Welcome to the Set In Print Archives, providing you with the all the news & promotions from Zulu Graphics.
The F WordSome graphic designers find it offensive… this week I dare you to take the plunge. Fonts. We use them everyday. In fact, they creep into every part of our life; they dominate the newspaper, they are beautiful on wedding invitations, they are even on painkiller packets – but how much attention do you really give them? Did you know that research has been conducted into how we perceive fonts? In a book I am reading at the moment, the authors suggest that “tall, narrow letters with precise serifs seem elegant; rounded, full letters without serifs seem friendly, even cuddly.” (Serif - Decorative pieces added to the tips of characters in certain fonts.) The font you choose is going to be doing a lot of free advertising for you; so choose it wisely. The most common fonts are Times New Roman, Courier New, Arial, Comic Sans and Helvetica. Typically, Times New Roman appears as the default in the market-dominating Microsoft Word. As a result, the majority of people will leave their document in this typeface. It is likely we will see in increase in the use of the font Calibri as it is the new default font launched by Microsoft for its Office 2007 package. Unlike Times New Roman, Calibri is a sans serif and offers a much more “friendly” font. You don’t need to be limited by these defaults… Many graphic designers are adamant about their distaste for free fonts. Many customers are adamant about their distaste for graphic designers. “They were expensive”, “They didn’t do what I wanted”, “I paid $300 and all I got was this lousy design”. I’m not saying you should steer clear of designers; they know what they are doing and they offer professional services. I am saying, if possible, you should save money and use a font to enhance your design. Take a look at these examples:
Embrace the imaginative – Experiment with fonts! Be memorable – for no extra cost! Yours in Print, Jess. mail@zulugraphics.com.au P.S Look out for Blinded by the Bright this week on our blog; I am going to test drive our hi vis polos.
Size Does MatterThis week we explore the age old question of size... You never see a billboard with a tiny advertisement in the left hand corner. They utilise ever inch of space of the billboard pragmatically to create an effective message. This principle should be applied in screen printing. I’m not talking about eradicating the “left chest print”, because that smaller print serves its purpose. Rather, I am referring to the larger front or back print. On our job sheets, we call the print a “full” back print. This is because we can print almost all of the area on the back (or front). With our ordinary screens, we can print a design that is 32cm wide and 48cm high. In paper sizes, this is referred to as an A3+ (basically, it is nearly three A4 pieces of paper on top of each other). Of course, this is variable on the size of the shirt (we can’t print this size onto a kids t-shirt) and the type of shirt (if it is a panelled polo, you don’t necessarily want the design to go over the seams). Why is it important for you, as our customers, to know this? Firstly, it gives you more room to play with. If you know you have a larger area to decorate, you can use all of the space on offer. You are limited only by your imagination… and the size of the garment. Secondly, you can use this area to enhance the design. For instance, in some cases, when you are getting a front print (like your business logo) it will be the same price to also get a chest print (because it can be printed using the one set up). What a great opportunity to add your business slogan, at no extra cost to you. Thirdly, you should consider what the purpose of your decoration is. If you were using the print as a form of advertisement (as most of our customers do), perhaps it would be worth adding information to the print, instead of just the logo. For example, we could have “Zulu Graphics” in bold letters across the back, which would be effective in telling people who we are, but not really convey what we do or where we are located. It would be more profitable for us to have our name, our phone number and maybe a list of services we offer – that way we have walking billboards instead of walking one-liners. Fourthly, it is a cost effective way of upsizing. We are a small business and understand the value of the dollar – if we can give you more for your money we will. Why not ask what the recommended print size is for your garments before you place your next order? Yours in print, Jess mail@zulugraphics.com.au P.S Don't know where a "full front print" is located? Why not check out our new online guide to printable locations. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
|
|
|
|
Zulu Graphics. |
|
