Adding fold marks to flat pieces

Using the Slug area for fold lines works fine. What problems have there been with that option (other than remembering to export with bleed and slug areas on)?

I think tradition has dashed (hyphened?) lines as perfs, not folds. Folds used to be indicated in a nonprinting marginal area as solid lines on paper mechanicals. In any event, I use spot colors to indicate these so printer knows not to output when printing cymk files when customer wants to see folds in a critical image or text area. Also, you can add non-printing data outside trim size & bleeds but in a slug area. No need to fool around with changing document sizes.

The InD plugin "Cropster" does this fairly well, but is somewhat pricey for this type of stuff that you can build your own templates.

>you may have to make integrity compromises to eventually and successfully complete a print project.

you may have to make integrity compromises a lot to eventually and successfully complete a print project.

Fixed it for you.

Obviously one should keep to a standard for workflow consistency. But the weirdest damn files will come your way for sure.

Sandee: no one's attacking you. And as well as you teach, a rookie will always be a rookie when entering a working environment.

>Whatever you want to believe of me is correct.

Sandee, this comment makes me believe you think my post was intended as a personal attack or criticizing your teaching ability, which it was not intended that way. However this excerpt from your previous post...

>My students come in with stories of how their print shops have told them to jump through amazing hoops trying to accomodate the print shops antiquated workflows.

...implies [or at least my intrepretation] that the printer is mostly at fault for allowing bad practices in today's printing world. And in a lot of cases, that is completely true. But the reality for any student entering this field, you may have to make integrity compromises to eventually and successfully complete a print project.

> Quoted from Sandee in this thread

Jeffrey,

I've had a really bad morning and don't wish to get into this debate with you.

Whatever you want to believe of me is correct.

Quoted from Sandee in this thread

>I'm the one trying to "teach" them how to do it properly.

And here is Sandee's advice to Chris in the Yellow Page Ad thread, that he may have to use Illustrator and convert fonts to outlines, which many may consider a non standard method of supplying a file...

>However, I don't doubt that they have very archaic workflows. It's a field filled with very old automation workflows. And as much as I don't like the idea, you may have to follow their advice.

So what's it going to be... Teach these students the proper standard way. Or possibly... in this crazy business we call print and graphic arts, that there may never be a standard way, that communication may be the most valuable tool that you learn...

>This is where I have problems with print shops that insist on doing it in somewhat non-standard ways.

As a general rule, I tell my clients who don't know design (the publisher people) to give me the live file and all art/fonts. Professionals, I request a PDF. Surprising how many extremely talented, experienced designers send jobs without bleeds or crops.

> will send you a copy in May when it is published so you can tell all those deli owners to read it!

Thanks. I'm a design book junkie. My current fave is still Scott Citron's book. I'm awaiting Michael Murphy's book which is due out in a few months from what I've read on his site.

Diane, try this fold mark scriptI use it all the time:

http://www.zenodesign.com/scripts/MakeFoldMarks.zip

Dialog asks you where you want the marks (in inches) and if they should be on the vertical or horizontal measure, and then draws them .125" off the page edge. The marks are put on their own layer. When you export set a .25" + bleed to include them in the PDF.

> Sandee: You obviously haven't dealt with off the street clients in your life. My clients range from the local deli to large corporations to ad agencies. There is an incredibly wide range of competency at the lower end.

Richard,

I don't "deal" with those clients. I'm the one trying to "teach" them how to do it properly. I don't call them clients. I call them students.

This is where I have problems with print shops that insist on doing it in somewhat non-standard ways.

My students come in with stories of how their print shops have told them to jump through amazing hoops trying to accomodate the print shops antiquated workflows.

It's hard enough teaching smart students. But when I get stupid ones who have been told to do all sorts of bizarre things, it's just impossible to teach 'em.

But you will be interested in the book I am currently working on. It is called "From Design into Print" and it's a revision of my old "Non-Designer's Scan and Print" book and has all sorts of information for exactly that deli owner who wants to print up menus, etc.

I will send you a copy in May when it is published so you can tell all those deli owners to read it!

>Although if I had a particularly brain-dead client

Sandee: You obviously haven't dealt with off the street clients in your life. My clients range from the local deli to large corporations to ad agencies. There is an incredibly wide range of competency at the lower end. If I had a dollar for every time a client said (with great condescension and sarcasm) "am I supposed to guess how this folds" I would be retired by now. When you get down to local level: PTA's, schools, garden clubs, etc. you need to be very literal.

And if you've received the 100s of publisher files with text and/or images that runs to and often across the folds, you wouldn't have made such an uninformed remark about fold marks.

If it makes you guys feel better, all the jobs we design in-house for end users go to the printers with just crops. Though sometimes I add fold marks (in the bleed area, no less!). As I mentioned earlier, most of my vendors have been working with us for 10+ years and we have it down pat.

At the end of the day, different jobs have different requirements.

I've tried slugs and never liked it. Just my preference. I've used custom slugs for 20 years and am at the stage where certain habits are too deeply entrenched to break.