WOULD YOU DESIGN IT YOURSELF?

We created this article in response to our experience that some customers want to produce their print artwork on their own. Others commission a graphic designer, but even then it is useful to understand several fundamental considerations.

Advice for graphic designers and people creating their own artwork

During their first project, beginner designers—whether their objective is to create a business card, order a corporate folder or design a multi-page brochure—are almost certain to receive an error message from the printing company responsible for production, such as: “Because of this or that issue, the supplied artwork cannot be printed at an acceptable quality.”
The first cold shower is never pleasant. It makes some people step back and encourages others to learn more.

The basis of sending any job to print is naturally precise design, including exact page dimensions, margins and bleed.

Without these, an error can produce a faulty product even from print-preparation software, since the program cannot always recognise the issue as a problem.

Next in order of priority is perhaps the colour space, known in printing technology as CMYK. Both offset and digital technology use printing from four basic colours. Work left in the RGB colour space intended for screens is a common error, so correcting it is a fundamental requirement.
Font handling and the resolution of the images used come next. Image resolution is another sensitive aspect of prepared artwork, because a value below 300 DPI may reduce quality. A common mistake is inserting photographs sized for a screen into a document. Their resolution is generally only 72 DPI, which is unacceptable for printing.

To achieve optimum quality in printed material, it is also important to use vector graphic elements wherever possible. Adobe Illustrator is an excellent tool for editing them.
CorelDRAW, developed by Corel, is also a vector program. It is highly popular in digital printing companies and can be an appropriate tool for producing any print file. It is almost unrivalled for drawing and, not least, aims to remain affordable for users. It is also important to mention that vector drawings can be enlarged “to the sky” without any loss of quality.

Anyone who wants to design a longer, multi-page publication is advised to become familiar with Adobe InDesign, which specialises in publication design and desktop publishing. It supports master pages, offers an extremely wide range of typographic functions and works excellently with the other programs in the same software suite. Searching for the company names leads to the software developers' websites, where free trial versions can be downloaded to put every creative skill to the test.

If you encounter any difficulties, contact our customer service team. Our graphic designers will be happy to help wherever they can.

See the true colours instead of false ones!

When a company starts operating, one of its first tasks is to create a visual identity that is attractive, dependable and suggests a serious organisation. Successful colour selection and precise print preparation are among its most important communication elements.

The commendable efforts of people who prepare their own artwork are a good example of striving for a perfect appearance: they spare neither work nor time when creating designs for printed and other materials related to their business.

Setting colours correctly

An important factor requiring attention is that every medium offers different display possibilities. When ordering and designing materials for print, it is therefore useful to understand some information about colour generation.

Almost every day, our digital printing company receives a customer-designed document intended for printing that requires correction. A frequent error is supplying the material in the RGB colour space.

The basic process for offset and digital printing is the use of the CMYK colour space. This means that regardless of the coloured material involved, the final colour is produced from four basic colours: cyan, magenta, yellow and black. The processing and imaging system of the printing unit also interprets the percentage components of these basic colours and then produces the final print. Flawless production therefore requires working in the CMYK colour space from the design stage.

People with less experience in digital design often overlook this fundamental colour setting and create their work in the RGB colour space used by monitors. RGB can produce highly impressive displays—for example, on the screen of a digital monitor—but in printed products it may unfortunately result in fading and other incorrect outcomes.

We should also mention another characteristic of design work: most users work with an uncalibrated monitor. Average monitors sold commercially were not developed for print preparation. Without calibration—if calibration is even possible on the particular model—a difference between the colours seen on the monitor and those appearing on the printed product is virtually certain.

What can we do to reproduce the colour that appealed to us during design?
- Try to work on a regularly calibrated monitor.
- Do not forget to use the CMYK colour space.
- Take into account whether the material will be printed on uncoated or coated paper.
- Remember the slight darkening effect that a film coating may have.
- Allow for the base colour of the selected paper, such as off-white, pale yellow or ivory.
...and of course, request a proof before final production.

Producing a proof is free at our Budapest printing company, so it is worth requesting one for work where colour accuracy is important. This helps ensure—naturally within the tolerances of the technology—that the printed product matches the concept, does not cause disappointment and wins the approval of both the customer and their client.

Colour guide

Numerous studies demonstrate that different colours not only evoke emotions but can also influence human behaviour and decisions. This is precisely why marketing makes such enthusiastic use of colour psychology.

Graphic designers should also understand the significance of colour for the subconscious, because selecting the right shade and a good colour combination increases the likelihood that a message will reach its target audience. Below we describe the most important characteristics of common colours.

Red
Red is an intense, warm colour associated with passion, strength, blood and danger. Because of the last of these, it is used to attract attention and provide warnings in many fields—for example, on traffic signs and lights or to draw attention to a promotion, since red attracts the eye. It also increases appetite, so fast-food restaurants frequently use it in their logos and visual marketing communications.

Blue
Blue is extremely popular and is many people's favourite colour. In nature it is the colour of water and the sky, so we associate it with a calm, clean feeling. It is often used in business because it conveys reliability and permanence.

Green
Green is the colour of plants, so it brings natural qualities, closeness to nature, freshness and health to mind. Companies that place strong emphasis on environmental protection and organic brands are especially fond of using it. Because it is the colour of the dollar, it can also symbolise money and wealth. Its calming effect means that lighter shades often appear on the walls of hospitals and waiting rooms.

Purple
Purple conveys knowledge and respect and is also associated with luxury, prosperity and royalty. Because of its vividness, it is also credited with encouraging creativity. It is frequently used for beauty and anti-ageing products.

Orange and yellow
Like red, orange and yellow attract attention, although their effect is less forceful and aggressive. They also convey happiness, optimism, youthfulness and creativity. They are used to encourage impulse purchases.

Black
Black is the colour of strength, power, stability and elegance. It also frequently symbolises intelligence, but excessive or frequent use should be avoided because of its sombre character. In our society, black is also the colour of mourning and sadness.

Grey
Practicality, compromise and timelessness are qualities associated with grey. Be careful, however: using too much grey can create a sense of emptiness, uniformity and monotony. It may even be associated with old age, depression and death.

White
White is the colour of purity, innocence and safety. Using white can also stimulate creativity because it creates the effect of an empty canvas that “must be painted”.

Using colour theory correctly
Since colours are generally not used in isolation, knowing their basic meanings is not enough. Combining them consciously and correctly is essential for success.

Contrasts and shades
Contrasts are excellent for guiding the eye and drawing attention to particular details, so use them with confidence. Once the right colour has been selected, the next step is choosing the shade. Brighter colours convey more energy and are more likely to provoke a reaction or response. If a large amount of information must be communicated or we do not want the viewer's attention to wander, it is worth using paler or darker colours.

Complementary colours
Colours positioned opposite one another on the colour wheel are called complementary colours. Since they are as far apart as possible, they create strong contrast, like black and white. Mixing two complementary colours produces a neutral colour. Complementary colours can attract attention effectively, but they should be handled carefully because excessive use can create a crowded, gaudy effect.