Excuse my ignorance re: "pre-press"
Eddy51
for my college paper. I have been looking at job opportunities in my area, and
one requires "pre-press knowledge." What does this mean, exactly? Again, excuse
my ignorance.
Thank you
Donald Harris
company. Your job would be to receive files of various kinds from designers
of various abilities and prepare them for output. It involves some knowledge
of the printing press you're preparing the files for, as well as all the
software you'd be working with.
You'll get to do fun things like impositioning 60-page manuals for film
output and figuring out how to work with the files some local designer sent
you in native application format when you don't have that application.You'll
also get to have fun with cross-platform font issues.
You'll get to work on 'rush' jobs that absolutely have to have the final
proof by the end of the workday, then not hear back from them for weeks (or
months).
You'll learn to cuss a lot, sweat a lot, drink a lot, and go back tomorrow
for more of the same. You'll get really good at criticizing designers who do
stupid things because they don't know anything about the printing process
and don't care enough to learn.
Once in a while, you might even get to 'design' something.
That's my experience. Your mileage may vary.
TheDon
"Eddy51" <edd...@aol.com> wrote in message
news:20020802223440...@mb-fi.aol.com...
Michael Sheldon Reed
dpha...@solventtech.com wrote on 8/2/02 9:55 PM:
> for more of the same. You'll get really good at criticizing designers who do
> stupid things because they don't know anything about the printing process
> and don't care enough to learn.
>
Hello y'all. I'm a newbie to the group, but doing design/production for 7-8
years and would like to second this motion. Pre-press means anything after
the piece has been designed and layed-out before it goes to press. After
press, it usually goes to what many printing firms call "bindery" or
"finishing", where a piece gets trimmed, saddle-stitched, etc. and prepared
for final delivery to the customer.
In this tough job market, you may have to have 1 or 2 pre-press jobs (if you
can even find one of those) before a truly creative job comes your way. IMHO
it's better for designers to have at least one year doing pre-press because
they learn so much about how to build files that they design and not do
"stupid things" that can hold up a project and cost your company money.
Michael
Michael Sheldon Reed
I have been lurking here for a little bit and would like to participate from
time to time. I'm a print designer living currently in Oklahoma City, USA. I
was in Atlanta for 5 years but have a child living with my ex-wife here,
which is why I moved. (It's hard finding work here so at the end of the year
I plan to move to Dallas which is still close but a much larger market).
I was born and raised in the San Francisco area, so I have always been
surrounded by high-quality design on the street and in the media, and that's
what encouraged me to get into the business.
I like typographical, International Style design. My design heroes are
Müller-Brockmann, Paul Rand, Vignelli, Spiekermann and others who put
function over form, make the function become the form. I went to university
in the early 1990s (I'm now 32 years of age) when post-modernism was waning
and grunge design was gaining ground. I wanted to use Frutiger on a grid
when everyone else was using Keedy Sans wherever they wanted, and getting on
my case for not doing so. Yuk.
My career has been a struggle, I have not been in the top echelon of
designers but had to struggle (but still making a fairly good living) in
pre-press and production work. I'm not the most talented, but very, very
happy with my eye for color, type and layout. I am confident in my abilities
and feel that I can do great work - it's just that I don't want to do any
kind of work, just what I love - and while the "swiss" style has happily
seen a come back in the last 6-7 years, there's plenty of need for visual
styles I frankly do not care for, and that limits my options.
I came on the scene a little too soon for the web design revolution; I
briefly tried to teach myself GoLive, and took a class in it later; I can
get around OK in it, but do not know Flash or LiveMotion and at this time do
not much care; I'll get around to it someday, I know the difference between
RGB and CMYK, but print design is not dead nor will it diminish anytime
soon. I do not advertise myself as a web designer by any means. To do it
right I would have to devote all my energy to mastering it at the expense of
print and I don't want to do so.
This recession is difficult because the overall demand for designers is so
low, there are dozens of applicants in my area for every design-related
opening (about 1 or 2 good ones every month here in OKC), even at the entry
level - it's truly a buyer's market in terms of employment opportunities
right now. But I have to balance career with personal goals! The Dallas area
offers a few more opportunities, so I'm always checking that town out.
I'd like to discuss typefaces, design theory, and how to effectively
freelance in a down economy. I'm looking forward to participating in this
group. Thank you.
woodsie
--------------------------
e: woodsienATbigfootDOTcom
Gem
><rolls out red carpet> welcome to the group. :)
>
I second that!
Welcome, Michael. Looking forward to your contributions and discussions.
--
Gem
Michael:
RanXerox
about here; some see more eye to eye with your truly than others; thats why
we're here.
As your previous post noted, pre-press is a Firemans job and having been
there, we should tell everyone we know that its also the finest place to
develop your file prepping chops. I'm very thankful and not at all envious
of having done 'pre-press'. It's a great place to learn how to prep files
and 'what the issues' are.
Cheers
"Michael Sheldon Reed" <micm...@mindspring.com> wrote in message
news:B970C318.30A9%micm...@mindspring.com...
Dan
>>>I'd like to discuss typefaces, design theory, and how to effectively
freelance in a down economy. I'm looking forward to participating in this
group.<<<
Great intro! Jump on in, the water's fine.
Dan
http://www.FreelanceWorkshops.com
"Michael Sheldon Reed" <micm...@mindspring.com> wrote in message
news:B970C318.30A9%micm...@mindspring.com...
Les
> Hello to the group.
>
<snip>
Mike, welcome to the madhouse... ;)
Les
==========================================================================
les woods | graphic designer | http://www.leswoods.co.uk
project tracking software | http://www.leswoods.co.uk/html/programs.shtml
to email me, go to http://www.leswoods.co.uk/html/contact.shtml
==========================================================================
Giuseppe Carmine De Blasio
Pepe
Milano, Italy
"Dan" <D...@FreelanceWorkshops.com> ha scritto nel messaggio
news:ZXK29.16690$pg2.1...@bgtnsc05-news.ops.worldnet.att.net...
Matti Vuori
news:20020802223440...@mb-fi.aol.com:
Prepress knowledge is knowledge about how printed material is technically
designed so that it can be given to a printed, in order to be printed.
Today it is about digital prepress and deals with issues like:
* Understanding digital files
* Color correction of digital photographs
* Using layout applications
* Understanding color models and digital color (CMYK, RGB, spot colors)
* Color management
* Printing files in PostScript
* Using PDF
* Communicating with the printer
* Etc...
--
Matti Vuori, <http://sivut.koti.soon.fi/mvuori/index-e.htm>
Carol Ott
.
Welcome to the group -- I'm a big fan of Paul Rand, too.
Carol
www.csottdesign.com
www.csott.com
REMOVE 'NOSPAM' TO REPLY.
"Michael Sheldon Reed" <micm...@mindspring.com> wrote in message
news:B970C318.30A9%micm...@mindspring.com...
Adam - www.webresults4u.com
If you try to run, the guards outside will get you, so there's no sense in
trying :)
Enjoy
"Michael Sheldon Reed" <micm...@mindspring.com> wrote in message
news:B970C318.30A9%micm...@mindspring.com...
Michael Gastin
"Michael Sheldon Reed" <micm...@mindspring.com> wrote in message
news:B970C318.30A9%micm...@mindspring.com...
> Hello to the group.
Hello & Welcome!
Always nice to see another Michael here ...
Mike
Mike Minovski
> RGB and CMYK, but print design is not dead nor will it diminish anytime
> soon. I do not advertise myself as a web designer by any means. To do it
> right I would have to devote all my energy to mastering it at the expense
of
> print and I don't want to do so.
My long-lost brother??... :)
Welcome, Michael!
mike m.
Michael Sheldon Reed <micm...@mindspring.com> wrote in message
news:B970C318.30A9%micm...@mindspring.com...
el wado
I'm gonna have to find out more about this "Michael Sheldon Reed"
"Michael Sheldon Reed" <micm...@mindspring.com> wrote in message
news:B970C318.30A9%micm...@mindspring.com...
Michael Sheldon Reed
wado...@ukonline.co.uk wrote on 8/3/02 12:12 PM:
> I don't buy it - something's not right here
>
> I'm gonna have to find out more about this "Michael Sheldon Reed"
>
>
>
>
Well, here's a little bit more about me....Thanks so much for the warm
welcome.
And how great that Dan's on this group! (Thanks Dan for your kind hello!!!)
I looked at Dan's Freelance Workshop site earlier this year (after seeing a
link to it on another forum I lurked on) and it's GREAT! I even tried to
apply Dan's methods and cold call some businesses here, but only got VERY
limited response, so I'm going to try again once I get to Dallas: it's a
larger market and small businesses there (I'm hoping) understand the value
of graphic design/marketing strategy a bit more. This city (Oklahoma City)
is really nothing more than just a sub-market of Dallas; it is more like a
"word of mouth" town driven by mom-and-pop businesses that generally seem
look down on big-city marketing.
But maybe that's not an excuse....I hate cold-calling, but ironically will
be doing some telemarketing work (yuk!) to help pay the bills this
summer/fall, so I'm gonna get some valued practice!
I just think my chances would be better once business spending picks up a
little nationwide...we may have reached the bottom and might be back on the
way up as the year winds to a close. Keep your fingers crossed.
Here's my website, which I did a couple of years ago:
http://www.mindspring.com/~micmac99/intro.html
I use the link when I send resumes, so prospective employers can see a
little bit of my style. It needs updating big-time, but for now it works
extremely well.
How are people coping in the tough economy? Who is getting a lot of
business? How best do you get new clients?
Thanks again!
Michael
cpg
>
>I'm gonna have to find out more about this "Michael Sheldon Reed"
? cpg
cpg
>right I would have to devote all my energy to mastering it at the expense of
>print and I don't want to do so.
Hi Michael,
Nice to meet you. You'll learn much here.
FWIW, I agree with your decision not pursue web if that's not where
your strengths are. I think many feel like they have to do web, but if
you don't *want* to do web, it's hard to compete with those *do* want
to. Stick with what you're good at -- and what you like doing. I
would trade in my thimble of Flash knowledge for a thimble of print
knowledge in a second. Most companies need a print piece at some
point. How many need a Flash piece at some point?
welcome aboard....cpg
Stan Wojda
CutterJon
We share the same boat-I too graduated back then and went thu the
prepress boot camp and am much more skilled for it.
Stick around!
CutterJon