metal.

• Electroplating Duplicate Plates: Advantages

  Includes sharpness of image, retention of original size, perfect register, and longevity.

• Litho Plate Making

  Identify, select, and use various litho plate making materials and equipment, and understand the importance and principles of litho plate preparation.

• Applications of Litho-Plate Making Materials and Equipment

  Includes whirler, vacuum frames, developing sink, finishing table, storage/drying cabinets. Covers direct image, pre-sensitized, one-step photographic, and desensitized plates.

• Basic Exposure Bases and Under-Cutting

  Causes and remedies, such as failure to use vacuum plate maker or multiple source light.

• Precautions for Good Litho Plate Production

  Use point source light, platemakers, transparent gray scale, vacuum frame plate maker.

• Gravure Plate Making

  Describe materials and equipment for gravure plate making, expose and process carbon tissue, and etch copper plates to obtain good proofs.

• Gravure Plate Making: Materials and Equipment

  Includes electronic gravure engraving machine, etching machines, microscope, and main types of gravure image carriers (flat plate, wraparound, cylinder).

• Stencil Preparation

  Produce various types of stencils, prepare screen mesh, and develop/register stencils for printing.

• Direct Stencil Work

  Retouching positive coating, mixing photographic emulsion, coating screen, and drying.

• Letter Press: Materials, Equipment, and Job Planning

  Set out and interpret work ticket specifications, identify and classify hand tools/materials, and understand printing papers and inks.

• Hand Tools and Materials in Letter-Press Printing

  Imposing stones, quoins, quoin keys, planner blocks, reglets, chases, furnitures.

• Printing Inks: Composition and Properties

  Pigment, vehicle, additives. Letter-press inks must be viscous, tacky, and dry mainly by oxidation.

• Thermographic Materials and Their Applications

  Metallic powder and thermography machine, used for greeting cards, business cards, formal announcements.

• Letter-Press Make-Ready Operations

  Obtain correct packing of the tympan, demonstrate embossing, correctly fan and stack paper, and match colours.

• Platen Machine Packing of Tympan and Dressing the Press

  Inserting hanger sheets, positioning tympan, placing press board, impression control.

• The Platen Machine Operations and Job Production

  Describe major parts of the platen machine, operate it, and troubleshoot common running problems.

• Platen Machine Parts, Functions, Operations, Problems, and Remedies

  Includes platen, ink fountain, ink duct, platen guard, feedback, delivery board, impression lever, counter.

• Flat-Bed Cylinder Machines: Make-Ready Operations

  Dress the impression cylinder and competently carry out cylinder machine operations with attention to registration and precautions.

• Supply of Ink

  Inking roller, bearers, adjusting to type height gauge, ink-on-slab, duct keys, doctor roller, vibrator roller.

• Flat-Bed Sheet-Fed Letter-Press Cylinder Machines

  Operate and maintain flat-bed sheet-fed letter-press cylinder machines, including cutting, creasing, perforating, and numbering operations.

• Flat-Bed Sheet-Fed Letter Press Cylinder Machines: Parts and Functions

  Includes type form, chase bed, feeder unit, impression cylinder, ink rollers, ink fountain.

• Letter Press Rotary Machine: Make Ready Operations

  Describe materials and processes for duplicate plates, and operate letter-press rotary machines.

• Lithographic Printing Materials

  Identify and state the correct uses of various lithographic printing materials, including plate types and chemical solutions.

• Lithographic Printing Plates and Their Uses

  Albumen/surface plates, deep-etch presensitized plates, polyvying alcohol (PVA), diazo, photopolymers. Classification as Deepetch, bimetal, negative/positive acting, and aluminum base materials.

• Lithographic Printing: Make Ready Operation

  Interpret work ticket specifications, identify tools/materials, and write the sequence of operation for a lithographic job, focusing on make-ready processes.

• Feeding Systems

  Fanning paper on feed pile, automatic feeders, fronts and side lays, conveyor tapes, wheels and brushes for smooth running.

• Lithographic Production

  Identify and explain the functions of major parts of a single-colour offset lithographic machine, produce various jobs, and perform routine maintenance.

• Blanket Preservation and Machine Cleaning Procedures

  Prompt and regular washup, cleaning cylinder system, lubricating parts, turning off power, covering press with dust protector cloth.

• Gravure Machine Printing

  Describe gravure machine plates, common solvents, and determine ink viscosity for gravure printing.

• Inking with Volatile Inks

  Viscosity of ink by shell cup method, drying by absorption or evaporation, sufficient body for pulling from plate.

• Gravure Printing Make Ready Operations

  Describe photogravure machines, outline operational sequences with precautions for registration and performance, and identify/remedy production defects.

• Doctor Blade and Ink Transfer

  Wipes ink from non-image area, held in firm contact with cylinder, moves back and forth.

• Operational Sequence of Gravure Printing Machine

  Under-packing for plate cylinder, cylinder rotation through ink fountain, ink wiped by doctor blade, paper passes between image and impression cylinder.

• Screen Printing

  Identify and use common tools, materials, and equipment for various screen printing jobs.

• Print Finishing

  List and describe equipment and accessories used in print finishing operations, and explain common technical terms.

• Warehouse Routine

  Take inventory of materials in the warehouse and classify paper according to various properties.

• Print Finishing Operations

  Carry out different types of print finishing operations, including folding, collation, stitching, and various binding methods.

• Binding Operations

  Quarter binding, half-binding, full-binding, book edge decoration, spring-line and colouring.