Take these guidelines into consideration when prepping for a project!

Before you begin designing your project, consider these tips that can be helpful, and can play a crucial role in making or breaking your print. Choosing the right material for your project, include bleed to your artwork, and placing an order ten days before you need the project. So, your project design just got approved, and now you must put the message in print. You have already written your direction in detail and have packed your project with the utmost care and have written the address of the printer you have chosen on the package and you have handed it to the mailman. So, you think you are ready to go, thank god, right? NOT! You get a phone call informing you that the printer is missing the font, the files are not working properly, and making things even worse, the paper you ordered is no longer made anymore, and you forgot to include bleed in your artwork. As you're your head is going haywire, and you are going ballistic, and to make the grand finale, they tell you that there is no way they can meet your deadline. This type of scenario happens more than you may think. But don't give up just yet, it's just printing, you must get used to this kind of thing happening, right? NOT! Consider these guidelines when prepping your project to avoid losing your head.

Printing Terms

Many uncommon terms are used in printing. To have a better understanding of how your printer works, here are some terms that you should be aware of…. For instance, bleed, which occurs when a piece of print is cut, a color densitometer is a tool that is used by professionals to measure the density of the ink that is being laid down on the print paper. Separation is a term used to describe when the printing process has a continuous tone image that separates into four different colors making it possible for it to print. The process starts off by scanning the image. Then comes the material.

Choosing the right material for your project

The right type of material makes a big difference to the overall effect of your print. One of the final steps before sending off your design is choosing the material. Different types of material create a different feel and look than others. A good example would be using a semi-gloss paper rather than a heavier matte paper which is more expensive, and they both give the same effect. Take some time to look at your options before deciding.

Include bleed to your artwork

Transferring your design from digital to physical consists of making sure your files are cut, crop and bleed are lined up to perfection. These marks show the borders of where the cuts will need to be made once the final print is made. Crop marks are used to show where the design will need to be trimmed, and the bleed is the parts of the object or design expand across the page to make up for trimming.

Placing an order ten days before you need the project

Ten days before the deadline helps to ensure your print is up to standard. Going through prepress helps conserve the consistency of your design from beginning to ending print, so nothing is forgotten in between. Prepress helps you catch those small errors that are big mistakes when they make their way to the printing shop. By allowing enough time before the deadline, you can save money, time and ensure your print is up to your standards every time. Remember these factors that are crucial to the overall output of your print are choosing the right material based on the project that you are creating for print, incorporating bleed to your artwork, and finally, placing an order ten days before you need the project to meet the required deadline.