10 Essential Tips for Do It Yourself Graphic Design for Printing

One of the things we hear from new clients is how disappointed they were with previous print jobs that looked vastly different in person than they did when they got a proof on their computer screen. Graphic design for printing is different than designing for your website or screen sharing.

How can you make sure that the business card you see on your computer screen looks the way you want it to when it’s printed on paper?

That starts with how it’s designed! Take a walk with Peacock Print Co and I’ll give you essential tips to keep in mind when designing your business card or any other graphic project you are considering.

1. Don’t design it yourself!

This may seem like an obvious tip but before you embark on the seemingly money saving journey of learning graphic design for printing, consider how much time it will take you. How much will it cost you to have a professional like Peacock Print Co. design it for you? How much is your time worth?

2. Document set-up size.

You can have the best design but if it does not fit the size of the item you want to print, it will not turn out the way you intended. If it needs to be enlarged or reduced it can affect the image negatively. Make sure to set your file up with the correct document size. Depending on the program you are using it may alternately be referred to as “canvas” size or “artboard” size.

Colors are not created equal in graphic design for printing.

3. CMYK vs. RGB

Have you ever wondered why that beautiful blue color came out purple when it was printed? All colors are not created equal! A computer monitor uses red, green, and blue light (RGB) to make colors. In the printing world it is a combination of cyan (sky blue), magenta (hot pink), yellow, and black (CMYK) that create full color images. When you’re creating your graphic design for printing, make sure that you are in the CMYK color mode so that you get a true preview of how the colors will look when printed. If your design program does not support a CMYK format you will want your printer to convert it to CMYK and send you a proof so you can check out how the colors change and avoid surprises in your finished card. A warning here: we have heard that many printers (not us) charge up to $50 to make this conversion.

4. Software
This is a good time to talk about the proper program to use when designing. For best results you want to use a professional program such as Adobe Illustrator or Corel Draw that support the graphic design for print platform and allows you to set up your document size and color format for printing. Many tools the amateur designer has access to are either online design tools like Canva or their office tools like Word or Powerpoint. These programs will most likely lead to frustration and bad results. In fact, you may end up paying your printer to “fix” or re-do your design. (refer to tip #1)

5. Font size
Make sure your font is large enough to be readable. For most fonts, you should be using a minimum of 6 point type. If you are using reverse type in your design, the font size should be at a minimum of 8 point type; reverse type, for those who don’t know the term, is when ink is used to create the background and the type itself lets the paper stock show through. Always print a copy on your home printer to confirm the font and size you chose is readable.

6. Bleed margin
“Bleed,” in the print world, is the area of artwork that extends beyond the actual dimensions of the document. If any part of your design extends to the cut edge of the card your file needs to include a bleed. For most items, the bleed amount will be 1/8” on all sides. Including bleed prevents uneven borders of white showing on the edges of your printed product after being trimmed.

7. Safety margins
Much in the same way that bleed margin keeps the white stock from showing on the edges of your design, it is equally important to make sure that your text and any important information is inset so it doesn’t get cut off during the printing and cutting process. Like bleed margins, the recommended safety margin is 1/8” minimum.

8. Remove any non-printing guides
Removing borders and other guidelines is another step to take before you submit your art to print. Remember, everything you see in your file will be printed. You don’t want black cut or trim lines getting printed with your design.

Images for printing should have a minimum resolution of 300 DPI at the final size.

9. Images and Resolution
The resolution required for viewing images on a screen is much lower than is recommended when printing. Therefore, it is not a good idea to copy or download logos and pictures from a website. Resolution is usually measured in dots per inch (DPI). For best print quality, images should have a minimum resolution of 300 DPI at the size they will be printed. Using images with lower DPI could cause the image to be pixelated or blurry. Most computer screens have a DPI of 72 because we are just seeing photons projected on a screen (sort of).

After you are satisfied and have finalized your graphic design make sure to save it in a format that is compatible for printing.

10. Saving for Sharing
After you are satisfied and have finalized your graphic design make sure to save it in a format that is compatible for printing. The most universally accepted file format is PDF. Sometimes a JPG or PNG file is also acceptable. It is always a good idea to check with your printer to see which format they require for you project. The important thing to keep in mind when saving or exporting for print is to keep the high resolution (refer to tip #8 and #9), the color format (refer to tip #3), and include the bleed margin (refer to tip #5).  

I hope these tips will help you in your endeavor to create your next design for printing. Or if you decide to follow my #1 TIP and you want to make your advertising and business printing something that you can be proud of, email me at mary@peacockprintco.com. Visit my website MaryThePrinter.com or call me at 562-PEACOCK (732-2625). Mention offer “DIYDesign” and receive a FREE consultation to review your design AND $10 OFF your first order of business cards. (500 minimum)