Hi, we’re Ex Why Zed! We are the litho print company you have been looking for. Day in, day out, we help transform people’s creative ideas in to print!
So, what does that mean? Well, from the first contact with us we will give you a wealth of resources, knowledge and friendly advice to broaden your understanding of the print process. We help everyone from the complete novice to the print rockstar.
We consider ourselves specialist photobook, zine and children’s book printers but our skills don’t stop there. We will work with you to take your artwork from screen to a wide range of printed outcomes. Enjoy our video series and expand your knowledge on the options available in print then digest our file set-up guides and make yourself a better designer.
Our B2 Heidelberg and B1 presses produce crystal clear, pixel sharp, highest quality printing to do your artwork justice and at a cost-effective price point on medium to long print runs.
We don’t believe that you should have to settle for the bare minimum from your print company. You have spent hours, weeks and months preparing your stunning artwork so why would you now go and give it to a printer where you can get an instant price, upload a pdf, then the files disappear and you have to keep your fingers crossed that what turns up is what you expected?
We are accessible, friendly and knowledgeable. We care about your project and when you speak to us, you will reach someone who knows about your project and the print process.
When you send us your files they are thoroughly checked and we always come back to you with recommendations if something doesn’t look right. (I think our record is 112 emails before a job went to print!)
Ex Why Zed specialise in litho printing bound publications and the many guises they come in:
• Promotional Brochures
• Self-Published Books
• Product Catalogues
• Fashion Collection Lookbooks
• Homeware and Interior Range Look Books
• Magazines
• Annual Reports
We also print promotional items from leaflets and postcards to folded product catalogues.
Confused by massive spreadsheets, random numbers and bewildering jargon? Welcome to Ex Why Zed where we like to interact with our customers, find out about their projects and have a bit of dialogue rather than hide behind a massive, confusing Excel document on a website.
We provide a bespoke quote for each and every job because your project is bespoke and unique. From our very first point of contact we provide a wealth of information, advice and friendly help to guide you through the (somewhat confusing) print process. Don’t get us wrong, our process is quick and efficient but we like to add extra value by starting a conversation with you first. Remember conversations? Yep, they are what happened before your phone was glued to your head! 🙂
For this reason we don’t list all our prices online but get in touch either in email or through our quote form and we will give you a bespoke quote in super quick time.
Litho printing is most cost effective on longer print runs but we can produce a digitally printed hard copy proof of your booklet for £32-£58 before going ahead*.
An intial test copy is a good method of checking the layout but the colours and paper will be slightly different on the final run. (The ink soaks into the uncoated paper a lot more when litho printed). After the proof arrives you are, of course, free to make unlimited changes and then resupply us with new artwork before the final run. Best to allow an extra week in your schedule if you go for the test copy to allow enough time to for us to print then deliver and for you to check it, make changes and send a new file.
*subject to spec.
Ex Why Zed was incredibly proud to work with industry-leading music video host, Vevo, on it’s first ever print publication which championed their 20 artists to watch out for in 2017.
Vevo Publishes Its First-Ever Print Magazine to Promote Slate of Emerging Artists
Our paper sample pack was swiftly dispatched to key Account Managers in London and New York. Both teams loved our samples and the subsequent print quote that followed so much so that they asked if we had a US branch that could fulfil a second American run of books too? No need, we ship internationally too! So we printed all 20 cover variations in the UK for consistency across the entire set of magazines.
The finished magazines arrived in New York just after Thanksgiving weekend and were swiftly distributed across the US while the London copies were given out by teams in and around Oxford Street.
We have done our best to give you a huge wealth of information on this page and in our guides but if here are some frequently asked questions to help you get your work into print.
There are a few set up procedures involved with litho printing so allow 7-10 days for your project to arrive after you send us print-ready artwork. Obviously this is dependent on the print spec and number of copies you are ordering.
If the project is time sensitive then let us know in advance and we’ll always do our best to hit your deadline.
All commercial printers use CMYK ink (Cyan, Magenta, Yellow and Black). RGB is great for viewing on screen but when it comes to printing, all of the colours in your images will be made using the cmyk gamut.
Yes, we have a 5th duct on our presses which can be used to print a Pantone Spot colour. Back in the 90s and early noughties this was a common request to have a Pantone included on the artwork to achieve a specific brand or logo colour. Increasingly as the cost if CMYK has fallen sharply, the need for Spot Colours is less frequent and we only get asked once or twice a year for it now.
Unfortunately what is seen on an RGB, backlit screen is never going to be the same as it appears on paper in cmyk. It’s just impossible to achieve that and no printer could. You will have to allow for some difference in the colours between the two mediums but having something tangible in your hands and seeing the images on paper gives the publication a charm that just sending out a pdf wont do.
The old print industry mantra is that it is possible to have two of these when you send a job to print. Stop Press! At Ex Why Zed we have changed the rulebook and are confident we can now offer all three! The highest quality printing, for the best prices and delivered when you need it.
We are in England’s oldest town, Colchester.
Ready to place an order? Brilliant, you’ll need to upload the files using www.wetransfer.com sending them to hello@exwhyzed.fixed-staging.co.uk and in the comments box let us know the number of copies you’re going for and the best address for delivery. We’ll then give your artwork a free preflight check to highlight any potential issues and will email with any advice or recommendations before going to production.
Once we receive your print ready artwork, we’ll aim to deliver in 5/6 working days (we do get busy at degree show time). If you are working to a crucial deadline PLEASE allow more time – there’s no harm in getting the artwork to us early so we can deliver a few days before the show starts 🙂
For the purposes of our quoting, we call a page one side of content. So, a sheet of paper has two pages – a front and a back. If you ask for a quote for 40 inside pages, that will be 40 pages of content, 40 pages in your artwork file / pdf and in the book 20 leaves printed on both sides.
Yes, ‘text’ pages is our common term for the inside pages of your publication. They can be filled with illustrations, photography, full colour artwork…or just text if it’s a poetry book.
Check out video guide here and we’ll talk you through the options with examples printed on each of the finishes.
Still uncertain? Jump on our sample pack form and we’ll get some paper choices in the post asap.
