Semester Assignment: Passport to Pre-press

Lecture Slides 2022—This Powerpoint will introduce the main topics of production printing to you. It is an introduction only, not intended to to completely or thoroughly explain the details of any process or technique. For that to happen—and to complete this assignment—you will need to do additional research.

Project: Passport to Pre-press Overview and Objective:

Create a “Passport” of illustrated and defined pre-press terms and concepts. This is similar to creating a Visual Journal. The purpose is to increase your understanding of the major processes, techniques and related terms associated with production printing. It is an on-going project, in addition to other projects we’ll do throughout the semester, that you will be responsible for completing by the end of the course.

Process:

Get a small notebook/sketchbook of your choosing. (Smaller, pocket style notebooks that are 5 x 7 to 5.5” x 8.5” work well.) You will need a minimum of 150 pages, so you may need two books. The style of notebook is up to you, spiral bound, perfect bound, ruled, blank, or gridlines—it doesn’t matter.
Create an illustrated dictionary of sorts using the list of terms (see below). You may use handouts, supplied reading materials, or the internet to help you define things—but be sure that you are obtaining the definition of the word as it pertains to pre-press, graphic production or printing. (for example, Stripper, Hickey and Knock Out, are all printing terms… and they probably don’t mean what just popped into your head!)
Include either a hand-drawn illustration or sketch of the term or paste in a physical sample. If drawn, you may copy the illustration from any source you want, but you must draw it by hand. This can be a pencil/pen sketch, colored with colored pencil… what ever you prefer. If something is pasted in (like a foil stamp), it must be a physical sample of the item (cut out from a newspaper, cardboard box, magazine, etc.), photos printed out from the internet will not be accepted.
NOTES: Some of the concepts will be more difficult to illustrate… draw something that will help you visually remember what the term means.
To receive credit for each entry, it MUST meet the following criteria:

- One term per page
- The definition must be IN YOUR OWN WORDS
- There must be an illustration or physical sample included for each term.
- Leave space on each page for your “Passport” stamp.

This is a semester long assignment. Click Lecture Slides 2022 for an introduction to the main processes to get you started on the assignment. There are a total of 134 terms that you will need to define and illustrate. Take your time with your illustrations. Capture the essential parts of each process or technique so that the process makes sense to you. You will need to complete them in separate sections approximately three weeks apart.