Designers, learn to print!

It is a sad fact that most designers simply don't know much about the realities of the printing process. Well, not much beyond the bare essentials, anyway. Few designers have any real experience of working in the print industry. True, not many printers have a full understanding of how a professional designer works, but then they have less need to. They know what can be printed, and they have a right to expect to be given work at least roughly properly prepared.

If designers know more about what really goes on in a printing company, about what works, what doesn't, and all the reasons why, then they'll be in a great position to design more effectively. They can turn quirks and secrets of the print process to their advantage and, more importantly, make sure they don't ask for the impossible. This covers everything from the obvious differences between RGB and CMYK and knowing how and when to convert between the two, through to the finer points of media behaviour on the press, page imposition, and the paper-management aspects of work and turn, and so on.

The more work a designer puts into preparing their work for print, the faster and more economical the production process can be. If the designer gets this wrong, of course, this can put a spanner in the works and cost far more than they bargained for. The secret is communication. Talk with the printer, ask questions as well as telling them about your job. Develop a good working relationship and learn to see the printer as an essential part of the team rather than a simple production service. Your life will get easier and your clients will often be happier as well.