Colour, Images, Paper, Files, and Printing Processes Are All Factors to Consider Before a Design Moves From Screen to Print

Designing a document on screen and producing a printed piece are two very different stages. Before a publication, poster, brochure, or flyer can be printed, the file needs to be prepared to meet print production requirements. Prepress encompasses the preparation stages that take place before printing. Colour management, image preparation, file formats, paper selection, and the printing process can all influence a project's production.

In CDI College's Graphic Design – NTA.1U program, a 60-hour course is dedicated to printing techniques. The curriculum covers print production, prepress, colour and ink management, Pantone and CMYK colour systems, paper, digital and offset printing, binding, and finishing. These concepts are also explored in courses on electronic and publication design.

What Is Prepress in Graphic Design?

Prepress refers to preparing a document before it is printed. A design that looks successful on screen also needs to meet the technical requirements of the production method being used.

The Printing Techniques course covers prepress, image editing and preparation for print, and the software and standards used in print production.

The program, therefore, helps students understand the connection between the graphic designer's work and the steps required to turn a digital file into a printed product.

CMYK and Pantone: Why Is Colour Management Important?

Colours displayed on a screen and colours reproduced in print are not produced in the same way. Preparing a document for print requires an understanding of the colour systems used in production.

The Printing Techniques course covers colour and ink management, including CMYK, Pantone, and spot colours.

CMYK uses a combination of four inks—cyan, magenta, yellow, and black—while the Pantone system uses standardized colours. Understanding these systems helps explain why colour management is an important step when preparing a print design.

👉 Learn more: Colour in Graphic Design: Understanding the Essential Principles for Better Communication

Why Do Images Need to Be Prepared for Print?

An image used in a printed project needs to be prepared for the medium in which it will appear.

The Printing Techniques course covers digital images, image editing, and preparation for print. Image editing courses also address preparing images for print and distinguishing between image types based on their intended medium.

The Advanced Electronic Design course covers concepts such as resolution, digital image acquisition and importing, and different file types and formats.

👉 Learn more: Photo Retouching and Image Editing: What Techniques Are Used in Graphic Design?

Does Paper Selection Affect a Print Project?

Preparing a project involves more than what appears in the file. The physical medium also needs to be considered.

The Printing Techniques course covers different types of paper, their quality, and their weight.

These characteristics are among the factors to understand in a production environment, along with the printing process and the finishing operations that follow.

Digital or Offset Printing: Why Does the Printing Process Matter?

Different processes can be used to produce a printed document. The curriculum distinguishes between digital and offset printing and covers preparing files according to the process being used.

For graphic designers, this distinction is important because the design process does not necessarily end with what appears on screen. The characteristics of the final production can also influence how a document needs to be prepared.

What Happens After Printing?

Producing a document can involve additional steps after it has been printed. Depending on the project, different operations may be used to assemble or finish the printed piece.

The course covers different types of binding and finishing, as well as the production and binding of multi-page documents.

The Advanced Electronic Design course also covers post-printing and finishing, providing a broader understanding of the production process from electronic preparation through to the finished product.

Why Do Graphic Designers Need to Understand Printing?

A graphic designer's role extends beyond creating a visual. When a project is intended for print, designers also need to understand how their work will be produced.

The Printing Techniques course connects print production with the role of the graphic designer. It covers printing processes and techniques, industry standards, colour, images, paper, printing methods, binding, and finishing.

In the Graphic Design – NTA.1U program, this knowledge complements learning in design, layout, typography, and image editing. Moving from the screen to the printed product is also part of the graphic production process.

FAQ

1. What is prepress?
Prepress encompasses the steps involved in preparing a document before it is printed. The program covers image and file preparation, colour management, and various technical aspects of print production.

2. What is the difference between CMYK and Pantone?
CMYK uses a combination of four inks—cyan, magenta, yellow, and black—while the Pantone system uses standardized colours. Both systems are part of the colour management concepts covered in the Printing Techniques course.

3. What printing techniques are covered in the Graphic Design – NTA.1U program?
The curriculum covers digital and offset printing, preparing files for these processes, different types of paper, binding, and finishing.

Explore Further

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👉 Packaging Design: How Do You Create Packaging That Communicates Effectively?

👉 Graphic Communications: A Field That Is Everywhere Around Us

👉 Learn More About CDI College's Graphic Design – NTA.1U Program