About this course

With the magnitude of different processes, machines and printers available today, knowing what to ask your printer is important if you want to get the highest possible quality at the best price. It can also be the key to avoiding costly errors, especially on larger jobs. As a designer, it is important to know from the start what options you have, as these may be factors that affect how you approach a print job. These topics and more are explored throughout this course, so you will know what questions to ask.

This Finished Art course has been developed with the help of a master printer by an experienced graphic designer. It aims to serve as a guide to clarify what the responsibility of the designer is within a printing environment and demonstrates the proper technique to set up documents to achieve almost any printing finish or cut. It aims to minimize repro errors at the printers and covers everything from selecting paper stock, using special effects like foiling, varnishes and die cuts, as well as covers some good business practice when dealing with printers.

With these topics explored, we focus our attention on the software requirements for creating finished art by exploring repro tasks in Photoshop, Illustrator and Indesign. It is recommended that participants already have a firm grasp of Illustrator, Photoshop and Indesign to maximize their experience of the topics presented.