It’s Kind of a Process

As designers we have a process for everything. A process to solve and understand our task, a process of iterations to push the designing of the task, finalizing, and production.

Even though there are tasks for many aspects within the design world I am going to focus specifically on the pre production and printing process. Which will talk about spelling and grammar, print marks, file names, colors, fonts, and production forms.

Spelling & Grammar

Your designs are done! Now double check them for grammar or spelling errors, you don’t want to be the person who writes, “buzy” instead of “busy” or “there” instead of “They’re.” Just do yourself the favor and double check it. Often what I do is I give it to a fellow classmate or friend who I know is good at English and ask them to check for anything I might have missed.

Print Marks

You are getting ready to export your design but don’t forget to click the add document bleeds. Didn’t use them when you made the document? Then add them! You can add in bleed marks if you forgot to do so when you first created the document by going to (in Indesign) File, document set up or option + command + P.

Having the crop marks and bleed on your file for printing is a necessary thing to make sure the prints are cut to size and for any colors that may come off the page are flush and not speckled with white from no bleed being present.

File Naming

Now even if we do file naming, let’s be honest we still now and again (with personal documents) often do “holiday-cards-christmas-FINAL-v02-seriously-FINAL.pdf” and if you still do that with school or job files here is what I do.

When I am naming a file, specifically for school, I always use the first 6 letters of my last name followed by my first initial. That allows for my teachers to know who’s document they are looking at. So my name and then the project name and the aspect of that project that is in the file example: “smithj-personal-brand-letterhead.pdf”

Colors

This is a big aspect of the production process to understand because CMYK colors print out differently than RGB colors do. Always check to make sure that your file is in CMYK since you want to be printing in CMYK and not in RGB. RGB is meant for screens not print and CMYK is meant for print not screens.

This is also applied to images. Make sure all images in a document are converted into CMYK before printing.

Fonts

Fonts are not there for everyone to use even if you send the document with them in there, that font is localized to your computer. Unless someone also has that typeface then they will be unable to print the font and a substitute will take its place. To avoid having filler fonts you want to make sure to package them (as well as images) in your document files.

Production Forms

Pre-Press Check List

The pre-press check lists ensures that all aspect of the design are included and made sure are accounted for before being sent off to production. To make sure that everything mentioned above is accounted for and so minimal or hopefully no mistakes are made during production.

Print Specification

This forms is to make it clear to your printers of what it is that you want for your prints, this includes size, single of double sided, paper type, paper weight, binding, number of copies, as well as extras like if you want foil stamping, embossing, debossing, UV treatment. Whatever it is that makes your design goes here.

Print Estimate

You send this off along with the print specifications because the printers can then send you it back so that you have an idea of how much it will cost to have what is wanted done.

Knowing now all that I have told you about the process for production are there ones you might install into your own process? Or has it maybe inspired you to create a process for yourself? Whatever it maybe the aspects I have mentioned above are important for the success of a project and are things to not to be taken lightly and should be handled with care to make sure your work is produced to the best of its abilities.