Killer app: DIY print handbook lauded

West Midlands-based design agency The Media Collective has tied with sheetfed specialist Centreprint to produce The Print Handbook, a print resource for design students. The handbook collates a wealth of information with the aim of "cutting out the guesswork", between on-screen image and printed work. The agency said it had been searching for a suitable reference book and, being unable to find one, decided to produce one itself.

How was it produced? Centreprint produced an initial run of 2,000, which has nearly sold out, with copies ending up as far afield as the US, Canada and Australia. The book was printed on Centreprint’s Heidelberg Speedmaster XL75 with the cover produced on its two-colour Quickmaster. Stitching took place on its Heidelberg ST300 and a six-station Watkiss unit was used for collation.

What challenges were overcome? Andy Brown, designer at the Media Collective, said the agency has a good relationship with Centreprint, which really helped during the month-long process. "We had to ask them to print a few things they normally wouldn’t recommend like black with CMYK values of C100/M100/Y100/K100, but everything went surprisingly smoothly," he added.

What was the feedback? Feedback from customers has also been very positive with Twitter users commented that the title is "a great book & a great price!" and "I couldn’t pass up such a beautifully executed piece! Best of all, you’ve made it affordable to students!"

"We see this as an affordable, must-have resource for all design students. It is hoped colleges and universities will see its benefit in helping them bridge the gap between screen and print. We are all delighted with its global success," said Brown.