VDIS10022 Advanced Graphic Design Studio - Lecture 5 - Fine points of the studio

VDIS10022 ADVANCED GRAPHIC DESIGN STUDIO Lecturer: Rachel Hawkins
VIRTU DESIGN INSTITUTE
LECTURE 5:
THE FINE POINTS OF THE STUDIO
ONCE ARTWORK IS COMPLETE

VIRTU DESIGN INSTITUTE: ADVANCED GRAPHIC DESIGN STUDIO - VDIS10022 2
The design brief focus in this subject
is packaging design, so we are going
to keep that focus in this lecture.

You, the designer, have fulfilled the
requirements of the design brief. After several
iterations of the concept and actual design,
the client has confirmed they are happy to
approve the artwork and the job is done...
but is it?....
What comes next?....

At this point the client should have approved the stock and
finishes as well as the associated printing costs and
it is time to send the file to print.
The fine points of the studio is what comes next - the final
preparation of the file for print. For simple jobs like business cards,
flyers and posters this is a quick and easy process however for more
complex jobs with dielines and other finishes there is a fair bit of
time spent in making the file print ready.
You work on the dieline from the time it is supplied however prior
to print you need to embed images, outline copy, check colours,
neaten the file and make sure everything is 100% in order.
The following pages sumerise these processes for you.
Also review the video links and supplementary illustrator
files for a better understanding.

WHAT IS A
DIELINE?
A dieline is used in graphic design as a placeholder for
assisting in the proper layout of a document that will be
diecut as part of the finishing process. It is usually placed
into the pdf or illustrator file as a separate layer for sizing
and orientation purposes. A dieline is usually not printed
on the final piece but is used to determine correct layout.
Dielines are also known as knifelines are exactly the same
thing, serving the same purpose.
Dielines are traditionally used when designing:
Envelopes, Pocket folders, Packaging, Stickers and any
object where a custom shape is required.
Printers usually develop the dieline to your brief,
based on the dimensions and sketches you give them
or provide you with a stock die. The printer will supply
you with an Illustrator file (ai.) or a PDF which can be
opened in Illustrator. The finished artwork file is usually
provided back to the printer as both an Illustrator
file (ai.) and a PDF.
TRIM—The cut of the nal piece
FOLD — This is where the card will be folded
BLEED—Extend artwork to this line to bleed
SAFETY—Keep important text and
graphics within this line

WORKING WITH
DIELINES
When working with dielines it is important to understand
the visual conventions and line presentations to
understand where the shape will be cut, scored, folded,
glued and twisted. You will need to identify which panels
will be upside down and right way up.
It helps to print out the dieline and make a small
model to help visualise during the design process.
Making a rough hard copy proof model is also highly
recommended for cartons where panels may be inverted.
To get started using your dieline:
1. Open the dieline file in Illustrator
2. Put it on a new locked layer.
3. Then create the artwork on subsequent layers.
Each new printing process should be placed on a new
layer also. For example gloss/matt varnished, foiling or
embossing should all be on their own layer. This is also
the case for different colouring. PMS colours should be
on a separate layer to CMYK colours.
TRIM—The cut of the nal piece
FOLD — This is where the card will be folded
BLEED—Extend artwork to this line to bleed
SAFETY—Keep important text and
graphics within this line

WORKING WITH DIELINES
- A CASE STUDY
QuickSlim is a weightloss product
sold on the Australian pharmacy
market. It is a powder served in a foil
sachet that mixes with water to create
a fruit flavoured drink.
The artwork for the product consists of two knifelines, one
for the carton and one for the foil sachet. The carton has a
spot silver badge (Metallic PMS) on the front and side.
Take a look at the following screen grabs of the artwork
in illustrator to understand how each finishing process
is setup in the artwork and how it is set up for print. All
colours are clearly labeled in the swatches tab. Images
are embedded and all type is outlined.
Download the Illustrator files from the Lecture
Downloads to click through the file further.

Spot silver badge
(Metallic PMS)
QuickSlim
Carton

The sachet artwork is printed on
a foil substrate. For this reason it is
required to print a Spot White layer
onto the file behind the areas that
require solid bright print.
QuickSlim
Foil Sachet

File
formats
for
print
with
Dielines
The best formats to send a
finished print ready piece
of art with a dieline is an
ILLUSTRATOR file and
layered PDF.
It is advised to talk to your
printer and ask what their
preference is for file delivery.
If you are sending artwork
that you need to have
manipulated by a pre-press
specialist before it is
printed, send the raw file.
This is specific to dielines
and other complex finishes.
.AI (best for files that need editing
by the pre-press specialist)
If you are providing artwork for
a complex job that involves a
dieline, you may be required to
provide the raw file. This could be
the case for product packaging. In
this instance you would provide a
layered Illustrator file with all fonts
outlined and images embedded.
In rare cases, a layered PSD may
be appropriate. The only drawback
to a PSD is the file size. Most likely
the file will need to be written to
a disk and mailed or uploaded to
an FTP site. Therefore if time is
a factor you may need to go with
another format so that it can be
e-mailed. If you have an option
when saving your files to send
to a printer try to avoid the JPG
format. If you use the PDF, EPS or
PSD formats your Images will print
better and you will be happier with
the results.
Remember that each new printing
process should be placed on a new
layer.
For example gloss/matt varnished,
foiling or embossing should all be
on their own layer. This is also the
case for different colouring. PMS
colours should be on a separate
layer to CMYK colours.

Outline Fonts In Illustrator
- Type Create Outlines
Select the type or type box and then go to ‘Type’ in the
top menu bar and ‘Create Outlines’. Creating outlines
means that the text becomes a shape and holds its
integrity should the font be separated from the file.
Embed Image In Illustrator
- Links Embed Image
Select the image and then go to the ‘Links’ tab on the
side bar. Press on the tab ‘menu options’ to get the
drop down menu. Select ‘Embed Image’. Embedding
the image can make the file size very large so make sure
the image is high res but the original file is only as big
(dimensions) as it needs to be.

When you design artwork
for print, standard
practice is to send a PDF
to your printer once it
has been approved by
your client. There are
several steps that lead to
this point and things you
need to do to ensure that
the end result is exactly
what you and your client
are after. Sending files
to your printer has lost
a lot of its complexity,
the universal adoption
of PDF, improved
software applications and
automated checks have
made life in pre-press a
whole lot easier. There are
still some errors, though,
that persist even in PDFs,
and that could ruin your
print job.
SOME QUESTIONS TO
ASK ARE:
Are you confident the
size is correct? Have the
colours been set to print
standards or client brand
guidelines? What about
font usage? Does the
printer have the font? Will
the printer know what to
do with my file?
So many things can go
wrong, costing you and
your client money. Below
are 12 Pre-press Tips that
cover the major aspects
for correction in your
artwork. Follow the steps
below to make sure your
file will be in excellent
shape for sending to print.
1. File names, filing of the
job and version tracking.
Every designer needs
a clear tracking system
for their files ensuring
information about the
client, job and document
version number are precise.
You should be systematic
with how you file work for
clients and always keep
back up of that work. It is
a good idea to include a
job description, document
dimensions, date and
version number in the file
name for easy identification.
For example; JAdams_
BusCard_90x55mm_Feb14_
v3.indd
2. You are responsible for
the design
Before you start designing,
make sure you have a clear
purposeful design brief.
What is the main purpose
of the design? How will
the finished product be
used. What are the clients
motivations? Who will
source the printer and
send the job to print?
Understanding all these
points will assist you in
setting up the design
file properly from the
beginning.
3. Proofread have
artwork approved as final
The odd thing is that clients
can be calm about minor
errors in the design, like
lines not being of same
thickness or such. But errors
in text are fatal. Use a good
proofreader, it could be
a family member, partner
or colleague but you
need someone with fresh
eyes and good grammar.
Once proofread and the
artwork is signed off, get
approval in writing from
the client. An email is great
confirmation. Unfortunately,
even if artwork is signed
off and there is an error,
changes and re-print will
be made generally as a
shared cost. You must make
sure your client is happy
in the end for future and
referred business. Get in
writing (preferably email)
final client approval of the
artwork before the job is
sent to the printer. Verbal
communication cannot be
relied upon if something
goes wrong.
4. Make sure the artwork
is the correct size.
Does the design brief
specify the size? Have you
checked Document Setup
again? Or the outmost
frame in Illustrator? Double
check the orientation! Is it
210×297mm (DL) as Width
by Height? Is it portrait or
landscape? Did the client
say an A4 because it looks
like an A4 or is it 220×286?
For ads, contact the
publication by phone, email
or web. Check with the
printers which is the most
economical size and how
many fit to a print sheet.
Always double check if you
aren’t sure.
5. Define bleed and trim
marks in the file
Bleed is the distance the
artwork needs to extend
beyond the final size of
the artwork and it can vary.
3mm on each side is most
common. In some cases it
may not be needed at all,
nor the trim marks, usually if
there is no colour or image
over the edge. Clarify with
the printer before you
Good
Design
Practice
12
Pre-press
tips

create your PDF, and open
the PDF afterward to check
inclusion.
6. Typefaces/Fonts
Ensure the typeface(s) used
correlates to the clients
corporate identity manual.
Are you using the correct
typeface for your client? Are
there any unnecessary fonts
that shouldn’t be included
the file? In Illustrator check
Document Info or Find Font…
and in InDesign Find Font…
under Type in the menu.
When delivering artwork as a
PDF for print there is normally
no reason to outline the fonts.
For advertising however best
practice is to outline the fonts.
7. Logo usage
Using client logos is
really important for brand
recognition so it is really
important the it prints
correctly. Make sure the logo
file is properly embedded or
linked for clarity. Ensure the
logo usage correlates to the
corporate identity guidelines
style guide. Make sure it is
in perfect proportion. Keep
the colour of the logo in the
right format for the media
used. For print, use the logo
in vector format if possible
(ai. eps. pdf.). Logos sent to
you inside Word documents
are no good as they will be
low resolution. For print, the
format should be CMYK, not
Pantone unless the work is
going to be printed with spot
colours.
8. Colour - this is a big one
Keep the colour of the artwork
in accordance with the media
used.
There are two types of colour
used for print. CMYK and
Pantone Colours (PMS). For
most digital or offset printing
you will use CMYK printing.
Therefore all images should
be in CMYK. Photos will most
often be in CMYK while logos
may be printed in PMS. No
colour profiles should be
attached to the pictures.
Your pictures should be jpg,
tiff or psd format. Avoid
eps. The reason: If you are
using transparency in your
artwork, like drop shadows or
transparent type or colours,
your PDF will most likely have
torn the photos into strips.
This can be avoided by using
the pictures as native PSD.
If you are including Pantone
(PMS) colours, make sure only
those colours used are in the
file. In InDesign and Illustrator,
go to the Swatch panel and
in the fly-out menu choose:
Select all unused and delete
those colours. If in doubt,
contact your printer. They will
help you and will most likely
send you the correct settings
for programs that fit the jobs
going to his printer.
9. Pictures sizes are big
enough
Pay close attention to the
resolution of the pictures
used. Most common minimum
resolution for print is 300dpi.
You should try not to enlarge
pictures by more than 20%
of the original size. This is
just a thumb rule. When you
change the size inside your
document you will change
the output resolution too. A
300dpi picture will be 600ppi
if you minimise it by 50%.
Way too high a resolution.
Enlarging too much might get
the resolution down resulting
in pixelised/blurry images.
You can adjust images sizes
in photoshop to be exact.
Properly managed image sizes
will also keep your file size
down.
10. Preflight the artwork
Preflighting the artwork
before sending to the print
shop is a must. If you have
done all the things mentioned
above, you have manually
preflighted a great deal of
what is needed. InDesign has
a preflight feature. Window
Output Preflight. There you
can see an overview of the
document, check fonts, links
etc. Also, you can see the red
or green dots at the bottom
of the window that indicates
various errors you may have in
your file.
11. Ensure the final PDF is
high resolution
Did you send your client a
low resolution PDF earlier in
the day? Did you remember
to switch over to a high
resolution output? Are you
using the built in PDF settings
of InDesign or Illustrator?
Ask your printer for PDF job
settings. The built in settings
are usually not what is used
for professional PDF output.
Or at least know which of
the built in settings you
are supposed to use. High
Quality Print and Press Quality
settings are tempting to use if
you want quality (because of
the names), but in most cases
you will have to use PDF/X-
1a:2001. Consult your printer
here.
12. File size
It is really important that
your final file size is not
overwhelming otherwise it will
make file handling difficult
and time consuming. Files
that are too big without
reason can slow the printing
process with more time
needed for the technology
to read your file. It will also
make transporting your file
difficult via email, or ftp sites.
Generally speaking around
10MB is an acceptable file
size. If the artwork contains
several large images and is
a large file then it may be
bigger. It is just important
to not have images that are
really large for no reason.

PREFLIGHT CHECK LIST: Check your file for the following
All artwork and images have been extended at least 3 mm
bleed beyond the finished page size.
Logos or graphics created in vector programs such as
Illustrator, have all type converted to paths or outlines.
The pasteboard surrounding all your design pages is empty.
No overflowing text boxes or images.
All images are correctly positioned and linked.
Live type and vital images are at least 5 mm within the trimmed
document edge.
All fonts are either included, embedded or outlined.
You have only used fonts that you intend to use for output.
Colours and images are converted from RGB to CMYK or
special and Pantone colours are specified as spot colours.
All PMS colour swatches that will be printed in CMYK have
been converted to CMYK values.
All issues with duplicate Pantone colour swatches are resolved
(eg. PMS 185C, 185U, 185CV) (Coated (C) vs Uncoated (U))
All unused PMS colour swatches should be deleted.
All black text is 100% Black, not CMYK Black (Registration).
Large black solids and backgrounds have been specified as a
Rich Black mix.
Varnishing and special treatment areas identified as SPOT
colours.
Total ink density is appropriate for the stock type: 300% coated,
280% uncoated, 250% newsprint
The document dimensions are the right size for printing,
folding and trimming.
Trim, fold and registration marks are included.
Overprint settings have been checked.
All pages are supplied as single pages – not spreads!
Finished artwork as a press-ready PDF with correct pagination.
All documents have been thoroughly proof-read and double-checked
before submission.

Grab a cup of tea and find
somewhere quiet
You’ll need a print-out of your
final approved PDF for reference
as you check your printers proof.
It’s easy to check what’s on the
proof, but all too often, people
don’t spot when an element has
dropped off completely. Having
both in front of you will help
avoid this.
Get a fresh pair of eyes
After looking at the same job
time and again, it’s good to
get someone else to check,
particularly when it comes to
proofing text. When you know
what’s coming next, it’s easy
to skim over words or fill in the
blanks if something’s missing.
Reading the text out loud can
help. This way, expression and
punctuation errors become
more obvious. Calling telephone
numbers and typing lengthy URLs
into your browser are simple ways
of checking these details.
Don’t get too hung up on
colour
As proofs aren’t printed on the
specified stock, please bear in
mind that there are bound to be
some differences between the
proof and the completed job.
For example, using an uncoated
paper will make a huge difference
to the finished effect. If colour is
critical, you can include Pantone
colours or request a press-pass.
Colour
Offset: The printed proof for
your offset job will not be printed
on the same stock as your print
job, due to setup cost prices. So
therefore, please bear in mind
that there are bound to be some
differences between the proof
and the completed job. If colour
is critical, you should request a
press check or an ISO proof.
Digital: The colour in digital
proofs is made up from the 4
process colours (CMYK), so if
your job is spot colour (specified
from a Pantone), you should use
your Pantone swatch book as an
indication of the final colour. If
required, a printed proof on the
stock your job is set to be printed
on can be provided.
Take plenty of time
Checking is easier when you’ve
stepped away from the job for a
while. Usually, there’s a day or two
between sign-off and receiving
the printers proofs. It’s far better
to wait a while to check a proof
properly.
Graphic Design Print Proof Checklist
PROOF CHECKLIST: Before you sign off your proof, make sure that you and your colleague
have ticked all the relevant boxes below. Mark any final edits clearly on the proof.
Spelling and grammar.
Watch out for words the
spell check won’t catch,
such as it’s/its, their/there,
your/you’re, were/where,
then/than, and to/too.
Consistent and correct
spelling of specialised
words. Such as product
or brand names, and
terminology.
Duplication. Check for
two identical words or
numbers that are next to
each other.
Contact details. Check
that contact names,
telephone, and fax
numbers are correct. Also
check email and web
addresses.
Product codes and
reference numbers.
Overall consistency with
other materials.
Logo. Check it’s the
correct version, alongside
consistency of size and
positioning.
General layout and
colour/imagery. If it’s a
product shot, make sure
it’s the correct model
and most up-to-date
shot. Check any final
retouching meets with
your approval.
Pagination. Is the
document’s size, page
numbering and ordering
correct?
Small print. Have
you added this where
relevant and checked the
content to ensure legal
compliance?
Punctuation. Is it
correct and consistent
throughout?
Has someone else
read the proof and
completed the
checklist?
Have you and a
colleague signed the
proof?
Have you marked up
and final amends on
the proof and signed
it? If there are extensive
changes, you may need
to resupply artwork.
Proofed Approved by: Proofed Approved by:

VDIS10022 Advanced Graphic Design Studio - Lecture 5 - Fine points of the studio

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VDIS10022 Advanced Graphic Design Studio - Lecture 5 - Fine points of the studio