4 Biggest Mistakes I See as a Production Designer
In 2013 – when I started my graphic design career as a section editor for the student newspaper – I already knew everything I needed to know about the job and preparing items for printing. Naturally.
I spent the next three years learning the do’s and don’t’s of print production, which was the most critical part of my job.
I’ve worked for print shops since 2018, and a big part of what has kept me employed by these awesome local businesses is the fact that they need someone to prepare the design files clients send. More ore often than not, there’s something that the graphic designer missed in the production process. My graphic design skills come in handy, sure, but technical skill and ability to visualize the end result saves both printers and customers time and money.
Here’s a list of the four biggest mistakes I see as a production designer. Each mistake includes context, the problem it causes, how to fix the graphic design problem next time, and bonus pro tips.
The print design is in the wrong color space
You probably have heard of CMYK and RGB in design, but here is a profile recap of each:
CMYK (left)
Stands for Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, and Black
Used in traditional “process” printing.
Values of each color are based on percentages of that color plate with the smallest value being 0% and the largest value being 100%. When printers lay the plates on a piece of paper in perfect alignment, they produce the desired color
Rooted in Subtractive Color Theory
RGB (right)
Stands for Red, Green, and Blue
Used for digital design
Values of each color are based on bits, with monitors displaying color in 8-bit. Bear with me as I math: Iif every single bit is either 0 or 1, that’s 2 different options. We use that 2 different options and raise it to the eighth degree since it’s 8-bit. 28=256. This allows for 16 million different digital color possibilities, with each value being 0 at the lowest or 255 at the highest.
Rooted Additive Color Theory
Most of the time graphic design programs like Adobe, Affinity, or even Canva default to RGB. Some printers have equipment and processing that converts RGB to CMYK; yet many – especially local printers – do not. This means they will need it converted to CMYK on the graphic designers’ end.
The problem
The printer can print your RGB item as-is, but you’re gonna hate it. When you print RGB items, they look darker and more dull than what you see on your screen. It’s noticeable, it’s frustrating for the graphic designer who made it to see the final outcome, and it’s frustrating for the printer who could be blamed for poor print quality of what is anticipated to be a colorful, bright design.
Notice the RGB colors look more bright than the CMYK colors. This will translate when printing.
How to fix it
To change color profile in InDesign
Edit > Transparency Blend Space
To change color profile in Illustrator
File > Document Color Mode
To change color profile in Photoshop
Image > Mode
To change color profile in Canva
Ensure you’re using brand hex codes as this is the best way to ensure your colors will print properly, even if they don’t look exact on your screen.
Share > Download > Choose PDF Print > Select pages > Done > Select CMYK from Color Profile dropdown > Download.
To change color profile in Affinity
Affinity Designer (or Affinity Photo) > Preferences (Color option)
To change color profile in Procreate
Actions > Canvas > Canvas information > Color profile
Pro tip
You don’t want to print RGB, and you usually don’t want to use CMYK online. Some programs have adapted to higher dots per inch (dpi) and color blending, but some will make your designs neon or way brighter than they should be.
There’s no bleed included with the layout design
If you want a seamless design, such as a full-color poster or postcard (or anything that’s not a plain white background), you will need to include a bleed when sending your print design to a printer.
Printers usually have to “gang up” copies of designs to keep costs down. For example, they can print 5.5”x8.5” postcards on 11x17 paper at four per sheet, or 4-up. When they print multiples on one big sheet, they need to cut the designs down to the correct size.
While machines can cut pretty close to the crop marks, they have more accuracy when given about an eighth of an inch (.125”) on each side as a margin for error.
The larger the item, the larger the bleed should be.
The problem
If you send over a file without a bleed, the printer may ask you to add it, charge you for having the in-house graphic or production designer add it, or print your design with an uneven white border.
How to fix it
Use the following directions to show you the bleed lines or white space in your design. Size up your design accordingly.
Add bleed in InDesign
File > Document Setup > Bleed and Slug > Type “.125 in” for bleed
Add bleed in Illustrator
File > Document Setup > Bleed (type “.125 in”)
Add bleed in Photoshop
Image > Canvas Size > After the height and width listed, type “+ .25 in” – this will add an eighth of an inch to each side of the canvas while keeping everything centered
Add bleed in Canva
File > View settings > Show print bleed
Add bleed in Affinity
File > Document Setup > Bleed
Add bleed in Procreate
Image > Canvas Size > After the height and width listed, type “+ .25 in”
Pro tip
When you reach out to a printer about a project:
Tell them the finish size of your project, or what size you want it to be when it’s handed to you;
Ask what the bleed size should be – larger dimensions need larger bleeds. Most bleeds for common prints like stationery, brochure, posters, and flyers, is .125”. Yard signs, sandwich boards, and banners may need .25” or .5” bleeds;
Ask what your margins should be – this is the “safe space” which is the distance from the edge of the document. Don’t test the margin, some items will get cut off; and
Ask if they have a template. For designs that are being outsourced, or items on large-format printers’ websites, request a template so that you can place your design on top of it in your graphic design program.
The logo or layout design content is not in vector format
On your computer where you’ve downloaded everything, images, graphics, and fonts are linked through the files. It makes it easier for you to make changes, but it’s less than ideal for printers’ computers, which process thousands of files a month.
Creating vector graphics allows seamless printing because the computers read them as digital graphic objects instead of high quality, complex illustrations. The same goes for text. Outlining text in your graphic design program allows printers to quickly print the item instead of having to search for the font files and embed them into the design files.
Not only are non-vector files larger and more complex, they also cannot be scaled at all. This forces some printers to sacrifice quality for distortion to ensure your design fits.
The problem
Files are in JPEG, PNG, non-vector PDF, DOC, PPT, etc. These are flattened graphics that cannot be scaled and that many printers can’t read for complex printing.
How to fix it
When exporting, select EPS, AI, SVG, or vector PDF options. In your program, convert text to outlines and expand artwork appearance.
Note: You cannot expand our outline images, so embed the photo and if needed, send a packaged file to the printer.
Pro tip
If you already have a graphic and font you love but aren’t sure how to make it a vector, I’m here to help! Fill out my contact form to see how long the process will take. For less than $100, you can ensure your graphic or logo is usable in any format for the rest of its life. Just want advice on how to do it? Drop me a line and we can see if it’s a quick answer or more of a consultation project.
The print design is in the wrong dimensions
You’d be surprised how many people send in business cards that they want sized for a 5.5”x8.5” postcard, a PowerPoint slide sized for a 4’x8’ banner, or an 8.5”x11” Word document for an 11”x17” poster.
To save time, money, and probably a headache, work with your printer ahead of time to determine what size your final layout design needs to be, and work from those dimensions (but don’t forget the bleed!).
Sending the wrong size file can result in costly design charges and a delay in printing.
The problem
The layout design is the wrong dimensions and the printer either can’t print it, will have to distort your design to fit, or will have to charge graphic design fees to make the changes.
How to fix it
Communicate with the printer! Every printer I’ve worked with has been patient and appreciates questions on the front end rather than delays on the back end. Make sure you resize the file in the program you designed it in to keep quality.
Pro tip
If you’re not sure what size you want your design to be, talk to your printer about usual sizes for the project you’re looking for and request quotes for different sizes. Consider, too, how much text or graphic elements you’re including – you don’t want your design to be overcrowded on a small piece of paper.
Need print design help?
If this seems overwhelming, I can completely relate! When I branched out from the newspaper world, I had a lot to learn about the process, and I’ve spent the time specializing in print design so that you don’t have to worry about it.
If you need help preparing your files for print or liaising with vendors, reach out to Humble Onion Creative and see how we can help expedite the printing of your marketing materials so that you can focus on your business.
