Print Design 101

As more marketing and advertising takes place online, the art of print design is being lost. We are acutely aware of this at Diace Designs, which is why we strive to be the best print designers in the world. When it comes to creating a high quality design for print, there are a few best practices to keep in mind—and a few common mistakes to avoid.

Print Design Best Practices

Start with the end in mind. Before you create your new document, consider what you want the end product to look like and feel like. Think about how it will be used and how it will be printed.

If you’re printing on a home printer, you probably won’t be able to print a bleed (where the color runs all the way to the edge of the paper). If you plan to use a professional printing service, be mindful of their specific idiosyncrasies. Every printer has different requirements; some will even provide you with a starter design file with instructions. When in doubt about what’s needed, communicate with the printer directly.

In addition to the broad strokes, pay close attention to the details of your design. Your font size needs to be legible when printed, and some industries (e.g. legal, pharmaceutical) have a particular minimum size that must be used. Always make sure that you are using the correct color profile in your design file (CMYK, not RGB) and that you leave a sufficient margin if you plan to bind your pages together into a booklet. Also be sure to set your resolution to at least 300dpi. This is critical to creating a high-quality print.

Common Mistakes When Designing for Print

The most common mistakes people make when creating print files are: using a font size that is too small or too large (11pt is ideal in most situations), using an RGB color profile instead of CMYK, and going for gloss. Although glossy paper sounds high-quality, in reality, it ends up being very difficult to read. Here at Diace Designs, we recommend a silk satin matte finish for a superior look and feel.

With this insight, we hope that you will be able to create stunning print materials of your own. Should you need some assistance, we’re here to help. Our print designs have won awards and multimillion-dollar contracts for our clients. We would be honored to create a stellar print project for you.

About Kara Franco
Kara writes copy that speaks. She has a knack for creating clear, compelling messages without wasting words. She is passionate about digital marketing and believes that copy is the cornerstone of user experience.

Copywriter + Content Strategist
Kara@diacedesigns.com