I’ve worked in commercial printing for ten years and I find that most graphic designers don’t know what is required of a print file. Apparently it’s not always taught in school for graphic design.
Last week I wrote up a quick “How-to” that I could send to graphic designers to make my life a little easier. I got some good feedback from several designers on reddit, so I thought this is a class I can teach!
If there’s anything I’m an expert in, its this.
I would cover:
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the things you need to keep in mind before creating a file destined for print
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different printing processes you will encounter, pros & cons of one process vs. another (digital, offset, screen, sublimation)
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how to fix a file that is NOT print ready (most common mistakes)
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What is Spot Color and how is it different from Process Color (what the hell is a PMS color?!)
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raster vs. vector - do I REALLY need 100 DPI?
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I could even go into what it means to be “cut ready” anyone who has used the vinyl cutter or laser you probably know what this is, but I could talk about how to optimize paths or whatever.
So is there any interest in a class like this?
At first I thought that sending a file to a printer isn’t very DIY, but if at some point you need more than a few copies, or if you need better quality than the DMS copier can provide it’s better to send it out.