Printing Resources on the Web

The following sites are offered as select, quality resources on each of the topic headings. If you happen to find better resources than these on the web, please let me know so I can add them or substitute them for the ones below.

General Resources

• Prepressure.com - a great all-purpose site for digital prepress techniques.
• Electronic Publishing - the web version of a print trade publication started almost 30 years ago by Rochester Institute of Technology professor emeritus Frank Romano.
• Before & After Magazine - an interesting how-to design magazine. Requires subscription, but some free lessons available in PDF.

• Color Consistency and Adobe Creative Suite - a 25-page white paper describing how to manage color consistency across all applications in the Adobe Creative Suite.
• Easy RBG - a wonderful assortment of online tools for matching, harmonizing, and calculating color values. Indespensible!
• Color Matters - a great explanation of general color theory.
• Color Theory Basics - from the makers of the PC-based application Color Wheel Pro.
• Guide to Color Management - brief intro to color management from Dry Creek Photos.
• Introduction to Digital Color Management - a detailed description of color management problems by Mauro Boscarol.
• ColorSync - a valuable site explaining Apple's CMS technology. Includes tips on soft proofing and monitor calibration.
• Windows Color Management - a Microsoft site explaining various aspects of color management on the Windows platform.

Graphics and Photos

• HP Plotter Sample Images - high-resolution images for printing on our HP 800PS large format printer in Ross 426.

Paper and Ink

• Paper Tips and Topics - Mohawk Paper's web site contains a wealth of information about paper and the printing process in general.
• Glossary of Paper Terms - feeling lost in all the terminology about something as seemingly simple as paper? Check out this great resource from Neenah Paper. Site also includes a Paper Selector geared to company's products, as well as a Paper Calculator to help with price and quantity conversions.
• Constance Sidles' articles from her "On Paper" column in the now defunct Adobe Magazine, in PDF format; though slightly dated, these articles cover numerous topics in a timeless manner:
  
  • Be Sensible - learn the variables of matching paper to project.
  • The Ineffable Mystery of Paper Grades - an explaination of various paper grades and how they relate to quality.
  • Hold Out for Holdout - avoid the problems that come with the supposed benefits of cheaper paper.
  • Choice Paper - how to select top-quality papers for specific projects.
  • Color Correct - the effects of colored papers on print projects.
  • Roughing It - what to consider in choosing rustic papers.
  • The Package Tour - learning the ropes of printing to packaging using flexographic printing methods.
  • Bleach Wars - information on bleached paper and its environmental effects.
  • Recycle This - discover the facts on using recycled paper.
  • Sheet Smarts - the ins and outs of paper grain direction.

Project Planning

• Basecamp - one of the most popular online project management and collaboration tools on the Web.
• Wrike - perhaps the easiest to use of all Web project management tools.
• GoPlan - yet another online project management and collaboration tool.

Typography

• Typeface Classifications - an explanation of the varous classifications and families of fonts available in the Adobe Type Library.
• OpenType Fonts - Adobe's web page dedicated to the OpenType format. Includes links to other sites explaining the OpenType format.
• Linotype Type Gallery - displays the application of various Linotype typefaces in real-life scenarios. Typefaces are listed both alphabetically and categorically. While there, check out their free font management utility, FontExplorerX, for the Mac (Windows version coming soon).
• Monotype Imaging's Fonts.com - a great site that includes images of thousands of typeface families, as well as Famous Typefaces used in movies and ads, and Typeface Trading Cards you can print yourself! For the true type nerd.
• Unicode - an explanation of the Unicode type system, including PDFs of various language character sets.
• MyFonts.com - a practical site that helps you locate, demo, and purchase various fonts. Also includes the WhatTheFont identification service. Just upload image of typeface, and let WhatTheFont help you identity the typeface. Way cool!
• The Fontsite - another good practical site that includes a number of resources, including an archive of past articles that includes "The Rules of Typography."
• abcTypography - a comprehensive site documenting the history of typography. "A virtual type museum."
• typoGRAPHIC - billed as "an interactive experience informed by type and typography. It aims to illustrate the depth and import of type, and to raise relevant questions about how typography is treated in the digital media, specifically online." Includes a timeline of recent typographic history as well as examples of newer avant-garde type. Check it out!