7. Name three page layout programs.
Like the last two questions about programs, there's a huge variety of programs out there. I will list the most common and industry standard programs.
- Adobe InDesign. Adobe merged this with PageMaker, which was very popular for a long time, but with the emergence of the popularity of more versatile page layout programs, was changed into InDesign.
- QuarkXPress. Industry standard and my favorite.
- CorelDraw. I beta tested this, and it's come a long way. Can be used for vector illustration, page layout, multiple page documents, and what we use at my shop mostly because it's most cost efficient, talks well to other programs and works best with our Computer to Plate machine.
- Publisher. Okay, I'll receive a lot of flack for this one, but honestly, it's so widely used by the business universe that we have no choice but to print from it. I'll leave the rest of my critiquing about this horrible program at the door.
8. What is DPI? LPI? And the difference between the two?- DPI stands for Dots Per Inch and is probably the most familiar and most misused measure of resolution. It specifically refers to the printed dots (from a printer, imagesetter or press) that are used to make up an image. The larger the dots, the lower the resolution of the printed image. The smaller the dots, the higher the resolution of the image. DPI is calculated using the number of dots across a linear inch. A screen that has 100 DPI is a much lower resolution than one that has 600.
- LPI stands for Lines Per Inch and is also used to measure the resolution of printed halftones by calculating the dots in an inch. The lower the LPI, the lower the quality of the printed image. The higher the LPI, well, you get the idea. Standard presses will print at approximately 120 LPI. That's the standard we use at the shop (we make adjustments depending on the length of the run, the type of paper, and the actual image that is to be printed.) Newspapers usually run at 85 lpi and magazines are around 133 to 140. The higher the LPI, the less noticable the dots are.
LPI and DPI are a physical measurement of the number of dots on a printed page. When doing graphics on the computer (like Photoshop) dpi is often confused with resolution which is different. Computer graphics have a resolution based on pixels, not dots per inch.
9. What is dot gain?
Dot gain refers to what happens to an image once it's printed on paper. Since paper is absorbant, and when ink is printed on the paper, the paper sucking up the ink leads to the dot growing slightly in size. Think about what happens when you drip a drop of water on your counter top, and then when you drip water onto a paper towel. What happens to the dot of water? The water on the counter will be a bead of one size, the paper towel drip will have been absorbed into the paper towel, and appear larger. Newsprint being low quality and very absorbant paper has a high dot gain. It's one of the reasons a newspaper will be printed at a relatively low lpi. The amount of dot gain must be taken into consideration by the designer, so that the final printed design won't appear too dark or blobby. The newspaper that I worked at previously had a dot gain of a whopping 30%. That meant that screens that were printed at 70% darkened up to a full solid by the time they were printed. Compensation for this was to over-lighten your designs, never design using a heavy screen, and use as few halftones as possible. Print shops have a relatively low dot gain. At our shop, it's about 15%. We find we have to lighten half tones quite a bit to avoid losing resolution, and changing the dpi or lpi aids in that depending on the project. The paper we use is a much higher quality as well, so less ink is absorbed into it, resulting in a lower dot gain. Graphic designers should always get familiar with their printer, and print only at places they are familiar with so they can compensate for dot gain while designing their product, and the most savvy designers will request printing at a specific dpi best suited to their project.
10. What is a bleed? What must you do to ensure your design bleeds properly?
Bleed is the term us printing folk use to indicate when color runs to the very edge of the page. Printers and presses can't print bleeds, because grippers (the fingers that pull the piece of paper through the machine) need to hold on to the very edges of the paper, and printing to the extreme edge isn't possible. In order to get a full coverage look, we must print on a larger sheet size and then cut the paper down to the finished size. Proper bleed allowance (depending on the shop) is a minimum of 1/8" of bleed past the trim area of the design. Bleeds look really nice but are also more expensive because larger paper must be used in the printing, and more time required in cutting the job to it's final size. Bleeds may also require special care, like metal plates, slower running time and more ink, which all add to the cost of the job. I can't count the number of times I've had designers in with their finished artwork that has no bleed allowance. It's very frustrating, especially since when you explain their design doesn't bleed, they all look confused.
What you must have in order to ensure your design bleeds properly is a minimum of 1/8" to 1/4" of "bleed allowance" where the design extends over the finished areas of the design. The file must be saved to the larger size (not the final size of the job, but the size including the bleed allowance) and crop marks must be properly placed so that the production team knows where you want the job to be cut to.
11. What is a gutter?
The inside margins or blank space between two facing pages is the gutter. The gutter space is that extra space allowance used to accommodate the binding in books and magazines. The amount of gutter needed varies depending on the binding method. In saddled-stitched publications the amount of gutter, as well as the outside margins are adjusted to allow for creep. Not to be confused with an alley - which is the space between the columns of text on one page. And it should not be confused with margins, which are the blank space between the edge of the finished document and where the text and graphics on the begin. Bleeds can ignore the margin, but in addition to a 1/8" to 1/4" bleed allowance, most printed designs should leave a 1/8" to 1/4" margin before the design begins. That's a whole lotta unused space! And most designers ignore those rules completely. Which leads to text being cut off, or an unbalanced, uncentered look to the finished product. Which designers will blame on the printers, leaving us shaking our heads.
12. What is production ready (or camera ready) artwork? What must it have to qualify as such?
Production ready (or camera ready) artwork refers to a file that has been completely and properly set up, ready to be put on the press, or printed digitally. All colors have been made properly. Cmyk designs should have no spot colors. A spot color design should have no extra colors or be in CMYK (all which means, color separations are done properly). Resolution should be correct for the method of printing, bleed allowances and margins should be set up properly AND crop marks be applied. I would say that less than 10% of all "production ready" files I receive are actually production ready. And that falls to the responsibility of the graphic designer.
So you should all be more informed of the responsibilities of a graphic designer. You have a lot of work to do! And please stop blaming the printers when your design doesn't go according to your plan - it's in your hands. If you submit a 1" x 2" 72 resolution design with no bleed allowances or margins to be printed at 3.5" x 2" for a business card, you will get a grainy, incorrectly cut, non bleeding card, possibly with the text cut off.
Did you pass the test? I hope so, now get designing!!
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