Gripper Edge

It is important that your graphic designer and your printer work closely together at each stage of your printing project. Even if your company has an in house graphic designer who has created a stunning brochure, they can’t simply just send it to the printer and expect it to be printed exactly like you see it on the screen.

You need to make sure that both your printer and your graphic designer have extensive experience in their individual industries and know all of the requirements to make sure that your dream image of your printing project becomes a reality. For example, your printer and graphic designer should know that there needs to be a gripper edge left in the design, or allowed for in the paper size choice.

A gripper is the row of clips which hold the sheet of paper as it runs through the press or the folding machine, and the gripper edge is the leading edge of the paper where the grippers grip. Therefore, no printing can be done outside 3/8” of the paper on the gripper edge as this is outside the range of the machine and this part of the paper will be removed to finish off the printing project.

So while your printing project may appear to fit onto the sized paper you have chosen for your finished product, it may have to be reduced to allow for the machines to grip the paper and feed it through. However, the gripper edge is something your printer and your graphic designer will know to allow for, the same way they will design your project to run over the natural edge because this bleed of the images and colours will be cut back to create a professional finished product.

For more information about finding an experienced printer and graphic designer who knows all about grippers and edges, contact Print Compare now.