[badtz]

Greetings,

I've done many web development projects, and just recently I've been offered positions to do designs for Print (flyers, postcards, advertisements, etc)....


I'm sure there's things that are different between the two mediums, and was wondering if there were good websites that explained about print media? Or maybe just tips that I should know from users?


Any help would be GREATLY appreciated! As I'm new to the print media field

Thanks

[zubro]

I am sorry but I cant resume it in a single message...
The best for you would be to go and work couple of weeks at a printer, I learned os much by talking with them about the problems they can meet in their workflow because of "amateurs" graphic designers...
Give it a try, it is not a waist of time! :o)

Good luck!

[art_director]

Originally posted by zubro:
I am sorry but I cant resume it in a single message...
The best for you would be to go and work couple of weeks at a printer, I learned os much by talking with them about the problems they can meet in their workflow because of "amateurs" graphic designers...
Give it a try, it is not a waist of time! :o)

Good luck!

there's a little more to it than that but a few weeks with a printer would help to avoid many a pitfall.

as for sites, well, you're asking to learn a complex process in a short period of time. you need to work under some people and learn from them. that's your best bet. print and the web are very distant cousins whos families don't speak.

[badtz]

any websites that depict the differences well between the two ?

[art_director]

Originally posted by badtz:
any websites that depict the differences well between the two ?

no.

[sketch]

I'm in the same boat. I'm a web designer who picked up a freelance project to create a logo for print. I've been looking for such a site but never found one. I've picked up a few hints here and there but not near enough to learn the whole process.

I guess the basics is work in CMYK and save a TIFF or EPS; what you see on the monitor will not be the same as what gets printed; what comes out of your printer will not look the same as the printer's printer. I'm still not sure about dpi but DO NOT work in 72.

Speaking with a printer isn't a bad idea since you will establish a relationship and that may make things easier once you need their services. Now that I've said that, I should take my advice!

[eyevaan]

I am a printer - have been for a little while

you need Pocket Pal, released by International Paper:

http://www.ippocketpal.com/

It is worth every penny. It is published by a paper company so it rambles on about paper for the last 1/3 of the book. Insider trade secret: the printed piece means nothing without the paper it is one, don't skip that section.

everyone else mentioned talking to the printers. I agree. Printers come off as elitists - - - (and webmasters aren't? haha.) Just ask the questions.

but buy the book

no I don't work for IP...

[waxcrash]

Since you are new to the print world, the best advice I could give you is to have an experienced graphic artist look at your work before you send your files to the printer.

Teach yourself the basics like the CMYK color model, raster vs. vector images, trapping, dpi, and lpi.

When doing prepress design/page layout, use QuarkXPress, InDesign, or PageMaker. When creating vector graphics, save them as eps. When creating raster files, I recommend saving them as tif. Always make sure the graphics you place in your page layout program are CMYK or PMS, and not RGB. When you send your files to the printer, include copies of the fonts that you used.

[eyevaan]

great advise waxcrash

purchase FlightCheck too. I know it is expensive but it has saved my a** over and over again.

Printers get upset when you send them layered TIF files...

Effective resolution is as important as real resolution. A 150 DPI image place in a document at 50% is the same as a 300 DPI image.

Translate all ImageReady files to PhotoShop. Many of the tools are built for print.

[designbc]

Originally posted by eyevaan:

purchase FlightCheck too. I know it is expensive but it has saved my a** over and over again.

Actually, Acrobat 6 Professional does a great job checking preflight. If you have it, then you can spend your money on some books...

The resolution most of the times is 300 dpi for images. But if you have a 72 dpi image DO NOT CHANGE the resolution in Photoshop. That doesn't solve the problem. I've seen this so many times.... (sighs) Get a new image instead.

[Buckeye_Sean]

As a prepress professional for 10+ years, I agree with most people here that you are going to have your hands full until you get the hand of it. There are a LOT of problems that I deal with everyday because a "graphic designer" brings in a file that they want printed, and it is an absolute pile of crud.

Best bet is to try to gain some experience by talking to local printers and those in the business. Perhaps do a little sidework for one in exchange for their tutilage? Going from web to press is as easy as being a car mechanic and then going to work on jets.

Try this link - it's older but may help.

http://prepressure.com/

[godzookie2k]

As someone who wears both hats, and I'm told I'm pretty good at both, they're very very different beasts. Web design principles don't apply to print and vice versa. Basically, did you become the web designer you are today in a few weeks? I doubt it. It takes more than a website detailing the process to learn the process of print design. It actually really pisses me off when web designers take print work thinking its "easier" than web work, or thinking the transition is easy.

That all being said, feel free to fire off questions along the way, you'll have em, and we'll try to answer them. I'd seriously recommend you get an experienced print designer you know to look over your files before you ship to press.