Chapter 11. Prepress and Printing

Nothing is more frustrating than spending hours designing the perfect piece of art, only to have it come back from the printer not looking the way you expected it to. Many times, we take printing for granted and assume that whatever we design will reproduce in print the exact way we see it on our computer screen. Achieving consistent color across multiple devices is one challenge (which good color management strategies can help control). Even more of a challenge are features like transparency, Live Effects, and overprint settings; these can turn what seems like an ordinary print job into a weekend-long nightmare.

In reality, you need to think about printing when you first start working on a design. If you work with a printer, they will help you figure out things in advance, including spot colors, page settings, folds, and a host of other issues. Although there are certainly times when you don't have the luxury of knowing who the printer is before a job gets started, you can still spend a few moments at the onset of a project carefully reviewing the details; this alone can make a huge difference. Every job has its own specific requirements and you should always feel comfortable asking an experienced printer or production artist for advice.

Whether you're a designer or a printer, this chapter is for you. This chapter teaches you everything you need to know about printing files, using transparency, and overprintsand it leads you to expect the best results every time.