subject: Designers Guide To Online Printing [print this page] Not every designer has experience with online printing. Unlike a normal printing company where you actually talk to people on a printing project for a long time, online printing is a more instant and automated process in a way. That is why it is important that you as a designer know and prepare a few things beforehand, to be sure that your online printing happens the way you want it to happen.
So in this designers guide to online printing, I will teach you a few important facts that you should prepare or know about. This will help you a lot in dealing with an online printing company. Trust me.
1. Know the software that is commonly used Since online printing means dealing a lot with electronic software for desktop publishing; it is good for you to try to know the software that is commonly used by the online printer. This can help a lot since you will be able to use their templates for online printing to design your prints a lot faster and easier if you have the same software. You can minimize any errors in converting your drafts as well because you guys will be using the same application. So it is very important that you know the software your online printers use.
2. Be aware of file formats You should also try to learn about file formats. There are a lot of different file formats for different types of designs. The easiest to use is of course the image design formats such as BMP, JPG or PNG. However, these image formats do not offer a lot in terms of design flexibility and adjustability. Document formats such as Adobe Photoshops PSD are easier to use since people can edit the design when needed once you send it. For proper online printing, you should actually send a combination of document formats as well as image formats for backup. This gives the online printer plenty of options in printing your designs.
3. When possible use the templates provided Template are really a great help in designing things for online printing. They not only help you get started with your designs, but they also help your designs become more standard and proper for online printing. So whenever possible, always try to use the templates provided by your online printing company. It will make your design and printing process a lot easier.
4. Do not use web images Never, ever use web images in your designs for online printing. It might be tempting since there are a lot of great and easy images to use from the Internet, however when you use these images for printing, these usually come out bad. Since web images are usually in low resolution, they will look fuzzy and pixelated even if you go for online printing. So never ever use web images. Go for high resolution images always.
5. Be careful and check everything before printing Since online printing has a lot of automation built into it, you should be careful and check your drafts before the online printing begins. You will not want a spelling error or image error to be mass produced right? So proofread your designs quite thoroughly before printing. Do it three or more times and have other friends help you check it. This is better than wasting money on flawed prints.
So those are the important things you need to know as a designer for online printing. It will be a different experience than hiring a traditional printing company, so be prepared and know what you are doing. Good Luck!
