Printing With One Solid Color
Hello fellow printers,
I have a Heidelberg Windmill 10x15 (pretty intricate and complex press for a newbee, but unfortunately that’s about the only machine I can get my hands on in my country). I have tried printing some greeting cards with 2 or more solid colors, and I’m loving the results so far! My next project is actually a rather simpler one: business card with one single solid color, with no bleed whatsoever. The artwork is pretty much centered. My questions would be:
1. Do I need to have crop marks? I understand that crop marks are essential if you have 2 colors or more to ensure precise registration, but is it also necessary for a single solid color?
2. Do I need to print with guides? Much like the first question, I understand that guides would be a huge help if you have hairline registration, but is it also a necessity if I only have a single color with a single plate?
Thank you very much for your responses!!!
Good day!
I would run some tests to see how your press handles printing in commercial register (no guides). Some presses have a fair amount of movement and some don’t. I tend to print everything I do with guides. It makes life easier when trimming down to size. If you don’t use guides, then it’s critical the paper feeds properly. If it’s not square to the feed board, your print won’t be square.
You don’t NEED crop marks, but I’m not sure why you’d skip them. Again, if you’re using guides, they make the final trim pretty easy.
Thank you so much for your advice!!