Whatever page-layout or illustration program in whatever platform you use, this course on digital prepress will show you the tools and techniques necessary to produce publications that look the way you want them and make your print provider thank you for clean, problem-free files.

What will be covered

• Overview of the print production process “from concept to print”
• Overview of the different printing processes with an emphasis on offset-printing or “going to press”
• The different applications used in and how they are used together to produce a publication
• The page: templates, formats, trim size, paper types, inks, folds and binding, imposition, crop & registration marks, varnishes and special options
• The page elements: graphics and type— bitmap images & vector illustrations (links, file formats, resolution, halftones and linescreens) and fonts (types of fonts and font management); plus the essential rules of typesetting
• Color reproduction: basic color management, monitor calibration, spot and process colors, color separation, trapping and overprinting
• Proofing methods: desktop printers, digital proofers, blue-lines, overlay proofs, matchprints and press-proofs
• Preflighting and packaging: prepress checklist to prepare your files for hand-off to your printing press

Who will benefit

New and practising graphic designers, desktop publishers, layout artists, production artists, art directors, and anyone involved in print production.

Prerequisite

Working knowledge of any page–layout or illustration program.