I recently received a digital proof for a small poetry book I had designed for a client. The following paragraphs describe the items I looked for in checking the proof. You may want to take a similar approach in reviewing your proofs. (more…)
Archive for December, 2011
Commercial Printing: Making Corrections to Your Files at the Proof Stage
Saturday, December 31st, 2011Custom Printing: Preparing Your Printing Job for Commercial Printers
Wednesday, December 21st, 2011You have found the custom printing vendor‘s FTP site and you’re about to send your files to press. With bated breath, you hope that you caught all the errors, formatted all the files correctly, and didn’t make any mistakes that will be expensive to fix. Before you push the send button, here are some things to check. (more…)
Custom Printing: Paper Choices Case Study
Friday, December 16th, 2011A client of mine runs a small publishing house for literary works: poetry, fiction, memoirs, and such. She has recently sent a book to a commercial printer for a short run of 100 reader copies. These are also called “galleys.” Reviewers will read the copies and make suggestions, then the author will update and correct the text. After this step, a book printer will produce between 2,000 and 3,500 copies of the final edition. The commercial printer will produce the short run digitally on an HP Indigo press. The book printer will run the job on an offset press. (more…)
Custom Printing: Digital Diecutting Transforms Product Packaging Workflow
Monday, December 12th, 2011For decades, diecutting has been a labor-intensive, materials-intensive, time-intensive, post-press finishing process. Commercial printers have had to wait for outside vendors to create the cutting dies and then set up and operate a letterpress or diecutting press to accomplish the cutting work. Even the die-makers have had to store raw materials–wood, metal, and rubber–in warehouses along with the finished dies themselves, which are kept for future work. So the die-makers must absorb the extra storage expense, insurance expense, and other costs of holding inventory. (more…)
Custom Printing: InDesign and Photoshop Tips
Monday, December 12th, 2011I have been doing more freelance design work recently, working in Photoshop and InDesign, preparing layouts for commercial printers. I have learned, or relearned, a number of tips and tricks that you might find helpful in your design work. Here they are, listed in no particular order but separated into two categories: Photoshop and InDesign. (more…)
Custom Printing of Photo Notecards: A Case Study
Monday, December 5th, 2011A client of mine is a professional photographer. Among other items, she sells gorgeous, full-color photo notecards of a myriad of multicolored flower species. (more…)
