The Love-Hate Relationship Between Designers and Printers

Ask some printers what they think of graphic designers, and they might answer, "They are the root of all evil." Other printers get along with designers just fine, so what's all the fuss about? In reality, the issue stems from designers who aren't familiar with the printing process, its capabilities, or its limitations.

The biggest complaint from printers is that designers create art that is very difficult to printand in many cases, they design art that can't be printed reliably at all.

As a designer, you have only to gain by learning more about the printing process and applying that knowledge to the art you design. For example, don't create 5-point white text that knocks out of a process color background. Find out how close you can come to the edge of a page (a printer needs "gripper" space), or if you are creating art that will come to the edge of the page, be sure to add a bleed (extending the art past the edge of the page).

Undoubtedly, there's a gray line between what a designer is responsible for and what a printer is responsible for. But when it comes to getting a job done and there's money on the lineand a client waiting to get the productyou want to make sure that the job is done correctly. And the better shape a file is in when you hand it off to a printer, the happier everyone will be in the end.

I know that many printers value a designer who knows what they are doing, and will even refer design work to them when their clients ask whether they know any good designers. Turns out, I've gotten more than just design jobs referred to me over the yearsmy father-in-law is a printer….