WIDFP? - Stock

One of the top ten I will include in my manual is stock. Within this I will discuss ISO paper sizes, why stock should be considered and what is actually considered. To begin with, I printed off my research that I made on my design context blog for both the stock post and the paper formats post, and got my highlighter out and picked out the key information from the research that I have found. This will form the basis of what I will write for this section.

images of highlighted bits


From these, I wrote out what I will use for the information within this section. The top ten section within the manual for this will be named 'stock' and then within this have subtitles for both stock and paper formats.

Stock
Stock is the term used in the printing industry that refers to the material that is used for print. Choosing the best stock for a project takes some consideration, but is an essential element to know before any designs are produced: this is so that they can then be tailored for it. Adding thickness to the stock can lend credibility and esteem, and using special coatings can enhance a design by adding a layer of brilliance and protection. Sleek, smooth stock would benefit a sleek design, where as a soft matte would be a good choice for a more subtle appeal. Stocks with a gloss finish are well suited for grabbing attention and would help a colourful design to pop off the page.

Paper Format
ISO paper standards are widely used, created by the International Standards Organisation to standardize the dimensions of paper. The A series is the most popularly used series, used for standard printing and stationary, the B series is used for posters, wall charts, etc. and C series is used for folders, post cards and envelopes. The sizes are relative to one another, where each sheet is equivalent in size to two of the next smallest size within a series. The smaller the number, the larger the sheet: for instance, an A1 sheet is larger than an A2 sheet, an A3 is larger than an A4 sheet. Large format printing works by using rolls rather than sheets of paper, this is due to the fact that most of the shelf display hardware for exhibitions, retail, etc are manufactured to take set poster sizes.

Images
I have decided for the paper formats dps, I will have the image where it lays our each size within a series within each other. This is usually seen with the A series, but I will do it for A, B and C to use across the layout. I made these on Illustrator.

For the stock dps, I have decided to look through the images that I took at the Team print visit. I want to try and ensure I use as many of my own images as possible throughout the book and not rely on images found on Google. I looked through the images that I took that contained images of 'stock', and the ones I have are:

I'm a little gutted I didn't get a better image, but I rather like the top left one, so I will crop this down a little and use this one.

Layouts

sketch out some layouts if have time.


On the file that I have created on InDesign, I started putting together the layouts.

On the paper formats dps, I got the paper size images all lined up with each other, and added a small bit of text under each that reads '*measurements in millimeters' as I didn't include this within the image. Also, I do quite like the two columns of text on the page, but I think with the title looking pretty stray on the opposite page, I have decided it's best to experiment with this a little.

I tried out a 3 columns of text approach. I do actually really like this and think it works well. This will be something I will probably use within the manual on a different section although I don't think it works quite effectively as it could with this dps. I think it's because of the size and positioning of the images. I have left a column at each side of them from the margin of the page, so when I then put the text up to the margin in the column it just doesn't seem to fit right as a whole.

I decided to try a different approach to the layout by moving the text into just one column, and having the images then line up with the top of this on the top line of the layout. I think this sits a lot better when you look at it overall than what it did previously. I don't feel like this dps is quite finished yet, but I will leave it for now and move on.

I want to have a big emphasis on the image of the stock for the stock page that I am including as it will help to make what I have written that bit more understandable (to someone who wouldn't necessarily have an idea about it - which is the idea of the whole print manual I guess?). Following something similar to what I have done for the previous dps I have just done, I have made the image spill over both pages, then has the copy within one column over 4 columns, so a third of the page. I like the size of this image and how it sits on the page, it's quite in your face. I do wish that I had a better image though. Again, I don't think this is 100% finished, but I will leave it like this for now.