Never create printed materials out of graphics designed for web pages
This is a very common mistake made by graphic designers who have spent the majority of their time working on web sites. When one is optimizing a web site, one needs to concentrate on page load times. As as a result, images are compressed down to the lowest quality possible while still appearing somewhat attractive on a computer monitor. The problem is that when one uses these same graphics on a high resolution printer, they will typically look very grainy and unattractive. As a result, one should get a completely separate source of graphics, typically very high resolution stock photos or images that can be found at a number of different sites online, for not a lot of money.Not accounting for the bleed of a printed page
Computer monitors are precise instruments that display dimensions exactly in line with their dimensions. However, printers are dealing with sheets of paper fed into them, and there can be slight variations in how the printed page lines up with the edge. For that reason, it is vital for graphic designers to allow for at least 3mm of image bleed around every edge so that the image does not inappropriately fall off the page in some instances and in others leave an unwanted white border. A good practice is to supply images in a psd file with different layers in tact so if there is some issue with the way it is printed, the image can be cropped or extended as need be relatively easily.Using rare fonts and not including them with the output files
The wide variety of fonts out there can be a huge boon for a graphic designer. No one just wants to see type in Arial or Times New Roman all the time. However, one has to remember that the particular font you select from one of those massive font packs might not exist on someone else's computer. If you send a file without embedding a particularly rare font you used, when sent to another machine that software might not know what to do with your font and instead substitute and arbitrary font that does not fit your design at all. As a result, always make sure to embed copies of any fonts you have used with any file you transfer to someone else if it is not a common standard.
Using printed artwork which uses RGB color schemes
Everyone is familiar that most computer monitors use the standard 3 color RGB display scheme for color output. However, high end printers often use a different way of generating colors, usually with a minimum of a four color CMYK matrix with perhaps even a fifth color for a metallic impression or UV varnish. If you have not accounted for this change, then your artwork is not likely to look the same on printed paper as it does on your computer monitor.Letting aesthetically challenged clients direct your work in the wrong direction
While ultimately the client is paying you for a good design, clients often have really crappy tastes. If they push things in a bad direction that they like, then your name and reputation could still be attached to the final product. You can better lead them towards a good design by creating several obviously crappy designs meant to direct them towards the absolutely appealing design you intend for them to chose. Just note that in certain cases that their taste could be so bad that they actually chose the crappy throw-away design over the masterpiece. Such is life!About the Author
Gay Aida Dumaguing is a 27 years old Filipina from the Cebu, Philippines. A graduate of B.S. Information Technology from a well-known University, now a SEO (Search Engine Optimization) Expert who serves businesses, entrepreneurs and bloggers from around the globe. She's also the blogger of Exotic Philippines, a blog that promotes the Philippine tourism.
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