PrinTips - What you need to know before you hit "print"

Sending a file for high quality printing is not the same as sending it to your home ink-jet printer. There are many things to consider: whether the color will look right, the type looks jagged or smooth, the pictures and graphics look sharp and clear. How you prepare the files can make all the difference. It's not rocket science, but there are some very basic things you need to know before you send a file to a commercial printer. These days, computers can produce very dramatic, high quality and effective documents. But making a small error in creating those files can turn your masterpiece into something less than desirable. This site will teach you all the basics for putting your files together so they will look good no matter what output device they are printed on.

Unfortunately, every printing device prints color just a little differently. Even the same model printer from the same manufacturer built on the same day is liable to have some noticeable differences between individual printers. Calibration is the first step to managing color, but not all printers can be calibrated. Pricier printers often can, and a few will even calibrate themselves on a regular basis. But that just keeps your printer consistent with itself: it doesn't necessarily mean it will match your monitor or what your print service provider will produce from your file.

Don't rely on what comes off your ink-jet printer. You will need to see a color proof from your print service provider to make sure the color is what you expect. And don't just calibrate your printer, calibrate your monitor too. If you are working with monitors and printers that are not calibrated, you can be pretty sure the printers proof will not match yours. Maybe not even close.