Solutions to Common Problems (pg 1)
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Multi-panel brochures should be designed with different sized panels. - The most common brochure is the tri-fold which has three panels on each side, and folds letter style. The inside panel that gets folded in first should be a 1/16" to 1/8" smaller than the other two. This allows the smaller panel to fold in and lie flat. If it were not shorter the brochure would buckle. A roll fold brochure has 4 or more panels on each side with each panel folding into the next. The cover panel and the panel right next to the cover can usually be left the same size. These will be the biggest panels. Each panel after that should get incrementally smaller by 1/16".
Watch for Font Styles Palette Mistakes - A lot of graphics programs make it easy to change the look of a font by using the style attributes such as italic and bold. These styles may revert to plain when the file is sent through a high-end RIP (raster image processor) used by printers and service providers. This happens if the stylized font does not have a printer font in that family to support the style. Check inside the font suitcase for the style types available. When making a word bold, select the bold font instead of clicking on the bold attribute. The other style problems are shadows and outlines. Text with these attributes will not trap, ultimately causing problems on press. The best way to apply shadows is by layering the same text box with a slight offset to produce a shadow or by creating the shadows in a drawing program. Outlined type should also be created in a drawing program or select a font that is already outlined.
Double Check Your Ink Color Names - Spot colors are often inconsistently named from one program to another. A color such as Pantone 300 is spelled differently in Illustrator, Quark and Photoshop so you end up with three different names for one color. When separations are printed, each of these names produces a different plate. To avoid this, edit the color names in each application so the spellings are the same in supporting graphics and in the page layout program. Always print separations of your project so you can double check the color break and number of plates. Preflight software such as FlightCheck will flag these problems for you.
Be Sure You're Sending CMYK artwork for Process Projects - The internet and color mode scanners use RGB (red, blue and green.) images. It is necessary to convert scans to CMYK (cyan, magenta, yellow and black) before the files are separated. CMYK is the color gamut used in commercial printing. RGB is a broader color spectrum so the colors you see in the original scan will look different once converted. Usually scans get darker when converted from RGB to CMYK. Conversion should be done by the designer so this color shift can be witnessed and adjustments can be made. Leaving images in RGB mode when sent to the printer means the file will take longer to prep and you may not be satisfied with the outcome.
Be Sure to Add Bleed to the Edges - Bleed is when objects that touch the edge of the page are extended 1/8" beyond the edge. For example, if a page has a background color of black, the black area should hang over the trim marks instead of stopping at the edge. Without bleed, slight shifts in the cutting equipment result in paper showing at the edges where ink is supposed to be. Adding bleed is usually not difficult. The problem occurs when the object that needs to bleed off the edge of the page is a graphic such as a Photoshop file. If the file doesn't contain enough image to extend another 1/8", it is difficult to create it. Images that require bleed need to be designed with this in mind. Adding 1/8" to a complicated Photoshop file can be difficult and expensive once it reaches the printer's prepress department.
Provide Folding Dummies to Signature - Making a folding dummy serves two purposes. One- it allows you to check your design and panel sizes in a folded down piece. This is an opportunity to focus on mailing specs and placement of design elements.
Two- it is a safeguard. There will be no confusion for the printer as to the type of fold you want. Even though the fold may be obvious to you based on the design, it might not be apparent to the printer. Printers see a variety of folding pieces from many different designers. Do not leave any information undocumented when communicating with the printer.
