Have you ever sent something to print and been utterly disappointed by what鈥檚 come back? Or just been completely confused about what you needed to send in the first place? We鈥檝e quizzed our favourite printer about his top tips to help you create some amazing work. He鈥檚 also got a background in design too so can give a great all-round perspective鈥
We鈥檝e broken it down in to 3 key areas, and included some tips to take away at the bottom. Enjoy!
Great communication is the key to a great job!
The best way to make sure that everyone鈥檚 happy with the outcome of the print is to always try and have an honest discussion over the phone before you even start.
鈥淚t鈥檚 always easier to find out a bit more about what the designer is looking for over the phone, with email sometimes it can get a bit lost, or just take longer to get there.鈥
By building a relationship with your printer early on, you create a more open forum for thoughts and feedback on the job. Printers will often spot tiny errors that you might have missed or they might see a better way to get the right finish. They鈥檒l also be able to help you out with questions like what type of print you want litho or digital? What paper will work best for your project? etc.
Save time by sending the right stuff
You need to consider your printer when you鈥檙e sending over your designs. It might sound obvious but printers and designers work in very different ways, so to get the best out of your printer you need to figure out the best way to give them what they want. And always organise your work well so you know where everything is. The most common mistakes designers make are in the supply of the art work.
鈥榃e often get stuff sent over as designer spreads, with no bleed or cutter guides and no imbedded font. There seems to be a general lack of understanding of the print process from designers which makes the whole process a little bit longer.鈥
Some quick tips to help:
- If it is a 4 colour job make sure you work in CMYK, (including images)
- Use layers in InDesign
- Always remember bleed
Know what to expect
There鈥檚 nothing worse than expecting the world and getting much less, so keep your expectations realistic. The turnaround time will completely depend on the project but it鈥檚 always worth building in an extra day just in case there are any issues.
听鈥淚t just takes a bit of common sense really – print is not an exact art.鈥
Always get a sample print (don鈥檛 expect it to be free, but it鈥檚 always worth the money). Colours on screen look different to on paper, and different paper can produce different results too. A sample print means you can spot mistakes and make decisions before spending too much money.
Top 3 tips to take away
- If you鈥檙e not sure about something call your printer and figure out what鈥檚 best for your project
- Know what they need from you and keep it organised
- Always get a sample print!
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