1. Resolution

 Resolution refers to the number of pixels per inch contained in a bitmap image, measured in DPI (pixels per inch). Resolution determines the level of detail in a bitmap image. Generally, the higher the resolution of the image, the more pixels it contains, the clearer the image, and the better the printing quality.

 When designing printed materials, the resolution must be set to 300 pixels/inch. It should be noted that the size must be set first before setting the resolution. Otherwise, if the size is small, increasing the resolution will not be effective. Therefore, it is necessary to confirm the resolution and size before designing, otherwise increasing the size after the design is completed will blur the image.

2. Bleeding

 Bleeding refers to the part of the finished product that needs to be cut before binding, and during printing design, the bleeding (margin) is usually set to 3mm. When designing a printed product, it is important to take into account the size of the bleeding, as the finished product will be cut at a depth of 2mm to 3mm in the later stages to ensure the perfection of the product.

3. PDF output

 Output a PDF of the printing standard. If it is not clear, in the option of saving as PDF, select "Printing Quality", or directly select a certain standard "PDF/X-1a" or "PDF/X-4" to ensure printing standards while minimizing file size and improving file transmission efficiency.

4. Printing size

 Many people may encounter a printing factory saying that the file size is incorrect and asking for file size modification when they first find a printing factory to produce printed materials. For example, the design draft size of the A4 flyer is 21 × 29.7cm, change to 21 × 28.5cm, why is this? Is it different from the paper size of the printer we usually use?

 In fact, printing paper can be divided into two types: "regular paper" and "regular paper": regular paper is an international standard, regular paper is a domestic standard, and regular paper size is smaller than regular paper size. In general, printing factories will purchase two different types of paper simultaneously to meet different customer needs. Therefore, before designing printing documents, we should choose the appropriate paper size. Only in this way can the printed documents have the least paper waste and a more affordable price.

5. Color mode

 When designing printed materials, the color mode should be set to CMYK mode, and RGB should not be used. The reason is that the color expression mode and range of the later materials are different from what you see on a computer, while the CMYK color mode is used for printing image presentation.

 Generally speaking, the color range of regular paper printing is much smaller than the color range displayed on designer computers (especially Apple computers), which is why every designer believes that when a design is printed, it is always not as beautiful as what you designed.

6. Paper selection

 The selection of paper is definitely a part that needs to be considered in the design process. The thickness, texture, and color of the paper can all affect the feeling conveyed by the design image. In the process of making small samples, multiple types of paper can be selected to ensure the effect.

 Paper in grams (g) or grams per square meter (g/m ²） Calculation. The thickness of paper is measured in calipers or millimeters, but the thicker the paper, the better the quality.

In terms of usage, it can be simply divided into commonly used printing paper and art paper (also known as fancy paper). Commonly used printing paper includes coated paper, matte paper, Daolin paper, white cardboard, and book paper, etc. Textual books often use Daolin paper and book paper, while picture books often use matte paper and coated paper.

7. Printing process

 There are various printing processes available, and different display effects can be created based on different needs and paper. Common printing processes include: matte film/glossy film coating, gold and silver stamping process, embossing and embossing process, flocking, edge brushing, etc., in order to express text and patterns, and can also play a decorative role to increase artistic effects.