Printing My First Photobook

PLATES > INK > PRINT!

10 days ago, I had a mega exciting & nerve-racking 12 hour day at DG3 printers in Kent where the Drumz Of The South book was litho-printed!  I learnt a lot about the process, such as the fact there are 300,000 variables for each print. Litho is an analogue process involving aluminium plates, buckets of Cyan, Magenta, Yellow and Black ink, water, oil & even a tiny bit of alcohol. Tis the season after-all.

These monster printers are connected to computers that help with such things as measuring each colour across the plate. Minor adjustments can be made to areas of each plate. The machines print 1500 sheets per hour. This video shows the sheets being dried, with the help of some very fine talc powder, then stacked. 

There’s a little bit of waste paper with every job, but it’s all recycled, and all the paper is FSC standard which means that trees are planted for every job, and the paper can be traced back to the forest where its pulp originated. Thanks to DG3 for letting me take some photographs while I was there! 

Now we’re at the binding part of the process + the cover is being screen-printed elsewhere, that part has been slightly delayed, so I’m now looking at January 2022 for delivery. I am so excited and nervous!

Thanks to all of you waiting patiently for your books to arrive.

Books can be pre-ordered via my store.

DocumentaryGeorgina CookDG3 Printdocumentary photography, printers, print, press, litho, paper, fsc, photobook, process, drumzofthesouth, photography, workplace, Kent, work, working, people