http://tc.eserver.org/dir/Design/Document-Design/Prepress A listing of the most recently indexed works about Design and Document Design and Prepress in the field of technical communication. en-us Copyright (c) 2005-08 by the EServer. All rights reserved. tclib-editorial@eserver.org (TC Library Editorial Board) webmaster@eserver.org (Geoffrey Sauer) http://tc.eserver.org/images/newlogo.gif http://tc.eserver.org/dir/Design/Document-Design/Prepress http://tc.eserver.org/35455.html http://tc.eserver.org/35455.html A lot of designers think CMYK is the way to go when designing for print. We will, of course, always use CMYK-based ink, but this does not mean you have to work with CMYK files. You can work with RGB images to perfectly optimize your print colors. http://tc.eserver.org/35461.html http://tc.eserver.org/35461.html While art and design schools do an impressive job of teaching the importance of form, function, and how to use flashy Photoshop techniques, it's rare that designers have been taught the skills necessary to pass off their projects to printers so that they may not only successfully, but smoothly, produce a designed work. In this article, I'll discuss the basics when it comes to translating your brilliant ideas (and surely hours of your precious time and energy) into successfully printed projects with a printer, making it easier to keep your deadlines and maintain a blissfully happy and healthy relationship with your vendor. http://tc.eserver.org/34195.html http://tc.eserver.org/34195.html Discusses color properties and color systems. Re-examines and supports Jan V. White's advice to technical communicators to use color to increase document usability. Discusses what technical communicators should know about color to work effectively with professional printers. http://tc.eserver.org/31661.html http://tc.eserver.org/31661.html To assure that your job flows smoothly through the printing shop without a glitch, this document presents seven preparation habits for highly successful documents. http://tc.eserver.org/31665.html http://tc.eserver.org/31665.html The merger of offset lithography with digital printing is a highly successful technique that maximizes the benefits of both technologies. http://tc.eserver.org/31659.html http://tc.eserver.org/31659.html The system of paper weights used in North America dates back to medieval Europe. It is important to understand this system, in which 50# (50-pound) paper can well be thinner and lighter than 24# (24-pound) paper. http://tc.eserver.org/29667.html http://tc.eserver.org/29667.html Print design is a task facing many technical communicators. Practical understanding of the principles of design is necessary for quality print design products, but even this may not be adequate for producing print documents that users can quickly understand. Pairing the principles of print design with knowledge of visual communication theory will aid technical communicators as they develop print materials that are not only well designed, but easy for audiences to understand. This paper will explain both the principles of print design and basic applications of visual communication theory to provide a knowledge base on which successful print documents can be built. http://tc.eserver.org/29195.html http://tc.eserver.org/29195.html The three primary differences in offset printing and desktop printing (such as inkjet and laser) are the colors of ink and the way the ink is placed on the paper as well as the type of machinery used to accomplish the task. http://tc.eserver.org/26510.html http://tc.eserver.org/26510.html It can be very frustrating to see the logo you worked hard to create look deep blue on the client's letterhead, blue-greenish on his business card, and light blue on his very expensive envelopes. A way to prevent this is by using a standardized color matching system, such as the Pantone Matching System. http://tc.eserver.org/26010.html http://tc.eserver.org/26010.html How many times have you wondered why, no matter how much you save spot colours in other applications, you cannot preserve a spot color in Photoshop? There is a way of course, and this is what this article will cover. This tutorial has been made using Photoshop CS for Mac, but it should be OK also for previous versions of Photoshop up to version 6, and of course also for whoever has the Windows version of Photoshop. This is not the only method to use spot colors in Photoshop, but it is a simple one which you could find useful. http://tc.eserver.org/26007.html http://tc.eserver.org/26007.html Screen doesn't match prints? Paper affects density of inks? Open your color management dialog in CS and look for the printer profile. This should fix the problem. http://tc.eserver.org/25894.html http://tc.eserver.org/25894.html Folds are as important to your brochure design as illustrations, typefaces, and color. A smart layout heightens the drama with which your message is revealed to the reader. http://tc.eserver.org/25805.html http://tc.eserver.org/25805.html You just received this wonderful PDF from one of your clients. It was made from Word. On top of that, the client who gave you that PDF wants you to make some changes to the text. How do you make those changes using the PDF itself and what do you have to do to make that PDF press ready? http://tc.eserver.org/25457.html http://tc.eserver.org/25457.html When designing things in several languages, the cost of production can become quite high. However there are ways to save money and make the printing cost of flyers, magazines, etc. much lower. These tricks also apply when doing several versions of one job even if it's in the same language. http://tc.eserver.org/25437.html http://tc.eserver.org/25437.html Download label templates, in Word or PDF format. CD, DVD, shipping, book, and many other blank label templates for designing your own labels. http://tc.eserver.org/25151.html http://tc.eserver.org/25151.html Some pearls of file output wisdom collected over the years from friends who ride imagesetters everyday. http://tc.eserver.org/25149.html http://tc.eserver.org/25149.html Everyone loves photos, and by using a little creativity and a little planning you can make a superb photo album. http://tc.eserver.org/25155.html http://tc.eserver.org/25155.html Color expert Mike Davis of Colorprep knows what to do when color goes wrong... and many times it's the photographer or designer's fault! http://tc.eserver.org/24222.html http://tc.eserver.org/24222.html Traditionally, technical documents have been produced in black and white because the cost of color reproduction on paper is high. With new delivery options of the Web and PDF, color is suddenly available at no cost online. And new digital printers make color on paper increasingly affordable. When opportunity knocks, issues tend to follow. Writers will find that using color is a learning experience. There is a new alphabet soup: RGB, CMYK, GIF, JPEG, CSS. There are new buzzwords: spot colors, process colors, digital printing. There are new techniques for representing color in Web pages and in PDF documents intended for paper or screen. Our presentation focuses on practical techniques, not graphic design. http://tc.eserver.org/24044.html http://tc.eserver.org/24044.html Paper stock makes a big difference in the appearance of a product, and even though prices have come down recently, it's probably the most expensive element in your print run, so you need to make it count. Though budget is probably the biggest factor in choosing stock, here are several other considerations. http://tc.eserver.org/23405.html http://tc.eserver.org/23405.html The profession of the technical editor is rapidly changing, from the pure text manufacturer to a data manager, which leads inevitably to intensive occupation with the production of the final product: the technical documentation on paper or online. The color matching reproduction on the local screen or printer plays a new, important role. Particularly since the meaning of color in documents increases rapidly. http://tc.eserver.org/23132.html http://tc.eserver.org/23132.html PDF is becoming the de facto standard for not only viewing documents onscreen but also for printing them on paper. Acrobat 6 Professional includes better printing and prepress tools than ever before. PDF pundit Ted Padova shows you how they work. http://tc.eserver.org/22775.html http://tc.eserver.org/22775.html How do you ensure the PDF file you distill includes bleeds that are acceptable to a printer? http://tc.eserver.org/22555.html http://tc.eserver.org/22555.html Print service providers have historically been defined by output technology such as commercial color, sheet-fed, web offset and large-format. These print technologies by themselves can be easily commoditized. As the market begins to migrate to a digital infrastructure, Print on Demand – or POD – represents something far more interesting and important than technology for technology’s sake. POD hardware and software offer the potential for new ways to communicate business information. The primary focus of successful users of POD technology is building a services portfolio and positioning their companies to provide 'business communications solutions and services.' These users are looking at digital printing and the associated services as a way to decommoditize printing and increase both profitability and customer loyalty. http://tc.eserver.org/22514.html http://tc.eserver.org/22514.html Of course making custom page sizes if nothing new. But here's a handy InDesign CS trick for adding those custom page sizes to your Page menu so you can call it up at anytime. http://tc.eserver.org/22509.html http://tc.eserver.org/22509.html A collection of dozens of links to online resources in page layout and desktop publishing. http://tc.eserver.org/22512.html http://tc.eserver.org/22512.html Uncoated paper has a soft finish and tactile quality not possible with most coated papers. But uncoated stock also interacts differently with ink than it coated cousins. Follow these tips to ensure the best results. http://tc.eserver.org/22502.html http://tc.eserver.org/22502.html An overview of Microsoft image color management technology. http://tc.eserver.org/21955.html http://tc.eserver.org/21955.html Several years after the hype began, color management is maturing into a useful tool that can solve real problems. Here's a comprehensive overview. http://tc.eserver.org/21966.html http://tc.eserver.org/21966.html Designing something that will be mailed? Save time and money by asking the right questions before you start. http://tc.eserver.org/21959.html http://tc.eserver.org/21959.html An in-depth guide to working with spot colors in Photoshop. http://tc.eserver.org/21947.html http://tc.eserver.org/21947.html How to choose paper for laser printing. http://tc.eserver.org/21918.html http://tc.eserver.org/21918.html Picking paper involves deciphering a lot of arcane terminology. Here's a quick reference guide. http://tc.eserver.org/21931.html http://tc.eserver.org/21931.html Special 'blooper reel' edition: the author's biggest paper mistakes. http://tc.eserver.org/21946.html http://tc.eserver.org/21946.html Digital technology has transformed design, layout, and prepress; now it's beginning to change printing presses too. http://tc.eserver.org/21929.html http://tc.eserver.org/21929.html In the spirit of Adobe Magazine's Cheap Tricks Contest, a grab-bag of ways to save money, save time, and cheat fate. http://tc.eserver.org/21937.html http://tc.eserver.org/21937.html Save money by designing to fit standard printing-paper sizes. http://tc.eserver.org/21915.html http://tc.eserver.org/21915.html 'Tree-free' paper - made from fibers other than wood - isn't just a gimmick. http://tc.eserver.org/21911.html http://tc.eserver.org/21911.html Buying the quality you need isn't just a matter of checking the price tag. http://tc.eserver.org/21908.html http://tc.eserver.org/21908.html Picking the right strength characteristics when you're buying paper can determine whether your job holds up on press, in the mail, or in your customers' hands. http://tc.eserver.org/21904.html http://tc.eserver.org/21904.html Right now the paper market is stable. So should you relax and enjoy the calm? Hardly. Now's the perfect time to test new paper sheets and negotiate better financial terms with your supplier. http://tc.eserver.org/21865.html http://tc.eserver.org/21865.html Blank paper...could anything be more basic and uncontroversial? Who'd have thought those innocuous white sheets could cause such a ruckus? Learn what the fuss is about and why paper mills and environmentalists are lining up on either side of the presses. http://tc.eserver.org/21861.html http://tc.eserver.org/21861.html Even the pros forget the basics sometimes. Constance Sidles gives a quick refresher course on asking yourself, and your client, all the right questions when you're choosing paper. http://tc.eserver.org/21881.html http://tc.eserver.org/21881.html Adobe® PostScript 3 printing systems offer a variety of new features for better, faster, Web-savvy printing. Here's an overview of what they are and how they're likely to affect you. http://tc.eserver.org/21856.html http://tc.eserver.org/21856.html Not in the mood for smooth? Consider going rustic with your paper and design. http://tc.eserver.org/21882.html http://tc.eserver.org/21882.html 'Going against the grain' is more than a cliché when you're weighing the merits of one paper characteristic over another. Learn how paper's grain direction affects the finish of your jobs. http://tc.eserver.org/10754.html http://tc.eserver.org/10754.html Write a book this afternoon. Sound preposterous? To the contrary--you can create an information-packed, 16-page booklet using a single sheet of paper in little more time than it takes to type the text. Use it to market your product or service, to tell the story of your organization or to offer tips and how-to information to prospects and clients. Print five or ten copies directly from your laser printer or take your master artwork to a commercial printer and have it reproduced by the thousands. No matter how you cut, fold and staple it, this book is proof-positive that big things do come in small packages.