Clients from Hell
From the desk of: Clients from Hell – A collection of anonymously contributed client horror stories from designers.
Client: ”When this gets printed, what sort of colors get mixed together?”
Me: “Well, anything that gets printed is basically a combination of black, yellow, cyan, and magenta ink or toner…” Continue Reading Clients from Hell »
The confusions of Typography
I have recently stumbled upon this great book from a recent post by my friend Meagan. It made me start thinking about how typography has become a very confusing subject for designers the last couple of years. So many fonts, so little time. Here is a great book by Studio 3 that breaks down typography letter by letter in a fun way. Continue Reading The confusions of Typography »
RGB vs CMYK
“Could we print the brochure in RGB? You know, it would be cheaper if we use one color less…”
To those who are unfamiliar with the world of printing; offset and digital printing requires 4 basic colors to make up the wide range of colors that are represented in the natural world: Cyan, Magenta, Yellow and Black.
In the digital/computer/television world, it is all made up of 3 colors, Red, Green and Blue. The combinations of these 3 colors are an interpretation of the actual natural light colors on your monitor.
If you look closely at your monitor, it’s made up of tiny RGB lights and if you look closely at a full color printed material, it’s made up of CMYK dots. This is what makes printing work.
RGB – Good for computer/digital use. Bad and not usable for printing (paper or clothing)
CMYK – Good for offset and digital printing. Bad and not interpreted correctly on the computer
Finishing Steps to Bindery
One of the most important aspects of any printed project are the final touches. Finishing or bindery, is what this final process is called. It is critical with any print project to plan with the final product in mind.
Understanding folding is important to any effective bindery process. Paper can be folding in many ways. Mis-measured folds are the causes of a reprinted job. In regards to digital printing, you can expect a tolerance of 1/16 inch per fold. This varies according to the weight and the caliper (thickness) of the paper stock and the overall location of the folds. Proper planning in the design stage will help eliminate bindery errors.
Illustrated are the most common folding styles used in print production today. Using standard names will help ensure good communication between designers and printers.
A few common folds that I normally deal within the digital print shop environment are as a follows:
- A letter fold is the most common of folds. Check out wikiHow for a step by step instruction.
- Typically accordian folds are simple zig-zag folds with 6-panels and two parallel folds that go in opposite directions. Each panel of the accordian fold is about the same size.
- In double parallel folds the paper is folded in half and then folded in half again with a fold parallel to the first fold.
- With French folds the paper is folded with crossfolds or right angle folds, often with a short first fold. The shorter portion or head in french folds may be folded to the inside (heads in) or outside (heads out).
- In a gatefold the left and right edges fold inward with parallel folds and meet in the middle of the page without overlapping. The paper might be folded again down the middle so that the folded edges meet and a fold is created in center panel of the paper – also known as a double gatefold.
- The folds in paper with parallel folds all run in the same direction, parallel to each other. Parallel folds are commonly used for all kinds of brochures (such as tri-fold), stationery inserted into business envelopes, and other materials. The specific direction of each of the parallel folds determines the type of folding pattern such as accordian or gatefold.
Digital PrePress Checklist
Digital Prepress…the most complicated part of printing for both printers and designers alike. Common Problems: missing fonts, low resolution photos, files saved and packaged incorrectly. Oh my!
The next time you design a project and submit it to your local printer, take a peek at this list and your life and your printer’s job should be much easier! It might even be cheaper because your files were submitted correctly.
When creating documents to send for digital output, please ensure that:
- The document dimensions are correct and at the right size for output.
- All images are correctly positioned and linked.
- Logos or graphics created in programs like Illustrator, have all type converted to paths or outlines.
- In your page layout program, the status of all imported pictures or links should be “ok.”
- You have only used fonts that you intended to use for output.
- All unused colors have been deleted.
- The pasteboard’s surrounding all design pages are empty.
- All document bleeds have been extended at least 1/8″ beyond the desired finished size of your project.
- All documents have been proof-read and double-checked before submission. Have a friend proof read it!
Design & Pre-Press Checklist:
- Do not use Publisher or Quark. Stick to Adobe Products for ease of use.
- Remember, Photoshop is for photos. Illustrator is for illustrations. InDesign is for Page Layout.
- Do not enlarge images beyond 120% of original size when placing it in your document.
- Do not use images downloaded from Google. Read second sections of post.
- Do not use compression methods (i.e. LZW or JPEG) on placed images for output.
- Do not use RGB images whenever possible. Convert them to CMYK.
Before submitting files, please make sure that you have included:
- All fonts required to process and print the document.
- All attached EPS and/or TIFF/JPG files.
- Final laser prints of all document pages.
Command Something New
Guess what I found today? Atmostheory! I have always enjoyed scouring the web and coming across something new and extremely creative. These posters are nothing overly complex but the idea behind them are amazing. Most people work a lifetime to create something truly original. Which is your favorite?
Available for purchase at My Little Underground. Throw a little love to the original artist.
A Modern Desk Calendar
Have fun popping one of these bubbles every day on the 2010 Bubble Calendar, available in 4 different languages and vertical or horizontal layout. The cost is $20.10 (clever!) and you can get one at bubblecalendar.com
More Details:
- Huge! 47″ x 18″ poster calendar
- The type is set in Helvetica Neue
- The calendars are printed on thick paper (80 pound cover stock)
- The calendars are shipped via the Postal Service. (Perfect for the holiday!)
Common Misconceptions in Graphic Design and Printing
“Why does it always look different on my screen?
A client might ask for a specific Pantone color from their own Pantone swatch book. The designer sets the file exactly as it is required, yet when the client sees an example on their computer monitor they are very disappointed that the color isn’t the same or even close. Why is that?
Brightness, contrast, color settings… all monitors have them. Unless two monitors are calibrated to the exact same settings then the colors will always appear very different. The best way to color-match is to use printed proofs, and even then, your choice of paper can critically effect the color of your printed product.
When printing digital, ask your printer for a pantone swatch color sheet. This sheet will include all the pantone colors to give you a chance to see what the pantone colors look like when printed digitally. Remember, Pantone is a standard for offset printing to standardize the color reproduction system such as CMYK or spot colors.
“Can you use the image from the web for our brochure or rackcard?”
Sourcing images can be very time-consuming. Many people believe that an image they find online is perfect for any print job. However, in order to look clear, web images must have a minimum resolution of 72 dots per inch (dpi). Digital or Offset Print work, on the other hand, requires images to have a minimum resolution of at least 300 dpi.
“Why does graphic design cost so much?”
The client doesn’t often see the process involved when a graphic designer takes on a design project. In fact, on most occasions the client will only see a few computer-generated proofs or design examples. It is always best to give your client a timeline of your design process so they can understand the steps that are necessary in the creative process.
For example: A designer typically only use a computer at the end of the design process. Beforehand comes clarifying the design brief, research, brainstorming and logo sketching.
What problems do you find cropping up again and again when dealing with graphic designers, clients or printer?Advertising from the 1970′s
Vintage Men's Advertising from the 1970's
