OUGD504 - Stock Changes

Initial Stock Considerations 

Initially the stock within the book was going to be bulky newsprint which has a glossy white side and a more textured cream colour on the other side. The stock aimed to reflect the contrast in landscapes within Dubai, with the textured cream size reflecting the desert and the white glossy side suggesting the clean and modern feel of the city. 

The paper was tested in the printer however it was found that the ink found it difficult to adhere to the glossy side of the stock.

Another type of bulky newsprint was also found which had the same colours on either side however was textured on both, was also tried through the printer. When this was printed on the ink form the images adhered into the paper better however the images were not as vibrant because they were being printed onto coloured stock. This stock choice was chosen to mimic the  colour of the paper that Arabic scripture was written on which usually an off cream colour. Having the two tones on either side reflects the variety of different tones of papers used within scripture in a subtle way.

Asking about Printing in the Digital Print Room 

Asking the technician in the Digital Print Room allowed me to get a better sense of how the design could be printed and the restrictions that may arise.

Printing down in the print room could allow for a better print quality on the coloured paper when compared with my home printer. It was said that the bulky newsprint with the glossy side would not print any better in the digital print room. It was also said that the ink would take a long time to dry and the paper might curl in the printer.  

It was also discussed that printing on the textured bulky newsprint would not really print any better on the printers in Digital Print when compared with the home printer. It was said that they don't usually print on paper like that for images because they don't stand out as well.

It was asked whether they had any papers that had a similar glossy and textured side however it was found that they didn't.

Previous considerations for allowing the images to be vibrant as well as have a background colour on the pages, was to print everything directly on a white textured stock.  However printing block colour has mixed results  and can become streaky which was not wanted.

Looking at the stocks available in the digital print room it was found that there was a lighter cream colour which would also reflect the Arabic paper concept, so this could be considered as a possible stock to use.

Pricing Concerns 

After looking at the prices in the Digital Print Room it was found that to print it would cost a  minimum of 75p and maximum of a £1 per side and possibly more depending on the stock choice. The book will be made up of  32 A4 sides so would cost between £24 to £32 to print which is not feasible. This would also mean that I wouldn't even be able to print block colour cheaply on the most basic paper, let alone using the desired cream coloured paper.

With this in mind the book would be printed on the textured bulky newsprint and produced on my own printer to reduce the cost of production. Printing on my home printer would create a similar print quality to the printers at college.