What is Print Design?

Print design is a concept which is frequently confused with printing - clients usually expect these two services to be done with the same service provider (usually a design studio). However, this is not the case.

You have probably already received a call from a potential customer asking if you design and print, say, billboards or brochures. If you are a graphic design studio or a designer-oriented only towards the design process and virtual (digital) products and want to learn more about print design and how to deal with clients who want something you cannot provide them with – keep reading.

What is Print Design in Graphic Design?

As it was already mentioned, what many people mistakenly think is that graphic design agencies also do the printing. Even though having this service in your line is good, many agencies do not do it and just restrict to design.

So, basically, print design is a graphic design process. Its end-product is a design in a digital form (.psd, .tif, .indd etc.), which then gets printed onto a material, such as paper, cardboard, plastic, metal, ceramics, etc. Print design, therefore, does NOT include the process of printing, i.e. producing hard copies of documents and other designs.

Print design is done for various purposes, but the main two are marketing and brand awareness.

Types of Print Design:

Business card design

Business cards are a necessity in every type of business since they are an integral part of brand identity. In order to make connections and expand your circle of business partners (and potential clients), having one such masterfully designed card is a thing every business person needs to have. Business cards usually contain basic personal (business-related) information, such as name, job title, contact information, and, of course, company logo and/or slogan.

Banner design

Banners are designed for the purposes of printing a personal or commercial message onto a piece of cloth, vinyl, tarp, and sometimes waterproof paper. They can be used for branding or promotional purposes, but also for celebrations and other private occasions. Naturally, they were first handwritten or -painted, but are now designed and printed digitally – even on the web, which speeds up the process and allows for a professional banner design service and top quality outcome.

Book cover design

You have probably heard of the saying ‘don’t judge a book by its covers.’ However, this is not applicable in advertising because the market has certain expectations when it comes to book cover design.

Check out our latest book cover design in our portfolio on Dribbble:

Brochure design

Companies often need brochure print design to present their providing services and products. Brochures are designed on a folded piece of paper (usually A4, folded three times), or from several pages which are stitched together (but not bound). Brochures often contain a logo, CTA and a website – masterfully designed together with an offer or some other advertising message. We’re proud to share that our brochure design for Largo was featured by the DesignRush as one of the best examples of print design in 2021/2022.

Flyer/flier design

Fliers (also spelled as flyers) are a pretty straightforward type of print material. Besides being one of the cheapest forms of advertising (printed on a piece of paper, usually in A5 format or smaller), they are still at the top of the most effective ones since they easily reach widest audiences directly – by being handed out in the street. The main thing that attracts people via printed fliers is, certainly, effective design.

Label and packaging design

In a time of consumerism, the commercial role of packaging and label design is to attract customers and make the product stand out from other products on the shelf. Labels and package are usually one of the most creative types of print design since only attractive ideas come forward and made it on the market.

Poster design

Posters are basically large notices, pictures or ads printed on a big piece of paper. They contain words and images combined to send a clear message to passers-by but look best when designed and printed on quality paper. The choice of color, element positioning, and words is what together influences having that message get through on a poster.

Shopping bag design

Shopping bags are a necessity in industries that sell products (shoes, jewelry, clothes, cosmetics, etc.). Being a walking promotional product, they are perfect for advertising purposes because they are usually reused over and over again.

Vinyl wrap (car branding)

Vinyl wrap or vehicle wrap is a type of print design which consists of creating a design which would then be used to cover a vehicle. Similarly to shopping bags, this type of advertising pays off by itself because the chances are that a great number of (different) people will be able to see the design when the vehicle is on the move, thus improving brand awareness.

Menu & wine list design

Menus and wine lists are a basic working tool at restaurants, cafes and other catering businesses. Menus should be designed so as to demonstrate the following things: to give a clear insight of the food and drink offer (and, of course, pricing), and reflect their mission and values in a creative and attractive manner.

T-shirt design

T-shirt design can be printed for promotional purposes (another great type of relatively cheap promo material) or to send a personal message about one’s preferences and attitudes (concert/band, tourist souvenir, course, art, merchandise, etc.). T-shirt design is usually printed on the front side, but can also be printed both on the front and back or on a sleeve via a textile printer.

Other types of print design

• Calendar
• Clothing
• Flag
• Folder
• Gift voucher
• Greeting card
• Invitation
• Leaflet
• Letterhead
• Manual design
• Postcard
• Sticker
• Tickets

How To Deal With Clients Who Want a Service You Do Not Provide:

Even though it can be frustrating to repeat every day that you do not print out the design ordered, keep in mind that you should always be kind to your (potential) clients. Tell them that unfortunately you (still) do not offer that kind of service but restrict to design only, but that you can recommend them a printing company with whom you have had a good cooperation in the past. Give every piece of information with a smile and you can create an avalanche of positive feedback.

Like this? Read more:

You think you know the basics of what graphic designers do. They use design principles and special software to design logos, websites and other digital content like infographics. That’s all there is to it, right?

Not so fast. Digital graphic design work may get most of the spotlight, but that’s doesn’t mean print design is obsolete. There are many types of print design that are still a necessary part of the design field, and incoming graphic designers need to have sharp print design skills to be marketable in the workforce.

So what is print design and why does it still matter? We spoke with design experts to uncover the answers about this often-overlooked aspect of graphic design.

What is print design and why does it still matter?

Print designs appear on printed media like business cards, billboards or brochures rather than digital spaces like websites. Just like digital designs, the goal of print design is to use visual graphics to communicate a specific message to viewers.

At first glance it might seem like print design is a rarity. If you take a closer look, however, you’ll realize that you’re surrounded by print designs every day. People regularly encounter print designs as they move throughout their day, making this area of graphic design important to efforts like brand marketing and advertising campaigns.

“Tons of print collateral and mediums are still very relevant today,” says Dana S. Hewling, owner and creative director at B.ID LLC. “People should be reached in both the digital world and in the real world.”

Graphic design in any form is about communication. Think of print design as just another avenue for reaching your audience and sharing your message. “Until everyone can digitally project everything, print will still be needed,” Hewling says. “You should have an understanding of how to produce strong, captivating print pieces that help build stronger connections with your target.”

It’s important to remember that print design is also evolving alongside digital technology. Mark Krenn, founder of Coastal Creative, points out that experiential design and marketing “bridge the gap between online and offline worlds” through immersive print design. With the advent of new technology that merges print design with the digital space, it’s clear that print design isn’t going to become irrelevant anytime soon. Advertisers want comprehensive campaigns that reach potential customers at all points—and that means a blend of digital and print advertising is likely to remain a viable approach.

Types of print design

Print design is all around us, often in ways we take for granted. Traditional business marketing still relies on print media to spread awareness of their brand. Print design also takes center stage in industries like publishing, where a well-designed cover can make a huge difference in book sales.

These are some of the types of print design to be aware of:

• Business cards
• Branded packaging, labels and shopping bags
• Brochures
• Billboards
• Book covers and interiors
• Magazines and newspapers
• Signage
• Stationery
• Greeting cards and invitations
• Calendars
• Posters
• Menus
• Banners

Print design vs. digital design

Print design and digital design are similar in many ways. They share the common goal of communicating with a target audience, and the basic principles of design hold true for both print and digital mediums. However, creating print designs differs from digital designs in a few key ways.

“Print designers need to be experts at working within specific bounds and ensuring the final product is absolutely pixel perfect,” says Krenn. “This differs from digital design work because with digital design, any mistakes and errors have minimal correction costs and can be easily fixed.”

This brings up another point: Print design is costly in a way that digital design isn’t. “An error on a printed job? That can cost up to thousands of dollars in lost material cost and require a full redo. There are hard fixed costs with printing design that don’t come close in digital,” Krenn says.

Print designers also have the added challenge of working with narrow parameters. There’s a limit to the size of a banner or business card, or to the number of words that will fit on a magazine spread. Print designers need to be aware of these boundaries at all times.

The value of print design skills in the workforce

You can imagine that graphic designers need some special skills up their sleeves to keep up with the particular challenges of print design. Succeeding in this area of design includes knowing your way around a wider range of design software and understanding the basics of print design principles.

For example, print designers must always be aware of the resolution of their design to ensure that it prints at the highest quality, advises Hewling. “You must be using the right tools and assets for the job at hand. Not everything is Photoshop® in the world of print,” Hewling says. She recommends mastering Adobe Illustrator® for large-format print pieces and Adobe InDesign® for text-heavy layouts like books or magazines.

These skills may be specific to print design, but they’re applicable to careers across the graphic design industry. “Working offline can help focus a designer and make them think more creatively, which can then be transitioned to digital,” Krenn says. “This will help the designer rapidly improve their skills and show a diversity of work in their portfolio.”

Could print design be a relevant part of your career?

If you’re considering a career in graphic design, you might find yourself with print design as an important part of your job. Wondering whether the graphic design field has any other surprises to offer? Discover these 8 Types of Graphic Design Jobs You May Not Know About.

Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator and InDesign are registered trademarks of Adobe Inc.