Looking for crisp text printing less than 1pt

[CliffSpielman]

Hi. I’m looking for a service who can print perfectly crisp text content that’s less than 1pt in size on paper substrates ranging in size from 8.5x11” to 18x24”. The ability to superimpose a watermark image, through which the text is still visible, is important as well.

I can provide printed samples after we talk. I’m located in Albuquerque NM, so a regional service is best but I’m happy to talk to any US service.

Thanks for your time.

 

[richsweeney]

Back in WWII, they used to do this with film and a floor camera, I think. You do understand 1pt is 1/72 of an inch?

 

[Stephen Marsh]

It will depend on the output method and substrate, however even high definition flexo can do this in good conditions:

http://printplanet.com/forum/digital...176#post246176

http://www.flexoglobal.com/flexomag/...omag-Kodak.htm


Stephen Marsh

 

[Green Printer]

I have seen some posters of the bible and Pi that have very small type of less than 1pt. My Dad picked up the bible poster from ICG at one of the Graph expo's held in Chicago about 15 years ago. Early this year my cousin ordered a PI poster on the internet. Here is website he orded one of them from https://www.vat19.com/item/six-milli...s-of-pi-poster

Found another web site http://www.exatextposters.com/Six-Million-Pi-Digits-Poster-p/post-m-01.htm
Looks like the same product as Vat19 web site

Hope this helps in your search.

 

[dabob]

Haven't tested it but doing some math . .. 1 pt. type = .0138 inches tall - an platesetter running at 2540 resolution would have a spot size of .000393 which would give 35 "spots" for the 1 point X height and if you went to 5080 resolution there would be 70 spots . . should be sharp enough

 

[CliffSpielman]

The vat19 link above is my company's product. The printing service we're currently using can do wonderful work but the shipping of 18x24' posters, without incurring damage and frustration on both sides, has proven impossible. So for that particular poster size, we're looking for a printing service that is located in the southwest (ideally). But for smaller sizes such as 8.5x11" we can avoid freight shipping and all the issues that went along with it, and so I'm open to also talking with printers outside the southwest. Any recommendations of specific printing services/companies are welcome.

 

[Green Printer]

My Heidelberg rep was in yesterday. I showed him this thread his response was immediate that he had seen the poster at a shop. He couldn't tell where without permission from the shop.

 

[Green Printer]

It is probably a closely guarded trade secret manufacturing process. There are dozens of variables to master to do this type of work. Finding another supplier will be very difficult if not impossible.

 

[Green Printer]

No Luck on permission from shop.

 

[thomaus]

When we used to do cheque printing (Canadian version of check, btw) the signature line was done as Microprint. Proofreading was fun.
This used to be trademarked, but that seems to be no longer the case. Possibly using the MP on the line requires licensing now; not sure from who.
This Wikipedia article is interesting on the subject: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microprinting
And this discussion was interesting, too: http://graphicdesign.stackexchange....you-print-extremely-small-words-microprinting

Don't some ink-jet photo printers output at resolutions to support this?

 

[CliffSpielman]

Thanks to everybody for your input - lots of food for thought. I've made some progress offline.

 

[dwhitten96021]

Xerox 560, 570, C60, C70 can do microprint, under 1pt font