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.

It’s Bound to Go Down

We encounter books, magazines, swatch books, and information packets all the timeBelieve it or not you’re bound to go crazy about all of these ways to bind books. Now there are a lot different binding techniques and I’m gonna mention common ways to bind.

Saddle & Loop Stitching

Saddle and loop are very similar to one another except that saddle is one of the more common types of binding. Saddle stitching is when the wire is punched from the outside through the center of the spine (kind of like a staple but slightly different). Many magazines are are done in this binding technique. Saddle is also best for 8 – 80 pages and is a cheaper binding.

Loop is very similar to saddle except that the wire punched through the center has a loop left on the outside of the bind. The reason it has the loop allows the bound pages to be in a ringed binder. This is also a cheap binding option but is better suited for meeting materials and information statements.

Loop binding

Saddle Stich

Sewn Binding

This is a very expensive process because though it is a similar process and binding technique rather than using wire to bind the pages, yep you guess it, thread is used in its place. This type of process can be used for works 8 – 24 pages long.

L–R Saddle, Loop, Sewn

Perfect Binding

Perfect binding is a common one seen on many books ranging from 50 – 250 pages. This binding process is a bit more extensive which is bound to make it a bit pricier. This process includes folding segments of the book aligning them on their spines and placing them on the perfect binding machine. Once on the spines of the paper are roughed down to allow the glue to better adhere. Then after it is roughened it is ran over the heated glue and placed situated in the covers of the book.

Stabbed / Side Stitched

You’re bound to find this one amazing. Stabbed book binding is a fun technique to try yourself. The process can handle anywhere from 2 – 300 pages, yet if you do it by hand I’d suggest less pages. The way that the pages are bound are by rather than binding them through the spine and center they are bound through the front and back covers. The wonderful thing about stabbed book binding is that you can creative with your binding and make designs and shapes out of your binding creating intrigue and uniqueness.

Tape Bound

Being able to contain 50 – 250 pages this binding is fairly expensive. This method is done with pages, usually, being stitched together first and then adhered together by an adhesive tape around the spine.

Screw Bound

As another expensive option of binding this process holes must first be drilled allowing barrel posts to be inserted into the holes and screw capped off. This bonding is best for swatch books and hold 16 to an astonishing 400 pages.

Hardcover & Case Bound

Another expensive binding process that can hold 60 – 400 pages is one that uses many of the techniques spoken about above. This binding is most commonly used for hard-cover books. The pages are typically first bound by sewing groups of them together, then they are glued to end papers, and finally glued to the cover.

Plastic Grip

Plastic grips are 3-sided plastic spines that when the two outer sides are pulled apart and the pages are pushed in-between.

Combo/Plastic, Spiral/Coil, & Wire Bound

I’m sure we have all seen this kind before *cue the torturous flashbacks of rushing to buy all the supplies and notebooks.* These kinds of binding are all very similar and their differences are the material that hold the bind together.

Combo or plastic bound allows the book or manual to lay flat when opened. This is also the cheaper of the three binds. The document is punched with rectangular holes and then threaded with the plastic wire.

Spiral or coil is a smooth coil that allows the book to lay flat while also allowing the option to fold pages back all the way around.

Wire bound is weaved through the holes and allows it to lay flat just as the other two. They come in variety of colors and are durable enough for whatever kind of project you can conjure up!

Are these binds bound into your mind yet?

Now that you know about binding techniques you can have an idea for what you will need for your next project. As a designer, I know I have to know what is best for my clients projects and what they can afford.

Now go be that DIY-er I know you are and make some of your own bound books!