I have been involved with the printing industry for over 30 years and as an experienced Print Broker I can find the printer to suit your personal needs from file preparation to print management on any platform. A broker is a party that mediates between a buyer (you - the customer) and a seller (the chosen printer). The Art Dept works with numerous printers in the local area and nationwide and provides insightful solutions that impact your entire production process. It is my experience that I can have your materials printed and delivered to you for less than you can on the open market. Quality, time, and cost: The three core concerns of every production job. My goal is to save you time and money, ultimately getting your material to your customers with quality and service. I am committed to delivering world-class customer service, consistent, reliable and quality performance every time. No matter what your needs, presentation folders, brochures, magazines, promotional mailers, catalogs and everything in-between, I can make your next project a success.

There are various types of printing. Following are some of the most commonly used in my business.

DIGITAL PRINTING is the reproduction of digital images on a physical surface. It is generally used for low quantity print runs, and for the customization of print media. When used correctly digital printing can greatly impact an overall communication campaign. Because of the lack of a need to make plates or run up to colour, it is useful for rapid prototyping, and cost effective for small print runs.

OFFSET PRINTING is a commonly used printing technique where the inked image is transferred (or "offset") from a plate to a rubber blanket, then to the printing surface. Advantages of offset printing compared to other printing methods include:

• Consistent high image quality. Offset printing produces sharp and clean images and type more easily than letterpress printing because the rubber blanket conforms to the texture of the printing surface. Letterpress printing is a term for printing text with movable type, in which the raised surface of the type is inked and then pressed against a smooth substance to obtain an image in reverse.
• Quick and easy production of printing plates.
• Longer printing plate life than on direct litho presses because there is no direct contact between the plate and the printing surface. Properly developed plates running in conjunction with optimized inks and fountain solution may exceed run lengths of a million impressions.
• The more you print, the less you pay per page, because most of the price goes into the preparation undergone before the first sheet of paper is printing and ready for distribution. Any additional paper print will only cost the client paper price (and ink), which is very minimal.

The most common kind of offset printing is derived from the photo offset process, which involves using light-sensitive chemicals and photographic techniques to transfer images and type from original materials to printing plates. In current use, original materials may be an actual photographic print and typeset text. However, it is more common — with the prevalence of computers and digital images — that the source material exists only as data in a digital publishing system.

"Sheet-fed" refers to individual sheets of paper or paperboard being fed into a press. Sheet-fed litho is commonly used for printing of short-run magazines, brochures, letter headings, and general commercial (jobbing) printing.

"Web-fed" refers to the use of rolls (or "webs") of paper supplied to the printing press. Offset web printing is generally used for runs in excess of 10 or 20 thousand impressions. Typical examples of web printing include newspapers, newspaper inserts/ads, magazines, catalogs, and books. Web-fed presses are divided into two general classes: "Cold" or "Non-Heatset," and "Heatset" offset web presses, the difference being how the inks that are used dry. Cold web offset printing is air dried, while heatset utilizes drying lamps or heaters to cure or "set" the inks. Heatset presses can print on both coated (slick) and uncoated papers, while coldset presses are restricted to uncoated paper stock, such as newsprint. Some coldset web presses can be fitted with heat dryers, or ultraviolet lamps (for use with uv-curing inks).

The Art Dept is a Largo, Florida Graphic Design Marketing Firm serving Largo, Clearwater, St. Petersburg and the Tampa Bay Area.