“By getting involved in the early stages of a job with a client, a lot of time, frustration and cost can be saved – and a sense of satisfaction is gained when we can help the designer achieve their vision.”
Tony Knight, Managing Director, Manark Printing

“A potential production problem? Get on the phone to Manark. Tony knows technical.”
Mike Randall, Managing Director, X2 Design

At the end of the day it’s about the end result. How to physically achieve that brilliant concept? The last thing a designer wants to hear is ‘you can’t print that’ or ‘it simply won’t work’. At Manark the solution is simple. Talk to Tony and his team. Just call them up. Passionate problem solvers and equipped with advanced technical understanding, the team is always available to provide enlightening information and advice. If we don’t have the answer, we’ll find the answer.

At Manark we pick up on details where many others wouldn’t bother. Glitches, spelling errors and type overflow are more often than not noticed by our ‘eagle eye’ brigade. Likewise we take responsibility by offering advice when it’s needed, to thwart the likes of potential varnish or folding disasters. With an eye on the job during all stages of production, we’ll alert you before things go to final press, saving time and money for all involved.

Our love of a good challenge also means that at Manark we are happy to experiment to achieve the desired result. Getting the job right is the most important thing.
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Techniques

Manark implements many lesser-used techniques to achieve unique results. Here are just a few of our techniques demystified.
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Under Colour Removal (UCR)

Generally only used for printing on an uncoated stock, Under Colour Removal (UCR) is a technique that reduces the amount of ink in the cyan, magenta and yellow, replacing it with equivalent values of black in the neutral tonal areas. The result is less overall ink creating a more neutral look. An addition to this is to remove the colour bias of the stock from the file, allowing you to run full ink density and match the rest of the job with a lot more accuracy.
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Screen rulings

We pride ourselves in our ability to handle high-resolution screens with skill, printing up to 400dpi with ease. But the question must first be asked: can the stock handle the higher screen? Aside from dropping the screen ruling there are other ways of optically achieving less gain by using stochastic screening, creating the look of a continuous tone that can be used on both coated and uncoated stocks.
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Stochastic Screening

Unlike the traditional linear dot screen, stochastic screening is a technique that does not use a uniform pattern and has more space between each dot (relative to the ruling or micron), which helps to stop it ‘blocking up’, as there is effectively less ink on the sheet. This works extremely well when printing on uncoated stocks, as with less ink the drying process is sped up. As always it is a matter of choosing the right technique for the job, as stochastic does not suit every stock. Stochastic is particularly good with most uncoated papers as it has the appearance of a continuous tone, giving smoother blends and looking sharper.
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Coatings

Plasticoat ‘Plasta-coat’ (also known as Cellosheen) will stop cracking in both directions completely. Another consideration is an aqueous coat, an inexpensive and environmentally friendly method of improving and sealing the surface of most stocks. It won’t eliminate cracking completely but on some stocks it comes close.
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Die-cutting

Another process that designers are often disappointed with is die cutting. Nearly all packaging jobs require it, but how often does the printer give you your samples back and tell you that your design does not fit the die shape? Manark is able to output a blank dummy from your file before we print, ensuring that when we finally do get to the process of die cutting, the design fits and works.
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Hexachrome*

This is a six-colour process printing method that consists of the Hexachrome version of CMYK with the addition of Hex Orange and Hex Green. Hexachrome gives you the ability to expand your colour space, enabling you to match most PMS colours with a far greater level of accuracy, as well as generally improving the overall impact of the printing. There are some very basic rules to using Hexachrome, the most important one being to leave your file in RGB. The actual conversion is carried out at Manark, so designers need only concern themselves with designing for Hex.
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*Email enquiries@manark.com.au with your name and address details to be sent out a free Manark 2007 Mini Calendar, showcasing Hexachrome and Manark’s ability to print with Hex. Oh! And also some of Tony’s dynamic photographs of Wilson’s Prom!