Most of the time when you need to print something you can use your printer at home, or if you don’t have a printer at home, you can print at a place like Staples. For extra particular jobs such as large volume (anything over a hundred copies), specialty paper, binding or trimming, you’ll want to go to a commercial printing company. Here are four tips that will help you prepare your publication when using a commercial printer.
- As with any job you pay someone to do, discuss in defined terms and even get them in writing, what you want from your commercial printer. Nothing is worse then commissioning a job thinking you are going to get one thing and then getting another. This discovery process will also help you understand what the commercial printer needs from you regarding the format of the originals that you want to be printed.
- Decide if you want to print in color before you get started and finalize the colors you want. Most commercial printing is done with a digital printer which can accurately reproduce millions of colors. Even so, you’ll still need to pick the colors you want for all aspects of whatever your printing. Having the color decided and worked out before you get started with the printer will save you a lot of time.
- Size, size, size, last but not least, maybe even the most important is the size of what your printing. Regardless of what you’re printing, it’s critical that you know, and you communicate with the company doing your commercial printing exactly what size you need. You may even want to go as far as holding in your hand the size you pick; it’s one thing to choose a size based on numbers, it’s another when you hold it in your hand.
- Keep in mind that typefaces are designed with different fonts to represent different variations. An example of this is that Times New Roman is four fonts, not one. These fonts are Times New Roman, Times New Roman Bold, Times New Roman Italic, and Times New Roman Bold Italic. If you are using the Times New Roman font and you apply bold or italic to it, windows will just use the font Times New Roman Bold. However, if you are using a font that does not have different fonts to separate bold and italics such as “Courier New,” then windows will create a synthetic typeface in that style. Windows will make that font look italic by slanting it. High-grade printers do not always print these fonts as expected, so it is best to avoid using them.
Commercial printing is a great tool and can be a great experience, as long as you go about it responsibly. CPC is a commercial printing company. We also provide promotional services for businesses throughout Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana and all regions of the United States and beyond. Give us a call for all of your commercial printing needs.
