Whether you are just setting up your business card printing or recreating a whole new look for yourself or company, creating a professional look is always important. Your image is often the first thing people will see, and the reality is that people will judge a book by its cover.
Here are 5 simple design tips and tricks to help you with getting the job done right.
Know your need for resolution
If you are printing large amounts you may need high resolution. Not because of the large amounts, but for the type of printing that will be used. Make sure all of your designs and photography are 300dpi (dots per inch).
This is a simple mistake that many people make. Normal printing from your printer at home is 72dpi. Make sure you know your required resolution before assembling logos and images.
Using your ‘save as’ function when doing your work
It is often a good idea to save your work during your design process. You can save your work during the process and you should ‘save as’ and change the name of the file so that you have a different file at each stage of your work.
This may help you if you want to make changes and allow you to make changes somewhere during the design process instead of starting the whole project again. If you are working on your own unique business designs, this is a very important rule.
Manage your files well
Always name your files in a clear and simplified system. If you are creating a package for yourself or your company you will probably have several versions of your documents for different use.
Save files clearly named and use a system of naming for your folders. Make using these files easier so that you see what they are, understand what they are and you know how you will be using them in a glance.
This will save you a great amount of time when you are assembling your final designs.
Getting use of good free software
Many of us don’t want to invest big dollars for professional software packages. There are a variety of free software packages that can do more than just the basics available for download.
Another great option and often better than the free download programs are those programs which are actually built into websites. These websites are actually the programs. Go to the website and use it much like you would any other program.
You can open your files and work on your documents in the same way as if the software was on your computer. Much better than putting your computer at risk of malware and other nasty viruses.
Using online design and printing templates and packages
If you wish to complete all your needs in one simple process without having to worry about all the different designs and printing needs for different items your business may need such as cards, business booklet printing, brochure printing.
You can have all of these items created for you in basic templates supplied by online printing websites and companies. Using these simple techniques you can choose your own style and fill in the details and you are ensured of uniformity and standard business image throughout all your documents. A very easy and time saving option for many individuals or businesses.
We all can have business cards, other professional looking printed stationary and a website just for personal use if not for our own business.
Standardising your appearance and just having a business card even if it actually is just a personal use card can be very appealing and a great fast way to exchange your details when meeting people.
