SHAPE
the laser cutting technology allows the production of cut-out shapes of any kind on a number of different material types and strengths. the selection shown here expresses the the almost infinite design possibilities as well as some technical restrictions.
SHAPE
PLANE
GEOMETRIC
vectorial data allows the production of constructed geometric shapes. the laser-cutting-process always produces a positive and negative form.
SHAPE
PLANE
FREE
freehand shapes are easily possible with vectorialized data. the laser is able to move absolutely freely in the horizontal plane.
SHAPE
LINEAR
GEOMETRIC
linear geometric shapes are possible up to 2pt line-thickness for the positiv form. thinner lines should be rasterized. the process of rasterizing blocks is described in the chapter "surface-laser".
SHAPE
LINEAR
FREE
freehand linear shapes are possible although freestanding lines are difficult. lines thinner than 2pt are difficult and should be rasterized. see:"laser-surface".
SHAPE
COMBO
TYPE
type is possible and represents a combination of linear and plane elements. hairlines are difficult to produce.
SURFACE
the surface quality of the printing forms contribute substantialy to the printed product and are defined by material, structure and treatment. a specific selection shows the vast possibilities in the combining different inherent qualities of the form medium and surface treatments such as laser technology.
SURFACE
MATERIAL
LONG GRAIN
the structure of long grain wood is dependant on the species of wood used, its cut and is emphasized according to ink application and printing pressure. wood offers an wide array of qualitiy and price ranges which in general allow for an efficient treatment.
SURFACE
MATERIAL
END GRAIN
end grain wood is highly resistant to pressure. the wood species strongly impacts the the visibility of its structure in combination with ink application and printing pressure. the treatment is laborious due to the high pressure resistans and the surface can only be sanded and not planed.
SURFACE
MATERIAL
MDF
medium density fiberboard offers a homogenous medium which handles ink well but has limited resistance to chemical solvents and water. mdf seems to be a very good printing material for it is cheap, durable and easy to handle.
SURFACE
MATERIAL
LINO
linoleum is cheap and handles ink very well. because of ist elasticity it handles pressure very well on the other hand fine detail gets lost due to deformation.
SURFACE
MATERIAL
CARDBOARD
cardboard is as very cheap material and easy to treat (manualy as well as mechanicaly). it is impossible to clean and therefore suitable only for a low number of print runs (up to 20 prints) or single prints. fine detail tends to break away during the printing process.
SURFACE
MATERIAL
PLEXIGLAS
plexiglas is hard and durable and therefore suitable for raster clichés (halftone-blocks or photo-plates). it does not handle ink well on large plane surfaces and is a rather expensive material. special caution is needed during laser treatment since to much heat will warp the plate.
SURFACE
LASER
STRUCTURE
laser treatment is also ideal for surface patterns. linear forms work well as negatives.
SURFACE
LASER
TYPE
laser surface treatment also allows for rasterized typografie (not cut-out). special attention is needed in regard to the cavity depth. this should be kept to a minimum due to excess heat and smoke developement during the laser process. therefore negativ forms work better than positv forms and allow for very small characters.
SURFACE
LASER
HALFTONE
plexiglas is ideal for rasterizing. although any bitmap rasteris suitable for treatment the process is very time consuming (up to 20 minutes for 100cm2).
SURFACE
ADHESIVE FOIL
PLANE
adhesive foil changes the profil of the printing plate by aprox. 0.1mm. on the final print only the foiled area shows or with aditional pressure parts of the background as well.
SURFACE
ADHESIVE FOIL
LINEAR
linear designs show less of the background if the lines are placed closer together.
SURFACE
ADHESIVE FOIL
PROFILE
adhesive foil allows the simulation of different shades of gray by adjusting the height profile of the printing plate. three different shades i.e. heights are ideal.
SURFACE
ADHESIVE FOIL
TYPE
type works well with adhesive foil although the foil plotting process limits hairlines and fine print.
SURFACE
HAIRLINE
THIN
by wraping the plate with thread, plane surfaces can be converted to linear patterns.
SURFACE
HAIRLINE
THICKER
a variation of thread thickness allows for different linear conversions of plane surfaces.
PRESSURE
paper with different cut-out shapes which is fitted in one or several layers onto the cylinder allows for additional infomation wich is projected onto the print by modifying the pressure as it is applied to paper and plate. the fact that it is seperate from the plate enables a varying content not bound to the plate production hence offering a certain flexibility during the printing process.
PRESSURE
CYLINDER PAPER
PLANE
paper can be converted into plane cut-out shapes wich are transfered onto the paper via the print cylinder.
PRESSURE
CYLINDER PAPER
LINEAR
paper can be converted into linear cut-out shapes wich are transfered onto the paper via the print cylinder.
PRESSURE
CYLINDER PAPER
PROFILE
by fitting several layers of paper it is possible to simulate different shades of gray.
PRESSURE
CYLINDER PAPER
TYPE
typography works although the counters fall out and need to be teadiously reapplied.
SHIMMING
by adjusting the the height of the printing plate it is possible to create different gradients in random directions. shimming is common in letterpress printing but rarely used as adesign element.
SHIMMING
GRADATION
100% TO 0%
basic gradients are achieved by shimming on one end of the printing plate.
SHIMMING
GRADATION
SPLITFOUNTAIN
double gradients are achieved by printing two basic gradients on the same sheet of paper.
INFO
what is the design potential in the combination of digital composing and production methods and analog letterpress techniques?
dafi kühne
zdhk bachelor project 2009
visual communications zurich
INFO
THE PROJECT
the offset printing industry was revolutionized through the introduction of digital design methods in combination with mechanical production. this development has not yet affected traditional letterpress and relief printing methods, which have since been marginalized. wood type now! seeks to transform these traditional mechanical production methods into the 21st century by revolutionizing the way that prints are designed and produced by incorporating new peripheral hardware (i.e. lasercutter). through the process of exploring the possibilities in regards to materials used and the way the classic printing block and set up are interpreted, the project redefines the conventional boundaries of the subject matter - as opposed to recreating a status quo with new means - and unlocks new frontiers.
this research catalog in form of a web-site, documents the design-principles and –techniques wich have been aquired through extensive practical tests. the potential is further expressed by the design and production of a poster series. the catalog, as well as the exemplary translation, are meant to show a broad range of possibilities in a contemporary context without trying to be conclusive, rather inviting further experimentation and interpretation.
INFO
POSTER SHEETS
along with the online catalog, a printed sample magazine has been printed.
concept & words: dafi kühne
printet at r.b.'s typelab.
printed on a fag control 525.
paper: newsprint 50g/m2 by curtesy of dzo oetwil am see.
woodtype: cut on epilog legent ext 36.
lead type: caslon italic 16pt / haas münchenstein 1940
thanks to: nw, rc, ml, ph, ke, rb
INFO
CONTACT
dafi kühne
hedwigstrasse 12
8032 zürich
switzerland
++ 41 79 545 ask for more
dafi@woodtype-now.ch
www.babyinktwice.ch