Creating Your Masterpiece

So where do we start? Let's say we need a brochure created. We need art programs to accomplish this. Yes, of course it can be done in a program like Microsoft Word or Publisher, but these are not standard programs in the industry that presses understand. In order to make these files press ready, they normally would need to be turned into .pdf's. To do this, you can use adobe acrobat or even download a free .pdf driver. A .pdf driver, once downloaded into your computer, adds an option of changing printers in your print dialog box. When you click on print from any program or link, you can change the option from using your usual printer to the downloaded driver to print it to a file rather than to your paper. I have found Primo PDF (primopdf.com) to be a free and reliable driver for this purpose. If you do choose to design your own artwork using this method, you will save money in design cost but you will probably run into issues with bleeds, resolution and uneven gutters. If you have a knowledgeable printer, they will be able to warn you of these issues before printing your job. It's usually best to spend the money having a professional design your piece to be printed to avoid these types of problems, wasting both money and time. If you do consult with a graphic designer, you will often need to provide them with the information about what is being designed, any logos or pictures that will be implemented and any input you'd like to offer about what you'd expect to see such as finished size, colors or order of importance. Agree on a price before the artist begins work to avoid confusion or unexpected surprises. Also, a word of caution, if you do pay for artwork to be created, ask for a copy of the files on disk. You paid for it, you are the rightful owner. Too often I hear, "I don't have the original artwork, the creator went out of business." You wouldn't want to pay twice for something you could have easily gotten a copy of.
OK, let's get back on track. The most popular programs used in the industry today are Illustrator, Photoshop, Quark, Corel Draw and Indesign. Most designers are fluent in some or all of these programs. Quark and Indesign are great for page layout. They offer more options and flexibility than Word and Publisher and the presses speak the language. Type and pictures are brought into these programs strategically placed to capture the interest of the reader and make sense of what is being created. Typography, the use of fonts and character diversity, to express your artwork can be learned but is often innate in the designer. The perfect blend of style, size, boldness and placement can make any printed piece a work of art and really drive your point across dramtically. Pictures must be high resolution, usually 300 dpi or higher, to print with a degree of crispness. These pictures can be taken with a camara or found or bought on the internet and are often touched up in Illustrator or Photoshop.
Finally, your perfect little piece is now created. The next step would be to send the client a proof of what it will look like before actually printing it. This step is very important on the part of the customer. Designers can often catch typos using spell check and proof reading their work, but it is not uncommon for a few to slip by. Such items as phone numbers, addresses or names can often get past a spell check and if not proofed carefully by the customer, can be disasterous. Unlike web design which can be fixed at any time, printing is more permanent. When a mistake is made on one, it's made on all and that could be thousands of pieces. It does happen and its quite costly. A wrong comma can be forgiven but a wrong phone number cannot. Since most people do not have these programs, they must either proof a printed sample or a .pdf can be made and emailed. Just to clear up a term that I hear so often: "I have adobe". Adobe is a brand name. Adobe makes a lot of products for all different purposes. It is comparable to saying, "I have GE". Announcing GE doesn't tell us whether it is a washer, dryer or refrigerator. So the program that is used to view .pdf proofs is Adobe ACROBAT. Acrobat reader is often put on your computer when you buy it or you can download a reader for free at www.adobe.com. Ok, mistakes were corrected and the proof was signed and approved. Now your artwork is complete and ready to be printed. I hope I have explained the process of how the artwork is created. Please feel free to ask any questions and don't forget to visit us at www.yourprinting.net