In those days you had to spend years learning printing. You
                     spent years in front of wooden cases learning how the letters
                     are distributed in  cases, both upper and lower. Those were the
                     days of Arab printers. I will not be surprised if many of my readers
                     are not old enough to witness this. The level has changed.

                     Now technology has changed everything. To be a printer you do
                     not have to spend months learning. Printing is so compartmentalised
                     and specialised that all you need do is to coordinate the stages and
                     control. Printing has been and still is an elite profession and it is a
                     job you can leave for generations but you have to move on with latest
                     technology. The good thing is you can hit real gold in this businesS
                     even without owning a stapler.

                     Another interesting thing here is that you can start the job with Zero
                     capital. The reason is that you take advance for printing jobs and if
                     you can negotiate  properly you can get as advance, enough money
                     to prosecute the job. For example, if you take a job for invitation
                     cards for a wedding and you calculate the material.the labour and
                     logistics to be X, you can charge your principal X+30%X. Collect X
                     as advance and do the job. Collect your balance as your profit.

                      MARKET    .  Vast, very vast. Everybody needs a printer you know.
                      Look around you and see the endless opportunities. For companies
                     there are receipt, invoices, forms,  almanacs, calendars, diaries,annual
                     report and so on. Individuals will print marriage programmes, church
                     programmes, IVs, books, journals, posters, etc. What of school? If you
                     monopolise the printing jobs of 5 big schools, you will be busy through out.
                     We have not even talked of Coop societies, governments and politicians.

                     I will try to take the topic stage by stage and explain. Tell you the
                     pits and gullies youhave to avoid. Tricks the people in the trade play
                     and how to maximise your profit. The first stage is getting the job
                     which we will start tomorrow. For jobless mobile chaps this may be
                     what you need,

Thanks fuke.This is interestin.I will like to know more about this.

GETTING THE JOB  No matter how good your product is.
                         You need to get orders. Get more new ones and keep the old ones.

                         The first thing you need is a cute business card. Get an experienced
                         printer to design one for you. Alternatively you can get hold of a pack
                         of business cards from a printer and chose one. This stage is very important.
                         I you want to print for me, I would like to see how well you have printed
                         for yourself.

                         Let people know what you do. Your society in the church, your social groups
                         and about anybody you come about. In fact you must not be anywhere
                         without your card and be free with it.

                         Visit small business concerns, Yes they may have a printer but they may
                         be unhappy with him. Ask for a trial and when you get the chance seize
                          it and do a good job.

                         When you get an order make sure you understand your brief properly.
                         When you become proficient put your business on Nairaland with
                         samples. You will get orders. If people buy cars fron USA on Nairaland
                         you can print for them too.

                         Tomorrow we will talk about Typesetting. The foundation on which
                         the building will stand.

                          Enjoy.

  TYPESETTING AND ART WORK. Having gotten your brief from your principal,
                                             you must brief your art man properly. Your artist must be very creative. Shop for
                                             the best. If you yourself know a bit about corel draw,  it does not hurt. I am not
                                             saying you should be the artist but it helps. With a laptop or cybercafé, there are
                                             little jobs like church IV you can handle by yourself.

                                             When the art man has finished typing, it is important you proof read. If possible,
                                              let another eye help proof read. This is necessary because the same eye may be
                                              missing the same mistake several times. Peoples name must not be misspelt. If in
                                              doubt ask your principal. If possible, let your principal approve the proof. It saves
                                              a lot of agony later. Once, we rejected the calendar of a big company because of
                                              a little mistake and the printer suffered a colossal loss . Book work must be read
                                              and reread

                                             Any mistake made here cannot be corrected again. Infact because of the specialisation
                                             in printing once a mistake is made  before  detection, it is dificult if not impossible to
                                              change. So be careful and proceed only when you are sure.

                                             The next stage is making  the plates.

                                               Be nice.

MAKING THE PLATES.  Before you make the plate there is an
                     important process that may affect the quality of your job. To make
                     the plates, you need the film. You either ask the art man to “mirror”
                     it for you or you do what is called digital separation. This brings a
                     better quality than simple mirroring. Even in mirroring itself , you get
                    a  better job using the film than when you use  ordinary paper.

                    It is the product you get here you will take to the Lithographer.
                    Now, you will almost always get a Litho man in every digitital studio.
                    I must tell you that you do not have a digital studio in many towns.
                    To make your work distinct especially a big job I advise you get to the
                    nearest digital studio. I also advise you allow the studio to do the litho
                    and even the art work. Because they are big, they retain the services
                    of the really good hands.

                    Plates are inSizes,A4,A3, full plate. Ask the litho man to explain to you.
                    A3 1s twice A4. A3 is half of full plate.

                    When you are doing digital separation, it means you are running four colours.
                    Therefore you will be making four plates for a job. All those beautiful hand bills
                    are digitally separated. Properly done and printed on the right paper in a good
                    press, it will look as if you van pick the object off the paper.

                    After the plates are made, you then proceed to the real printing.