The following guidelines establish quality level tolerances for print projects and are additionally used to compare required print project specifications to Printer capabilities. Failure to meet assigned quality level may render the print project defective at Buyer’s option.
Quality Level 1 – Museum
Best quality, highest quality, tightest tolerances
Maximum fidelity to furnished copy, files, or film in detail, color, and resolution
Projects involve highest quality materials, production methods, workmanship.
Typical projects are multicolor, 4-color process or a combination of process and spot color. True rendering of artwork or files is required. Special coatings, stamping or embossing may be applied.
Offset production requires tolerances tighter than 0 5 row of dots for multicolor halftone registration, one broken character per page for type quality, and 1/16th inch for trim size unless otherwise stated in specifications.
Every aspect is inspected of every produced piece. Examples include art books, annual reports being personally handed to key stockholders and board members, luxury product marketing materials, advertising where 100% perfection is required, medical journals and projects where perfection is required and expected.
Quality Level 2 – Professional Marketing
Better quality, prestige quality, library quality, tight tolerances
Excellent fidelity to furnished copy, files, or film in detail, color, and resolution
Projects involve high quality materials, production methods, workmanship.
Typical projects are multicolor, 4-color process or a combination of process and spot color. Excellent rendering of artwork or files is required. Special coatings, stamping or embossing may be applied.
Offset production requires tolerances tighter than one row of dots for multicolor halftone registration, one broken character per page for type quality, and 3/32nd inch for trim size unless otherwise stated in specifications.
Examples include professional marketing brochures, yearbooks, recruiting materials, illustrated professional papers, consumer and specialty magazine inserts, direct mail for luxury goods or services, highly customized variable data forms, high color outer envelopes for direct mail or correspondence.
Quality Level 3 – Commercial
Good quality, above average quality
Close fidelity to furnished copy, files, or film in detail, color, and resolution
Illustrations must transmit precise information even though fidelity to minutest detail is not required.
Typical projects are single to multi-color with halftones. Special coatings (e g varnish or scratch-off) are used only to support functionality.
Offset production requires tolerances tighter than one row of dots for multicolor halftone registration, two broken characters per page for type quality, and 1/8th inch for trim size unless otherwise stated in specifications.
Examples include catalogs, mass circulation and consumer magazine inserts, budget reports, non-process color books, personalized forms, newspaper circulars, low color direct mail, billing and reply envelopes.
Quality Level 4 – Duplicating
Basic quality, informational quality, utility quality
Average fidelity to furnished copy, files, or film in detail, color, and resolution
Projects involve average quality materials, production methods, and workmanship.
Typical projects provide general information, are one color with occasional halftone, value utility and clean appearance and be finished to not impair function of product.
Multicolor halftone registration is not applicable. Offset production requires tolerances tighter than six broken characters per page for type quality, and 3/16ths inch for trim size unless otherwise stated in specifications.
Examples include telephone directories, indexes, project reports, technical manuals without process color and with only occasional halftones, internal forms, what might be considered office small copier quality.
Quality Level 5 – Intended Use
Projects where end use is detailed in specifications, or projects produced outside of print industry
Must meet design and performance specifications exactly
Examples include multi-part forms, screen-printed plastics, signage, labels, packaging, truck wraps, CD, DVD, credit cards, advertising specialties.
The following is not permitted under any of the five Quality Levels
Loss of information, any omission, damage to image which impairs transmission of intended information, missing pages, missing copy, upside down cover or pages, unintended blank pages, wrong pagination, incorrect glue, materials that do not work in machine in which they were prescribed for use, or any other specification requirement that is unmet.