Chapter One. Life Cycle of a Print Job

People who aren't involved in the graphic arts industry probably have no idea where all that stuff in their mailbox comes from. They're blissfully unaware of the design process and give not a whit about those poor guys on third shift in the printing plant trying to troubleshoot a problem file. They don't think about the electronic design environment or the mechanical process of printing. All they think is, "Wow! That really looks good! I should buy this!" But as a designer or production artist, you need to know a bit about what happens when you're finished with your part of the job. The more you know, the more you can do to prevent problemsand missed deadlineslater in the life cycle of your job.

Note

See the glossary at the end of this chapter for more detailed explanations of some common printing terms, both modern and historical, used in this chapter and throughout the book. Terms that are italicized in this chapter's text are expanded in the glossary, which also includes additional terms you may find helpful.

First, a little history.