Teaching Designers about Print. One Day at a Time.
As far as I can tell, graphic designers learn about printing just like every other print buyer: from printers, from their own day-to-day experience, from paper specialists, and from one another. In addition, designers (unlike print buyers) have lots of publications and organizations catering to them. Off the top of my head, GDUSA, Communication Arts, HOW, and AIGA come to mind.
But since I consider all graphic designers to be print buyers (ok, there are a few of you who don’t design for print), I’ve resolved to pay more attention to you from now on. You may not identify with the term “print buyer,” but guess what? If you are responsible for sourcing print with commercial printers, negotiating with printers, and managing print production of your jobs, then you are a de facto print buyer.
This month we’re producing our first-ever Boot Camp for Print Designers!™ to help teach designers some important basics. This boot camp was developed with new designers in mind, as well as designers who’ve never been taught how to create printable files. We also know that some firms have laid off their print buyers – and left the print sourcing in the hands of designers.
That’s where we can help.
Frank Romano, Professor Emeritus of RIT, will deliver the technical half of the session: common file problems and how to avoid them. Most file problems come from font issues, image problems, and compression issues. Frank also covers blends/gradients and transparency problems.
I will then take the stage to address the business of working with printers. (We are the Bing Crosby and Bob Hope of print education. Just don’t ask us to sing.) I’ll share critical industry “intelligence,” including the big picture of where print is going, which segments are growing (and how), and what the best resources are for keeping up to date. Designers will learn where print’s toughest competition is coming from, and how the industry is reacting to it.
Designers work with printers. We’re here to provide answers to any and all of your questions about how to make these partnerships successful.
© 2010 Margie Dana. All rights reserved. Your comments are encouraged. You’re free to forward this email to friends and colleagues. However, no part of this column may be reprinted without permission from the author.