Since the migration of content and design to the web space, print design has become nearly extinct. However, contrary to popular opinion, it’s still an effective marketing medium.
You’ll be surprised that a well-designed printed brochure, flier, or poster can leave a lasting impression on your target audience.
A MarketingProf survey discovered that 92% of people aged 18-23 found it easier to read print over digital content.
The professionals also found that consumers trusted print ads more than search engine ads to make purchase decisions.
That’s why there’s a resurgence of print materials in marketing. Sadly, few businesses and individuals can create print design materials from scratch.
We understand this all too well and have developed this guide for you.
What is Print Design?
This is the process of printing the digital form of graphic design on materials like metal, plastic, ceramic, paper, cardboard, and more.
Marketers use print design as a visual communication tool to send a quick and clear message to their target audience.
Business cards and brochures are excellent examples of print designs.
Why Print Design?
So why should companies consider investing in print design? Is it effective? These four reasons explain why you must incorporate it into your marketing strategies:
It’s Visually Appealing
Print design is more visually appealing than other marketing materials. The eye-catching designs on brochures, banners, and fliers capture the audience’s attention better than digital ads.
In fact, they stand out in crowded places, enticing your potential customers to interact with your brand further.
Facilitates Branding Consistency
Brand consistency plays a critical role in increasing a brand’s awareness. Print design materials will likely have the same logo colors, theme, and typography, reinforcing brand recognition.
Also, your target audience is more likely to trust a brand that exudes consistency.
Creates an Aura of Professionalism
First impressions matter, and print design materials create an aura of professionalism for any business.
A well-designed print design on business cards, brochures, or corporate gifts demonstrates your commitment to professionalism, quality, and reliability.
Impactful Brand Messaging
Brand messages on print designs are more impactful than on other marketing media.
According to printing facts and figures, campaigns that include print are 67% more effective at attracting new customers than those without.
Moreover, an audience is more likely to absorb and act on the information displayed.
How to Create Designs for Printing
Whether you’re creating print designs for brochures or business cards, understanding the steps of designing them is necessary.
Step 1: Define Your Objectives
The first step is to define the objectives of designing print. Do you want to promote a new product, enhance brand awareness, or advertise a product whose sales have plunged?
Defining your objectives guides your design choices.
While at it, it’s essential to define your audience. This factor determines how you design the print, distribute the material, and print material to use.
For example, brochures have more information, encouraging customers to spend more time on the material.
By contrast, fliers have flashy designs and punchier messages that capture customers’ attention.
Step 2: Select Printing Software
The next step is to identify the software you need to print the designs. Programs like InDesign and Adobe Photoshop have handy features to help you print designs.
It would help to familiarize yourself with them to maximize your design’s potential.
Step 3: Select a Suitable Print File Format
You want to choose a suitable file format when printing a design, especially if printing it on different materials.
Billboards, for example, require larger prints than brochures or fliers, hence the need to choose formats that match the print material.
There are two types of print file formats- raster and vector files. The latter provides a more flexible option, allowing you to enlarge or make a print design smaller without losing its visual quality.
Vector file formats comprise EPS, AI, and SVG and use geometric shapes, not pixels.
On the other hand, Raster file formats are made of pixels with a specific resolution and size. This means they’re less flexible than vector file formats.
That’s why the image blurs when you zoom in or enlarge a photo with a raster file. JPEG, TIFF, PNG, and PNG are excellent examples of faster format files.
Keep in mind these differences when choosing a file format.
Step 4: Choose between Digital and Offset Printing Techniques
Although there are myriads of printing techniques we’ll focus on the two most common- digital and offset printing methods.
Digital printing is your go-to solution when you want to combine professional print quality and affordability. It’s perfect for printing small print designs like posters and restaurant menus.
Conversely, the offset is for printing large designs, e.g., for books. As such, it requires extra production material like metal printing plates.
Step 5: Choose between CMYK and Pantone Color Codes
The printing technique helps you determine the color code you must use. CMYK is the industry standard and is ideal for printing digital work.
It’s an acronym for Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, and black colors, the four pigments used in modern digital printing.
By contrast, Pantone or Pantone Matching System (PMS) is ideal when printing more vibrant colors or adding dynamic elements like metallic colors or fluorescent to the design.
However, it’s more expensive than CMYK.
Step 6: Select the Printing Material
You must select the printing material as it affects the quality of the print design and the ability to convey the intended message.
The most popular printing paper options are coated and uncoated stocks, each with pros and cons.
Designers use coated stocks when they want the print to pop. The ink on this material remains on top of the surface and doesn’t get absorbed.
Coated stocks have various finishes, including gloss, matte-coated, dull, and silk. Uncoated stocks are ideal for printing heavy publications like books because they’re reader-friendly.
They lack the characteristic glossy feature, which makes it easy to read texts for an extended period.
When choosing the printing material, you also want to factor in other features like the paperweight.
Step 7: Think about the Bindery Options
Whether you’re printing a magazine, a booklet, or a brochure, you want to think about the bindery options.
If publishing a book, you’ll use the book-binding method, transforming the press sheets into case-bound books.
While at it, consider if the paper weight is too light or heavy for the desired binding choice. If printing a book, you may go for:
- Plus-cover binding: Here, the cover is heavier than the paper pages or
- Self-cover publication: The cover has the same weight as the pages
Step 8: Add Decorations
Want your print design to stand out? Add decorations. They could be in the form of foil stamping, die-cutting, spot varnishes, UV laminations, and embossing, to mention a few.
If overwhelmed, ask a graphic designer to help you choose a great finishing option.
Conclusion
This detailed guide should help you understand how to print design from scratch. But, if it’s still an uphill task, enlist the help of a graphic designing agency like SimPaul Design.
We’re well-versed in this field and can walk you through every step of the process, from defining the goal of the print design to handpicking the software, print format, decorations, etc.
Call us today.
