Print Design TipsTips and Information About Printing

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.

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.