Design Tips

Now that we have a fair amount of "Fans" on Facebook, we've been giving out some useful information here and there to help with various things relating to printing, graphics, etc.

Here's a sample from our most recent piece, which examines which software are appropriate in which situations when preparing files for print. You can find the whole article here.

DESIGN TIPS & TRICKS:
Choosing Design Software

Posted 7/26/2011 by Roe Pressley

Many of our customers are designers or are working with a designer on their print projects, but just as often the customer is relatively new to online printing and has only a rudimentary knowledge of layout and design, or none at all.

If this second category sounds like you, fear not! There are options to help even the least technologically inclined people put together a file for print.

Before we talk about different software, let's look at file specifications. These are properties your file should have in order to print at the highest quality and with the best color reproduction, and these requirements will be mostly the same for digital printing regardless of what company you're using.

• PDF file format (some other file types can be converted to PDF but this can cause problems - see below)
• 300dpi (dots per inch) - this refers to the file's resolution. In most cases going higher than 300dpi will not produce a noticeably higher-quality image, but it will rapidly increase the file size.
• CMYK color profile (cyan, magenta, yellow, black) - this is what most digital and offset printing uses. Make sure your file is designed this way so there are no surprises from your screen to final product. By contrast, RGB color profiles are more common for graphics intended to be viewed on your computer but not in print.
• Files are printed with about 1/4" white margins around the edges. If your file does not have this, a border will be added, unless you order bleeds. Bleed specificationsmay vary between companies, so inquire with your printer before beginning if you're not sure what they should be.
• Multiple-page documents should be combined into one file when possible.

Choosing the Right Design Software

There are a lot of programs you can use for design, and each has its pros and cons depending on your needs and level of expertise. Because trying to cover them all would go on forever, let's focus on a small handful. We will focus on Microsoft Word vs Google Documents, Adobe Photoshop vs GIMP, and Microsoft Publisher vs Adobe InDesign, as these are the software our customers seem to use most.

MICROSOFT WORD vs. GOOGLE DOCUMENTS

Skill Level: Easy

Many customers do their design with Microsoft Word because it is already on their computer and they know how to use it. For many, Word will be adequate for designing relatively simple documents, particularly if they are more text-oriented and less graphic.

For those that don't have access to Microsoft Word, Google Documents is a great free tool with much of the same functionality as Word and a similar interface.

• WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get)
  For the most part, what is shown on your screen is what will print out. Since most companies print in PDF, it is recommended you convert the file to PDF before sending it to print and double check that everything still looks the same.
• Save As PDF
  Newer versions of Microsoft Word have a built-in option to save as a PDF file. Google Docs also has this function. If you have an older version of Word, you caninstall a print driver that will let you "Print to PDF."
• Templates Galore!
  Both Word and Docs have a large library of templates to get you started, from brochures and post cards to calendars and shopping lists. The formatting has already been done. You just insert your text, pictures, etc. Explore the library to find what you're looking for.
• Many Formatting Options
  Both applications have built-in options for formatting, including tables, columns, numbered and bulleted lists, and more.
• Import Photos and Graphics
  You can literally just drag photos into Word files and reposition them by clicking and dragging. In Google Docs, you click the Photo icon and select a file from your computer to insert, or reference a web address for an image if it is already online. It also incorporates Google Image Search and Picasa, a popular photo-sharing network run by Google. Be careful not to use copyrighted photos and graphics without permission.

Unfortunately, neither is designed to actually create graphics or edit images, so if that's on your itinerary, read on.

Click here to read the whole article