The Ultimate Round-Up of Print Design Tutorials
The Ultimate Round-Up of Print Design Tutorials (via @smashingmag) -Although web design is everywhere nowadays (even when we’re not at the computer it still manages to squeeze it’s way in to our everyday life), print design is still a huge part of the design industry and is everywhere we look: newspapers, posters, prints, manuals, restaurant menus, business cards – the list goes on and on. So how do you make sure that you leave a good impression on people holding your piece of art in their hands? This is where experience and advanced print design skills come into play.Below we present 25 useful print design tutorials as well as a collection of inspirational links at the bottom of the post to improve your skills and get your imagination running wild. These tutorials make use of Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator and InDesign, and even the experienced designers out there can give their skills a polish by taking the time to read through these tutorials to squeeze a few more tips, tricks, do’s and dont’s up their already stuffed sleeves.Print Design TutorialsPrinting and Prepress Basics (Ps, Ai & Id)Learn about four-color process printing (CMYK)Find out the differences between plain & rich black
Making a Print-Ready Business Card (Ps)Set up CMYK documents in Photoshop with bleedsUse textures to spice up your backgroundsCreate custom shapes using the Polygonal Lasso Tool
Create a Magazine Cover Design (Id)Use the Fill Frame Proportionally Tool to save timeCreate custom shapes with the Pen Tool
Design a Super Cool Retro Poster in 10 Steps (Ps)Create custom type in IllustratorUse textures to add depth to your artwork
Create a Five-Color Magazine Cover using a Spot Metallic (Ps, Ai, Id & Acrobat Pro)Learn how to print spot metallic inksCreate custom shapes using the Shear ToolUse textures to add depth to your artwork
Create a Grid Based Resume/CV Layout (Id)Use grids to create a professional page layoutWork with text settings to align paragraphs to grids
Create and Print a Business Card with UPrinting (Ai)Use templates to assist in setting up documents for printCreate outlines of text to prevent problems in pre-press
Create an Impactful Magazine Headline (Id)Learn the process of designing a page layoutUse several tools to learn professional page layout techniques
Designing for Print – Setting Up Crops and Bleeds (Ps, Ai & Id)Correctly set up bleed margins in Adobe CSCorrectly set up crops in Adobe CS
Combining Special Finishes (Ps, Ai & Id)Turn sketches into process ready vectorsDesign complex sculpted embossesPrepare artwork for foil-blocking
Create an Intense Movie Poster (Ps)Use curves, color adjustments & the burn tool to manipulate photographsUse brushes& the Pen Tool to create new light sourcesWork with different blur tools to create a spooky text effect
Design & Print Bold Promo Cards in 60 minutes (Ai)Set up Illustrator print documents with bleed marginsLearn about different kinds of blacks used in CMYK printing
Design a Print-Ready Business Card Design for Designers (Ai & Ps)Set up CMYK documents in Photoshop with bleedsUse Illustrator vector images in PhotoshopExporting files as print-ready PDFs
Business Card Design Walkthrough (Ai)Set up CMYK documents in Illustrator with bleedsUse the Gradient Mesh Tool to add depth to print products
Design a Print-Ready Beer Label (Ai)Work with Warp Tools to create realistic shapes for labelsUse the Threshold and Live Trace Tools to create interesting vectors
PreparingMultiple Instances of a Bumper Sticker for Print (Ai)Add Crop Marks to your artworkSet up a page of multiple copies of the same artwork for print
Designa Print-Ready Ad (Id)Learn how to correctly place images into your InDesigndocumentsUse the Placeholder Text Tool to fill areas with mock-textAdd custom CMYK swatches to InDesign
CreateStunning Printwork using Overprinting (Ps)Experiment with unique CMYK color combinationsLearn how to create an overprinted composition
Howto Create a Music Magazine Cover (Id)Set up CMYK documents in InDesign with bleedsUse the Rectangle Tool to make your work more interesting
Createa Grungy Poster (Ps)Work with textures to create interesting backgroundsUse the Brush Tool to add depth to your artworkCombine stock photos to produce the images you want
Design an Abstract Business Card (Ps & Ai)Set up CMYK documents in Photoshop with bleedsUse vector shapes from Illustrator in PhotoshopUse textures to increase your artworks visual interest
Create and Print a Brochure (Ps & Id)Learn why you should export PDFs in InDesignSet up CMYK documents in InDesign with bleedsWork with text and character styles in InDesign
Design a Ready to Print Brochure (Ps)Set up CMYK documents in Photoshop with bleeds and column guidesWork with images to create grungy textured backgrounds
Designa Six-Panel CD Package (Ps & Ai)Use cloning, burning and dodging to manipulate photographsWork with TIFF images and text in Illustrator
Gig Poster Design: The New Sex (Ps & Ai)Combine stock photos to produce the images you wantUse the Live Trace Tool to produce vector imagesProduce custom patterns to add distress to your artwork
Inspiration & Further ResourcesTo get your imagination running wild we’ve collected a few round-up links which are all jam-packed full of stunning print work! You’ll also find a link or two for the beginners just stepping into the world of designing for print.The Art of the Business Card: 187+ Creative Examples, Tutorials & ResourcesA huge collection of creative business cards, and tutorials on how to make your own. Creative Print Typography LayoutsA showcase of 40 different typography page layouts for print design.Beautiful Brochures and BookletsA showcase of interesting and visually appealing brochures and booklets.Beautiful and Expressive Packaging DesignSome excellent examples of beautiful, attractive and communicative packaging designs.15 Delightful Brochure DesignsA collection of superb brochure designs that look great and read well.The Web Designers Guide to Print DesignThe basics of print design, from choosing the right software to different kinds of printing.Pantone: The Official WebsiteThe official site of Pantone, offering Pantone colors, products and guides.RGB versus CMYKA beginners guide to the differences between RGB and CMYK color modes.The Top 15 Magazine Covers since 1960Striking photography and creative typography at it’s best in the top 15 mag covers.40 Examples of Beautiful Typography in Advertising DesignA collection of some beautiful typography based advertising campaigns.About the authorCallum Chapman is a freelance graphic designer and illustrator based in Cambridge, UK. He is also the creative blogger behind Circlebox Blog a design related blog offering articles, inspiration, tutorials and free, high-resolution textures.© Callum Chapman for Smashing Magazine, 2009. |
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