to design a large format print

bluemoo

Hi Everyone.

Basically i want to be able to design posters and banners for our business.
And have the design printed by a professinal printer using one of those big commercial colour printers.

I cant afford to buy indesign (apparently thats what i require) are there any cheaper alternatives which would allow me to do the designing jobs?

I would want to print everything from a1 posters to large 1000mm x 2000mm banner prints, and even 20ft x 2ft banners....

How will i do this.
I presume i willl need software.
Can anyoen reccommend some good cheap software for this?

Oh and also someone told me that with this type of print i will need to make sure that any files are vector designed so that when i blow them up for the larger printsthe pixels wont be blurry?????.....so ideally could someone explain this and reccomend software that caters for this too.

Cheers everyone

Bluemoo!!!!!!!!! moooo-oooooo

ztoical

You don't need indesign to do posters. You would use it if you were creating a multi page document/booklet/etc but it's not needed for a single image.

How where you planning on creating the posters? Vector programs are things like Illustrator or flash, there are free ware programs that are like those but if your creating the art by hand or in a rastor based program like Photoshop you can't just open it in illustrator and blow it up. If they are pretty basic and graphic designs you can create them in illustrator as vector images. It really depends on what kind of posters your looking to make.

mood

The print company will have professional graphic designers who can do it all for you. They is no need to do it yourself.

ztoical

mood wrote: »

The print company will have professional graphic designers who can do it all for you. They is no need to do it yourself.

True but OP just be aware most printers will charge upwards of 35 euro per hour for any graphic design work they have to do on top of the print costs, it's not included in the cost of printing.

bluemoo

ztoical wrote: »

You don't need indesign to do posters. You would use it if you were creating a multi page document/booklet/etc but it's not needed for a single image.

How where you planning on creating the posters? Vector programs are things like Illustrator or flash, there are free ware programs that are like those but if your creating the art by hand or in a rastor based program like Photoshop you can't just open it in illustrator and blow it up. If they are pretty basic and graphic designs you can create them in illustrator as vector images. It really depends on what kind of posters your looking to make.

Thanks for all your help now

Im looking to make posters to promote my startup company.
Posters with pictures and text - all nicely layed out.
So if i dont need indesign, then what will i use to create it?

I want to be able to print the posters in all sorts of sizes.

So are you saying that anything designed in illustarator is vector programmed?

So if i did get adobe illustarator would i be able to design the poster art and make the layout and text for both large format and smaller posters and send these files directly to my printing company for print?

mood wrote: »

The print company will have professional graphic designers who can do it all for you. They is no need to do it yourself.

I simply dont have the money to have them designed.
And want to design new posters on a continuous basis.

thanks

mood

Its best left to the professionals, trust me. Surely its an investment in you business to do it properly!

ztoical

bluemoo wrote: »

So if i did get adobe illustarator would i be able to design logos and make the layout for both large format and smaller posters and send these files directly to my printing company for print?

In theory yes but illustrator is not an easy program to use if you've never used it, plus you might need to do some of the work in Photoshop depending on exactly what your posters look like. You can check out some guides and post work in progress on the forum for feedback but honestly if this is to promote your business it might be worth spending a little money on getting posters done correctly.

There are free ware versions of illustrator called inkscape and photoshop called the gimp but still they aren't easy programs to use if you've never used them.

ztoical

mood wrote: »

Its best left to the professionals, trust me. Surely its an investment in you business to do it properly!

+ 1 For something that's going to be used for profossional promotion it really is a good investment for your business to have a logo done correctly.

minikin

bluemoo, seriously now... you're saying the equivalent of "i don't know anything about book keeping, i don't even know what the appropriate accountancy package is for book keeping, but (reading between the lines) I want to be able to 'obtain' this software on the cheap so that i can submit a professional set of accounts to the auditor rather than pay a book keeper a few quid to do it right"

having software installed will not make you a graphic designer, all you are going to do is waste an awful lot of your own time, p*ss off the printer because you won't be providing print ready artwork and you'll end up with a rubbish product that reflects badly on your company... would you go out and make your own business suits out of scraps of old carpet and curtains? How do you think that would make you look?

There is a company called goldfish who use a dose of 'graphic designers' out in india, they only charge €9 an hour for "graphic designing"
If you've no budget then use them or else put an ad up on adverts.ie - there are plenty of photoshoppers who will do it for you there.
Alternatively just talk to your printing company, get it done properly by trained professionals who know what they're doing... just a crazy thought!

bluemoo

Firstly can i say that i have a degree in art, sure it was a long time ago, but iv got artistic skills or whatever, so i believe i would be able to master this and would have an interest in it. Photoshop was never around in my arty days

ztoical wrote: »

In theory yes but illustrator is not an easy program to use if you've never used it, plus you might need to do some of the work in Photoshop depending on exactly what your posters look like. You can check out some guides and post work in progress on the forum for feedback but honestly if this is to promote your business it might be worth spending a little money on getting posters done correctly.

There are free ware versions of illustrator called inkscape and photoshop called the gimp but still they aren't easy programs to use if you've never used them.

Youn see the problem is that in my line of business we might have to create 10 posters a week, of different products and for different peole.
They wouldnt be anything too diffocult, just a promotional poster.
So i cant afford to shell out the design fee for a poster multiplied by 10 times a week, multiplied by 50 weeks a year.

mood wrote: »

Its best left to the professionals, trust me. Surely its an investment in you business to do it properly!

The above answer answers your question....thanks

minikin wrote: »

bluemoo, seriously now... you're saying the equivalent of "i don't know anything about book keeping, i don't even know what the appropriate accountancy package is for book keeping, but (reading between the lines) I want to be able to 'obtain' this software on the cheap so that i can submit a professional set of accounts to the auditor rather than pay a book keeper a few quid to do it right"

having software installed will not make you a graphic designer, all you are going to do is waste an awful lot of your own time, p*ss off the printer because you won't be providing print ready artwork and you'll end up with a rubbish product that reflects badly on your company... would you go out and make your own business suits out of scraps of old carpet and curtains? How do you think that would make you look?

There is a company called goldfish who use a dose of 'graphic designers' out in india, they only charge €9 an hour for "graphic designing"
If you've no budget then use them or else put an ad up on adverts.ie - there are plenty of photoshoppers who will do it for you there.
Alternatively just talk to your printing company, get it done properly by trained professionals who know what they're doing... just a crazy thought!

I will learn.

And oh with no backround in accounting i now manage and make all my account returns, and just have them signed off by an accountant:p:)

So can i just ask you guys some questions:

Would illustrator suffice for what want to do?
or do i need the whole adobe creative suite standard?

when i have my design ready, how do choose what size is to be printed?
is it simply a matter of clicking a4, a1, 2000mm x 1000mm after the poster is designed?


How can i incorporate my work from photoshop and illustrator?.....do i import work from illustrator to PS or PS to illustrator and print?

Thanks guys:)

Pixelcraft

There is a world of difference between Art & graphic design, seriously you will have to invest a hell of a lot of time to be able to produce something that looks good, and won't go arseways when it goes to print.

How does a degree in art help you with design principles & fundamentals?

mood

Learning photoshop or illustrator will not be enough. There is a lot more to graphic design than learning software and being artistic. You need to understand the printing process and all the problems associated with it - you could loose a lot of money. If you need a receptionist why not hire a graphic designer - that way would would have a receptionist and graphic designer rolled into one! Maybe the wages would be hire but it will save you money in the long run.

Hank_Scorpio

I disagree that InDesign should not be used. I think it should. It's not just for multipage documents. That's faux pas.

I usually make my illustrator vectors.

Make my photoshop items.

Then I merge all the items together in InDesign.

I do large and small format printing and have done so for nearly 10 years.

If you want to layout a page for printing the InDesign is the page layout tool.


Not to say that you can't make poster in Illustrator or Photoshop - of course you can.

But that would, in my mind, equivilant to creating vector logos in InDesign. You can do it. But Illustrator is better at it.

Just as InDesign is better at it than Illustrator or Photoshop for creating posters for large format designs - using Illustrator and Photoshop files as placed items in the page layout.

InDesign has far superior typography tools - in terms of styles.

And it's PDF export is better and smaller than anything I've seen from Illustrator or Photoshop.

wong

If you really are planning on doing this yourself, make sure you create the document at 300dpi and then convert to CMYK. A larger canvas size will make for a larger print. If you work at a smaller size at 72dpi which is generally what a lot of amateurs make the mistake of doing, that when you go to print, you will get a very poor quality print.

If you did not understand anything of the previous paragraph, then it wouldn't be wise to do this yourself.

In most instances I will tell you to hire a graphic designer or at least someone who knows what they are doing but then again you seem very capable! After all, you did well in 'art' when you were younger and you seem to think you have the skills that graphic designers take a lifetime to master.

minikin

bluemoo, you come on here looking for expert advice and opinion... you don't like what you hear so you disregard it... sounds like a winning formula... best of luck!

ztoical

wong wrote: »

If you really are planning on doing this yourself, make sure you create the document at 300dpi and then convert to CMYK. A larger canvas size will make for a larger print. If you work at a smaller size at 72dpi which is generally what a lot of amateurs make the mistake of doing, that when you go to print, you will get a very poor quality print.

If you did not understand anything of the previous paragraph, then it wouldn't be wise to do this yourself.

+ 1 OP from some the questions you've asked it really doesn't sound like you're throwing yourself into something that is going to cause you more stress and money in the long term. As people have said having an art degree or background isn't the same as having a design background. If you don't know the difference between a rastor program and vector program your just putting yourself in a world of trouble.

Paying for a good, eye catching logo and poster design is worth it for your business in the long run and you could get a designer to create a template for you were all you have to do is alter the images/text each week as needed so you wouldn't be paying each week.

emmetcummins

If you want to draw out the posters first, just get a wacom tablet, they're great for graphic design and better for people who prefer to actually draw with a pencil shaped object than with a mouse. Just get a good one and draw the poster into Corel or Photoshop. If you like to see the work that you're drawing straight away get a Cintiq. If you don't mind looking at the screen while drawing get an Intuos. If you're making posters I suggest getting a big tablet, if you're getting a cintiq, get the biggest because they might be dear but they don't go as big as the intuos.I'd suggest getting a Graphire first or A Bamboo to see if you can work with a graphics tablet It's a great investment, specially for you who has to design things nearly every day.

red_ice

Im a professional graphic designer. I do everything, but my main focus is corporate imaging, then web design.

You really have it in your head that your going to be able to produce top quality work right away with a quick learning curve. This isnt the case at all. To get to a professional standard fast its at least a years worth of learning, and litterally 8 odd hours a day every night in that time to get good. These days everyone thinks they can skip the middle man and save money, when the truth of the fact is they can make more money by giving a better product. You pay peanuts, you get monkeys - thats what i tell my clients.

Photoshop, paintshop pro what ever. Wont do. Your past pixel at this point. Were talking Vector for what you want to do. Indesign is great, however illustrator is where its at imo, but everyone uses what they want. Some people even like to use fireworks and flash. I've often used flash because i like how it manipulates curves, then i pull it back into illustrator, but thats a rarity.

Great, thats been extablished. Vector imaging relys on maths. Therefore you cant just use it like you would photoshop in the sense of "that looks a little bright, sure ill just paint over it" It doesnt work that way. The best way to look at illustrator imo, is to picture everything as being stamped on and cut out. That process over and over to make the right shape(other than the pen tool).

You said that you have an art degree. With all due respect... That means nothing to anyone in the design industry. I did computer science(then went into graphic design long story), and there was people in that course who learnt everything by the book, spewed out the answers and walked away with a degree. They havnt a clue what they are doing. Most of them work in banks now inputing data.

Did you study art of design in college? Because as im sure you know and it gets BET into everyone, that art and design are seperate things (thats kind of changing in the sence that "everything" is now art). In art you work for yourself. In design you work for others. If they dont like your work, tough shit. Redo it untill they are happy, and trust me. That will happen, unless your clients are simple minded people who dont really care about the product your producing.

For the love of god at least have it in yourself to get someone to illustrate your logo for you. Because if your only learning illustrator/indesign/whatever and you want to use that as your logo.. it wont look good. Your a design company and a tacky corporate image will make you look tacky and therefor make you lose business.