Print Design TipsTips and Information About Printing

It is the words which are the primary factor in any document, especially for business or educational purposes.  Sure, a picture can paint a thousand words but it is the words which tell a reader where to find the image in the document (the contents and appendices), what it means and what context (the caption) and what it can do to solve whatever problem or issue the reader may have.

Do not let the design tail wag the word dog!

There are two aspects to the document text – the words.

The first is that the actual word content itself must be pertinent and of a written quality that leaves the reader in no doubt that it has been crafted by someone who understands the subject matter and English.

A simple example will suffice to make the point.

“a simple egzample will suffix to make the points”

How about this:

“Weird processor diction Aries should knot bee relayed on”

In short, you need someone with an excellent command of English, but this then brings forth the issue about technical knowledge and experience on the subject matter.  A writer may be able to put your thoughts and actions into excellent English, but will a writer with no engineering background be able to expound on the detail of Positive Vane Technology and use in Industrial Pumps?

The second issue is the typography – this deals with how the print is laid out, the font size and style, in essence anything that affects the appearance and ability to read the words which have been formulated.

Some fonts are a definite “No-No” when it comes to business documents – the weird and wonderful “Wingdings” or cursive scripts that are difficult to read and not effective in attracting prospects to spend their precious time in finding out what you have to say. If you are targeting people over 40, it is absolutely imperative that you are using fonts and font sizes which are easy to read.  This is not being ageist, simply practical because by the mid-40’s, most people are finding that they cannot read as well as they used to, it’s a simple fact of life.

The bottom line is that the words must dominate.  It is the words which carry your actual message and how to contact you to take the discussion forward and out of the document and into a face-to-face meeting or a telephone call to place an order.  The use of graphic and photographic elements are to help to attract the attention of the reader so they are enticed into the text of the document – no-one reads a passage and then looks at the photograph, they read the text because they have already looked at a photograph!

You must back up your use of graphical design imagery by appropriate use of headings – headlines and sub-headers.  A headline has one objective – to get the reader to read the first line of your piece.  That first line has one objective – to get the reader to read the first paragraph, and that first paragraph is used to suck the reader into the entire piece.  It’s a simple rule but easily ignored, but you can give your written work greater structure by using a headline and then splitting the piece up using sub-headers which in turn will help your document users.

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.