Maximise the quality of print products and master colour, binding and finishing techniques with this free online course.

‘Printing’ refers to reproducing text or images onto paper or other materials using various materials such as ink, toner or dye. The course introduces you to roles, responsibilities and steps taken to become a printing worker. We discuss the advantages and disadvantages of different printing methods, quality control and sustainable printing practices. We then explore the role of pre-press, press and post-press tools and examine essential print production software before covering the basics of black-and-white and colour printing.

The course describes the limitations of CMYK printing and shows you how to approximate spot colours with the process. We illustrate the various types of inks, coatings and varnishes and establish the importance of registration, trapping and managing large ink coverage areas. We examine the different binding methods, such as saddle stitching, perfect binding and coil binding. The course explains how to provide a ‘bleed’ to ensure a professional finish in binding and go through the basics of folding and imposition.

Finally, the course compares scanning and digital photography and discusses the use of imaging software for image editing and transformation. We outline the concepts of resolution and image fidelity and show you how they affect print quality. We teach you how to crop and transform images and go through the process of font activation to help you resolve font conflicts. The course also provides skills you can use to work effectively with layers in Adobe Photoshop by using non-destructive editing techniques and Adobe Illustrator production tips. Enrol in this print production course and add a valuable new skill to your portfolio.