By full colour, we mean printing with CMYK (cyan, magenta, yellow and key (black)). This printing technique is used to produce a wide colour range and high-quality images. The four ink colours are printed on the paper in small dots of varying size and density. Seen from a distance, these dots flow into each other to create the illusion of a continuous range of colours. This process is known as halftoning. 

For each colour, you need 1 printing plate and 1 printing unit. So for a full-colour CMYK image, you need 4 plates. Because our press has five colour units, we can print full colour plus spot colour in one pass or enhance the full colour image with an additional black plate.

As for extended full colour, we use highly pigmented inks. The more intense colours of cyan, magenta and yellow ensure reproduction with greater and deeper colour intensity. The image on the right shows how a high-pigmented yellow is mixed.

The left-hand side of the slash is the clean side and the right-hand side is the reverse side of a sheet of paper. The clean side is the front side, the reverse side is the back side. The number left or right stands for the number of printing colours on the corresponding side. For example 5/5 is two-sided in 5 colours.

Binding methods can be divided into three groups. First, you have the folded sheets that are stapled or sewn or given a cahier stitch, creating a folded brochure.

Second, you have the softcover where printing sheets are folded into sections that are sewn and/or glued with a cardboard cover to create a brochure.

Third is the hardcover, where the sheets are also folded into sections and sewn and/or glued, but with a hardcover of linen or paper, as opposed to the cardboard softcover. We usually call this a hardbound book. 

Usually, a book consists of several sections. Sections are sheets that are folded according to a folding scheme. For example, one printing sheet fits 16 A4 pages, if you have a book of 80 pages of volume, 5 folding sheets are needed.

If a printed matter consists of 1 or more folded sheets sewn together and attached by staples or, for example, cahier stitching or singer stitch, we call it a brochure. This can also be done with a cover.

Stands for Cyan, Magenta, Yellow and blacK. These are special process inks. These inks are more transparent and less opaque than the pantone colours. 

Coated paper is paper with an additional coating to make the surface smoother and brighter. This opaque coating reduces ink absorption into the paper, making printed colours and images appear sharper and brighter. Coated paper looks glossy, satin or matt, depending on the finish of the coating.

This is a collective term for everything you need to run an office. For example, stationery, friendly greeting cards, envelopes and business cards. A corporate identity also stands for a logo.

We have two paper cutters, the Polar 92 (from 1990) with a maximum cutting width of 920 mm for small printing and the Perfecta 132 (from 2020) with a maximum cutting width of 1320 mm. We use these machines for "pre-cutting", which means cutting the paper square before it is printed or processed, and for all-round cutting edges after printing, which is called "post-cutting". We cut in stacks of about 150 mm. Paper weighs a lot, so transport from the paper jogger to the cutting area and to the stacker is done on the air table.

We do this with a Xerox Versant. This machine digitally prints high-quality jobs in short runs. The initial costs are relatively low.

An image in 2 pantones is called duotone. Well known is for example the sepia from old photography. There is also tritone and quadtone. 

Printing without ink is embossing and is also known as relief printing. We do this by applying a relief to the printing plate of the jobbing press, which is then pressed into the paper. Embossing can result in a deep or high relief, called debossing and embossing respectively, depending on the customer's requirements.

Foil printing involves printing an image or text with a heated cliché in letterpress from a foil roll.

A printed sheet with 1 or more folds is called a folder.

Frequency modulated (FM) screening is a stochastic or crystal grid. This is entered at prepress before the plate is exposed and these dots ultimately form the image. Because the dots are placed completely randomly and are extremely fine, the grid is ideal for highly detailed images. We print 90% of our printed matter with an FM raster.

In printing, gold can be a metallic ink, for example. This is an ink with miniscule particles of metal. Gold can also be in heat foil, the gloss effect of which is much higher than in offset printing. The image on the right shows a foil embossing, this is a combination of foil printing and an embossing.

Stands for Heidelberg Cylinder Automatic. This is a letterpress machine formerly used for book printing, with lead lettering and later clichés. We use our two HCAs for die-cutting, creasing and embossing. For paper sizes up to 52 x 72 cm, we use our small HCA, the large one goes up to paper size 56 x 77 cm.

 

Supplying open files

robstolk always prefers to receive open files.
To supply files from Adobe Indesign correctly and safely, use the option ‘package’, which creates a zipped folder containing the InDesign file, linked images and typefonts. Besides the InDesign file, we advise to supply an IDML file that also can be used to open the documents created in an older version of InDesign. Furthermore, it is highly recommended to activate this IDML option, as well as a PDF that can be used as an entry check.

Please keep file names as compact as possible and avoid punctuation marks.
As of January 2023, PostScript or Type 1 fonts are no longer supported by Adobe. We therefore advise using truetype(.ttf) or opentype fonts (.otf).

In the case of a perfect bound book, create a file made out of single pages. For this purpose, deselect the function 'facing pages' in InDesign and check if all pages have 3 mm bleed all-around. If you have any questions about this or other technicalities in your document, please feel free to contact our studio. You can call us on +31 (0)20-668 4246 or send an email to prepress@robstolk.nl.

Should you supply files different from InDesign, such as Illustrator, we advise you to provide these as zipped (packed) (see screenshot). The package can best be sent by WeTransfer: www.robstolk.wetransfer.com.

Supplying PDF-files

We recommend that you consult us in advance if you prefer to supply a PDF.
Please feel free to contact our studio for this.

Resolution image links

robstolk prefers to receive RGB images. The images linked in an InDesign document require an output resolution of 350 dpi for images positioned on 100%. For line work and vector files, we require a minimum of 1200 dpi.
Most images are recommended to be provided in 8-bits. Only in the case of gradient screens are 16 bits images preferable.
robstolk prints in a random FM screen (stochastic), by which a very refined reproduction of details can be achieved and at the same time prevents unwanted distortions such as moiré. This random screen also works very well in rasterized texts.
Please keep the names of the images compact, unique and avoid punctuation marks.

Color profiles

To achieve the highest print quality, Robstolk converts the images from RGB to CMYK according to our settings. The best results in printing come from the correct colour profile, based on the choice of paper type: coated (ISO coated) or uncoated (ISO uncoated).
For questions or advice, please contact our studio: +31 (0)20 668 4246 / prepress@robstolk.nl.

Pantone colours

If the InDesign file contains Pantone (spot) colours, please check that the name of the chosen colour comes from the correct Pantone library. Do you have questions about this or need assistance?
Contact our studio: +31 (0)20 668 4246 / prepress@robstolk.nl.

Adobe InDesign document

A technically correct supplied document will be processed quick and without problems. Please pay extra attention to the following aspects:

- supply a file in the page format of your enquiry, in which the documents (lines, text or image) have a minimum bleed of 3 mm;
- position the image frames carefully (by coordinates) to avoid the image crossing the next page if that is not the purpose;
- remove all colors from the colour library that are not used;
- with full-colour printing, check that any spot colours are converted to 'process'; your document should only have 4 colours (CMYK);
- in case of (bound) books, supply the interior, endpapers and (binding) cover separately, to prevent an incorrect pagination;
- use the Preflight feature in InDesign to check your file on image resolutions, embedded fonts and colors before creating a package;
- if you have any questions about specific matters such as fold-outs or other technicalities, please contact us in advance – we are happy to help and advise you!

 

This is lithography and retouching and we have the full expertise for this. We work with open files and the images in RGB so we can make corrections without losing gamut (see job specifications). The lithography is very important for the quality of the image, which is why we use calibrated screens. By paying attention to this together with the customer, you ultimately invest in the experience of a beautiful print.

The imposition is the layout of offset plates, which is carried out in prepress. Depending on the size of the document, a folding sheet is divided into a number of pages.

This machine was formerly used as a printing press. That was before the invention of offset printing in the late 20th century. Image transfer was done in letterpress. Without the ink rollers, we can still use it for die-cutting, creasing, and embossing on small formats up to 25 x 35 cm. Our new jobbing press does have an ink duct and is therefore also suitable for printing.

This is a very specialised printing press with 5 printing units, where hr-uv technology allows us to dry between units to print on many substrates up to 1,2 mm. For example, think white ink on a silver laminate with full colour on it in one pass. 

In addition, our printing press has a maximum sheet size of 780 x 1060 mm, which is special in our market segment as this is normally smaller. It means we can give a book just that little extra length or width.

The KBA Rapida can print 18,000 sheets per hour at full speed, but to ensure our quality standard for all our productions, checks and human attention to the press are essential.

The portfolio gives an insight into what we make and the different types of print work that are on our press. It complements our Instagram where we show and explain how we bring the client's concept to a tangible/material production.

From 1 to 250 is what we call a low-print-run, or a short run. This is the turning point from digital printing to offset.

Offset is a form of planographic printing and the only printing technique with an indirect way of printing, i.e. in offset printing, the image is first transferred from a metal plate to a rubber cloth and then to the surface to be printed, usually paper. Unlike letterpress or gravure, for example, in planographic printing, there is no height difference between the inked and uninked part on the image transfer surface. Instead, this process uses the principle of repulsion between water and grease. The non-printing parts of the plate are kept moist, while the printing parts absorb ink. The ink is then transferred from the plate to the rubber cloth and finally to the paper. We have a KBA Rapida 106 HR-UV and Speedmaster 52 for offset printing. 

Besides the expertise of the press, offset printing requires careful preparation in the prepress phase, where files are optimised and colours corrected. The printing process is complete when the result is a high-quality printed product that meets the customer's specifications and expectations as well as ours.

A printing plate for offset printing is called an offset plate and is made of aluminium. These plates are thermally exposed in a computer-to-plate (CTP) machine. We use Eco plates, which means that our CTP machine uses significantly less water and chemicals than a regular CTP machine.

This is the pdf document of the final file before it is exposured on the plate. Only when the customer approves the pdf proof, it goes to press.

This is an indispensable device in the printing hall that allows us to turn stacks of printed sheets upside down. After turning over, the stack is wheeled to the front of the press and the other side of the sheets is printed.

Pantone Matching System (PMS) is a standardised colour system consisting of pre-mixed colours according to Pantone's recipe. Each colour in the system has a unique number and corresponding specifications, making it a reliable and reproducible colour standard. In particular, we print many pantone colours on our 'small press', the Speedmaster 52. 

This is in contrast to CMYK, which has 4 colours that are mixed using raster technology.

A printed sheet that is unfolded is called a poster or leaflet.

Here, files from customers are processed and prepared for the printing press. We work with open InDesign files (see job specifications) for image processing. The images are always checked by us and if necessary retouched and colour corrected, in collaboration with the customer of course. After the customer's approval, an epson colour proof is made, matched to the paper to be printed, and a Xerox print proof that serves as a folding model. The colour proof is viewed under the Just Normlicht register table and also serves as a colour reference for the printer. Once the files are approved, the first set of plates is exposed. Good collaboration between customer and prepress is reflected on the printing sheet.

An image in 4 pantones is called quadtone. You apply this particularly to black-and-white reproductions of very high quality. There is also tritone and duotone.

This is our 'small press' from Heidelberg and the 52 stands for the maximum sheet size of 360 x 520 mm (a large A3). The Speedmaster 52 (year 2000) is a two-colour printing press that works on water-ink balance, the principle of offset printing. We print, for example, invitations, leaflets, cards and envelopes on this that are not full colour, as that goes to the KBA.

In printing terms, substrate refers to the material being printed. This can be paper, but also, for example, plastic, laminate or linen. One of the advantages of the 3 hr-uv lamps, which we can place at different locations between the printing units, is that we can print on more types of surfaces and materials. Moreover, our customised press can process cardboard up to a thickness of 1 mm.

This refers to an image composed of 3 different pantones. There is also duotone and quadtone. 

Uncoated paper is a type of paper surface that has not undergone any additional coating or finishing. The surface of uncoated paper usually feels more natural and rough than that of coated paper. A quality of uncoated paper is that it absorbs more ink than coated paper, resulting in a softer and more matte appearance of printed colours and images.