But how can you achieve consistent, accurate print color?

Color Modes

There are a few different ways to achieve accurate print color. In general, RGB is used for electronic displays like your computer screen, and CMYK is typically used in offset printing.

CMYK

Most commercial printing uses the CMYK color model. Those four letters each represent a color: cyan, magenta, yellow and black. Think of it like this: you start with a white sheet of paper, then the sheet gets darker as more color is added. Combining the colors you have (cyan, magenta, yellow and black) creates a vast palette. CMYK is called subtractive mixing because as colors are added to the page, the light reflected from the page is reduced.

RGB

The RGB model uses red, green and blue color combinations to create a wide array of colors. RGB is known as additive mixing because you start with black, then add and combine red, green and blue light to get colors. The more color you add, the more light gets reflected off the page or screen. If you mix all your colors, you get white.

Spot Color

Spot color is used when you need a precise, specific color. For example, a John Deere catalog might use spot color to ensure they get that specific shade of green. If you have a specific Pantone color you鈥檙e using 鈥� maybe the 鈥� you might use spot color.

鈥淭he thing to be careful of with Pantone is that there is absolutely no substitute for a swatch book or an ink drawdown. What you see on a screen 鈥� even when looking at Pantone鈥檚 own website 鈥� can be drastically different from how the actual ink will print,鈥� Prepress technician and Certified G7 Expert John Myers cautioned.

Setting Yourself Up for Success

There are a few things you can do to set up your publication for accurate print color.

When designing, Myers recommends working in CMYK whenever possible. This is because art created in RGB colorspace will need to be converted to CMYK ink channels. This can cause unexpected changes in tonality (how light and dark the image is).

鈥淭he color you see on the screen is not necessarily what you will see on the printed piece. There is no substitute for printed samples or color proofs when it comes to knowing exactly what you are going to get,鈥� he said. Myers also recommended looking at your samples under different lighting conditions, like fluorescents, LEDs, natural light, etc.

If you prefer designing your publication in RGB, most programs will allow you to convert from RGB to CMYK. 抖荫短视频 can accept RGB images, but we recommend our customers convert to CMYK before submitting their files.

One common color issue we see is with font colors. Sometimes fonts intended to be 100% black will contain cyan, magenta or yellow, which will affect the color of your text. (CMYK needs black as a fourth color because combining just cyan, magenta and yellow will create a deep brown instead of a true black.) Fortunately, this is a fairly easy issue to check. In InDesign, you can use the Separations Preview to see if the black type contains other inks. In Acrobat Pro, Output Preview can be used the same way.

One more way to ensure accurate print color is by seeing the product for yourself. Myers recommended visiting for a press check if possible.

鈥淧rinting is infinitely more complicated than it can seem from the outside and getting an inside look at what goes into creating the finished piece is invaluable. Come to the plant and watch the presses run, give input on color on the fly, and learn more about how the sausage is made, so to speak.鈥�

Precise Printing

We鈥檝e used the term 鈥淕7 certified鈥� a lot. But what does it mean?

The G7 certification program is an international calibration methodology that helps ensure uniform color across all print mediums. When a commercial printer achieves G7 certification, it shows their commitment to quality and consistency. G7 qualification is issued according to three distinct compliance levels. The qualification is issued to the facility 鈥� for example, 抖荫短视频鈥檚 plants in Fulton, Missouri, Ripon, Wisconsin, and Saint Joseph, Michigan, achieved G7 certification independently. A printer must meet the requirements for each G7 compliance level to achieve .

G7 Grayscale: The fundamental level of G7, this compliance level ensures that neutral tones are calibrated to match with the ideal G7 neutral density curve. Successfully printing these colors makes it far more likely a printer can recreate other colors across the CMYK spectrum.

G7 Targeted: This level is achieved when Grayscale compliance is met, and the solid ink measurements for primary and secondary colors (CMY and RGB) and substrate colors are within the spec of the G7-based color targets.

G7 Colorspace: This level demonstrates that extremely tight tolerances are maintained throughout the entire color spectrum, using an entire IT8.7/4 target. This level is also divided into printing and proofing processes, with stricter requirements for proofing.

A G7 certification means you can expect excellent on your printed project.

The Importance of Proofs

鈥淭he biggest concern for getting color right is consistency,鈥� Myers said. 鈥淚f you want one printed piece to match another or to match a physical product, you need to be very careful about how the art is built and supplied to the printer. Once again, there is no substitute for printed samples or color proofs when it comes to knowing exactly what you are going to get. Things like lighting can play a very important role If you’re looking at something under fluorescence versus natural light or incandescent.鈥�

If you鈥檙e serious about creating an exact color profile, it鈥檚 important to carefully proof your product, as there are many factors in the printing process that can affect how colors appear. 鈥淚n the industry, we also talk about paper as being the fifth color, because the substrate you print on can be wildly different from another. You could print the same page on the same press on two different substrates, and they could look wildly different depending on the quality of the paper and what kind of optical brighteners are used,鈥� said Myers.

Getting It Right With 抖荫短视频

You want your colors to be perfect. Getting accurate print color is important to 抖荫短视频. Our G7-certified facilities and experts can help ensure you receive a product that looks great. Reach out and one of our dedicated Sales Representatives will be in touch.

The post Color Correct: Why and How to Achieve Accurate Color Representation in Print appeared first on 抖荫短视频.

About CreativePro Week

CreativePro Week was hosted from July 8-12 in Washington D.C. this year. The conference is planned for and hosted by creative professionals who design, create or edit in Adobe InDesign, Photoshop, Illustrator, Acrobat or Microsoft PowerPoint. This year featured 30+ expert speakers and over 75 informative sessions.

About James Wamser

James Wamser is an Adobe Certified Expert and Instructor. Wamser serves as a Customer Education Specialist at 抖荫短视频鈥檚 Ripon, Wisconsin, facility. Since 2004, he has also taught InDesign, Illustrator and Photoshop at and chairs the Milwaukee InDesign User Group. Wamser is widely recognized for his expertise and regularly presents at seminars and workshops, sharing his knowledge and insights.

Getting It Right, Right From the Start

James presented his session over best practices for setting up your print design files at 9:15 A.M. Wednesday, July 10. Here are some of the key takeaways from James’ presentation:

• Utilize Quick Start Guides: 抖荫短视频 offers a variety of downloadable guides covering essential topics like exporting PDFs, creating perfect bound covers and setting drill hole allowances. These guides can be found at .
• Setting Up Your Document: Always build your document to the final trim size. If you’re updating an existing document, double-check the trim size, margins and bleed settings. James recommends using a minimum margin of 鈪� inch and setting the bleed to 鈪� inch as well. If your project involves drilling, be sure to factor in enough margin space. Additionally, only use CMYK colors unless your project specifically requires Pantone inks.
• The Power of Templates: Templates can be a huge time-saver and can help you achieve a flawless layout from the get-go. While some templates can be found online, it’s preferable to obtain them from your commercial printer. These templates will have the correct specifications tailored to your specific project. Templates are especially helpful for letterfold prints (where all three sides shouldn’t be identical) and perfect bound covers (which require reserving space for the spine).
• Optimizing PDF Exports: Always consult your commercial printing partner for recommended PDF export settings. These settings ensure your design files function properly within their printing system and typically encompass factors like margins, bleed and marks, color conversion and more.
• Double-Checking with Acrobat Pro: If you’re using Adobe Acrobat Pro, you can use the preflighting features to verify your document’s setup. Key areas to check include trim size (set page boxes), bleeds and margins, image resolution, font embedding and ink usage (using the output preview function).
• New Feature Guides: James has compiled extensive New Feature Guides for , and .

James鈥� session also included live demonstrations of these InDesign best practices, as well as a short Q&A session. If you weren鈥檛 able to attend, you can watch the recorded session on the .

About 抖荫短视频

抖荫短视频 is a commercial printing company that specializes in books, magazines and catalogs. With a team of experts just like James on our side, we鈥檙e dedicated to providing publishers and creative minds with the tools they need to produce high-quality, beautifully designed printed products. For more information about what 抖荫短视频 can do for you, get in touch with us today.

The post CreativePro Week: Getting It Right, Right From the Start With James Wamser appeared first on 抖荫短视频.

Design Trends of 2024

According to industry leaders like Adobe and Canva, the design trends of 2024 encompass a diverse range of styles and elements. From 3D type to vintage minimalism, the spectrum is wide and varied. Let’s break down some of these trends:

3D Type and Bubble Text: As the name suggests, this trend involves using three-dimensional elements and bubbly text to add depth and vibrancy to designs.

Color Clashing and Curves: Bold, vibrant colors are in, along with curved edges and shapes that catch the eye and make designs pop.

70s Nostalgia: Embracing the retro vibes of the 70s, this trend brings back vintage aesthetics with a modern twist.

Vintage Minimalism: Clean, minimalistic designs with a touch of vintage flair are gaining popularity, offering a balance of simplicity and elegance.

Anti-Design: This avant-garde trend challenges traditional design norms with chaotic and cluttered layouts, creating impactful visuals with purposeful intent.

Abstract Gradients and Color Transitions: Gradients are making a comeback, with subtle transitions and abstract color schemes adding depth and dimension to designs.

Geometry: While not necessarily a new trend, geometry remains a staple in design, offering structure and balance to compositions.

Illustration and Logo Mascots: Custom illustrations and mascot logos are becoming increasingly popular, adding personality and uniqueness to brands.

Applying Design Trends to Publications

So how do these trends translate to the world of publications? While it’s essential to stay informed about design trends, it’s equally important to consider their relevance to your audience and brand identity. Here are some key design trends specific to publications, and how you can incorporate them effectively:

Bold Typography: Make your headlines stand out with bold typography that doubles as a visual element, drawing readers into your content.

Large and Filled-Frame Photography: Use striking, full-page photos to capture attention and add visual impact to your spreads.

Experimental Grid Layouts: Break free from traditional grid structures and explore innovative layouts that enhance the visual storytelling of your publication.

Minimalism and Clean Layouts: Embrace simplicity while maintaining visual interest through clean, whitespace-heavy layouts that allow your content to shine.

Pops of Color: Add excitement to your designs with strategically placed splashes of color that highlight key elements and create focal points.

Design Principles: The Backbone of Great Design

While trends come and go, design principles remain constant. Here are some key principles to keep in mind when crafting your publication designs:

Balance: Ensure visual equilibrium by distributing elements evenly throughout your layout.

Alignment: Keep elements organized and visually connected by aligning them along a common axis.

Visual Hierarchy: Establish a clear visual hierarchy to guide the viewer’s attention and emphasize key content.

Repetition: Create visual consistency and reinforce branding elements through repeated use of colors, patterns, and fonts.

Contrast: Use contrasting elements to create visual interest and make important content stand out.

Proximity: Group related elements together to establish relationships and improve readability.

Putting It All Together

Now, let’s apply these principles and trends to some sample spreads. Watch our recorded, free webinar to see these principles and trends in use. From clean and minimalist designs to bold and experimental layouts, there’s no shortage of inspiration. Remember to consider your audience and brand identity when experimenting with design trends.

Elevate Your Publication With These Design Tips

Design trends may come and go, but the principles of good design endure. By staying informed about current trends and applying timeless design principles, you can create visually stunning publications that captivate your audience. So go ahead, unleash your creativity and let your designs make a statement in 2024 and beyond!

The post Publication Design: Navigating the Creative Landscape of 2024 appeared first on 抖荫短视频.

Choosing the Right Tool: Adobe InDesign

Adobe InDesign stands out as the industry-standard software for magazine layout design. Its robust features make it well-suited for handling complex layouts, ensuring a seamless workflow for professionals. Begin by setting up your document with the appropriate specifications, such as page size, margins and bleed settings. It鈥檚 easy to get set up by using our quick start guides. Familiarizing yourself with InDesign’s tools and functionalities is crucial for efficient and effective design.

Understanding Specifications: Size, Bleed, and Margins

Before diving into the creative process, make sure you understand the specifications for your magazine layout. Consider the standard sizes for magazines and choose one that aligns with your content and audience preferences. Incorporate a bleed 鈥� an extra margin beyond the edge of your page 鈥� to accommodate printing and trimming variations.

Set up proper margins to ensure a balanced and aesthetically pleasing design while leaving room for important elements like headers and footers. Your printing partner will most likely have a standard set of specifications to follow to ensure your design is printed accurately.

Page Structure: Grids and Columns

Establishing a grid system is fundamental to a well-organized magazine layout. Divide your pages into columns to create a structure that guides the placement of elements consistently. This grid system helps maintain a visual hierarchy, making it easier for readers to navigate your content. Adobe InDesign provides easy-to-use tools for setting up grids, allowing for flexibility and precision in your design.

Placing Copy: Headlines, Subheadings, and Body Text

Strategic placement of copy is crucial for conveying your message effectively. Start with compelling headlines that capture attention and provide a glimpse into the content. Use subheadings to break down sections and improve readability. When placing body text, pay attention to font choice, size and spacing.

Consistency in typography across your magazine helps improve readability while also establishing your brand image.

Image Placement: Balance and Alignment

Images play a pivotal role in magazine design, adding visual interest and complementing your written content. Ensure high-quality images that resonate with your audience and enhance your message. Balance image placement across pages, avoiding overcrowding or isolation. Align images with text and maintain a consistent style to create a balanced and pleasing visual experience.

Typography: Font Choices and Styles

Typography is a critical aspect of magazine layout design. Choose fonts that contribute to the overall aesthetic of your publication. Consider using a combination of fonts for headlines, subheadings and body text to create a distinct hierarchy while also adding variety. Use styling such as bold, italics and underline, when appropriate, to emphasize key points and create visual contrast.

Once you鈥檝e found the perfect style for your magazine, it鈥檚 easy to save those specifications for future editions. 鈥淭o save time and provide consistency, we recommend using Character, Paragraph and Object Style sheets,鈥� says James Wamser, Adobe Certified Expert. 鈥淥nce you create the various style sheets you can use them to quickly make changes in this and other documents.鈥�

Color Scheme: Consistency and Branding

Selecting a cohesive color scheme enhances the overall aesthetics of your magazine layout. Align the colors with your brand identity and maintain consistency throughout the publication. Use color strategically to highlight important elements and guide the reader’s focus.

Review and Test: Proofreading and Digital Previews

Before finalizing your magazine layout, conduct thorough reviews. Proofread all text to eliminate typos and grammatical errors (you can use InDesign鈥檚 native spell-check feature in the edit menu). Take advantage of InDesign’s preview options to assess how your layout will appear in print and on various digital devices. Testing your design ensures a polished and error-free final product.

Once you鈥檙e satisfied with your magazine layout, export your document in a high-resolution format compatible with your chosen printing service, typically in a PDF format.

Design Your Perfect Magazine with 抖荫短视频

Designing a magazine layout certainly has a learning curve, but is by no means impossible. With a little practice and by leveraging tools like Adobe InDesign, adhering to specifications and mastering the art of placing copy and images, you can create an attractive and impactful publication. Remember, the key to success lies in a well-balanced approach that aligns with your audience’s preferences and your organization’s branding.

As you embark on your magazine design journey, 抖荫短视频 stands ready to support your vision with expert design and printing services. We provide PDF Export Settings that we encourage our customers to use and are available from our website. Plus, If you’re already working with a printing partner, 抖荫短视频 makes it easy to switch. Contact us today to explore how our team can bring your magazine to life, ensuring it leaves a lasting impression on its readers.

The post How To Design a Magazine Layout: A Practical Guide for B2B Professionals appeared first on 抖荫短视频.

• Establishes the reader鈥檚 first impression of the book
• Helps the book stand out on a crowded retail shelf, real or virtual
• Communicates important information about the book鈥檚 content and genre
• Piques the reader鈥檚 curiosity and encourages them to pick up the book
• Creates a unifying brand for an author or series

In short, readers do judge a book by its cover. While compelling titles and subtitles are obviously key essentials for success, book cover design also plays a vital role. Choosing the right image, typography and color palette are all critical to a great cover design.

Discussing design also brings us to this article鈥檚 thesis: How Book Covers Change (And Don鈥檛). Unquestionably, design trends bring new influences each year. At the same time, there are certain enduring design principles and rules that you should know.

Foundational Design Elements

New York Book Editors outline these key design elements in their blog, which are mainstays:

Imagery

You know the overall importance of imagery in attracting readers, but it鈥檚 especially critical in helping readers identify the book鈥檚 genre. 鈥滸enre鈥� readers have expectations for the book cover鈥檚 design. Miss it and you risk being overlooked by an audience of dedicated readers. A good recommendation is to check the for examples of the type of imagery popular for specific genres.

Consider, TS95 Studios lists in their March 2022 post. These imagery styles include:

1. Scene-setter. These are prevalent with most fiction titles, and are most popular in fantasy, sci-fi, post-apocalyptic and adventure novels.听The image shows a main character or characters in a detailed setting relative to the content. It has less relevance in genres such as thriller, mystery, coming-of-age, speculative fiction and even adult fantasy, which depart from this particular style.
2. A portrait-centered approach fits many genres and signals to the reader the main character or characters that take center stage. The image can also provide hints about major story elements (think glowing eyes). TS95 Studio does recommend portraiture for books with several major characters or where the plot takes precedence over the characters.
3. Primarily uses shadows and low lighting of obscure characters. The ambiguity allows readers to visualize characters and can also add an element of mystery. Great for thrillers and horror stories.
4. Double Exposure. This imagery often merges portraiture with textures, landscapes and scenery.听It crosses genres but is particularly effective for thrillers, mystery novels, historical fiction and romance.
5. Object-based. This is another cross-genre technique for when you want to steer away from depicting characters. It is ideal for novels that emphasize plot and motif rather than characters. Object-based imagery is less frequently used in romance, epic fantasy and post-apocalyptic novels which are more character-centric in their cover design artwork.
6. Symbol-based. This imagery employs highly unique symbology presented in many different styles. It appears on the covers of young adult, adult and epic fantasy 鈥� excepting urban fantasy and middle-grade fantasy 鈥� thriller, mystery, horror, dystopian and post-apocalyptic.听The intention is to add wonder and mystery alongside a few hints about content.
7. This approach uses elements of the setting to lure readers to the story. Characters may also appear, but they play a secondary role to the setting. Landscapes apply to all genres with the possible exceptions of urban fantasy and romance.
8. This imagery is a departure from the other approaches in the sense that it鈥檚 less straightforward. Conceptual cover designs speak more toward motifs and themes found within the book. It is not an ideal choice for urban fantasy and middle-grade fantasy.
9. This classic approach crosses virtually all fiction and non-fiction genres with the exceptions of urban fantasy and middle-grade fantasy. Typographic imagery is good at setting the aesthetics and mood of a book without revealing details. While it can work for any book, typographic treatments are generally better for books with heavier subject matter and plots. These include dark fantasy, adult fantasy, thrillers, mystery novels, contemporary and historical fiction, biographies, memoirs, poetry and literary works.
10. Merging different design approaches can also work well in the hands of a skilled graphic designer. The results are often eye-catching and effective.

Typography

A book cover can convey a message through its font alone. For example, calligraphy or ornate fonts may evoke a sense of complexity. Typography is absolutely an art form, and poor choices can ruin an otherwise good design. You need to choose the font that fits each book and its genre. And they need to be legible from five feet away as well as in book thumbprints on mobile devices. It鈥檚 also best not to use more than three fonts. And remember standard 鈥渙ut-of-the-box鈥� fonts may need massaging (stretching, condensing, shadowing, etc.) for optimum results. A text hierarchy should establish the most important points on the cover, while contrast between the background and the type can help the words jump off the page.

Color

Book cover designers use color to create mood and feeling. This brings into play the whole psychology of color and how they evoke different emotions in people. You need your color choices to align with those emotions. As Lucid Books points out, 鈥淩ed is often associated with danger, violence and passion. It鈥檚 no surprise, then, that this color is often used on book covers for thrillers and suspense novels. Red can also convey a sense of urgency, which makes it ideal for time-sensitive non-fiction books.鈥� You can read their summary of nine primary colors and how they apply to different book genres in their blog post,

Thumbnails

This is a relatively new design challenge brought about by the advent of online selling. As we mentioned under Typography, you need your book design to be readable from five feet away as well as in a thumbnail a reader may view on a mobile device. The latter equates to about 10 percent of the book鈥檚 normal size. In this case, It helps to have one clear visual element that tells your story.

Spine and Back Cover

The back cover may play second fiddle to the front, but it鈥檚 still an important part of the design orchestration. If you treat it like an afterthought, it will look like one. Typically, back cover designs contain a brief author鈥檚 bio and some intriguing copy about the book to lure in readers.

The spine, of course, comes into prominence when the book is in a stack. Thin books present particular problems. Regardless, there is limited space and book spines rarely contain more than the title and the author鈥檚 name. Keeping the visual style similar to the rest of the book is a good approach. Keep it clean and easy to read. Take a minimalist approach.

What鈥檚 New and Trendy in Book Cover Design?

We covered tried-and-true book cover design principles, but there are also dynamic qualities. The design language of books changes over time, often from year to year. Some individual cover designs are so classic they never change with reprints. Others change with virtually every new printing.

In 鈥�,鈥� author Alana Pockros says 鈥溾€ook jackets are part of a trend cycle, borrowing from looks of the past, and absorbing styles from the present. Some trends, like hand-lettered titles听or nostalgic 1950s graphics will come and go, while covers that feature an image of a woman turning her back from the viewer, for example, are so everlasting that some writers have joked they should be their own category.鈥�

How Design Trends Start

According to Pockros, her publishing contacts say there is not a lot of money invested in research, though some designers say they would benefit from more A/B testing. There is often tension between designers and marketers. The designers would prefer to look outside the industry for inspiration, while marketers tend to revert to a 鈥渂est seller鈥� design strategy. Then there鈥檚 always the pressure to be Instagram-friendly.

The Latest Book Design Cover Trends

To identify the latest looks in books, we turned to the 99designs team and their post, Overall, they see a move toward escapism as designers seem determined to erase the darkness of the recent pandemic. As they point out, 鈥淏right shapes swirl, flowers blossom and wild creatures strut their stuff. Elsewhere, designers look back, finding beauty in punk鈥檚 angst and pleasure in pop art鈥檚 playful simplicity.鈥� Here is a summary of their seven book design trends:

1. Abstract Blends. Designers mix color and texture to portray randomness and creativity while rejecting neatness, order and realism. These designs are great for social media while also keeping a sense of mystery.
2. Big Typography, Busy Backgrounds. Block capitals stretch across the cover with bold alluring images (often animals and plants) behind. The image may even intertwine with the letters. They demand attention and suggest the book鈥檚 content is wild and unrestrained.
3. No Text Hierarchy. Designers have been toying with the hierarchy for years, and we鈥檙e now seeing less text hierarchy than ever. For example, the book鈥檚 title and the author鈥檚 name might be in the same font and size. It鈥檚 another example of designer鈥檚 pushing back on norms. It definitely puts more emphasis on the cover as a whole.
4. Pop Art Minimalism. Pop art turned out to be far more than a 1950鈥檚 fad. Cover designs that blend bright, retro images with big, blocky fonts are common this year. It鈥檚 also a contrast to the busy patterns and blended covers that are prevalent today.
5. Punk-style Collage and Ripped Pages. Anti-establishment movements are gaining ground and dystopian design is making a comeback in fashion and design. As a result, punk is influencing a new wave of听graphic and book design. Torn covers, rough textures and collages suggest something revealing or transgressive are popular.
6. Bold Color Motifs. Floral cover designs enable the use of bright colors in images which feel natural and unforced. There is a post-pandemic emotional connection to a time when people valued potted plants along with time spent outdoors.
7. Close to the Edge. This technique embraces a tight layout by inserting large text which extends beyond the edges of the book or even drops off it.听It鈥檚 attention demanding and leans toward abstraction like several other new trends. It can also convey multiple meanings, such as the idea the book鈥檚 content is too ambitious to fit into the normal confines of book design. Weight, color and font are critical in suggesting different messages.

It鈥檚 clear that the enduring principles and rules of book cover design, alongside new trends, can heavily influence how your book is perceived and how it sells. Regardless of your preferences, just remember the main goal of any book design is to present an alluring cover that communicates the book鈥檚 genre. There are a lot of different ways to get there, but the cover design must meet those requirements.

Bring Your Cover Design to 抖荫短视频

Rest assured; we understand the value of cover design, and we have the capabilities to bring your design to life. You鈥檒l gain access to the most important print solutions in the marketplace, including:

• Print platforms encompassing advanced web heatset and sheetfed technology (in up to 10 colors), as well as digital printing systems for short run and on-demand needs.
• Paper services that have your back. Our paper management team works side-by-side with you to identify and secure paper stocks to meet your design, budget and branding goals.
• Bindery options for every need. Choose from Smyth Sewn, perfect and wire-o binding, as well as a wide variety of hardcover and soft cover specialty binding capabilities, including paperback. You also gain access to special finishing to make your book covers stand out. Capabilities like embossing, spot UV, lamination, laser cutting, gilding and ribboning.

And if you鈥檙e trying to publish a commemorative book听with a lasting impact on your employees, members, customers and community, our wholly-owned subsidiary, Donning Publishers, can handle the entire project 鈥� including design.

To learn more, visit us at walsworth.com. Or you can submit your information and a friendly 抖荫短视频 associate will be in touch within 24 hours. You鈥檒l be glad you did.

The post How Book Covers Change (And Don鈥檛) appeared first on 抖荫短视频.

As a Customer Education Specialist at 抖荫短视频, I get asked plenty of questions by our clients who want to make the prepress-to-print process as smooth as possible. Smooth processes are great for everyone involved, so I鈥檇 like to share my advice for custom printing with the top five questions I have answered lately.

1. Do you have PDF Export Settings for InDesign that I should use?

Yes. Our submission guidelines are available as a downloadable PDF on our client tools page for PDF Submission.

2. I鈥檓 setting up a new document. What are the most common mistakes to avoid?

Make sure to build the document to a final trim size with a 1/8-inch (0.3175-cm) bleed and a minimum of 1/8-inch (0.3175-cm) margins. Note: Some machinery, like that of our 抖荫短视频 鈥� Fulton location, requires 1/4-inch (0.635 cm) margins.

See submission guidelines.

3. Do you prefer spreads or single pages as far as covers go?

If you know the spine size, please submit spreads through our insite portal.

• For covers built as a spread, name your document Cover Spread_Name.pdf

If you supply single pages, it鈥檚 very important to name your PDFs correctly:

• Name your outside front cover Cover 1_OFC.pdf
• Name your inside front cover Cover 2_IFC.pdf
• Name your inside back cover Cover 3_IBC.pdf
• Name your outside back cover Cover 4_OBC.pdf
• Name your spine Cover.pdf or Spine.pdf

For page content, name documents with page numbers or ranges, such as 01-15_Name.pdf, 16_Name.pdf, 17-28_Name.pdf, etc.

4. What do you recommend for Rich Black?

I recommend 50C, 40M, 40Y and 100K. If there is a different Rich Black you have used in the past, there is no need to change.

Note: Do NOT use the Registration Swatch.

5. With Pantone Color Books’ removal from the Adobe Creative Apps (InDesign, Illustrator and Photoshop), what should I do?

You can create custom Spot Color Swatches, use the Pantone Color Books from previous versions or use (subscription required) to pick Pantone Colors.

抖荫短视频 is committed to providing expert advice for best practices for your custom printing project, from planning to prepress to print.听Please reach out to me at James.Wamser@抖荫短视频.com or 262.617.8272 with any questions.

The post 5 Things You Can Do to Make the Prepress Process Smoother appeared first on 抖荫短视频.

In this series, we explore how different binding processes are performed in a commercial setting and how they affect the final product.听

What are spiral, Wire-O and comb binding?听

Spiral, Wire-O and comb binding are all methods of mechanical binding. Mechanical binding refers to binding processes involving the insertion of metal or plastic filaments through holes in the binding edge of paper sheets in order to secure pages together. Spiral, Wire-O and comb binding are popular, affordable methods for publications that need to lay flat and undergo frequent use without damaging the binding. These durable binding methods are most often used for printed items such as reference materials, guidebooks, notebooks and journals.听

Process听

The printing and trimming processes are similar for spiral, Wire-O and comb binding. The sheets are printed, collated and aligned, and the inner pages and covers are then cut to the finished size of the publication. After holes are punched or drilled through the binding edge of the sheets, the processes begin to vary for spiral, Wire-O and comb binding.听

Spiral binding听

Spiral binding, also referred to as wire or coil binding, is one of the most common binding methods due to its durability and versatility. In a spiral-bound publication, a long series of small holes is either punched or drilled through the binding edge of the paper sheets. Then, a continuous plastic, metal or plastic-coated metal coil is threaded through the holes. A coil-crimping tool bends and trims the ends of the coil to secure the binding.听

Wire-O binding听

In Wire-O binding, rectangular holes are punched through the binding edge of the paper sheets. This binding is also called twin-loop binding, as a sturdy double wire is used to bind publications. All the inside pages and covers are placed on an open, 鈥淐鈥�-shaped double wire, which is then pinched closed through the holes in the binding edge.听听

When the publication is placed onto the wire, the back cover is placed above the front cover on top of the inner pages. This way, when the wire is pinched together, the portion where the wire meets sits between the last inner page and the back cover of the publication.听

Concealed Wire-O binding听听

As the name implies, concealed Wire-O binding is a form of Wire-O binding with a hard or soft cover that continues around the binding to conceals the wire. This is most often accomplished by gluing the front and back covers to the first and last inner pages with extra space left for the wire binding to create a round or square-backed, concealed Wire-O publication.听

Comb binding听

Also called GBC, Cerlox or Surelox binding, comb binding uses a solid, cylindrical strip of curved plastic with a line of curved tines to hold pages together. Each flexible tine along the comb is preformed into a ring shape with a small amount of tension, so the tines can retain their shape after being manipulated. Rectangular slots are punched through the covers and pages of the publication, and the curved tines are spread open to close down through the slots in the binding edge. Some combs are designed to be openable after the publication is first bound to add or remove pages, and some combs are designed with locking mechanisms to keep pages in place after binding.听

Use cases for spiral, Wire-O and comb binding听

With these binding methods, one of the largest benefits is the ability to lay completely flat. For instructional guidebooks or reference materials, this makes it easy to flip through pages quickly and stay in place so they can be referenced without the reader needing to hold pages open.听

While comb-bound products can be opened fully flat, spiral and Wire-O-bound products have the added flexibility to double over on themselves. These 360 degrees of mobility provide full visibility of content and hands-free reading without causing any damage to the binding. It also makes it easier for publications to fit onto smaller work areas and provides a better writing surface for notebooks or workbooks.听听

The wires, coils and combs used for binding come in various diameters to accommodate for a wide range of page counts. Wire-O binding has a recommended maximum of 200 pages, but spiral binding is a great option for larger page counts, as the coils usually range from about 0.25 to two inches in diameter and can be up to 24 inches long. Comb binding can contain a higher page count than spiral and Wire-O binding, as the diameter of combs can be as large as three inches.听

Because each page is separate on the coil, wire or comb spine, single pages need to be submitted instead of spreads. Unlike saddle stitching or perfect binding, crossover images are not possible for these binding types, and there also needs to be at least a 0.125鈥� bleed on all four sides of each document page. An inside page margin of 0.5鈥� should also be taken into account in order to avoid any content getting obscured by the slots or filaments in the binding edge.听

Since each page in a spiral, Wire-O or comb-bound publication is separate, there are abundant possibilities for paper types, finishes, foldouts and inserts. With these options, a cookbook could be laminated to be spill resistant or a student workbook could have foldouts for large diagrams. With these binding methods, printed works can also have indexing tabs for referencing and customizability.听听

Weighing the options听

Spiral, Wire-O and comb binding methods are popular, reasonably affordable ways to create durable and versatile publications. Although these binding methods are not typical for standard distribution and retail channels, they are ideal for publications requiring frequent use or referencing, such as manuals, cookbooks, directories, calendars and planners.听听

If you are considering spiral, Wire-O or comb binding for your next print project with 抖荫短视频 or you would like to speak with someone to discuss what would work best for your publication, our knowledgeable staff can help find the best option for you!听

The post Binding Basics 鈥� Spiral, Wire-O and Comb Binding appeared first on 抖荫短视频.

The release of Hocus Pocus 2 got me thinking about Winnifred Sanderson鈥檚 spell book. The book in this movie 鈥� which is a completely fictional account of three resurrected witches seeking revenge in modern-day Salem, in case you鈥檙e not familiar 鈥� is made with human skin. The book has a tough leather cover with an eyeball on the front, which opens and moves when the book is awake. The book-made-with-human-skin trope shows up frequently in movies that are popular at this time of year. In addition to Hocus Pocus, the Necronomicon Ex Mortis plays a large role in The Evil Dead movies and television series. Books made with human skin show up in H.P. Lovecraft鈥檚 stories and Chuck Palahniuk鈥檚 2002 novel, Lullaby.

Clearly, the idea is intriguing. But how much is based in truth and how much is creative license? Was human skin ever actually used as book covers?

Horrifyingly, the answer is yes. There鈥檚 even a term for it: anthropodermic bibliopegy. I鈥檓 going to warn you now, this article gets a little dark and has some references to death and torture. If you鈥檙e squeamish, you may want to skip this one.

Why Did They Do It?

Medical historian Dr. Lindsey Fitzharris shared some reasons behind the practice .

1. Punishment. If someone was executed, their skin would sometimes be used as a cover on the records of their crimes. One of the more well-known examples is . He was a priest who heard confessions from many involved in the 1605 Gunpowder Plot to blow up England鈥檚 houses of Parliament. Father Garnet wasn鈥檛 directly involved, but because he didn鈥檛 report the confessions, he was brutally punished and executed in 1606, and his skin was removed and used to cover a book detailing the proceedings against him. Even more gruesome, one of the copies made with his skin has the impression of Garnet鈥檚 face on the front cover.

2. In tribute. , also known by the alias George Walton, died at the Massachusetts State Prison in 1837. Before his death, he had the prison warden write down his life story and asked that his skin be used to bind two copies of the memoir. Upon his death, skin was taken from Allen鈥檚 back and the resulting book was stamped with a Latin phrase meaning Allen had the skin-bound copies sent to his doctor and to John Fenno, Jr., who had impressed Allen by standing up to him during a robbery.

3. In memoriam. that French writer and astronomer Camille Flammarion had a fan with a morbid sense of admiration. When the admirer was close to death from Tuberculosis, she bequeathed a strip of her skin to Flammarion, requesting it be used in his next book. If the story is to be believed, Flammarion complied and kept the book in his personal library.

4. Because the Victorians were weird. The 19th-century French treatise, On the Destiny of the Soul, which is now in Harvard鈥檚 collection, . The book contains a manuscript note claiming the skin used came from the back of a woman. The reason given was

5. Because medical ethics still had a long way to go. Mary Lynch died in a Philadelphia hospital in 1869, when she was 28 years old. After her death, which was caused by a combination of tuberculosis and a parasitic infection, removed and preserved skin from her thighs. Years later,听he used that skin to cover three books. There is no indication that Hough ever got any kind of consent from Lynch to use her body this way.

How common was it?

, though it was never an everyday material. The practice is believed to , but was most widely practiced among 19th-century doctors. exists to test and confirm whether a book is actually bound in human skin. As of May 2019, they鈥檇 tested 31 suspected books and confirmed 18 of those books were human. Experts hazard a guess that many more actually exist, but are tucked away in private collections.

Confirmed?

The way book cover materials can be confirmed is through a process called peptide mass fingerprinting. Researchers aren鈥檛 able to rely on DNA because it is often destroyed during the tanning process or by time. The PMF process identifies peptides 鈥� the short chains of amino acids that serve as the building blocks of protein. Each animal family shares a strain of protein markers, which allows chemists to determine whether the sample came from a sheep, goat, cow or member of the great-ape family.

Steal Their Look

If you want to create a macabre book of your own, we have a few cover options you can use to get the look (without the legal and ethical concerns). Goth and macabre styles are certainly , not just in the month of October. There are two ways to go.

In reality, once human skin is treated and tanned into leather, it is visually indistinguishable from leather made from more socially acceptable animals like cows and pigs. So, if you want a historically accurate cover like this, you really only need to choose one of our Leathertone options to use on the cover. However, if you want a more stylized book 鈥� like Book in Hocus Pocus or the Necronomicon in The Evil Dead 鈥� you can have some fun with the options.

To start, we鈥檇 recommend choosing a padded cover, and use our Chestnut Leathertone material. Then, use an emboss to create the look of stitches on the cover. We鈥檇 also recommend getting a grain impressed upon the cover material. Our GR 7 Levant option looks like skin, and GR 9 Caracul looks like fingerprints, while GR 22 Seal has the look of pores and GR 32 Pigskin has a look similar to skin. If you want to go all out, you could divide the cover into sections separated by embossed stitches, then use a different stamp on each section so it looks like it came from different people. Some books that actually used human skin retained relics of the humans they came from. If you wanted to imitate the impression of a face or other body part, you could use an emboss or deboss to achieve the look. For an extra touch, you could add an Overtone Rub on the entire book. With this option, 抖荫短视频 employees will hand rub a stain on the cover, which causes the color to get in all the crevices and make the material look more aged.

To Be Clear

To be clear, we do not condone the use of actual human skin as a book cover. The practice was grotesque and fraught with ethical issues. However, it鈥檚 an interesting practice to look back on and think about during the Halloween season.

The post Was Human Skin Ever Actually Used as a Book Cover? appeared first on 抖荫短视频.

抖荫短视频 wants to help ensure that doesn’t happen. The good news is there are measures you can take to avoid those time-sucking edits. Here are six of the most common errors our Prepress department sees, with tips on how to avoid them.

Click on any of the images below to view the larger version.

1. Document Setup
Even though trim size is usually a quick fix, it鈥檚 best to get it right the first time. Build your document to the final trim size with a minimum of an 1/8鈥� margin for the Live Area and an 1/8鈥� for Bleed trims. Live Area refers to text or objects that do not extend to the edge of the page. Bleed refers to images and text that do extend to the edge of the page, or 鈥渂leed off鈥� the page, where they will be trimmed off the final page size. Images in the bleed area must be extended an 1/8″ beyond trim.

2. Marks Too Close to Trim
Unless the default Offset amount is changed, InDesign generates crop marks that are too close to the trim. For Offset, enter .125 inches in the Marks and Bleeds section of the PDF Export dialog box. Our PDF Export Settings use .125 inches for Offset. Click here to download our PDF Export Settings for InDesign. For more help, our Prepress experts can provide guidance.

A screenshot of the “Panel Options” window through InDesign.

3. Image Resolution
Low-resolution images (any image with an effective resolution below 200 ppi) should be replaced before exporting a PDF. You can use Live Preflight in InDesign to be alerted about any images considered low-resolution, or similarly, in the Links panel.

Note: You will have to modify the Preflight settings and the Links panel if you want to be alerted about the inclusion of any low-res images.

4. Inks
Unless your document prints with a PMS (spot color), it should only contain CMYK text and images. You can use the Separations Preview panel in InDesign or the Output Preview panel in Acrobat Pro to see how the colors are built 鈥� either CMYK, RGB or PMS 鈥� in your document. All colors should be converted to CMYK (RGB won鈥檛 work), unless you are printing with a spot color.

Note: Although 抖荫短视频 will accept RGB images, we recommend converting RGB to CMYK.

A screenshot of the Separations Preview toolbar through InDesign. It shows the different color seperations of CMYK.

5. Font Color
Sometimes fonts intended to be 100% black actually contain cyan, magenta and yellow, the CMY in CMYK. There are several reasons why this happens. Typically, the Registration Swatch is accidentally picked instead of the Black Swatch or an RGB Swatch is selected. Use Separations Preview in InDesign (Window > Output > Separations Preview) or Output Preview in Acrobat Pro (Print Production Tools > Output Preview) to see if black type contains other inks.

A screenshot of an application window in PreFlight showing where to embed new fonts.

6. Font Embedding
To avoid font substitution or output errors, it鈥檚 important all fonts are embedded in your document. Use Preflight in Acrobat Pro to check if all the fonts used in the PDF are embedded. If they aren鈥檛, Adobe has on how to embed fonts in a PDF.

Checking for these common issues should cut down on mistakes, but this blog post doesn鈥檛 cover everything. If you have questions about your file, please reach out to your Customer Support Representative or you can email James directly at james.wamser@walsworth.com. You can also check out some of our helpful webinars, like Adobe Tips for the Creative Pro.

The post 6 Most Common Mistakes We See in Prepress (and how to avoid them) appeared first on 抖荫短视频.

In addition to the commitments made in each community, 抖荫短视频 also sponsors a scholarship program for the children and grandchildren of employees. Through this program, started in 1984, 抖荫短视频 has awarded 210 scholarships worth over $2,382,000.

Our first 抖荫短视频 scholarship recipient, John Kelley, shared his story of how 抖荫短视频鈥檚 scholarship program affected his education and career.

鈥淭hroughout childhood, my parents emphasized the value of education and how important it was to maintain good grades and do my best in school. When I graduated from Marceline High School in 1984, I was excited about going to college but was concerned about the cost and how I was going to pay for it. Our family had limited financial resources so I knew I would need some other forms of assistance to help pay for my college expenses.

John Kelley

鈥淕etting a $2,000 per year scholarship from 抖荫短视频 was a huge help in easing that financial burden. That was a total of $8,000 over my four years. A $2,000 per year scholarship may not seem like a lot in today鈥檚 world of skyrocketing college costs, but it was a huge help in the late 80s.

鈥淚 attended Missouri State University in Springfield, Missouri, which at the time was called Southwest Missouri State University. I majored in Finance with a minor in Marketing. My plan when I graduated was to find a job in sales and work my way up in the world of corporate finance.

鈥淎fter graduating, I decided to stop in at 抖荫短视频 to thank Don and the 抖荫短视频 family for the support their scholarship provided. During that visit I met with Ed 抖荫短视频, who was the Midwest Sales Manager and we discussed my plans after college. I mentioned I was deciding between a couple of sales positions I had been offered, and he asked me if I had ever considered yearbook sales.

鈥淚 had not considered yearbook sales, but after talking with Ed I soon realized the opportunities a sales position at 抖荫短视频 offered. One thing led to another, and three days later I agreed to be an associate sales rep for 抖荫短视频 based in Columbia, Missouri. 听This past year, I completed my 33rd year at 抖荫短视频.

鈥淚 have stayed at 抖荫短视频 all these years because I love what I do and I love what the company stands for. We produce the highest quality product of any yearbook company as well as provide world class service. I truly believe everyone at 抖荫短视频 wants to provide the best product and experience for the customer. When you have a company like that, it makes your sales job a lot easier.

鈥淒uring my time at 抖荫短视频, I have earned many top sales awards. But, more important than any awards, my 33-year career at 抖荫短视频 has enabled me to provide a wonderful home and a comfortable life for me and my family.

鈥淚 think it is awesome that 抖荫短视频 has expanded the scholarship program over the years by adding more scholarships and higher amounts to match the ever-increasing cost of getting a college education. It鈥檚 a great feeling to know that you work for a company that cares about its customers, its employees, its employee鈥檚 families and its communities.鈥�

As a company with a long history of excellence, we believe it is our responsibility to give back to the communities we serve. This commitment to investment in higher education has been made to positively benefit the lives and futures of 抖荫短视频 communities through financial aid provision for employees, their families, and their futures.

We are committed to being good stewards of the resources entrusted to us and to making a positive impact in the communities where we live and work. As we celebrate our First 85 Years, we remain focused on the future and committed to giving back in even more ways. Thank you for supporting us as we continue our tradition of excellence and giving back!

The post Making a Way for Higher Education – 抖荫短视频 Scholarship Program appeared first on 抖荫短视频.