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How to save money on desktop publishing

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What is a fair hourly rate?

There are a range of people working in the pre-press industry from Art Directors with 20 years experience and 4 year Graphic Design degrees to people who just bought a $1500 computer and think they can now call themselves designers. You would expect to pay up to $200 per hour for the former and $15 per hour for the latter. You get what you pay for.

Consider the final print job. Are you planning a full colour printing? Are you going to spend thousands on the printing? Don't scrimp on the pre-press person because they could make a mistake which ruins the whole print run. Sometimes your pre-press work will be up to 50% of your total printing costs. The simpler the print job, the lower the proportion needed to be spent on pre-press. The sample prices cited on this web site are for basic, well-designed pieces. I can put together a basic 3 fold brochure in about two hours; my price is $90. It may take an inexperienced desktop publisher 10 hours for the same job and still they might use fonts or graphics which don't reproduce well when you go to press.

A print job consists of several distinct parts.

  1. Writing & editing. Often this is done by the client or the client writes and hires an editor and or a proofreader.
  2. Text input. This can usually be done by the client and supplied to the desktop publisher on disk if it's more than a page long.
  3. Design. This is when typefaces are selected, grids are established and the rules for a publication are established; colour schemes; graphic elements are integrated. The desktop publisher consults with the client and when good communication is established, the combination of the client's vision and the desktop publisher's skill results in a viable design plan.
  4. Production. A desktop publishing program is used to assemble the text and graphics into the final form. Efficiencies are created through the use of master pages and style sheets. This is where experience really cuts down on the time needed to complete a job.
  5. Pre-press preparation. This is where the experienced desktop publisher makes sure the files are all assembled properly so the final printed product will be what is expected. This is the place where mistakes can ruin a print job. It requires knowledge of imagesetters and offset print production. Liaison with service bureaux and printing houses is essential.
  6. Printing. Usually subcontracted, the client can handle this themselves, but for best results the desktop publisher must know the printer's requirements and the printer should see proofs while there is still time to make adjustments. The type of images on a page, the paper type, the number of copies being run, the budget; all must be properly balanced to get the best value for the money.

How to save money

  1. Plan ahead. The more changes you make while your desktop publisher is working on your project, the more they are going to have to charge you.
  2. Type it yourself. Provide your desktop publisher with a text file on disk so they don't have to spend time typing it in themselves.
  3. Give your dektop publisher some idea of the design you would like. Draw it out on paper to scale. Show them some samples of similar work you like.
  4. If you want to include your own graphics, make sure you are giving them big clear ones. It takes a lot of time to re-create a logo from a business card or cocktail napkin. Once someone has created a logo for you, get a copy on disk in photoshop or eps format as well as a high resolution print. File these in a safe place.
  5. Be flexible. Allow your desktop publisher the freedom to make changes in order to make your project work. You will be able to veto the changes, but any good desktop publisher who has been listening to your needs will only make changes that improve your project and save time and money.
  6. Always get a written estimate of the total costs, and ask if that price is guaranteed. Don't hire a freelance desktop publisher based on hourly rates without knowing how many hours are going to be charged. It's easy to use up a lot of time. Don't pay for wasted time.
  7. While it is cheapest to do your own desktop publishing, you might want to consider hiring a desktop publisher to set up templates for you and show you how to use the software. You can achieve professional quality for every edition, but only pay for the initial set up.
  8. Ask if you should arrange your own printing. Your desktop publisher is charging you something for arranging your printing, either through time costs or a mark up on the printing costs. However, they may have negotiated a discount with the printer so this cost is coming out of the printer's profit, not your pocket.