10 Tips to Better Print Design

With these tips I hope to help novice designers on their way to better print design. The tips are for print design in general: doesn't matter if it's a brochure or a poster or a identity. In no particular order.

1. Remember to bleed

The bleed is the part on the side of your document that gives your printer that small amount of space to move around paper and design inconsistencies. No matter what guidelines they have on their site, the printer will use anything you throw at them. A .125in bleed on all sides is a safe standard for your work.

The settings in InDesign are right there in the new file dialog… but hidden! You need to hit the 'more options' button before they become visible. If you already have a document open you can find them in the file > document setup dialog. Read more in the article What is bleed?

2. Overprint is fun

Is your budget limiting you to only 2 Pantone(PMS) colors? No problem. Try to experiment with overprint options to get a look with more depth with a limited color palette.

You can even work with photographs with only 2 Pantone's, just do them in duotone or monotoneDuotone or Monotone?

3. Think outside the paper

The human mind fills in gaps and will see the bigger picture if you aim for it. Using the border of your paper can be great fun and another tool to work with.

Obviously, this is not the final solution to all your design problems. It should help you to see that your work doesn't end at the edge of the paper.

4. Paper size standards are great, but don't let them hold you back

Square booklets, for instance, make for a more interesting reading experience, while smaller sizes (Letter - Half for example) are much easier to take with you. Fly away from that standard Letter and take some risks.

5. People read

In conflict with some designers of the last 5 years I still think form follows function. This means in print design: If your working on something that contains textual content concentrate on the content.

You should use typography as a element in your design, however you should always aim for optimal readability.

6. Amount of content: less is more

If you have some kind of idea that there's too much on your page; there is indeed to much on your page. Define what's really necessary and remove any visual noise. It may sound cliche but it's true: less is more. If the client makes you cram too much content on one page, tell them.

7. Stick to the grid

Working with grids is the key to any good design. Using it's proportional relations, composition guidelines for the base of your design is a good idea.

Don't always go for the standard 3-column setup. A 7 column setup offers a lot of playful combinations… 2 column overlaps, a 3/3/1 setup with a sidebar and so on…

8. Typography is king

If the typographical setup is bad, no amount of lines or other elements will fix it. The fonts you use the most in your project set the voice for it's overall feel: don't pick the first font you like; think about what voice it should have and the best way to communicate this to your target audience. You can have a lot of fun with the basic well designed fonts: Helvetica, Swiss or Akzidenz Grotesk will save you from the worst typographic horror-scenario's.

It takes a while to get to know a font. A good way to get good with a particular font is to pick a list of 5 to 8 fonts you think could work for you and concentrate on those. That's also a good way to find out which fonts mix and which won't.

9. Invert

Need to give a bigger impact to a quote or logo? Invert it. White on black (or on any dark color for that matter) will always give your design or typography more strength.

Be careful with smaller type sizes (8pt. and lower) as these will be possible problems for your printer as ink always flows around a little when just printed. This effect is called trapping. Of course this all depends on what kind of paper it's printed on, printing speed and other factors. Ask your printer about exceptions.

10. Be demanding about photographic content

You should always demand high quality source material to work with. When working with photographic content for example the "trash in, trash out" rule applies. A good photo can take your work to another level, a badly lit low resolution photo will ruin your work. Most clients will send you what they have for grabs… most of the time they don't understand quality or image resolutions. Bug them a bit and they'll magically come up with better material.

View the original article http://www.printernational.org/10-tips-to-better-print-design.php

The Facts About QR Codes

April 2011 -- Data from a variety of recent sources covering consumers and their use of mobile phones, QR codes, and mCommerce:

• Thirty-­one percent of all U.S. mobile users have smartphones.

• Smartphones are projected to be in the hands of 43% of mobile users by late 2015.

• Many U.S. top brands are using QR codes. These include Starbucks, GMC, Google, Weather Channel, Best Buy, Ford, Pepsi, Facebook, and more.

• Thirty-­two percent of mobile devices users surveyed said they’ve used a QR code.

• Roughly 62% of those who have scanned QR code have done so multiple times.

• Seven out of 10 say they would you be interested in using a QR code, for either the first time or again.

• The majority of QR scanning in the U.S. is performed by consumers in the 35-­44 years of age bracket (25%), with steady adoption being seen among those 18-­54 years of age (84%).

• Nearly four out of 10 (37%) of respondents surveyed in late 2010 said they use mobile devices to browse or research products and services.  This figure has grown from 27% reported in spring 2010.

• Top uses of those who said they have scanned a QR code were to get a promotional deal (53%) or obtain additional information (52%).

• Mobile barcode (1D and 2D) scanning traffic increased over 800% from this time a year ago.

• Four out of 10 (41%) of consumers ages 18-­34 are using their mobile device to complete purchases of products and services with varying frequencies.

• Print plays an important role in the top QR Code campaigns.

• U.S. mobile commerce quadrupled from 2009, reaching $4.9 billion at the close of 2010. The top purchases made via mobile devices: Travel-­related products and services (31%), computers and electronics (20%), and apparel (13%).

• In 2015, shoppers worldwide are projected to spend $163 billion on goods and services worldwide via mobile phones. This will represent about 12% of the total projected ecommerce market.

Sources:
ABI Research, Mobile Commerce In The US To Reach $4.9 Billion This Year, Up From Just $363M In 2008 (Mobile Marketing Watch), December 2010.
ATG, Consumer Shopping Experiences, Preferences, and Behaviors, Fall 2010.
eMarketer, How Mainstream Are Mobile Apps?, January 2011.
MGH Marketing, QR Code Usage and Interest Survey, February 2011.
Mobio Identity Systems, Inc., The Naked Facts: QR Barcode Scanning in 2H-­2010, February 2011.
Nielsen Company, U.S. Smartphone Battle Heats Up, December 2010.
ScanLife, Mobile Barcode Trend Report Q1 2011, April 2011.

View the original article http://printinthemix.com/fastfacts/show/434

QR Code Resources

The increased adoption of mobile phones has fueled the growing popularity of QR codes throughout North America.  QR codes allow mobile users to jump from printed materials to online content with just a click. Below you will find some great resources to help you generate QR codes and download QR code readers. Of course, we can easily create QR codes for any of your print or web projects, as well. Please don't hesitate to contact us.

Create a QR Code Kaywa QR Code generator ZXing QR Code Generator Delivr QR Code generator Nokia Mobile Codes generator QR Stuff

QR Code Readers I-nigma NeoReader Blackberry QR Code Scanner 2D Sense Platform (formerly iMatrix) Kaywa Reader QuickMark BeeTagg