That may seem like the simplest suggestion someone can give you but the truth is that it is, too often, one of the hardest suggestions to follow.

In the world of Graphic Design, things are changing all the time. Even if you have been in this business for twenty years, you are still, undoubtedly, encountering new technique requests and, therefore, new design challenges at every turn. No matter how much preparation you have had to work in this field, you know by now that technology changes by the second. It seems impossible to keep up. What to do. What to do!!

First, breathe! Then, remember that, because you work on a computer, you already have resources right in front of you! Check out Google. See what Siri has to say. Look into what Bing has to offer. You will have plenty to read! Just keep in mind that, for as much information that the web sources contain and for as good as a lot of it sounds, a lot of it may also be wrong. It may be outright wrong or it may be wrong for the project on which you are working, and given all of the multiple versions of what people think or how people do things, confusion can become your biggest problem. So...

Don’t be afraid to ask!! And the best person to ask is Senoda! We understand color, folds, bleeds, page layout and much more design information that will help your project come out exactly the way you want it to, and you can be assured that they have been asked about them many times before. Asking about color and bleed can be important and should be asked of any printer with whom you are just starting to work, but other common questions that people should ask, but don’t, are, among other questions, things like:

• What size should I make my panels on my brochures?

• How do I add bleed and how much?

• Should I supply my file in CMYK or PMS colors?

• How should I set up my book to get it printed?

Have you ever heard the phrase “There are no dumb questions!”? It’s not a dumb phrase! Your printer has undoubtedly heard them all and more, and, as the printing process progresses, they will be glad that you asked. Be assured that it would be much better to ask even what you think are dumb questions and design your piece correctly than to send it off and have the production crew at the print shop struggle or throw it back to you saying those dreaded words: “THIS NEEDS TO BE RE-DESIGNED.”