CHAPTER 8 PRINTING, LAYOUT AND MAKEUP

Despite the popularity of radio and television, the Navy and the public-at-large are very much print-oriented. All large ships and stations and many of the smaller Navy commands publish newspapers or magazines regularly. Consequently, as a Navy journalist, you can expect to be tasked with editing or assisting in the production of such a publication.

Should you somehow miss out on this challenging opportunity, a number of other items requiring an editor's skills and knowledge will likely surface on your desk some morning. Among these highly probable assignments are familygrams, change of command programs, public visitation brochures and cruisebooks.

Therefore, the information in this chapter, while directed primarily to potential newspaper editors, also is intended to acquaint you with the fundamentals and terminology of printing and the mechanics of laying out and making up copy for the publisher. Tips on designing Navy newspapers for a contemporary audience are included in this section, as well.

OFFSET LITHOGRAPHY

LEARNING OBJECTIVE: Recognize the principle of offset lithography, its paste-up process, and the types of artwork used in photo-offset printing.

Offset lithography is the most preferred method of printing in both the civilian and military communities. Today, more than 90 percent of the nation's newspapers and closer to 95 percent of the larger service publications are products of offset presses.

Based on the principle that oil and water do not mix, offset lithography uses a flat-surface plate in its printing process. In offset printing, the plates are prepared through a technical photochemical process that leaves the nonprinting areas of the plate receptive to water.

On an offset press, two sets of rollers pass over the plate cylinder. One spreads water over the plate. Only those parts representing white space remain damp. The second roller spreads ink that only sticks to the parts of the plate that are dry. The plate then passes against a rubber-covered "blanket" cylinder that accepts the

Figure 8-1. - The process of offset lithography.

inked image. The blanket cylinder "offsets," or transposes, the image to the paper which is carried through the press and pressed against the blanket by an impression cylinder. This process is shown in figure 8-1.

PHOTO-OFFSET COPY

Let's now evaluate what must be done to prepare copy for photo-offset equipment.

The set copy is mounted, along with line art, on a paste-up (layout sheet) for photographing. The way art and type are mounted on the paste-up has a great effect on the quality of the finished product. Take care to avoid shadows and wrinkles. If possible, make the paste-up to the actual size of the newspaper.

In some cases, a Navy editor may only indicate the sizes and positions of the various elements on the layout sheet and then let the publisher position them accordingly. However, you can save much time and effort when you make the complete paste-up yourself. It is easier for' you to cut and paste the paper than it is for the publisher to work with the photographic negatives and positives for final assembly.

You will need the following items for the paste-up operation:

A drafting board or table

A prepared paste-up (layout) sheet

A "T" square

A steel straightedge

Rulers

Rubber cement

Erasers

An india ink set

A cutting edge (X-acto knife or single-edge razor blade)

Light blue (nonphoto blue) lead pencils

Scissors

A scale system to determine photo-reproduction size

A printer's rule