At cutpasteandprint we are primarily printers, it’s the main focus of what we do. But it isn’t all we do. We have a team of fantastic designers and pre-press operators that help get your work designed and ready to print. We also have a great print finishing team. While often overlooked, what they do after your materials have been printed can make a huge difference to your project.
To put it as simply as possible, print finishing is everything that happens after a project comes off a press. It sounds simple, but this really does include a lot of different areas, from trimming a paper to size, to binding, to applying a die-cut, or gluing certain pieces together. The possibilities are endless. At cutpasteandprint we pride ourselves on having a can-do attitude about finishing a print project to perfection.
When you are having something printed, it is important to remember it is a custom ordered product. This means it can be set up exactly as you want it to be. One way to achieve a truly unique printed material is through die-cutting. This is a process, not unlike a cookie cutter, in which paper is cut into a particular shape. Some simple examples might be a business card with rounded corners, or an invoice with a perforated detachment. More complex examples include custom shapes like a football shaped menu, or an arrow shape cut out of a label stock.
Another big part of print finishing is binding. Here again there are numerous options and variations. This can be as simple as having documents put together in a 3-ring binder, or GBC punched and bound, but it can also be more complex like coil binding, or perfect binding (which is similar to how a mass market softcover book is bound). Even creating a straightforward pad of tear-away note paper takes foresight in design, pre-press, and a print finishing team that do the work with excellence.
Of course there are many other aspects to print finishing as well. After a project is printed, it usually must be trimmed to size. Items like business cards aren’t printed one at a time, but instead are printed several dozen up on a page and then cut after the fact. Several other things you might take for granted in a printed material you receive, such as folded sheets, glue dots, tags, perforations, or numbering are all part of the process of print finishing.
The great advantage of having an experienced team is that we can offer and deliver many different finishing services. Through unique and customized finishing services, you can take a great print design and really make it sing.
As with all aspects of a print job, the key is to communicate your ideas and needs with your printer. Any print finishing you might want to use will have to be planned and designed before the job goes on press. In fact, how a job is going to be finished can play a big role in how it will be printed. It is all part of the process of manufacturing custom materials.
If you have any questions, feel free to ask us below, give us a call, or stop in.
cutpasteandprint Printing, graphic design, binding, and promotional product specialists in Huntingdon Valley, PA. We proudly serve the Bucks and Montgomery County areas with superior quality, great customer service, and a commitment to getting you and your the best possible printed materials. Our services include: Digital Printing, Offset Printing, Graphic Design, Promotional Items, Bindery, and Copying.
estimating@cutpasteandprint.com • 215.364.3898
