Be sure your image content is of sufficient resolution for successful print, and understand the limitations of scaling in desktop applications.
- Photoshop is a powerful program.…It's capable of transforming images into dreams.…But when you're preparing images for commercial printing,…there are a few rules that you should know…so that your images behave as they should…when it's time to print.…When you're working with images,…remember that an image is a fixed set of pixels…and that imposes some limits on how much…you can scale an image.…So start large!…After all, you can always discard data,…but you can't truly recreate it.…Here's ye olde rule of thumb for image resolution.…
The ideal for print is that an image be 300 pixels…per inch at the final size.…It's acceptable if you go a little bit lower,…say 250 pixels per inch.…And if you're using an image that doesn't have…a lot of detail or maybe you're using it…as a ghosted background shot so it's barely there,…then you can get away with even lower resolution,…say 150 to 200 ppi.…But if you do have to enlarge an image…and you're doing this in a page layout program,…I would recommend that you avoid exceeding 125% if you can.…
Author
Claudia McCue
Released
10/25/2016- Communicating with your printer
- Understanding types of printing: letterpress, sheet-fed, and more
- Handling corrections and alterations
- Attending press checks
- Understanding how color space and paper stock affect printing
- Finishing: folding, trimming, die cutting, and embossing
- Working with fonts and graphics
- Editing resolution and color in Photoshop
- Laying out print pieces in Illustrator and InDesign
- Preflighting designs
- Generating PDFs
- Refining PDFs in Adobe Acrobat
- Submitting the job
Skill Level Beginner
Duration
Views
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Introduction
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Welcome1m 30s
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1. Understanding Print Production
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What is print production?1m 21s
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2. The Life Cycle of a Print Job
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Attending press checks3m 13s
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3. Types of Printing
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The art of letterpress1m 18s
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4. Ink on Paper
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Understanding color space5m 17s
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What's a spot color?3m 29s
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5. The Mechanics of Finishing
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Building to the correct size1m 26s
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Folding and trimming4m 40s
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Setting up for die cutting1m 24s
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Embossing31s
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6. Fonts
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Understanding font formats1m 52s
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Using Open Type fonts4m 30s
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Font concerns2m 26s
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7. Graphics
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Examining graphic formats6m 34s
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8. Photoshop Basics
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Image resolution3m 56s
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Color space4m 47s
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9. Illustrator Layout Basics
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Illustrator layout tips9m 14s
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Using swatches6m 46s
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Working with effects5m 57s
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Importing images8m 21s
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Text basics1m 56s
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Saving as a PDF6m 27s
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Gathering up the pieces2m 17s
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10. InDesign Layout Basics
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Setting up InDesign5m 7s
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Working with color swatches6m 31s
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Creating gradients5m 11s
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Importing graphics7m 27s
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Copying and pasting graphics4m 58s
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Preflighting in InDesign6m 29s
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Packaging a print job6m 55s
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Generating PDFs7m 12s
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11. Acrobat
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Using Output Preview6m 27s
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Using touch-up tools6m 29s
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Converting colors4m 7s
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Using Preflight profiles3m 44s
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Conclusion
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Submitting the job7m 7s
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Next steps1m 14s
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Video: Image resolution