Preparing a publication for print involves a whole skillset aimed at making sure the results are what you expect. This preparation starts before you’ve hit “New Document” and goes on past the point of choosing “Export.” Open the lines of communication with your print provider early and involve them at key points along the way. Whether or not you create an actual checklist, you should at least have an idea of the items you’ll want to address before you start the project, while you’re working, and just before sending it off to a printer. BEFORE YOU START Select a print vendor before you even start creating your publication. You will want to communicate to them what format the final piece will be provided in, as well as any considerations for binding, paper selection, and inks to be used. If you don’t have a clear idea of the finished piece, this READ MORE »
When preparing your publication for print, you’ll want to carefully dot your i’s and cross your t’s, as mistakes can be costly and time-consuming to fix. That’s not to say that you can be reckless when working digitally, but the stakes are higher when going to print. 1. Design Within Set Parameters Work within the proper color space to avoid color shifts and unintended results; you’ll need to end up with a piece that uses the CMYK color space when you’re going to print. Though imported photos can be kept in RGB until export or output (see tip number three), elements you make in your page-layout software should be created in CMYK. Keep your non-essential, non-bleeding items within a set area—around a 1/4-inch to a 5/16-inch margin—to allow for shifting of material in printing or while it’s being cut. Also, make sure that any elements that are meant to bleed READ MORE »
Any pub designer who has worked on a publication for days, weeks or even months knows the sheer terror of worrying that his/her InDesign file has become corrupt. It happened to us this week. Here are the steps we went through to restore the INDD file to better health, and what eventually was the key to saving it. We restarted our Macs and INDD. This is always the best first step. We did another “save as” to clean up the file. We do this throughout any project at least a few times a week, so this didn’t fix the issue. Next we recomposed all of the text using the keyboard shortcut Command-option-/. Sometimes this works, but this time it didn’t fix our super-slow issues. Most senior pub designers cringe when they have to delete their preferences. We do. But we did it because we know sometimes this works. When we started up INDD, READ MORE »
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6 Strategies for
Better Publications
Proven steps to keep publication projects on track, eliminate surprises, and ensure successful outcomes.