D2

File format

File format is the way different types of files can be saved as. Some types of files are larger than others depending on the quality and contents of the file. Video files will be larger than audio or documents. Some types of files include .wmv, for low quality windows media player videos and  ppt. for powerpoint files. The higher the quality of the files, the larger the file size, for example .jpg is smaller than .ai due to the decrease in resolution.

Compression techniques

There are two types of image compression and these are lossy compression and lossless compression. Lossy compression has the smallest file size but can cause image distortions which can ruin a picture. Lossless compression is the opposite it has a larger file size but the image quality is much better. A lossy image technique could be reducing the colour space to the most simple and common colours in the image, for example 6 or 7 colours rather than 256. One example of a lossless compression would be deflation.

Image resolution

The higher the image resolution the better quality of the image. Better image resolution means and increase in file size which may be a problem or could be unsuitable for websites. For example with Photoshop files, when you export an image you can pick the image quality you want from 1-12. The higher the number, the bigger the file size.

Colour depth

The greater the colour depth, the more pixels are used to show the colour of an image in a bitmap image.  The average levels of colour depth range from 8-bit to 48-bit. The greater the colour depth, the better the quality of the images colour and the definition of the file size but the file size would be larger due to more details in the file.
When you change the amount of colours it has to be in a GIF file because the lower amount of colours the small the file size.

D1

On-going developments – Printing/output techniques

Vinyl and laser cutters

Vinyl/ laser cutters are a very useful. Vinyl cutters are when an image can be cut out of vinyl for use for advertising mostly used to put on the side of a van. Laser cutters can be used in schools, businesses or as a hobby for some people. As technology has developed we have been able to get smoother and more precise with this technology. This has largely affected the graphics design industry as it has allowed us to make our own advertisements for a cheaper cost. An example of a laser cutter is the 150w+150w Co2 Laser Cutting Machine 1490 it has high speed and precision.  An example of  a new improved vinyl cutter is the Summa S Class S160 T Series Cutter, and their fourth generation contour cutting device is greatly enhanced to increase workflow productivity which is a professional cutter used for advertising and other commercial purposes.

Inkjet and wide format printing

Inkjet and wide format printers work by placing ink into a piece of paper or other print materials, it is a cheap way of mass producing graphics. Wide format printers are generally accepted to be any printer with a print width between 17" and 100". Printers over the 100" mark may be called Super-Wide or Grand format. Wide format printers are used to print banners, posters and general signage and in some cases may be more economical than short-run methods such as screen printing. Wide format printers generally use a roll of print material rather than individual sheets and may incorporate hot-air dryers to prevent prints from sticking to themselves as they are produced.  Main uses of these printers for outdoor settings are billboards, truck sides and truck curtains, building graphics and banners. Whereas indoor displays include point-of-sales displays, exhibition graphics, museum graphics and backlit displays. This technology is developing more towards ink technologies with solvent, eco-solvent and UV- curing as opposed to water-based ink sets. They have allowed us to mass produce graphics designs cheaply and this has affected the graphics design industry. One example of an inkjet printer could be the HP DesignJet T1200 HD-MFP which is a mid- level commercial printer used for clear precise images. 

Laser printing

Laser printers allow high quality text and graphics to be printed onto paper. This allows production of high quality vector images onto leaflets and flyers. This has affected the graphics design industry as it allows higher quality flyers and leaflets to be produced. This technology is rather expensive and can be potentially dangerous due to shock hazards, and the toner particles can be a fire risk and can cause damage to the respiratory system.  An example of a laser printer would be the Konica Minolta magicolour, which is a high end graphics design printer.

Annotation - redone