Pleasing Mr. Postman  

Designing something that will be mailed? Save time and money by asking the right questions before you start.

Sidles, Constance J. Adobe Magazine (1995). Design>Document Design>Prepress

Practical Applications of Print Design to Promote Visual Understanding  

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.

Codone, Susan K. STC Proceedings (2005). Design>Document Design>Prepress>Printing

Prepress Tutorial: Preparing PDFs Made from Microsoft Word for Offset Printing

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?

Bruno, Elisabetta. Designorati (2005). Resources>Document Design>Prepress>Adobe Acrobat

Prints Look Muddy

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.

Photoshop 911 (2005). Design>Document Design>Prepress

Problems with Colors - and the Solution: Color Management

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.

Thiele, Ulrich. TC-FORUM (2000). Articles>Document Design>Prepress>Color

Quick Footwork in a Dull Market  

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.

Sidles, Constance J. Adobe Magazine (1997). Articles>Document Design>Prepress>Paper

Roughing It  

Not in the mood for smooth? Consider going rustic with your paper and design.

Sidles, Constance J. Adobe Magazine (1998). Design>Document Design>Prepress>Paper

See Spot Print  

An in-depth guide to working with spot colors in Photoshop.

Amladi, Rita and Erik Gibson. Adobe Magazine (1995). Design>Document Design>Prepress>Color

Seven Habits for Highly Successful Documents  

To assure that your job flows smoothly through the printing shop without a glitch, this document presents seven preparation habits for highly successful documents.

Copresco (2001). Articles>Document Design>Prepress

Sheet Smart  

'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.

Sidles, Constance J. Adobe Magazine (2004). Design>Document Design>Prepress>Paper

Single-Sheet 16-Page Gift Book

Everyone loves photos, and by using a little creativity and a little planning you can make a superb photo album.

Showker, Fred. Design, Typography and Graphics (2005). Design>Document Design>Prepress

Successfully Merging Litho and Digital  

The merger of offset lithography with digital printing is a highly successful technique that maximizes the benefits of both technologies.

Copresco (1999). Articles>Document Design>Prepress>Printing

Taking Stock of Paper

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.

Dahlman, Gayle. Editorial Eye, The (1996). Design>Document Design>Prepress>Paper

Tips to Save Money When Printing Translated Work

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.

Bruno, Elisabetta. Designorati (2005). Articles>Document Design>Prepress

Tree-Free at Last  

'Tree-free' paper - made from fibers other than wood - isn't just a gimmick.

Sidles, Constance J. Adobe Magazine (1996). Articles>Document Design>Prepress>Paper

Understanding Paper Weights  

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.

Copresco (2002). Articles>Document Design>Prepress>Paper

When Good Color Goes Bad

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!

Davis, Mike. Design, Typography and Graphics (2004). Design>Document Design>Prepress>Color

Worldlabel

Download label templates, in Word or PDF format. CD, DVD, shipping, book, and many other blank label templates for designing your own labels.

Worldlabel.com (1998). Design>Document Design>Prepress

You Get What You Pay For...Sometimes  

Buying the quality you need isn't just a matter of checking the price tag.

Sidles, Constance J. Adobe Magazine (1997). Design>Document Design>Prepress>Paper

The Newest Tool for Technical Communicators: Redux    

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.

Mackiewicz, Jo M. Technical Communication Online (2009). Articles>Document Design>Prepress>Color

Ten Pre-Press Tips For Perfect Print Publishing

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.

Kramer, Marco. Smashing (2009). Articles>Document Design>Prepress>Printing

Printing and Prepress Basics

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.

Stanley, Brandi. Tuts Plus (2009). Articles>Document Design>Prepress>Printing