Who Should Read This Book

If you are a designer or a production artist who would like a better understanding of the pitfalls you encounter in using popular software, you’ll find lots of pointers in this book to help you avoid problems. Almost all software provides options that are tempting to choose, but are dangerous under some circumstances. It’s good to know which buttons not to push. And it’s valuable to know why those buttons shouldn’t be pushed.

As graphics software gives us increasingly powerful tools, it’s also important to realize that each application is part of an ecosystem. Choices you make in Photoshop can limit your options when you place the image in InDesign. Options you choose in InDesign can affect the quality of the PDF you create. And so on. You need an aerial view of the programs’ capabilities so you can anticipate the outcome. It would help if you were psychic, too, but that’s another book entirely.

In addition, the more designers know about the physical requirements of the printing process, the more easily they can avoid problems and missed deadlines. This book can explain why your printer sometimes asks you to modify your designs for print. Better yet, you can beat them to it, and they will compliment you on how well-prepared your jobs always are. Besides, working within limitations can sometimes lead to imaginative solutions and more interesting designs.

If you are a prepress production operator, you’ll find many reminders of subtle problems that can lurk in images, page layouts, and illustration files. If you’re new to printing, you’ll find beneficial insights into what’s happening on the other side of the pressroom door. And if you’re looking for a gentle way to educate clients who keep submitting nightmare jobs, well, a book always makes a nice gift, doesn’t it?

As the lines between designer and printer become more blurred, some professionals don’t fall clearly into a single category. Many organizations are responsible for both design and output, and it’s especially important to know the whole story if you’re going to shoulder such a wide responsibility.