File Preparation for Print Publications

This week's lecture on File Preparation for Print is actually delivered in the form of resources (listed blow) that provide clear and crucial information about this absolutely vital area of the designer's skillset. The job is not finished when you complete the design – after that we speak of the printing workflow.

1. "How does commercial printing work?"
This video has been conveniently uploaded to You Tube by a small but typical printing firm. It's a good solid overview of the processes graphic designers need to understand in order to produce files that can be reproduced correctly on an offset printing press. Almost all large print run jobs (including newspapers and magazines still use the offset process. There are a number of other relevant videos to check out alongside.



2. Pass4press standards for file preparation
The other resources are based around a link to the Pass4press website which has for around a decade been able to provide designers working in the publishing area of the industry with up to date information about the specifics of file preparation. Almost all work for print is now prepared as pdf files. This is not just as straight forward as exporting your artwork as a .pdf file however and so the array of resources available here is an essential reference. Pass4press describe the resource as follows.

Pass4press is a set of standards, introduced and maintained by PPA, that ease the way for the supply of digital advertising to magazine publishers and their suppliers. The best practice guidelines detail how to create reliable, print-ready PDF files. A PDF file which complies with Pass4press specifications should require no additional handling instructions. Pass4press aims to increase predictability and reliability within digital workflow.

An important consideration with print is that there is an incredible amount of variation between the technologies that printers across the industry use. For this reason note the previous versions of the material on Pass4press. Don't assume your printer can accomodate the very latest version of the software or files. A key rule is always to discuss your job with your printer - it's crucial!

Check out Pass4press here paying particular attention to the Pass4press v10 Complete Brochure:
http://www.ppa.co.uk/resources/guides-and-standards/production/pass4press/

Although you are not necessarily preparing files for offset printing in your current project you will undoubtedly encounter this task early in your career as a designer. The level of technical detail and required attention to detail is however completely congruent with your current task of designing a downloadable magazine. These are vitally useful resources. Please make sure you check them out and reserve them for future reference - you'll need them I'm sure.

Finally, as we are approaching the end of the semester and your are all closely engaged with the preparation of the current project there is no specific studio research task associated with this week's activities.