Inexperienced DM Designers

Why oh why would you want to go with an inexperienced designer.

Oh, that’s right they don’t cost as much.

REALLY?

I propose that they do cost as much, perhaps more—at the very least you break even after you’ve paid for the revisions at the printers or the reprints due to errrors.

What about your time to make sure they get things right?

How about file set up?

Here are some things your designer should be providing your print vendor:

SLUG LINE:

■ File Dimensions are correct and match bid specs

■ Window size and position correct

■ Fold and perf information included

■ Special or unusual format information included

■ Note colors and paper stock

FONTS:

■ Correct fonts are chosen; not styled in application

■ Collect all fonts

LAYOUT:

■ Spell checked complete document

■ Folds and perfs are marked in FPO

■ Bleeds are pulled out

RASTER IMAGES:

■ All images are high-resolution

■ All 4/C process images are CMYK (not RGB or Index Color)

■ Signatures are high-res

■ All images have been cleaned up

VECTOR IMAGES:

■ All spot colors and process builds checked

■ Unused colors deleted from palette

■ Placed/embedded images included in print files

COLOR PALETTE & TRAPS:

■ Delete unused colors

■ Verify process, spot, and FPO colors are correct

■ Traps are checked

■ Laser text is set to overprint not knock out of background

SEPARATIONS:

■ Verify files separate correctly

■ Ink density checked

LASER TEXT:

■ Save laser text to Word document, if requested

■ Supply information to data shop (font, size, leading)

■ Be prepared to supply PDF (at 100%) for text layout measurements if requested

SEND TO PRINTER:

■ Document layout file

■ Fonts

■ Images (including placed/embedded/Photoshop layered files if necessary)

■ PDFs (composite & separations)

This is what I do as a matter of course on any given file. That’s what you pay me for. So your printer won’t have to make a lot of changes and charge you for them.

Is your designer doing this for your printer?

If you don’t know, you should ask. Better still ask your print production vendor.