Print Design TipsTips and Information About Printing

There are many different graphic file formats that you can use to save images on your personal computer. These include: TIFF, JPEG, GIF, PNG, TARGA, and ICO. Each of these formats has its own pros and cons, and one is not necessarily better than the others. Instead, they each have their own situations that they are best suited for. The most used ones include JPEG, GIF, and PNG. The others are not used nearly as often.

Perhaps one of the oldest and most widely used graphic file format is GIF, or Graphic Interchange Format. GIF images use a palette of 256 colors, because of this they usually have a small size and are great for background images for websites. You can also make GIF images transparent quite easily which can make them even better suited for backgrounds. However, people who create programs using GIF images are required to pay licensing fees. It is because of this that PNG images were created.

The PNG graphic file format, or portable network graphics, was created as a patent-free answer to the GIF format. In all actuality however, it is superior to GIF in many ways. For example, a PNG file can be compressed by 5 percent to 25 percent more than a GIF image can. PNG images can be made transparent as well, and the user also has better control over how transparent the image becomes.

Finally, there is the JPEG format, which stands for Joint Photographic Experts Group. These images are created in such a way that they may be compressed to 1/10 of their original size. When JPEG is used for print design, it is recommended that you save it at 100 percent quality however, so that the end product looks as nice as possible. JPEG compression is much more noticeable once it has been printed out than it is while it is still onscreen.

If you are a beginner at graphic design or print design, then there are a few things that you can do in order to get off to a great start. First of all, you should be familiar with the bleeding technique. A bleed is when objects that are printed overlap the border of the document. Once the document is printed, it will have to be cropped so that it can fit onto the paper. It is recommended that you use a 3mm bleed on all four sides.

Next, it is important that you know what the minimum resolution is in order to produce professional images. The short answer to this question is in between 300 to 600 dpi. Whenever you print an image that is at a lower resolution than the original image, it is going to come out at a lower quality, but nobody will be able to tell if this is done correctly.

Another thing that you can do in order to improve your print design is to use a grid. It can help you stick with proportions and provide some helpful composition guidelines. While the three column set up is the most commonly used grid, feel free to experiment. Many people appreciate the different combinations they can achieve with a 7 column grid for example.

Finally, you will want to maintain proper typography. The font that you choose for each piece is a matter that should be carefully thought out instead of being picked at random. It is recommended that you choose 5 or so fonts that you think will be good for each piece, and see what it looks like using each of them.

Finally, it is always a good idea to include your web address in your print work. That way, it will be easier for your business to grow by word of mouth.

These basic concepts will be expounded on in future blog entries.

Pantone is a color matching system that was created so that colors can remain consistent no matter what medium is being used to view them. Color is interesting in the fact that it is highly subjective; what one person views as yellow, another may view as orange for example. Now, with the many different types of technologies we have to view colors, it is very important that each of them use the same colors. The Pantone matching system, PMS, is not the only system that exists for maintaining color consistency. It is, however, the most widely used.

A commercial printing company will keep a full supply of Pantone inks in their shops in order to ensure that they always remain consistent in the colors that they use for their printing projects. Take for example, a company that has a logo designed for them in a certain palette of colors. Then, they take this logo to a commercial printer to have some brochures posted. They want the logo on the brochures to match the same colors as the original. Imagine if when they got the completed brochures, that the logo used a completely different palette of colors?

Pantone colors are based on certain recipes that can be created by mixing together certain colors. Some cannot be created by mixing however, and must be purchased. These include colors such as metallics and fluorescent inks. One of the few problems that is involved is when Pantone colors are attempted during a 4 color printing process. This will not create accurate results. The only way that this can be accomplished successfully is to add Pantone as a fifth color which can be quite expensive. The 4 color printing process uses only the colors of magenta, cyan, yellow, and black, which is not enough to create a true Pantone color.

Managing the marketing and creative process is essential and for many, it is a headache. It doesn’t have to be and in this post we conclude our hints and advice for managing a project successfully, through to completion and beyond.

Sketches Work

Always do a rough draft of what you think the finished piece ought to look like. Usually it is the most appropriate version and with refinement ends up as the finished product. Once you have drawn up initial drafts, leave them for a couple of days and come back to them – this gives you a good perspective on the proposal and you can focus on the design rather than the content.

Don’t underestimate the power of a rough visual or draft for everyone involved.

Work with Your Print Partner

When you are working with a commercial print partner, use them as a design and advice resource. There is probably very little you are attempting that they haven’t tried a dozen times or more in the past. They are a great knowledge resource so use them.

Edit and Review

Editing is known as the butcher’s trade but it is vital – editing will improve the finished product by simplifying and clarifying the message as well as avoiding embarrassing mistakes. By getting others to review the work-in-progress, you can assess how effective the project is going to be in the real-world when it comes time for it to be unleashed on the target audience.

Use the Professionals

If you are unable to string a sentence together – hire a writer. If you have no idea on color or layouts – hire a designer. If you cannot come up with high quality photographs – hire a photographer. The bottom line is that if you find it difficult to work as a writer, editor, photographer, designer then you need help and short-changing on a professional-looking, finished product can undermine your entire effort.

The longest project is the one you don’t get started, and frequently where to begin is a problem. Knowing where to start is a boon, so here we’re going to cover some structure to provide over the creative process and which will help you manage the whole process while keeping it on track to help your business.
It doesn’t matter whether you are creating a marketing brochure or a humble flyer, the principles are all the same, however you will need more of these basics applied when you deal with more complicated or larger projects.

The Marketing Blueprint

Establish a blueprint and then stick to it – this is your guide through the desert, so while you may exercise flexibility, you also should be careful that everyone is sticking to the plan too. A blueprint helps you be effective, stick to budget and be able to measure the results against your benchmark standards.

Review Examples

Find examples of work which has already been done, either by you or by someone else, especially competitors. Look at how this has been approached in the past and what has worked and what has not. Distil the best from this and apply it to the project at hand.

Think Benefits Not Features

Benefits are succinct and to the point – they show a customer or prospect how your product or service will satisfy their needs. They personalize the proposal to the client. Features on the other hand, simply list what the product is and that is a waste of space – ask yourself when the last time was when you read the specifications pages of a piece of electronic equipment such as your home TV? Never! You bought the TV because it looked good and the advertizing told you it had the biggest, brightest, most channels, lightest, eco-friendly, thinnest feature “which meant that” you loved it because it solved a problem you had or catered for your particular need.

This post is continued in Part Two