This may sound dumb...but WHAT THE HELL IS PREPRESS??????????????????????????

[GdesignR]

I am a young , student designer and was told I need to know about Prepress....what is this?

can anyone give me a brief overview and recommend some sites where I can learn more?

Thanks!
A

/emoticons/frusty.gif

[3howards]

amanda, prepress is exactly what the word says pre-press. it entails everything that needs to be done before a file or artowrk can be run on a printing press. it's one of those things that isn't taught in school (at least none i've ever heard of) yet is essential in our field. if you don't know this stuff, you'll have a hard time finding a job.

anyway, there is a resource thread around here that covers some issues we deal with in prepress:
http://www.graphicdesignforum.com/?f=36&m=8809 (http://www.graphicdesignforum.com/?f=36&m=8809) kool has done a wonderful job of listing and describing what each item is.

i would suggest you do an internship while your at school at a printing company, forget the agencies b/c they can't teach you this stuff. if you get an internship with a print shop, you'll learn everything you need to know to get a job when you graduate.

good luck and stick around. the people here a full of knowledge and you would get a free online education ;)

[PrintDriver]

It's all about how things get printed.
And how to set up files to get it done without incurring a lot of desktop fees.

Check out the Resource section in this forum for starters and read these threads:

Preparing Files for Printing (and be sure to go here http://www.prepressure.com/ when you're done with Kool's stuff)
Large Format Digital Requirements
LPI vs DPI
DPI and Resizing
Raster vs Vector

It's a start.

PrintDriver is a large format digital print dude. His advice/opinions may not apply to the 4color/offset/web world of printing

Post Edited (PrintDriver) : 6/30/2004 11:01:14 PM GMT

[GdesignR]

Thanks soooooo much-

I am already having problems getting internship around here..Fox Racing is within 15 min of me, and I had no luck with them
...the thing is, most of thhe internships I have seen require you do fully understand programs I have barley touched in school-
like quark, flash, etc.... the fox one didn't require much, i but don't know much about quark... a print place may help,
but i am assuming you are not talking about lame places Kinkos, right? (they know NOTHING)

I will definitly stick around!

A /emoticons/pumpking.gif

[PrintDriver]

NO not Kinkos if you can help it. Unless you luck into finding someone there who knows their sh!t and can teach you something. You'd almost have to interview the interviewer on that one or at least be sure to ask to speak to the person you would be working for.

What programs do you know and what year of school are you in? You will probably have to work for free, at least to start if you don't know the programs.

PrintDriver is a large format digital print dude. His advice/opinions may not apply to the 4color/offset/web world of printing

[GdesignR]

right now I only know Illustrator, and Photoshop... I used Quark before for one project, but am not much more familiar with that....

I am a (gulp) senior in college...

I know it sounds lame, but they don't teach you crap at my school unless you are accepted into the BFA program
-which i will be trying to do again in the spring... I just got my hands on a version on quark, indesign, dreamweaver, fireworks, freehand, and flash...
so I am ready to begin teaching myself now... it's just not the same as having projects and tasks (to learn that way I mean)

sigh

A

[PrintDriver]

Focus on InDesign. Its interface is very much like Illustrator and I think the Adobe site has some tutorials for it.
Learn Quark too because it is still 'industry standard' but slowly being overtaken by InD.

You're an 'undeclared' senior? Weird.

PrintDriver is a large format digital print dude. His advice/opinions may not apply to the 4color/offset/web world of printing

[GdesignR]

not an undeclared senior....

at my school, you are a b.s. design studies (emphasis in graphic design) major- until you are accepted into
the BFA program- then you go on to take 7 more graphic design classes...

if you are not accepted, you take 1 computer class, 1 type class, 2 graphic design classes- then graduate. (since you wern't
accepted...)

[3howards]

funny though, graphic design isn't really a fine art .. oh well

i think you need to take a crash course on publishing software, indesgn and quark. if you can't find tutorials online, scrape up some cash and buy a book on quark. it's harder to find tuts for quark. but trust me, you're better off learning both. you've got the graphics software covered since you know how to use photoshop and illustrator. once you learn the basics of id and quark, you'll learn how to work with all of the software as a package.

one tip i can give you now, is to organize your files for your projects (even if they are 'fake' projects). what i mean by that is you need to created folders for each thing you need for projects, i.e. you have the main folder for your project. in that folder create 3 sub folders, art, docs, and fonts. if you learn to organize early, it'll save you time in the future.

[GdesignR]

so true, 3howards...my files are a MESS right now...sigh

which mags would you guys suggest I took at/subscribe to? here is a few I had in mind...

Print, ID, CMYK, Communication Arts...any others? anything i can accomplish for the summer

[PrintDriver]

Read the WHOLE Resource section.

PrintDriver is a large format digital print dude. His advice/opinions may not apply to the 4color/offset/web world of printing

[D-Zine]

^^ what PD said ^^

http://coastalcarousel.com/GDF/metatag3.jpg

[3howards]

yeah do that, i also like HOW. i don't buy it or subscribe to it, but i grab it whenever we go to barnes and noble for coffee.

I do the same. LOL!

I love B&N for a cup of coffee you get to read for hours.

[Big Perm-dizzle]

i think I asked the same question about a year ago.....lol

JUST LAUNCHED - www.hirethisdesigner.com (http://www.hirethisdesigner.com) - check it out

[defjoe]

Another example of how schools have f'ed it all up in not preparing these kids for the real world. It's sad really.

'I will become the most powerful Jedi ever!'

[3howards]

sometimes i get so mad i want to go back and get my mfa so i can teach those kids what they need to know instead of all that garbage they teach no. i mean really, these kids are spending thousands of dollars for an education they think is going to help them get a good job when they graduate.

my former boss at the print shop actually taught a night class that dealt strictly with prepress. i would've loved to have had a class like that in school.

[defjoe]

that's what should be done. I really think we should all start up a school. how greta would we all be?

'I will become the most powerful Jedi ever!'

[D-Zine]

Yeah that would be SO awesome wouldn't it?! :o)

http://coastalcarousel.com/GDF/metatag3.jpg

[3howards]

that would be sweeeeeet!

[claidheamdanns]

On buying the Quark manual. That's almost exactly what I did. I haven't gone to school at all and I've been working with a major printing company for a little over 4 years.

I used to be a printing press operator (15 years) but when things got slow, they would have us help out in the bindery, doing mindless stuff, like unloading folded signatures from a folder that some experienced bindery guy would be running, so...

While doing this mindless stuff, I borrowed manuals from friends up in prepress, and began reading through them, cover to cover, every word. I promise you, I did not understand it all then; but when they finally shut down my shift altogether, I went looking for a prepress job.

And you know what, I couldn't get one, because I had 'no experience'. They all want you to come with ready-made experience, but no one wants to give it out.

So, I bought my own Mac (a Perform 475, I think) and borrowed a copy of Quark, and set up my own home business, while working another day job to support myself. And as I worked with Quark, Photoshop and Illustrator, all the things I had read began to fit in. Then after two years I think, when I had built up examples of my work, I answered an ad in the paper.

I still had to say that I didn't have any of what they would call work experience, but I was able to show a portfolio of my work that had gone to press. And I got hired.

Almost immediately, I became one of the most trusted individuals in the shop. And the other graphic designers would come to me to ask how do you do 'such and such.' Because I've read the whole manuals, I know how to do things that no one else in our shop knows how to do. Becuase I read the manuals, I had the fundamentals to come across other hidden features that Quark does not tell you about.

I cannot recommend highly enough the importance of reading through the entire manual (and this is coming from a guy).

By the way, I was looking back over this, and I noticed that it sounds like I'm patting myself on the back, but I really just meant it as encouragement to you, Amanda -- you can do it, and I think you are on the right track!

I've since upgraded my computer twice and am currently running OSX Panther on a G4.

Claidheamdanns
'Sword Dance'

Post Edited (claidheamdanns) : 7/2/2004 1:35:27 AM GMT

[PrintDriver]

Ah, but do you know how to get the Big Alien to show up?
LOL!
Welcome to the forum claidheamdanns.

PrintDriver is a large format digital print dude. His advice/opinions may not apply to the 4color/offset/web world of printing

[D-Zine]

LOL @ PD!!! If you DON'T...do a search and you shall find it! LOL!

Welcome to the GDF!

http://coastalcarousel.com/GDF/metatag3.jpg

[LTG]

You know 3howards - that's really not a bad idea about getting your mfa and teaching what GDers really need to know. I'll bet you could pitch it to your local community college and end up putting together a really fine GD program (or enhancing an existing poor/mediocre one). At least you'd make a difference there where you live.

If it wasn't for the last minute nothing would ever get done.
(When I grow up I want to be just like Keyare! He does excellent work - even when he's trying to not to.)

[D-Zine]

Yea she's right...that really isn't a bad idea. Man there is soooo much you do NOT learn in school!

http://coastalcarousel.com/GDF/metatag3.jpg