There are several simple things to check once your design is perfect and your files are ready to go to the printer.
One important item is sending a laser or inkjet proof of your work.
While your proof doesn't necessarily have to be in color, the color breaks should at least be indicated. It is a good idea to print separations to make sure your colors are printing correctly.
It is also important to print your proof at 100% size. Why? Because when we prepare your documents, we reference these proofs against what is coming out. While a large blank spot in page three may be an obvious problem, text reflow is one of the chief problems that can be spotted quickly on screen.
If the letters don't line up, something is obviously wrong. That is why it is important to send 100% sized proofs – even if it means tiling the pages from your desktop printer. Something this simple can prevent problems and save everyone time, money and grief down the road.
2. Four Simple design mistakes to avoid
Not everyone has years of experience designing documents, but knowing a few simple tricks can make a big difference in your work.
- Rivers of white space can appear between works when the type in a document is fully justified or wrapped around graphics. Try using your type left justified or making sure line breaks occur in logical places. Also, use only one space, not two, after periods at the end of a sentence.
- Too many fonts make a design look too busy and can confuse the reader. If your designs go much beyond three typefaces, then you are headed toward a cluttered design.
- Tons of graphics can also weigh down a design. Instead of trying to shoehorn in every last photo or graphic, try using a few large ones. Lots of little images can distract from the message of a design, while a few large graphic elements will draw attention to the page and then the text.
- Using white space invitingly adds interest to a design. Imagine a document where it is a wall of text. It would look bland and uninviting. White space leads the reader to your message.
3. Check for Success
You may have heard of the saying, "measure twice and cut once." Well, that good piece of advice also applies to print jobs.
There are a lot of steps and details that go into the simplest print jobs. And one small detail can derail the whole print job until it is fixed.
Missing fonts are the most common problem with print jobs submitted electronically. Using a font collection utility is well worth the price. There is even freeware font collection software that will also gather fonts used in EPS graphics in QuarkXPress documents.
Using the actual font and not adding a style to it will prevent problems. Adding bold or italic to a regular font may not work with high-resolution output. For example, using Minion Bold instead of clicking on the bold option for the font Minion.
Saving images incorrectly is another common problem. Save all images as 300 dpi TIFF or EPS Files. GIF and JPEG are good for the Web but are not high enough resolution needed for printing.
Also, if you have photos that are going to be printed using 4-color process, make sure they are CMYK and not RGB.
4. Adding contrast to a design makes it shine
With every design, there are rules to follow. This includes the tone or contrast of the piece.
Imagine the uniform gray of a formal report, a government document or a technical paper. Compare that with an annual report for a toy company or a press kit for an improvisational comedy troupe.
Those projects would invoke images of large headlines and big graphics instead of text-heavy pages that look formal, legal or dry.
Contrast is the balance of the space given to graphics, text and white space. Using these three elements, a designer can create attractive designs by playing them off of each other or balancing the items to draw the reader's attention.
