Graphic Design
Where Did Business Cards Originate?
10 billion business cards are handed out each year and most are thrown out within a week. Splash color cards are held on to 10x longer than their standard cohorts. For every 2,000 business cards distributed, a company’s sales will increase by 2.5%. Despite knowing many facts and figures, it’s rare anyone contemplates the emergence of such a ubiquitous practice. While popular references may make us believe standard practice began in the great socioeconomic boom of the 1980’s, the actual origin lands ...
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Word of Today: Foil
Foil Stamping
Foil, or foil stamping is a decorative printing process yielding a metallic glint. Most notably, foils are used to create unique, elegant designs that work on an instinctual level for our preferences.
This process is done by applying heat and pressure to a metallic or pigmented foil on to a solid surface. The foil is left permanently adhered to the surface leaving the design of the die (carved metal plates). Since there are no liquid inks involved, this is a dry ...
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5 Things to Remember When Preparing Your Art for Print
It’s more common than not for art production departments to suffer from a serious case of the “hurry-up-and-wait.” Deadlines are missed, last minute changes are made, and content rapidly changes. While rushing to meet a last minute deadline, it can be easy to breeze past the fundamentals of artwork preparation.
To combat the chaos and prevent further delays from art production errors, I created the mnemonic “Five Basic Rules to Check” before printing.
Files, Bleeds, Resolution, Type, and Color
Below are the “Five Basic ...
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Word of Today: Digital Proof
A digital proof is typically supplied in a PDF format. It is created from the supplied artwork for printing and the adjusted for color separations to check to see if there will be any errors or irregularities when printed.
This is not the same as a hard proof. Or physical printout to check colors and final positioning.
At Magagna & Company digital proofs are always free! Beware of any printing companies that do not supply PDF proofs.
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Coated Paper vs Uncoated Paper
There are limitless choices of paper or "stock" as we like to call it but it all boils down into to main categories. Coated Paper and Uncoated Paper.
Coated Paper
Coating is a process by which paper is coated using blades or rollers to apply the coating agent for improved brightness or printing properties. This process of "sealing" the the paper allows the coating to fill in the tiny crevices between the fibers of the paper to give it a smooth, flat surface. Depending on the ...
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Five Simple Rules to Follow to Create an Effective Brochure
There are thousands if not millions of articles online regarding the art to creating effective brochures, our simple guide is a bit different. As a brochure printing company, we have seen hundreds of brochure designs come through our doors for printing and there are five rules all of the most effective brochures follow.
1. No one cares about you.
You care about your company, but your reader is only interested in what your company can do for them. Make your reader the focus of ...
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