HOME : ARTICLES: TOP 6 DESIGN MISTAKES
We receive several artwork files every day for replication and duplication work. On the rare occasion, the design is perfect and we can get started immediately. But the other 99.99% of the time, something has been overlooked. So, to help prevent delays with your job, we have put together the top six design mistakes with the artwork we receive every day.
Top Mistake #1: Artwork supplied in RGB mode.
Almost every time. It is crucial that all artwork is supplied in CMYK
mode. This includes any placed pictures in Illustrator files. We know
it can be easy to forget when you are immersed in design but it can
make a huge difference in the final colour of your product.
Top Mistake #2: Fonts not supplied with all artwork.
No, we have never heard of the Chunky Chimp font and we won't have it
on our systems. Many clients assume that their manufacturer will have
a limitless repository of fonts. If we do not have the font, it is usually
replaced with a similar font and your entire layout can change. It is
vital that all fonts are supplied with the artwork. If supplying Illustrator
artwork, convert all text to outlines and supply the font anyway!
Top Mistake #3: Low resolution files
Web images are not suitable for printing. I repeat, web images are not
suitable for printing. Most images retrieved from the web are 72 dpi.
Often clients feel they can sneak these images into their artwork and
no one will be the wiser. All colour images must be 300 dpi at actual
print size. Anything under this resolution will produce pixelated poor
quality prints. Anything above this resolution is unnecessary and increases
the file size. Don't try increasing a low resolution image in Photoshop
either. The file may say 300 dpi but it will print at 72 dpi quality.