MEDIALITH STUDIO LTD
Contact:
email:medialithstudioltd@gmail.com
mobile: 07505 357747 - tel: +44(0)151 3453655
Unit 16 Sinclair Way, Prescot Business Park, Prescot, Merseyside L34 1QL
www.medialithstudio.co.uk
what we do
DESIGN & TYPESETTING
COLOUR SEPARATION & IMAGE RETOUCHING
A3 LARGE FORMAT SCANNING
LARGE FORMAT EPSON DIGITAL PROOFING
METAL SUBSTRATE LAMINATION PROOFING
SUPPLY OF PRINT READY FILES
We largely specialise in the lithographic industry, more specifically the metal container industry, dealing with over a dozen manufactures in this sector alone. From 5g aluminium slip lid and screw top extrusion, tinplate aerosols and paint cans, nostalgia signs to 25 litre oil drums. We also have an in-depth knowledge of the flexographic polymer tube & screen printing industries.
Conventional print especially in the use of tinplate and aluminium can be a tricky process, the job of the reprographics studio is to make sure the job goes through smoothly. With over 30 years experience specialising in the metal decoration process, we have become one of the most experienced studio's in the world. We know what can be printed, how best to print it, how far we can stretch boundaries and what is going too far for the process. 25 years experience in printed metal extrusion sets us apart from others, having spent all that time constantly learning about the effects of the types of metal, the thickness of the tinplate or the aluminium, the types of tooling used and the position on the tin. through the extrusion process, all of these factors effect the distortion of the flat print. This experience has resulted in development of our own "fan barcode" production process, the ability to set a barcode in the flat form to account for distortion into a formed tin, this has been utilised in the shoe polish and cosmetics industries.
Our Values
QUALITY
CUSTOMER RELATIONS
SPEED OF TURNAROUND
Colour matching is a key element.
Knowing what colours convert well from Pantone to CMYK and which just won't look as good. The balance between saving print passes and the quality of the finished job.
In the early 90's, we press matched our digital output to our own proofing press to achieve colour tabs like this enabling us to better match CMYK halftones to the Pantone library.
Producing fingerprint test files to provide vital information on the print lines, minimum type size, line thickness, dot size, dot gain, registration between print decks etc. Then converting that data to amend the output curves of the CTF / CTP RIP so that what the designer has intended is what is produced as the finished product.
Knowledge of the specific print lines, number of print decks available in one pass, dot gain for individual lines and how to manage a jobs transition from one printer to another or even from one line to another. No two machines will ever run exactly the same, there are too many variables. Fingerprinting the press is designed to alter the dot supplied on file through the production process to give a matching finished dot on the printed material.
Colour balance & densitometry values.
When dealing with a printed sheet it is imperative to have colour balance across the sheet and around the cylinder in all colours, this is achieved by running the inks at constant running weights by use of densitometry readings. Knowing what is an acceptable tolerance in these readings and how to stay within these boundaries is key to consistent print. Having run the reprographics studio, set up the equipment and working on our own proofing press during that time has given a unique advantage when it comes to taking a job from design to file separation to final print.
The material, printing on paper, cardboard, tinplate, aluminium, wood, glass and plastic all have specific qualities, so having knowledge of how all substrates react to print is a key part of the colour separation process.
It's got to fit. No matter what you do, if it's not in registration it won't look good. Some substrates are more stable than others, tinplate is very stable and this can mean trapping between colours can be less than with aluminium or paper, it also allows for sharper print with less dot gain on press.
THE FINISHED PRODUCT
Its got to be right, its as simple as that, our job is to reproduce what we are given, it doesn't matter how but if its possible we are here to make it happen. Often referred to as "do your magic" Its not quite magic, but with modern software a lot of the old hand skills have been lost but the "magic" I suppose is the fact that we have the knowledge of the old skills, how to manually reduce a halftone dot with chemicals on film and why we are doing it has been replaced with adjusting a curve in Photoshop, the key is to knowing were on the curve and by how much do you alter it and why you are doing it and in which colours you are doing it. How to adjust data in a way which will make a job print when faced with external circumstances. How to convert a photographic CMYK image such as a bunch of flowers out of 4 or 6 spot colours that don't overprint each other.
our history
All that matters is the job. That has been the driving force behind Medialith Studio for the past 45 years, there is a unique desire for exacting standards, no matter what it takes. Established in 1979 the company focused largely on the greetings card and calendar industry, as more of this work moved out of the UK in this market, there was a transition to metal decoration. Medialith Studio soon became the first choice supplier for many of the UK's metal decoration printers with our specific knowledge in a very niche market and the close relationships built up with both the printers and can manufacturers. Medialith Studio has always been family run which is perhaps key to the attention to detail and the importance of customer relationships and we are very proud to still be working with the same customers consistently for in many cases over 30 - 40 years. We have dealt with many brands helping them remain as market leaders from high street stores such as Fortnum & Mason, Harrods, Marks & Spencer and Boots to Home & DIY brands such as Asda, B&Q, CO-OP, Gillette, Tate & Lyle, Tesco, Unilever, Waitrose & Wickes. Also heavily involved in the beverage market such as bottle caps, composite tubes through to full 3 piece gift tins.