Graphic designers and web designers know that one secret to producing great work is through the use of vectors. We touched on it before when we showed how to make great business cards. But you shouldn’t stop at just business cards. Vectors can be used to make great logos, brochures and letterhead. And in Windows 7, developers and designers should carry this over to their application icons.
Much like zooming in on a webpage, Windows 7 allows you to increase the size of all the items on your desktop. Some developers have noticed, while others haven’t. While this is a small detail (and Google does offer a great product in Chrome), it’s these little details that make you notice that a developer cares about their application.
Nothing says you mean business like Helvetica on a three and a half by two inch, 100 lb. card stock. Unless of course your business card was drawn with junk home printer software, MS Paint or crayon. You’ll no doubt be able to find a local printer to professionally create your design, but they need your help before sending them final copy. Using the right application to make your card and saving it in the right size and format will save you the embarrassment of having a lousy print job.
Vectors Are Your Friend
You’re going to want to get access to decent vector image editing software. You can go all out and get Adobe Illustrator, or use a free solution like Aviary’s Raven. The key is that it’s a vector editor and not a raster editor. Wikipedia has a great article on vector graphics. Check out the difference between raster and vector images below.
See the difference? You’re going to want to send files that, when resized, keep their shape and don’t pixelate.
Let It Bleed
You’re going to want to make your design a little bigger than an actual business card. This extra space is called bleed. Most printers require this so that when they cut the card to size, there are no distracting white borders. As an example, here are the guidelines that optimalprint.com uses:
For those not metrically inclined, you’re going to want about 1/8 of an inch around all sides for a 3.5 x 2 inch card.
Saving Your Design
Check with your printer to see which file formats they prefer. Nearly all professionals will accept PDF files. PDF files are great because they will save the vector graphics of your design in case any resizing needs to be done. If your printer won’t accept PDF, reconsider using them – they are likely not seasoned professionals and might botch the job.
Once you’ve got your final design in place, send it off to the printer. You’ll soon be basking in custom, professionally made, business card glory.
