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Building Files

Step 1: Choose your Design/Layout program(s)

Choosing the right program for designing your project is key. Follow these guidelines when choosing the programs you will use.

Adobe Photoshop

For photographs and rasterized images only. Text is best left to other applications like Illustrator or InDesign. When using Photoshop it is NOT recommended to enlarge images because this will result in pixelated images and poor print quality.

Adobe Illustrator

Illustrator works with vector images which are based on mathematical formulas. This means they can be scaled up or down without loss of quality as with rasterized images (Photoshop). Illustrator is great for text that will be used as a design element, or logos.

Adobe InDesign

This is a layout program that is used to combine text and graphics that are created in Photoshop or Illustrator. It is best to compose large areas of text in InDesign rather than Illustrator or Photoshop.

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Step 2: Download/Create the Template

Download a template or build your file from scratch:

Adobe Photoshop

1. Open Photoshop and click File > New...
2. Enter the FULL BLEED dimensions. That is, 1/4" extra both vertically and horizontally.
3. Set the Resolution at 300 pixels/inch
4. Set your Color Mode at CMYK

Adobe Illustrator

1. Open Illustrator and click File > New...
2. Enter the TRIM dimensions in the Width and Height boxes (for example, the trim dimension on a standard business card would be 3.5" x 2")
3. Enter 0.125 for the top, bottom, left and right bleed
4. Set your Color Mode at CMYK
5. Set your Raster Effects at High (300ppi)

Adobe InDesign

1. Open InDesign and click File > New > Document...
2. Enter the TRIM dimensions under Page Size (for example, a standard business card would have trim dimensions of 3.5" x 2")
3. If you do not see "Bleed and Slug" at the bottom of the window, click the "More Options" button.
4. Enter 0.125 for the top, bottom, left and right bleed

Keep in mind:

For Saddle-stitched booklets: Build your document to have reader's spreads with facing pages

For Perfect-bound or Wire-bound books: Build as single pages

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Step 3: Watch Out for Common Mistakes

Click here to learn what common print design mistakes to avoid so your final printed piece will be 100% successful!