While print has declined significantly in favor of digital, it’s still alive, well, and extremely important. Unfortunately, a lot of designers these days know almost nothing about setting up their files for print. The good news is that this is a phenomenal opportunity for anyone willing to distinguish themselves by familiarizing themselves with the print process. Here are some crucial concepts to familiarize yourself with:
File Setup
Dieline
If a file is not simply printed on standard sized paper, the dieline is the line along which a customized print file is cut. Dielines can be any vector shape (although your print costs will definitely increase if you aren't printing something standard). Dielines are placed as a spot color so that you can create your designs accordingly, and then removed by the printer before printing so you don't have a weird line around your work.
Bleed
When you create a file for print, it's important to create a little extra picture outside the dieline so that if the cut is off at all, you don't get weird blank edges. This extra content is called "bleed." Standard bleed for smaller files is 0.125" and for larger files it's 0.25". Your cut should never actually be off by that much, but it's important to play it safe.
Crop Marks
Crop marks are often used instead of dielines on rectangular images. They simply indicate where the machine should cut.
Safety
As we learned with bleed, printing equipment isn't perfectly precise. If it can be off on the outside, it stands to reason somehing would get cut from the inside as well. That's why it's important not to put any critical content too close to the edge of your image, lest it get cut off. This margin is called "safety." Standard practice is to make your safety line the same size as bleed.
Note: This is more for your benefit than the printer's, so you can remove the safety line before you send it off.
Color
Process Color
The most standard and cost-effective way to set up your files for print is to use "process" color – which makes up each color out of CMYK ink dots. Process colors are used particularly in situations where lots of colors are required (like photographs), and it would be inefficient or impossible to use spot colors for each color.
Spot Color
Spot colors are special inks that are mixed to create a precise color. Spot colors are printed on their own plate, and are therefore more expensive. They are used in situations where precise color accuracy is crucial (for example, proprietary brand colors used in logos). Pantone colors are all spot colors. Spot colors are also used in file setup to define dielines and print techniques like foil, spot UV, and emboss/deboss.
Print Effects
If you want to take your print designs to the next level, there are a number of techniques you can use to make them pop. Here are some of the most common and exciting. To see these in action, Jukebox, our favorite printing company, has great examples on their website. Their inspiration section will also give you a sense of the incredible possibilities available to you.
Spot UV uses a thin, clear gloss on to create a shiny coating on your print creations. Spot UV can be used to enforce certain designs, or create its own design on a solid background. For maximum effect, use Spot UV on a matte background.
Emboss creates a raised second of your design. Emboss can be used in conjunction with other techniques and designs or, like Spot UV, to create its own design on a solid background.
Deboss is another form of embossing, where the design is lowered rather than raised. Letterpress – a beautiful old-fashioned printing technique – uses a special plate to imprint ink, creating a deboss-like effect but always with color added as well.
Foil stamping allows you to implement actual shiny metals into your print designs. These tend to be quite expensive but extremely elegant, and are available in everything from standard gold and silver to glitter and pearlized effects.
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