Tips and Tricks Archives - Cascade Print Media

Paper Type Options

FAQ, Marketing, Tips and Tricks

The landscape of printing features a wide variety of paper options, each offering unique features that can cater to the needs of any particular printed piece.

Paper Weight & Thickness

The type of paper used for a print project can be distinguished by a variety of paper weights, which relate directly to the thickness or heaviness of a single sheet of paper. Paper weights span thin sheets that can be used as flyers or letters all the way up to thick paper better suited for more heavy-duty purposes, like cards, posters, or book covers.

In the US, paper weight is often referred to as basis weight, which is measured in pounds and is calculated based on the weight of a ream of 500 sheets of paper in its standard size. This form of measurement may sound impractical for the average person to use, but the best way to think about it is that the higher the paper weight, the heavier the paper. Basic copier paper is typically around 20 lbs., whereas a sturdy poster is printed on paper that is likely to be around 130 lbs. in basis weight.

Cover vs. Book Weight

The printing industry also distinguishes between cover weight paper and book weight paper. Book weight paper is typically relatively thin paper that can be used for a variety of print media, such as books, booklets, catalogs, magazines, and letters. In contrast, cover weight paper, often referred to as cardstock, is typically thick and stiff, and can be used for an assortment of more sturdy print media, such as business cards, menus, postcards, invitations, and posters. Book weight paper typically spans 60 lbs. to 100 lbs. in basis weight whereas the span for cover weight paper is around 80 lbs. to 130 lbs. The pounds of basis weight are symbolized by a # sign.

Paper Finishes

Print media can be coated with a variety of finishes during the papermaking or printing processes. These include the following:

Gloss finish: Shiny and lustrous smooth coated finish. Make your colors and images pop!
Matte finish: Eliminates glare while protecting the print with a dull coating. Often used for jobs with lots of typed copy or fine details.
Silk finish: The perfect middle ground between gloss and matte. Silk can be compared to a luster or semi-gloss finish.
Uncoated paper: More superior than your average copy paper and prints pieces with stunningly sharp images. Great for journals, cards, and coloring books as it is easy to write on.

For more advice about what type of paper options would work best for your next print project, contact us at or give us a call at (253) 472-5500.

Maximize Your Visibility: Power of Signage for Outdoor Events

Marketing, Print Marketing, Signs, Tips and Tricks

Maximize Your Visibility: Power of Signage for Outdoor Events

In the world of marketing capturing the attention of potential customers is a paramount goal. Outdoor signage stands out as a potent tool especially for events. Their ability to project your brand message, attract attention effortlessly and ultimately drive foot traffic makes them invaluable for any business looking to make an impact.

Outdoor Strategies

When it comes to outdoor print BIG is the name of the game. This is where Cascade Print Media’s large format printing expertise can come in handy. Our designers can make sure your bold creative vision is properly displayed. Ensuring that your graphics come out crisp and clean for maximum impact.

Here are just a few ways to incorporate outdoor signage into your next event…

A-Boards

While excellent for street advertising they also work great at other venues, helping to attract attention in an easy to set up and portable way. With two inserts a sign you can make sure your message is seen from any angle. Available in a few standard sizes, Cascade can help supply the hardware and sign inserts. With replaceable inserts it’s a breeze to change out your message or have holiday or event specific messages.

Pull-Up Banners

While these excel at indoor events with a little extra preparation they can be used at outdoor events as well. Durable, portable and providing a large area for messaging and company branding there are an excellent large format choice. Designed to be used again and again so no matter what the venue your message will stand strong. When marketing needs change these can be updated. The hardware can be saved and new graphics installed to help reduce overall costs.

Posters and Signs

Whether indoor or outdoor, Cascade Print Media offers a range of media materials for all your signage, POS or retail needs. Available in a range of sizes, including recyclable options, you’re sure to find something that fits your needs. Whether it’s a lightweight one-day use sign, a medium-term use sign on a more durable substrate or something that can withstand harsh outdoor weather year after year Cascade can provide a suitable solution to help get your message across.

Branded Pop-Up Tent

Need to stand out at outdoor or community events? A branded tent will ensure you stand out among the sea of white tents. Whether you’re after simple text branding or a full color tent with custom sidewalls Cascade can help. With a bright and branded tent, you will ensure attention and foot traffic with the added advantage of easy setup and portability.

Partnering with Cascade Print Media can help you harness the potential of outdoor signage and carve out a distinctive space at your next event.

Marketing, Print Marketing, Tips and Tricks

Major Mistakes to Avoid when Proofing Print Projects (Part 1)

Part 1 of 2

Success in creating and delivering a compelling marketing campaign or outstanding print project starts before any of the ink hits the page. This is because before printing begins, there is a multi-layered process known as proofing that is meant to ensure everything that a client expects from their project is exactly what they will receive.

During this process, a designer takes a client’s design and creates what is known as a proof, or an exact replica or example of the finished product. It is up to the client to carefully inspect this proof to ensure it adheres to their particular specifications. Below are several key tips for avoiding costly mistakes in the print proofing process:

Mistake 1: Proofreading

One of the most important details to look out for and inspect in a proof is also seemingly the most simple: checking a proof for any and all spelling and grammar mistakes. It often goes without saying, but spelling, punctuation, and grammar mistakes in signs, graphics, and printed materials are some of the most common mistakes that can slip under the radar during the proofing process. To ensure that this doesn’t happen, it is recommended to slow down, read every word and phrase, and even show another individual the text and content that is to be printed. Spelling and grammar mistakes have the potential to negatively impact a client’s credibility in the eyes of the consumer or end-user by portraying them as being without care, organization, or precision.

Mistake 2: Layout and Alignment

There are two layout guidelines that should be considered with every print project: bleeds and cut lines.

Cut lines: This is where the printed piece will be cut after printing. It is important to design all important text, content, and graphics far enough away from the cut lines to ensure that they will not get cut off during the print production process. Similarly, if a printed piece folds, it is highly important to consider where the folds will go so that all content can align to the panel it will be folded within. Panels on the front and the back of a folded piece will need to align as well.

Bleeds: The backgrounds, borders, and fields of color of any printed piece should extend beyond the cut lines to ensure that there is no unintended white space around the edges of a printed piece. For instance, if you would like a design element to appear right at the edge of a piece, it will need to be extended beyond the cut line to ensure a seamless look and consistency amongst print pieces within the same project.

Check back next week for more tips on what to avoid when proofing out your print project! Ready to start your next project? Let us know!

What Is a Press Check

Direct Mail, Eco-Friendly, FAQ, Marketing, New, Print Marketing, Tips and Tricks

A press check is a service offered by print companies allowing you to come to a review your print project once it is on press. The pressman will get everything setup and print a few sheets for you to review before hitting the go button on the entire project. This step is important for various reasons to ensure your print project comes out exactly how you want it. Below are a few important things to look for during your press check.

1 – Low Resolution Images

Images used for marketing are often pulled from online sources or images taken with a phone, these images can and most likely will print at a low resolution, meaning that once printed on a substrate, they can become pixelated or blurry. The standard print resolution for a print file is 300 dpi, many images online or from your phone can be only half of that or less, making them impossible to print at a larger scale than what shows on your phone or computer screen. When reviewing your project at a press check, this will give you a proper representation of the print quality for those images.

Image of low vs high resolution image. One pixelated, the other more clear

2 – Ink Registration

Most offset printing is done in CMYK, a process of 4 colors printed in layers to create a specific color image or text. If these colors are not in registration, you will be left with a blurry and hard to read piece. It is important to make sure there is perfect registration. Pressman will have a tool called a loop at their press; this tool allows you to magnify the print allowing you to see the registration. If these colors are off the pressman can adjust to get them realigned.

Image of good registration vs bad registration on page

3 – Color consistency

This is the process to which the colors are consistent across the entire sheet. Color management profiles are used to ensure color consistency throughout the printing process. Review your press sheet thoroughly and make sure the entire sheet is equally vibrant without any dull areas. If there are any issues with consistency, your pressman and prepress department can review and adjust the print management system.

Image of Press sheet being checked for consistency and registration

4 – FPO

FPO means FOR POSITION ONLY, when creating your digital print file, you may use an FPO for things such as die lines, foil stamps, scoring, punching or folds. These are important during the prepress process so we know how your art should be laid out to avoid any of the processes listed above from impeding into your final print piece (nothing is worse than trying to read text that is on a fold.) Most of the time these FPO are created in a bright pink, but not always. It is important to make sure your FPO has been removed from the press ready files, so your FPO is not printed in your final piece. FPO should be created as a separate layer in your file so it can be turned off when plates are made for printing.

Image of large sheet showing where cuts and folds will be on finished product

5 – Check Your Mailing Panel

Mailing panels are tricky, USPS has a lot of rules for mailing panels, such as size, position and the ability to inkjet. If your print piece has a coating such as Aqueous, UV, Soft Touch or any other coating, be sure the pressman has created what is called a knockout, this is a process where they keep the coating from being applied in the mailing panel area. If that area is coated, USPS will most likely reject your pieces causing you to reprint.

6 – Pagination

If you are printing a booklet, with multiple pages on a press sheet, it is important to fold that press sheet to make sure your pages line up properly when folded and stitched. The prepress department has programs that will assist with correct pagination, but it’s always at idea to manually check this for accuracy. Also keep an eye out for alignment, making sure your page numbers land in the same place when the sheet is folded on the crop marks, and there is no art in or around the spine. One last thing to look for, make sure the creep has been accounted for. When you have a large book that has multiple sigs, when those sigs are folded and nested together the outer most sigs will need to be adjusted so the art has more room on the spine, or the inner most pages are not pushed out too far that they get cut off when the final trim is made.

6 – Pagination

Example of book pages creeping out of book due to folds

Interested in starting your next project but don’t know where to start? We can help! Get in touch today and we can walk you through the process, step by step.

Bleeds – What To Know About Bleeds In Printing

FAQ, Marketing, New, Tips and Tricks

If you’ve been looking at having goods printed or have dabbled as a graphic designer you’ve likely seen the term “bleed.” But what exactly is bleed and why is it essential for quality prints?

What Does Bleed Mean in Printing?

In printing, “bleed” refers to the area that extends beyond the trim edge of the piece. This extra area helps ensure that no unprinted edges appear on the final piece accommodating for any slight movement of the paper during the trimming operation. Cascade Print Media recommends 1/8^th of an inch or 3mm around all sides to every art file.

Benefits of Adding Bleeds

Adding bleeds to your designs offer several advantages:

Prevents White Edges: Even with quality industrial cutting machines the paper can shift slightly during the trimming cuts. Bleeds help ensure the graphic extends beyond the edge which avoids unsightly white edges on printed pieces.

Professional Finish: Bleeds help provide a high-quality look to your printed pieces.

Consistency: It maintains the integrity of the art across multiple prints. Helps ensure that each piece looks identical even if there are slight variations in the trimming process.

How to Create Bleed in Your Design

1: Setup Your Document With Bleeds

When creating a new document set the bleed area ahead of time. Most design tools such as InDesign, Illustrator and Photoshop have options for setting and adding bleeds.

2: Extend the Background

Ensure that any background images, colors or patterns extend into the bleed area at the edges. This ensures those elements will still reach the edge when the paper is trimmed.

3: Keep Important Elements Inside the Safe Zone

While ensuring that the background extends into the bleed area also ensures that all critical elements stay within the safe zone. This is an area usually about ¼” of an inch inside that trim line. This prevents them from being accidentally trimmed off or into. Cascade Print Media also recommends avoiding using thin borders in this area as the natural trim variations will be more noticeable the thinner the border.

4: Use Guides

Most modern design software will allow you to see and add visual guides. Use the guides to accurately position the design elements.

5: Export with Bleed Enabled

When you’re ready to save and export your final file, ensure the bleed settings are included. Most software will include an option to “include bleed” in the export settings. This step is crucial to ensure the printer knows to account for bleeds when trimming down the stock. Bleed from Canva is added via file > view settings > show print bleed. If exporting as a PDF file type ensure “crop marks and bleeds” are selected.

Adding bleeds to your designs is a simple but crucial step to ensure high-quality and professional looking prints. By understanding and applying bleed correctly you can elevate the quality of your pieces and avoid common pitfalls such as white edges or inconsistent borders.

Ready to get started on your next project, but don’t know where to start? We can help! Get in touch and we will walk you through the process!