30 Dec 2016 — Some little updates (just before new year)
From Nuphap Aunyanuphap to Silviã Lãnfrãnchi
Ciao Silvia!
Big greetings from a cold and foggy Florence!!!
How was your holiday? Mine is super nice (especially together with my family) :-) :-)
Now, since they’re resting, I wanted to document some of our progress/findings on our previous tests (just before I forgot about them ;-D)
So…here we go!!
A second printing experiment with Print Club Torino
On the 22nd and 23rd of December, 2016, I went to Print Club Torino to make another test print. As we’ve recently discussed, we intended to try to print the first chapter of the book (as a tests) together with postcard and the introductory poem.
We’ll also try to bind the first chapter of the book as our first binding test (at which it doesn’t turn out so well). Also, for the introductory poem, we also intended to try different folding/binding experiments.
Here, we’ll tried to print two options (one direction mainly led by me and another by you), each at which have slightly different designs.
Here are the results:
The book (on the first chapter)
Paper Selection
For the paper selected to print the book, I choose the one which we’ve never used before: blue 100gms (i jot down the detailed paper description but forgot my notebook at the Print Club, I’ll document the specs as soon as I got them).
Printing Technique — The overlay
Here I’ve tried printing the texts using laser print to reduce the costs (because if we print them entirely in riso, it would cost alot more). I then overlayed the graphics with riso technique.
The results are nice and readable (especially with the riso overlayed on the texts). I imagine we could reduce the cost even more if we try to produce the texts with ordinary copy machine (this can also be done in Milan).
Printing inaccuracy
As you might have been aware: risograph technique also have the ‘inaccuracy’ quality bounded with it. Here, we can obviously see it’s effect.
This type of printing marks, as suggested by people at the print club, can be cleaned by using normal eraser.
The two designs
Each design options, for me, are both convincing. However, here are somethings I liked about each design, and of course, something that I think can be improved.
Design version 01 (something I like) — I like how the design is quite clean and minimalized. The color (shocking pink) are also nice when used with black texts and blue paper.
Design version 01 (something i think could improve) — As you suggested before, I also agree that number 1 and the world ‘chapter one’ creates some sort of double message. We could improve this better in the next version.
Design version 02 (something I like) — The bigger margin of the design makes it more clean and, for me, more reader friendly (very nice!). The orange color and the dark blue text is also nice with blue paper.
Design version 02 (something i think could improve) — There could be too much elements (different texts, graphics, colors, etc.). Here I think things could be nicer if we reduce the different elements presented in the design.
Binding
There are some complications on the binding process. The print club suggests us to inform them beforehand (so they can be more prepared to train us).
So, for next time, I’ll give them some words in advance about our next meeting there so that we can try the different binding methods offered by the print club.
There is also a possibility to use their service to bind them for us. However, let’s try for now to bind them ourselves (so that we can learn). Then, if things get out of hands, we can consider this option. ;-)
Overall / the next step
The riso printed on colored paper produced great results, but I’m not quite sure if it’s worth the extra money to use colored paper (because for sure white paper would be a bit cheaper). Therefore, in the next trial I’ll try with the white normal paper to see if the results are acceptable. :-)
Also, since the cost of the overall test are high, eventhough it’s just the first chapter, we have to find ways to reduce the cost of the overall prints. One way is we could use the photocopy technique to print the texts. Another is we could try to reduce the number of illustrations and/or find better ways to manage the print to maximize the amount of illustrations we can produce per one riso passing.
Both designs we’ve tried are also equally convincing. However, I’ll try to find the middle ground at which the good things from both design could exists in the same place. I’ll show you the new design as soon as possible (before we make the next print).
On and all, these are things that I will keep into great considerations while designing the next version of the test.
ps. The overall costs and spendings (per each book) is recorded in the google sheets, at which I’ve shared privately with you on google drive folder “Finance”
The Introductory Poem
Paper
Here, I also tried to used the paper at which we’ve never used before (and different from the blue one of the book): yellow 100gms (once again, I’ll put down the exact paper spec once I got my notebook).
Here, I just saw that it is a very nice effect when we see that the books together have two types of paper (blue from the main book and yellow for the introductory poem).
ps. photos will be uploaded later
Folding as the new binding technique
As we’ve discussed together, I’ve tried to bind the poem book by using a single A4 paper/cut them in middle/and fold them in 8 parts. This would creates a book by folding a paper, and also gives us a poster when unfold them.
ps. photos will be uploaded later
The good thing on this type is that, other than it being a interesting way, it’s super economic and can be done by us. However, the downside of this is that it requires alot of effort to make it nice and neat, and there is a possibility of making a mistake in the cutting process.
Overall / the next step
The binding technique that we tried is nice and interesting (especially when we also got a poster from it), and we can definitely make use of it sometime in the future if we have to produce small publications that have the number of pages of 8 or less.
Post Cards
Paper
For the post cards, I choose the brown 180gms (will update paper details as soon as possible).
The reason is, first, it’s great that we could try new type of paper with new colors. And second, with this thickness, we can make an actual postcard and send them to other people.
Printing Technique
I’ve chosen to use only risograph in this version of the postcard to see the overlaying of the two colors I found could be interesting if used together (blue and pink).
Here, we can also notice the printing inaccuracy of the riso by noticing that one row of the ‘A’ are missing from the prints.
Overall / the next step
The blue/pink riso on a brown paper produced a great result. Also, overlaying two riso colors on top of each other produced a nice and catching effects.
However, Stefano suggested in the previous meeting that we should put this down first (for now) and focus mainly on producing our first version of the full book.
On and all, as suggested by Stefano from the previous meeting, I’ll try to finish the design of the entire book and try to print our first finished version. I’ll give you a look at the design as soon as possible before we do the physical printing.
Will keep you updated as soon as possible :-)
Buon anno nuovo e a presto!
N.
