Where To Start On Commercial Prints

By Author: Kaitlyn Miller
Total Articles: 90
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It is very difficult for some people who are new to commercial printing where they should start. The initial process and steps of commercial printing is vital for your prints, you may not necessarily follow the process word for word but you can at least gather enough information and initiative to start making your prints.

1) Start checking your finances and the general going print rate.

2) Make a list of your needs.

Try to specify as much as you can, a clear plan of action will greatly help you and your printer identify what prints suit you well. Being clear with your print needs will also give you a more accurate rate that you can compare to most printers.

3) Start writing your draft text.

Once you have made a list of your needs and know just how much space you have for text and images, you can now start writing. Start drafting and identifying their positions in the page. Avoid jargons that people may have difficulty understanding.

4) Initial but very important items to consider -

• Fonts

The best way to make people read your text is to ...
... have great fonts that are simple and very readable. Your fonts may not necessarily be the same old times new roman or arial that people see everyday but it must be readable. The size of the font also affects its readability being small fonts are hard to read while very large ones cramp the space and may cut some words that does not fit a particular line. You can ask your printer the best font size for your prints that are not too large nor too small and still readable.

• Colors

It is evident that colors attract people but did you know that colors also affect a persons mood? Try a little research on color psychology to understand the basics and to help you pick out the perfect color and draw up the perfect mood. Colors that persuade people like orange colors that enhances the appetite is an example. You can also use colors your company use for branding so people will attach you to that specific hue.

5) File generation

Once you commit to a particular printer, a general list of tasks on your end is given which will ultimately require you to create a design. The task however should be well defined and pinpoint their preference for file type and other important reminders to make the file print ready. It is always important to follow the specified file, using the wrong one may result to a longer print process. If you are worried that you won’t be able to save the right file because it is your first time with designing, you may ask your printer what program they are using for designing.

6) Pre-flight Check up

It is always very important to double check (maybe even triple check) your file before you send it to the printers. double check your text for grammatical errors or misspellings; your pictures if its in the right spot and you picked the right one; your colors if its in the right color type and your file if it is in the right type and has all the attached files to it.

The commercial printing process depends on you. You can pick out a path to take or choose only specific steps but always remember to listen to your commercial printer. What your printer requires you to do is very important.

For more information, you can visit this page on commercial printing