Designers have greater control – and responsibility – over prepress than they may realize. In order to design effectively for printing applications, you must first become intimately familiar with your tools.
Layout and Prepress
Same functionality as Quark but with better Adobe integration and PDF export.
Tutorials: Layers Magazine, Seneca Design, Video Tutes
Prepress application for layout of text and images. Can create single or multi-page mechanicals.
Tutorials: Openeye Training, Sketchpad.net, Dynodan.com
Vector Graphics
Ideal for typography, logos, illustration, clip art, and one-page mechanicals.
Tutorials: N-Design, HuntFor.com, BioRust
Similar to illustrator but with multi-page capabilities. (Formerly Macromedia Freehand)
Tutorials: VecPix, Freehand Source, Adobe Support
Bitmap Graphics
Ideal for retouching photos, mounting collages, and generating continuous-tone effects.
Tutorials: Planet Photoshop, Phong Tutorials, PS Lover
A lightweight and free alternative to Photoshop.
Tutorials: Official GIMP Docs, GIMP User Group, Tigert.com
File Delivery
The de-facto standard for delivering digital proofs and cross-platform, print-ready art.
Tutorials: Planet PDF, Designer Info, Tech Tutorials
Getting Started
When setting up a document for print, it is important to understand certain guidelines that help achieve consistency with sizing and color.
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