Print your catalog : advice from a pro

Feb 20, 2017

For this article we visited a professional printer. He answered a few questions about printing a catalog. Here are his answers :

  • In what form should the catalog be sent to the printer ? 

The file must be sent as a PDF.

  • Should the crop marks be present on the document ?

Crop marks are no longer essential.

  • How do you choose the paper type ? What are the different types of paper ?  

The paper types are as follows : coated paper and offset. For the choice of paper it depends on the result you are looking for : for example, the more the paper weight increases the less there is transparency and the more the result of the document is qualitative. An offset paper will give a more environmentally friendly appearance for the end customer.

  • Should covers be included in the pdf document ? 

For covers, it is preferable to establish separate files (which are also sent to the printer in PDF format).

  • What is the best printing technique for a catalog ?

There is no "best" technique, this is to be analyzed on a case-by-case basis (quantity, format, number of pages and impressions, finishing, etc.) 

  • Is the quality of the images important ?

Yes, very important. High resolution images must have 300 dpi (dots per inch).

As a reminder : the more points per inch, the better the resolution of an image. The details will be finer. The resolution is therefore to be distinguished from the definition, which gives the number of pixels displayed on a screen (for example 1,280 x 1,024).

  • What are the most commonly used formats for catalogs ? Is there one that is better ?

The formats most used are the A4 french style (but also italian style = landscape) and the format A5. All other formats are used, there is no better.

 

 

See you next time ! 

Some examples of catalogs realized with Catbuilder :

exemple catalogue père lejeune charcuterie.jpg

exemple catalogue Doms portails.jpg

exemple catalogue matériel de bureau.png



Mots-clés: catalog, printing, advice
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