How can you make designs for things people can print when they want?
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For four years I was the outsourcing manager for a print brokerage. Each printer has specific guidelines for how they want to receive art. That being said there are some tips. Perhaps you know these already:
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Convert all fonts to outlines. In my experience, this locks the design so no “art” person at the print shop will get the idea to try and “match” a font that didn’t come through right.
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Watch for bleeds. If your design flows off the edge of your business card the printer is going to charge you extra. They have to, the printed surface is 1/8"-1/4" larger on all sides.
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PLEASE avoid printing solids. If you want to take a white sheet and turn it blue… You’re making a nightmare for the pressman. Solids are not designed, they’re the least creative option. As one pressman related: “The designer who uses a solid has run out of ideas.” As a pressman myself I can tell you the technical reasoning if desired. Just ask.
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You can do lots of fancy effects on a computer. They will never come out perfect on press. Design for problems in mind. Build in tolerance so if a page shifts or isn’t perfectly aligned it doesn’t ruin your project. The best designs look good even when printed poorly.
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Avoid fine “borders.” If you put a graphic element that runs along the border of your sheet, consider how it will look if that border has variation.
There are no perfect print jobs. Paper flies through an offset press at about 30 miles per hour. During the 40-75 foot transit from feeder to delivery, it gets dampened with moisture and coated with ink. If you seriously expect that sheet of paper to transfer through without the smallest bit of movement… Well, you’re kidding yourself.
- Design for problems. If an imperfect reproduction run will ruin your project, simplify the design so it won’t. There is no perfect print job.
Determine what type of design you want to create and for what purpose.