Sending Work to the Printer

If you’ve ever finished a beautiful piece of digital work only to hold a dimmer, duller, less awesome version in your hand after printing, this class may be for you! Although printing something can be as easy as hitting “Command + P” on your keyboard, the process of printing is very technical, highly specialized, and varies from print shop to print shop, so it makes sense there’d be some confusion! In this class I try to break down the mystery into manageable, applicable bits so that you can start sending your work to the printer and loving the results. Here’s what I cover:

• What makes printing confusing
• Types of printing services and print shops
• Color gamuts, models, spaces and profiles, as well as the difference between spot and process colors, and how to apply them (yes, I talk about Pantone guides!)
• The ideal life of a printed project
• How to setup your files in both Photoshop and Illustrator for great results, and also how to review your files in Adobe Acrobat
• How to facilitate design work between a client and a print shop, and how to handle expectations, mistakes, and challenges

• Class Introduction
• Class Project
• How this class works
• Why is printing confusing?
• Printers: An Overview
• Color: An Overview
• The Ideal Life of a Printed Piece
• The Artwork Guidelines Checklist
• Resolution & Dimension
• Color Modes & Profiles
• Bleeds, Trim, and Safe Areas
• Assessing and Applying Color
• Fonts & Transparencies
• Exporting
• After Submitting the Job
• Thank You!