Modifying Web Designs for Print Publication

Excellent design often transcends individual media. Yet converting beautiful web design into magnificent print can detract from the design’s integrity. As businesses strive to maintain a consistent appearance on all their materials, building the same look for both web and print documents becomes more important than ever. Converting web graphics and layout to print requires special expertise and attention to detail.

Reformatting Graphics for Printing

Because the colors and scale often appear different on the screen, it’s important to convert carefully. Whether they’re creating simple business cards or multi-page booklets, designers can follow a few steps to convert web graphics and designs into print:

1. Select the right shades. Convert HTML and RGB to CMYK or PMS ink colors. Designers should note that colors on a website may actually look different on each computer, so it is important to double check a hard copy and ensure an optimum color selection.
2. Use the correct color system. Each system has specific applications and advantages. While CMYK works well for rendering multiple colors in a small surface area, it can also yield inconsistent shading. Meanwhile Pantone (PMS) colors match perfectly every time, but they are too saturated to use with full-color photographs.
3. Consider the bleed. Particularly on documents like business cards, the color should extend to the very edge of the document. That means that the image size must actually exceed the size of the finished document.
4. Convert graphic files. Computer graphics are generally created as jpegs, which render graphics as a series of pixels. When this jpeg image is resized, the pixels simply get larger, which distorts the picture. Converting files to vectors makes it easy to resize without distortions.
5. Don’t trust the screen. Just as colors may look different on different browsers or computers, image quality may also differ between the screen and paper. A photo which looks completely crisp on the computer may print out blurry, while a picture that prints perfectly may appear fuzzy on the computer screen.
6. Translate fonts into curves and outlines. This is especially important for custom fonts, which may not be universally recognized. Regardless of the fonts available on another system, the outlined fonts will still be accessible.
7. Save print-ready documents as PDFs. Because these files automatically embed the fonts and graphics, it is impossible for the layout to be altered.
8. Consult a professional. The quality of printed documents largely depends on the way they are created. Investing in professional printing services ensures that printed documents are done right the first time, saving companies money and time.

Creating beautiful and professional printed materials requires attention to detail and devotion to following simple procedures. Designers need only take care in the color and formatting of print documents, for excellent results every time.