What is the printing process for a Magazine?!
Question:
What is the printing process for a Magazine?
How is offset printing for a Magazine (like Cosmo) different from offset printing for a book (like book in link)?
Assuming both are full color and perfect bound, have the same amount of pages, and the magazine is 8.5X11 and the book is 5.5X8.5, which is typically cheaper to print and how does the quality (lpi, image quality, paper, etc) differ?
linked book:
http://www.amazon.com/twentieth-century-...
Answers:
The difference is the paper, the ink, and the press it runs on.
One color printing- black and white books are run on a 1 color web press. Probably on a Titan Matte stock or newsprint, and as a Come-n-Go layout. Image quality will be at least 150 DPI to 300 DPI at 2400 (100, 133 or 150 Line Screen). The dot size and pattern can be lower than magazine printing. Samples are newspapers vs. books, you can see the dots in the newspaper but not as well in paperback style books. Being that you pay for one ink, and the stock is mostly absorbent needing no dryer as the press runs the paper through. The smaller sizes need to be folded, and chopped down in the bindery before binding a cover on the book. This is an extra cost.
Magazine printing- Four color process is the term. The paper is glossy and uses Cyan, Magenta, Yellow and Black to create the images you see. Image quality will be at least 300 DPI at 2400 (175 Line screen), which is critical to give that photo quality. There is also a slightly different printing press which has dryers on it to make sure the 4 color ink dries as it goes along the process. That layout would be a Prefect Bound book. The pages are 8.5 x 11", so there is no folding and cutting like a smaller book would get. It's similar, but easier to do than smaller page sizes.
So the differences are really about; paper or stock, ink and binding style. That sets the cost. Printing 4 color process on newsprint is the cheapest way to go for a 4 color publication. Highest price is 4 color on glossy paper.
Hope this helps.