In the graphical medium of form printing, there is technical terminology that is usually unknown to the beginner in administration and even the administrator and that is rather dominated by the printing or graphic industries.
This work seeks to give certain important tips to take into account when designing a form and requiring its printing to a printing or printing industry. On this depends not only that the form is functional but also savings in production costs and savings in man-hour time by improving the process where the form is applied.
Finally, a company can also design its own forms, either for internal use or to prepare the sketches to be delivered to the printer. These designs can be made in utilities that are normally at your disposal: Powerpoint, Excel and even Word itself, depending on how much complexity it requires. I recommend the use of Powerpoint for forms that are required to be filled in handwritten form, while Excel or Word for those that are filled out through the computer.
BASIC TERMINOLOGY
The basic concepts that they must know and apply in the design and handling of forms will be described below.
Form: Any “final” design prepared with the characteristics of the applicant and that allows:
- The consignment of information Identification of the name or logo of the company.
Other names for forms would be: forms or pre-printed. The forms can be sent to be made to a printing or graphic industry or they can simply be designed by the company and generated as photocopies or via printer.
Art: Art is called the drawing that the graphic industry delivers to the applicant and that will allow the preparation of the form. Normally the applicant makes a freehand drawing (sketch) of what he wants and, it is the printing or graphic industry that is responsible for making the final design according to the standard measurements and the required positions.
Standard Size: It is the measure (dimension) that the form will have. The measurements should be the standard used in your locality. The designer must be aware of these measures in order to save costs. Sizes other than the standard ones may be used but the impact on costs must be quantified. Sizes can be given in inches or their comparison in centimeters, but the most commonly used are inches. Normally the less specialized or small printers handle measurements in centimeters.
Likewise, the designer must take into account that the cost of the form impacts more because of its length than its width, this means that if you design a form with more dimension throughout, surely its cost will be high. It is preferable if possible, that your design grows wide.
Standard Inch Widths: 5 ½, 6 3/8, 7 1/8, 7 3/8, 8 ½, 9 ½, 9 7/8, 10 5/8, 13 7/8, 14 7/8
Standard Inch Lengths: 3 2/3, 4 ¼, 5 ½, 7 1/8, 7 1/3, 8, 8 ½, 11
Quantity: These are the required units of the form. Depending on how the order is placed, cost savings can be obtained according to quantity per size. For example: If you have designed a 6 3/8 x 3 2/3 inch form, in continuous sheets and require that it be printed in a quantity of 30,000 forms, the cost of quoting it this way will be higher than if He quotes it as 6 3/8 x 11 inches and in the amount of 10,000. Simply because in a single sheet you will have 3 forms (6 3/8 x 11) while in the other you will have only one (6 3/8 x 3 2/3).
Parts: “Parts” is the number of times the design will be printed per unit. This is if a form will be sent to preparation in 1 original and 2 copies; the number of parts will be equal to 3. Similarly if you want 2 originals and 3 copies, the number of parts will be 5.
Original and Copies: The forms may be made according to the request of the applicant, only in original or with copies. The original is usually made on a type of paper of better quality and resistance than that of the copies. To save costs, you can use different types of paper quality in the copies as well as low weight.
Grammage: The thickness of the form is called grammage or grams. Just as there are standard sizes, there are also standard weights, for example: Bond paper can be 56, 75, 90 or 120 grams. The chemical paper can be of: 54,55,56,60, or 80 grams; While Copy paper can be 56 grams although there is also 36 to 45 grams. It should be noted that there may be other grammages depending on the country or locality in which you are.
Traffic: The legend that you want to place at the bottom of the form is called traffic. Traffic is normally used to place legends such as "Original" "Copy 1" or "Tax Administration" "Accounting Department". It should be noted that this should be used only in cases where it is essential, since requiring it in the preparation affects costs.
Drag holes: The circular holes that continuous forms have to be used in matrix printers are called drag holes. When designing a form, the space for these perforations should be considered within the size of the form.
Die: Die is called a perforation in a straight line that allows part of the form to be detached. Used a lot in checkbooks, receipts, etc.
Chemical Paper: Chemical paper is called the special paper that allows the information consigned in the original to be transcribed in the copy without the need to use carbon paper. This paper is delicate to use as it contains special chemicals that react to pressure, therefore its handling in the cellar must be careful so that this paper does not react before being used. In case of this, it will be impossible for what is written in the original to be transcribed in the copy.
Security paper: Security paper is the one that has methods inserted that prevent its reuse or cloning. The security paper is widely used in the preparation of checks, which require certain special characteristics to avoid counterfeiting or cloning of checks. These securities vary in cost depending on the amount of these that you want to use. So we have the security paper can be watermark paper or witcel paper. Additionally, other securities are added to the paper such as fluorescent fibrils, invisible inks and special designs.
Crimping: System that allows joining the parts (originals and copies) so that when they are used, they are not easily separated. This system consists of linear perforations on the sides of the form or where required by the applicant.
Rubber lines or dots: The rubber lines or dots allow the parts (originals and copies) to be joined. This system is more consistent than crimping and is widely used in bank deposit or withdrawal ballots. Depending on the consistency that you want to provide to the form in terms of its union, you can use a rubber line or simply rubber points. It is important to bear in mind that if this system is required and it is placed in excess, the form will be excessively stuck or, failing that when used in a printer, it may cause problems due to air bags that may remain when collecting the parts. Consult with the graphic industry before requiring this system, likewise require in the order, that the rubber is exclusively in small quantities if you need it.
Inks: Inks are called the number of colors to be used in making the form. Depending on the amount of inks used, the cost of the form will be affected. When specifying the number of inks, you must place the number of colors in numbers, that is, if you want to make a form in blue in its entirety, you must specify inks: 1 (one). It should be noted that in case of using screens in the same color, this should NOT be considered as one more ink since the screens belong to the same color.
Special inks: There are inks such as "desensitizing", "carbonic", fluorescent, among others, which allow giving certain special characteristics to the form. For example, desensitizing ink is used so that chemical paper does not react at certain points. Carbonic ink, on the other hand, allows what is written in a certain place on the form to be transcribed in the copy. Finally, fluorescent ink is widely used in forms that require high security such as checks.
Frames: Color degradations are called frames. If you chose blue for a print and want to make shades in light blue tones, you must tell the graphics industry the percentage to use of the blue color. Normally the screens are handled between 10 and 15% of 100% of the required color.
Pantone: It is a standard color chart that all graphic industries handle. Pantone classifies colors in numbers. The colors that have the letter "U" next to the numbering are the colors to be used on paper. Those with the letter "C" next to the numbering are the colors to be used on cardboard or similar materials.
Graphic Industry: They are large printers with specialized machinery for high quality and technical work. It is preferable that jobs of little design and technique are not carried out in graphic industries since their cost would be higher since such form will be produced in the same machines that are used to execute more elaborate specifications.
Printers: They are small companies with machinery that allows printing in letterpress. Typically printers do not print on continuous forms as they do not have such machinery. Its line is typography in loose leaves or in blocks. They can also make envelopes or cards.
Offset: The jobs made with plates and negatives are called offset.
FORMS
Pre-printed forms
The forms that are sent to a printing industry for their preparation can be of different types:
- Loose-leaf Continuous SheetsCardsBlocksEnvelopes
Loose Sheets.- These are the forms that are required individually. Depending on who the job is requested to (graphic industry or printing), the printing system varies between letterpress and rotary machines (with subsequent cut to form the loose sheet). Loose sheets are used when the information to be recorded is normally handwritten or typewriter.
Continuous Sheets.- They are forms whose production is carried out on rotating machines. They allow the information to be entered to be printed by a printer. It is important that the designer consider the jumps that the printer makes to determine the drops, as well as the number of characters to print in each field. Examples of continuous forms: Checks, Payment Roles, Proof of Expenditure, Invoices, etc.
Cards.- They are forms made in a special weight normally on cardboard. The grammage will depend on the use that you want to give the card. There are business cards, Personnel Entry and Exit Control cards, Kardex cards, etc.
Blocks.- A form can be made in this way, when the applicant requires that they be grouped by books or blocks. They are used when the consignment of information is handwritten and are widely used in Vouchers or Cash Receipts, Equipment Mobilizations, Safe-conducts, etc.
Envelopes.- The envelopes are made in special shapes, sizes and weights. There are legal-size envelopes, letter-size envelopes, manila or bag envelopes, and mail-order routing envelopes. It is convenient that the bag and mail routing envelopes are made in a grammage of 110 to 120 grams to allow continuous handling and transportation of the content without risks.
Forms-Forms
The forms that are not sent to be made to the printing or printing industries are regularly called forms, since they do not meet the requirement of the making or production with the parameters of sizes and shapes that are obtained when they are sent to a printing industry. The forms are normally made adjusting to the size of A4 type paper, distributing the information vertically or horizontally as needed. It should be noted that this system should be used only in cases where the form is NOT frequently used, only then would it be justified. In the case of larger volumes, the designer must evaluate costs, since normally continuing to maintain in-house prints with high volumes results in high costs.
FORMS BATTERY
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