evoke design - tips and tricks

Everyone has questions about the design and printing process. Here we try and answer some of them. We will be updating this section with new tips and tricks in the coming months so please check back with us. If you have specific questions or issues you would like to see explained, please let us know. Our goal is for our clients to be well informed.

Logos
Logos can often be a selling or non-selling point for your business. Logos and their importance are often overlooked, but consider that if your logo doesn’t look crisp and clear, what are the odds your customers will think your business is crisp and clear? Logos for printed materials should be vector if at all possible. A vector logo is one that was created in a line based program such as Adobe Illustrator or Macromedia Freehand. These programs run on math, not pixels, which is why a logo created in one will look good on a business card or a billboard. A vector logo will most likely have a file extension of .EPS. Vector logos can also be converted to work on a website.

Logos coming from a website are most likely a JPG or a GIF. These images will look great on a website but the resolutions or dpi (dots or pixels per inch) are only 72dpi. Most, if not all, printed materials need a resolution of 300dpi. This is the reason logos downloaded from a website will look grainy or blurry when printed.

Bleed
This section is for printed items only. A bleed on a job is when the color and/or images run right to the edge and off of the page. This is the color bleeding off the edge. What this means is that the job will have to be printed on a larger sheet. Here is an example: If you wanted an 8.5” x 11” size flyer and part of the design calls for the image to run right to the edge of the page, you would need the image to extend .125 inches past the edge, bringing the total size to 8.75”x11.25”. This .125” on all sides is the bleed for that image. It will be cut off when the job is finished, but it ensures that the image stays on the edge when the printer cuts. The alternative is to have no-bleed, in which case you would have a white border around all text and images. If your job has images that run to the edge with no bleed you run the risk of having a thin white line after it is printed and cut. View the samples below.



	tips and tricks Everyone has questions about the design and printing process. Here we try and answer some of them. We will be updating this section with new tips and tricks in the coming months so please check back with us. If you have specific questions or issues you would like to see explained, please let us know. Our goal is for our clients to be well informed. Logos Logos can often be a selling or non-selling point for your business. Logos and their importance are often overlooked, but consider that if your logo doesn’t look crisp and clear, what are the odds your customers will think your business is crisp and clear? Logos for printed materials should be vector if at all possible. A vector logo is one that was created in a line based program such as Adobe Illustrator or Macromedia Freehand. These programs run on math, not pixels, which is why a logo created in one will look good on a business card or a billboard. A vector logo will most likely have a file extension of .EPS. Vector logos can also be converted to work on a website. Logos coming from a website are most likely a JPG or a GIF. These images will look great on a website but the resolutions or dpi (dots or pixels per inch) are only 72dpi. Most, if not all, printed materials need a resolution of 300dpi. This is the reason logos downloaded from a website will look grainy or blurry when printed. Bleed This section is for printed items only. A bleed on a job is when the color and/or images run right to the edge and off of the page. This is the color bleeding off the edge. What this means is that the job will have to be printed on a larger sheet. Here is an example: If you wanted an 8.5” x 11” size flyer and part of the design calls for the image to run right to the edge of the page, you would need the image to extend .125 inches past the edge, bringing the total size to 8.75”x11.25”. This .125” on all sides is the bleed for that image. It will be cut off when the job is finished, but it ensures that the image stays on the edge when the printer cuts. The alternative is to have no-bleed, in which case you would have a white border around all text and images. If your job has images that run to the edge with no bleed you run the risk of having a thin white line after it is printed and cut. View the samples below.

3202 Caldwell Rd • Atlanta, GA 30319 • 404-247-4662 • evokecontact@evokedesign.net