Litho and digital printing
for your organisation

Litho printing is suited for larger jobs as it becomes more cost effective. Even though there is a larger setup cost, the unit price becomes lower. Colour accuracy is also slightly superior to digital printing, which makes it ideal for larger print runs. 

Digital printing is more suited for smaller or more urgent jobs. The process is less mechanical, and the price is based on a quantity charge, that becomes more cost effective as you run more copies.

RGB and CMYK are two of the most common colour breakdowns used in graphic design.

RGB is the standard for digital images that will be displayed on a digital screen such as a computer, TV, tablet, mobile phone, or any other screen. Websites are constructed using RGB colour.

CMYK is ideal for designs that will be printed as this is the breakdown of the four inks used in both litho and digital printers for applications such as magazines, brochures, flyers, business cards, etc.

Print artwork supplied in RGB would need to be converted to CMYK and there is a risk of colour changes to your end product. It is important that all artwork supplied be CMYK breakdown.

Yes, Lithemba has a full DTP and Graphic design studio. Design costs are an additional cost for the client.

Yes, as long as the jobs fit onto the sheet we run i.e. SA2 (digital) and SA1 or SA2 (litho).

Machine or aqueous varnish seals the job and prevents ink rub-off and scuffing. It also given a nice smooth finish to a job.

A flood UV varnish is thicker in application with a more noticeable end-result that is High Gloss – ideal glossy covered magazines. Machine or aqueous varnish merely seals the job and prevents ink rub-off and scuffing. It is a lot more cost effective and subtle in appearance.

While lamination and encapsulation both fall under the encapsulation umbrella – as both use a film to apply a surface to printed material – there are some key differences you should bear in mind when choosing the suitable product.

At the most basic level, the key difference between the two is that lamination uses thinner film and encapsulation uses thick, high-grade film. With encapsulation the is often there’s a lip around the end of the printed material, although there doesn’t have to be.

Encapsulation is more durable but does not look as refined or classy. Encapsulation is often used in learner material or hard-wearing restaurant menus as it is more durable than lamination. Matt lamination is a popular choice in current markets, but will never have the same life span as encapsulation. While encapsulation has a good lifespan is can become scuffed and scratched with hard use.

Our experienced sales representative can show you samples and advise the best finish for your application.

We do not have a minimum run and will print and quantity. Smaller runs will always have a higher unit price due to setup and DTP time.

Unlimited capacity. From one print to 10 million sheets.

PUR Binding is a method used to bind books and magazines with a softback spine. This method is similar to Perfect Binding, the key difference is the adhesive used in the process.

PUR binding uses Polyurethane Reactive (PUR) and Perfect Binding uses Ethylene Reactive (EVA) glues. The main differentiation in the two methods is the glue selection, PUR binding being the superior option as there is less cracking and the book can be pushed flat when open. Lithemba only uses PUR binding as we have this superior finishing in-house. Lithemba can bind 40,000 books per day, lead-times being current production dependant.

Within the Print industry, the term saddle stitching relates to a conventional bookbinding process using staple along the seam of the booklet It is most effective on books/brochures with no more than 60 pages (depending on paper grammage).

Saddle stitching is a method, where folded sheets are gathered and then stapled through the fold line with metal staples. The staples pass through the outer folded sheets and then enclosed in the center spread of the booklet. The standard is two staples, but larger A3 brochures may require additional staples along the spine for durability.

Foiling is a metallic film that is hot press stamped onto you printed sheets in selected areas using a custom metal block, popular for the authenticity stamps on certificates. It also adds an eye-catching finish to corporate stationery.

Coated paper result in more vibrant colour as the ink dries on top of the paper. Uncoated stocks (like standard Photocopy paper or Bond paper) absorb the ink and the colour is slightly more subdued. Uncoated stocks are most applicable to material that needs to be written on, such as notepads, desk calendars, diaries, and learner books.

Uncoated papers are a new trend as sustainability and carbon footprint have become a priority.

Lithemba has a range of “green” coated and uncoated papers that are fully recyclable and leave no carbon footprint. Please specify this requirement as “green” papers are more expensive.

Lithemba operates on a COD basis. Credit is subject to a credit application and 3 months COD orders.

You can email us a PDF. If the artwork is large, we suggest a WeTransfer link or Dropbox link. We suggest the file contain high res images in CMYK.

The preference is a High-resolution PDF/X1a PDF (allows for accurate ripping of the file to digital or plate making). All images to be high resolution CMYK. Text to be black only and vector (not bitmap) for clarity on the press. We require 3 – 5mm bleed and crop marks.

Bleed is artwork that goes beyond the edge of the sheet to be trimmed, in other words, the bleed is the area to be trimmed off and must also be printed to prevent white edges should the trimming be a mm or two out and to avoid over-trimming to avoid white edges.

The bleed is the part on the side of a document that gives the printer a small amount of leeway to account for natural movement of the paper during guillotining. Artwork and background images must extend seamlessly into the bleed area. After trimming, the bleed ensures that no unprinted edges occur in the final trimmed document, and allow for accurate guillotining.

Lithemba supplies hard copy or electronic proofs. If colour is in question we suggest a hard copy printed proof. Clients may also do a machine pass to check colour calibration of the job on the machine.

Yes, we have a fleet of vans and trucks for deliveries, free delivery in Johannesburg and Pretoria. We also use Couriers for national deliveries as it is more cost-effective – additional cost.

It depends on the specification, the size of the job and how busy our current production is on the day. We strive for fast turnaround.

General guidelines
Smaller flyer runs and business card jobs – same day or next day.
Booklets and magazines – 2 – 4 days.
To be safe add 24 hours for additional finishing such as folding, lamination, foiling etc.

Email us your detailed specs to info@lithemba.com

Size:
Number of pages:
Full colour or 1 colour:
Any Pantone colours:
Paper grammage:
Trim only:
Binding:
Finishing:
Lamination:
Varnish:
Rounded corners:
Quantities: i.e. 1000, 2000 and 5000

We suggest a few quantities to compare unit price, smaller quantities have a higher unit price due to setup costs