Pms (pantone matching system)

The Pantone® Matching System (PMS) are patented, standardized color inks that are my by Pantone Company. Pantone created the first standardized color system that allows for easy color matching. PMS colors were created for print use only and do not apply to screen use. 

There are currently 1,867 solid PMS colors in their Formula Guide. These ink colors can be sold to printers either premixed or as a formula that printers can then mix themselves. 

CMYK (cyan, magenta, yellow, black)

CMYK color (also known as four-color process) is a method where tiny transparent color dots in the four colors (cyan, magenta, yellow, and black) are combined. The various combinations of these colors and how they overlap create a full rainbow of colors. 

RGB (Red, green, blue)

RGB is the most commonly used color profile in the world of technology. The RGB color process is where colors are rendered by using combinations of red, green, and blue. 

RGB is best for designing anything that will be viewed on a screen. If something is designed using RGB colors but gets printed, the colors can seem dull. RGB colors appear vibrant because they are illuminated.

HEX (hexadecimal color)

HEX colors are used in the world of web design. A HEX color is expressed as a six-digit combination of numbers and letters defined by its mix of red, green, and blue (RGB). 

Essentially HEX colors are a shorthand version of RGB values with some conversion gymnastics in between. 

1. What are bleeds?

A bleed is a section of artwork that goes beyond the edge of where the paper will be cut. This way when the print project is being printed, the print will be slightly larger than the desired size but then will be cut down to the appropriate size.

In the above picture, the thin green line indicates the final size of the print project (8.5 x 11″). The orange highlighted edge around the page indicates the bleed area. As you can see, the image of the plant goes past the final size edge into the bleed area; this will allow the image to “fall off” the page. 

2. Why are bleeds neccessary?

We know that bleeds are necessary when you want a design or image to fall off the edge of the paper but understanding WHY is just as important. The reasoning for bleeds comes down to when your project is being cut. While cutting machines are very precise, they are not perfect and can have small margins of error. 

Cutters cut large stacks of paper at one time, so when lining up the document the machine may cut the first page on top to perfection, while the very last page may have a small margin of error. Having bleeds that are far enough from the cut line prevent there from being any unwanted white border along the edge.

Notice in the image above that the card with the incorrect use of bleeds (not bringing the image to the edge of the bleed line) has a white border around the image where it is supposed to meet the edge.

3. How to properly use bleeds

Bleeds are usually set up to be 1/8 (.125) of an inch. This is a standard bleed size that does not need to be scaled to the document size. For example, if you are printing a 4 x 6 postcard or a 17 x 11 poster, they both would only need a .125″ bleed size. 

When using bleeds you need to ensure that your images, color blocks, or anything else you want to fall off the page extend to the full length of the bleed line and you export with crop marks. The image above shows how a document should look when properly exported as a PDF.

4. how to setup and export your document with bleeds

Adobe Illustrator: Setup

When you are first creating an artboard in Illustrator there is a section on the right side of the pop-up panel titled “bleed,” here you can adjust the bleed amount. 

If you have already started your document and need to add bleeds you can go to File → Document Setup, here a pop-up window will show up where you can adjust your bleeds as necessary.

Adobe Illustrator: Exporting

When exporting from Illustrator first ensure that all images, color blocks, and design elements you wish to go to the edge of your print project have met the bleed marks fully. At Poor Richard’s Press, we take all print files in the form of a PDF, follow the below procedure to ensure proper exporting.

• • Go to File → Save As…
  • In the popup window select Adobe PDF (pdf) in the dropdown menu labeled “Format”
  • Click “Save”

• • In the next popup window go to the section labeled “Marks and Bleeds” on the left of the panel
  • Ensure that “Trim Marks” and “Use Document Bleed Settings” are both checked
  • Click “Save PDF”

Adobe InDesign: Setup

When you are first creating a document in InDesign you can set up the bleed on the right side of the panel labeled “Bleed and Slug.” You may need to scroll down and click on the dropdown menu to be able to access this section.

If you need to add bleeds to an already existing document, you can go to File → Document Setup and make the adjustments on the pop-up menu. Again, you may need to extend the dropdown menu titled “Bleed and Slug” in order to make changes.

Adobe InDesign: Exporting

When exporting from InDesign first ensure that all images, color blocks, and design elements you wish to go to the edge of your print project have met the bleed marks fully. At Poor Richard’s Press, we take all print files in the form of a PDF, follow the below procedure to ensure proper exporting.

• • Go to File → Export
  • In the popup window select Adobe PDF (print) in the dropdown menu labeled “Format”
  • Click “Save”

• • In the next popup window go to the section labeled “Marks and Bleeds” on the left of the panel
  • Ensure that “Trim Marks” and “Use Document Bleed Settings” are both checked
  • Click “Export”

Canva: Setup

While we do recommend using a software other than Canva for creating print items, you can add a bleed to your document following these steps. Open your design and in the top left corner click on File → Show print bleed. 

Canva: Exporting

When exporting from Canva first ensure that all images, color blocks, and design elements you wish to go to the edge of your print project have met the bleed marks fully. At Poor Richard’s Press, we take all print files in the form of a PDF. Please note that we do not recommend using Canva to create print PDFs, however, if you do choose to use Canva follow the below procedure to ensure proper exporting. 

• • Go to Share → Download

• • Under “File Type” choose PDF Print
  • Make sure “crop marks and bleed” is checked
  • Click Download

1. Understand the postal requirements

In order for your postcard to get to your audience, you must meet the USPS postal requirements, some basics to know are as follows:

• • At least 3 1/2”- 4 1/4″ high X 5”- 6″ long X 0.007”-0.016″ thick
  • Have finished corners that do not exceed a radius of 0.125”
  • Have adequate space for address, return address and indicia/stamp

For additional guidelines, the USPS has outlined them here.

2. have a clear call-to-action

What is the goal of your postcard? Visit your website? Use a discount code? Call your business? You need your call to action clear and easy to follow through with. Some examples of call-to-action are:

• Call XXX-XXX-XXXX to schedule your first appointment
• Scan the code to redeem your discount
• Reserve your spot before July 12th
• Download the app to start your free trial

3. relevant imagery

The images you use on your postcard need to be eye-catching and relevant. If you’re advertising a product, you should show it, if you want someone to visit your restaurant have a picture of people enjoying themselves at your restaurant.

Your image choice need to support your call-to-action while be visually appealing and relevant to your audience.

4. track your performance

Tracking the performance of your postcard is crucial in gauging your success and creating future campaigns! Using tracking information, you can tailor your next campaigns using the factors that worked and experiment with other elements to test what is more successful. There are several ways you can track your campaign:

• • Tracked phone number
  • QR code
  • Unique short URLs
  • A specific promotion code 

4. personalize

When people see a postcard with personalization, they are more likely to pay attention and follow through with your call-to-action. Personalization can be achieved through detailed databases and variable data printing (VDP). To learn more about VDP and customized mailing checkout this blog post. Some ways to include personalization include:

• • Inclusion of a first/last name
  • Differing offers
  • Differing images/designs
  • Different tracking links

1. Signage

First and foremost you will need ample and attractive signage. What’s the point of anyone coming up to your booth if it isn’t clear who you are or what you do? Having pull up banners, branded tablecloths, posters, signs, etc. let’s potentially interested parties know they should come check out your booth. Be sure to include attractive visuals and designs to catch the eye of those passing by!

2. Branded apparel

You and your team should look just as good as your booth! You are here to impress so looking professional is key. By wearing branded apparel such as polos, vests, jackets, and hats, you are showing that you are proud and confident in your brand. That confidence attracts potential customers to stop by your booth!

3 Giveaway items

Giveaway items are great for multiple reasons. First, they attract people to your booth. If you make an appealing display that clearly shows that you are giving away some awesome giveaway items, people will want to come to your booth to get it. Second, branding your giveaway items allows for brand impressions to be made once they leave your booth. For example, if you’re giving away branded tote bags to everyone who follows you on instagram, they will then carry the bag out allowing all passersby to see your brand. That bag can then be brought with them to the grocery store, to a friends house, or multiple other places where it can make additional impressions!

4. Pamphlets and marketing items

Nothing is worse than having someone come up to your booth and ask a question you can’t answer. Be sure this never happens by having marketing collateral with service and product information. In addition, have business cards handy with a contact for each department someone may ask about. Having marketing items such as pamphlets, business cards, and brochures is crucial in making sure people who come up to your booth have access to all the information you need.

5. interactive displays

Having an interactive display is where you get the chance to REALLY stand out from the crowd! Having an interactive element such as a spin wheel, photo backdrop, cornhole, raffle, or any other creative idea allows for visitors to stay at your booth longer. The longer someone stays at your booth, the more likely they are to want to hear about your business! 

1. know the purpose of your piece 

This may seem obvious but knowing the purpose of your piece can impact how you want it to function, look, and feel. For example, if the purpose of your project is to educate children at a museum, you may want to choose a trifold design so you have room for both images and information. Additionally, you may want to choose a thicker stock paper so it doesn’t crumple too easily when handles by children. Think about what the goal of your piece is and work backwards to figure out the best design, paper type, finishing, etc.

2. Resolution

Most print projects contain some sort of image or visual along with text, so it is important that the images you use are of proper resolution to make your project look professional. Generally, having images that are 300 dpi (dots per inch) generate nice print results. Anything lower and your image may come out pixelated or blurry. 

3. File Size

Be sure to design your project in the size that you want it to be printed. This is  helpful for the designing portion of your project so you can accurately know how to layout your content. This is also beneficial once you hand it over to get printed, if the dimensions are not correct, you will need to resize and reformat the entire thing so elements don’t get distorted.

4. Bleeds

Another key element to consider is if you want your piece to have bleeds. Having bleeds means that images fall off the page meeting the edges with no white space. Not having bleeds means there will be a white border around the edge of the entire piece. If you want your project to have bleeds, you will need to set up your document with at least a 1/8″ (.125″) bleeds. If you are not sure how to set up bleeds in your design software, feel free to contact one of our print or design experts. 

5. Spell check and final edits

It is important that when you send your files over to get printed that they are as final as they possibly can be. Any spelling mistakes, last minute design changes, or edits can delay the printing process and possibly cost you if the item has already been printed. It is our responsibility to make sure your piece is printed the best it can, but it is the clients responsibility to ensure everything within the document is correct. We recommend having a few eyes look over spelling and design before submitting it to catch any small mistakes.

There are five most common brochure fold types.

These include: Bi-Fold, Z-Fold, Tri-Fold, Gate Fold, and Accordion Fold. Let’s go through each with their benefits and uses.

Bi-Fold Brochure

The bi-fold brochure is folded in half, either vertically or horizontally. This creates four panels and is one of the most commonly-used brochure types.

Z-Fold Brochure

Folded into a zigzag “Z” shape. It’s commonly used when information is image-heavy. It has six panels in total giving it plenty of room to show image graphic designs that can spill-over from one panel to the other.

Tri-Fold Brochure

A tri-fold brochure is folded twice over the middle section, offering six panels for your information. This gives you enough space to talk about your product, business or brand.

Gate Fold Brochure

Gate fold brochures are used less often because they can be a little more expensive than traditional brochures. The inward fold of this brochure makes it compact and easy to carry around. Its eight panel structure provides more space for graphic designs, illustrations, information, and images of the product.

Accordion Brochure

The accordion brochure is a sheet of paper that is folded three times in a zig-zag pattern, creating a piece that expands like an accordion. The accordion-fold brochure is popular for the flexibility of its format.

Want to get started on a brochure for your business? Our design and print experts can help you with everything you need to successfully market your business! 

BASIC CUSTOMIZATION

Basic customization involves minimal differences from one piece to the next. In basic customization the name and salutation changes. No other elements including images, color, or messaging gets altered.

versioning

Versioning is essentially exactly what the name is! Versioning is made up of several different versions of a piece that is targeted at certain demographics. In versioning, the colors, pictures, messaging, etc. can all be different but everyone in a certain category or demographic that is predetermined will get the same piece.

full customization

With full customization, individual elements of the piece can be changed from one to the next. Each piece can be completely different from the next with multiple databases and criteria influencing the exact design.