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.

slab serif

Sans-Serif fonts are the “opposite” of serif fonts. They lack the decorative line or taper on the end of the letters. Instead they are seemingly more simple and are considered to be a more modern typeface. 

Sans-Serif fonts are often used to emulate the feeling of being casual, informal, friendly, and very approachable. They are often used for more basic designs when something needs more readability, however that is not a limiting factor. Sans-serif typefaces are use by many brands such as The North Face and Facebook to showcase their brand identity. 

Some notable Sans-Serif fonts include Arial, Helvetica, Proxima Nova, Futura, and Calibri!

script

A Script font is one that mimics cursive handwriting. Often script fonts are those that resemble handwritten calligraphy. Font scripts should be used sparingly as they can affect readability in large amounts of text and and make words marks difficult to read. 

Scripts add a sense of elegance and sophistication to a design. While these are not meant for long bodies of text, they can add flair to a design. Script fonts often make a design feel expensive or glamourous. Just know that less is more when it comes to scripts, and make sure to keep only one script in each design.

decorative

In the end, choosing the right font can be made easier by first choosing a style. Once a style is selected, the variation between fonts is heavily minimized. Choosing fonts is sometimes anything but simple. Understanding different styles will help make picking fonts easier in the future!