There are a wide range of programs out there you can use to for your print projects. Some of these programs were developed with print design in mind, but some were made primarily to design for screens (mobile, websites, social media…) Some are simple and some are complicated. They all have a specific purpose and they all have trade-offs. Here is a guide to the most common programs, along with a breakdown of the pros and cons:
ADOBE CREATIVE CLOUD (Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign):
The Adobe Creative Cloud is a suite of creative apps designed for all sorts of purposes, but the apps we’ll focus on are it’s main design programs: Photoshop, Illustrator, and InDesign. These are built to work together and each has it’s function. The apps are a little difficult to learn, they were created for professionals and have tons of settings and function, which can be overwhelming. These programs are the most robust design programs on the market, but that comes at a cost, a monthly subscription with no free-to-use options.
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Photoshop:
Photoshop lets users edit images in bitmap formats like TIFF, JPEG, and PNG. Bitmap files are a collection of pixels that make up a larger image. These files are typically associated with photos and digital illustrations. Photoshop has a few design tools, like adding text or objects, but these cannot be changed or edited outside of the program. When it comes to printing, size can also be an issue for files made in Photoshop, because it’s pixel-based files can vary in resolution. Photoshop is great for editing images, but for designing final print files, its best to work in more flexible program designed specifically for print.
PROS: great for editing photos and illustrations
CONS: monthly subscription, cannot be edited once you make your file, might not be the correct resolution or size.
VERDICT: Not great for print design, but perfect for editing individual images.
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Illustrator:
Illustrator is a vector graphics editor, which is a set of directions that tells the computer how to render an image. This allows for you to easily adjust the size of the image without affecting resolution. Illustrator includes robust text-editing tools, layers, and the ability to import images. It also allows you to set up working art boards at the size of your finished piece so you can see what the result will look like. Illustrator is a great tool for designing for print, but it has a ton of tools and settings, which can be confusing.
PROS: easy to scale sizes and adjust, built-in design tools, uses real-world dimensions
CONS: monthly subscription, tricky to learn, a little overwhelming
VERDICT: Great tool for any project, but might be overkill for a simple design.
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InDesign:
InDesign is a vector editor program, like Illustrator. What makes InDesign different is that its specifically designed for desktop publishing. This program has special tools to help with layout, allows you to edit multiple pages together to keep things cohesive, and can handle complicated multipage layouts. InDesign is the gold standard for print layout, but much like Illustrator it has lots of tools and settings and can be confusing to get a handle on.
PROS: designed with print in mind, lots of tools to help with layout
CONS: monthly subscription, complicated
VERDICT: if you are regularly designing print projects, this is a must, but you you just need to make a flyer or business card, there are simpler options.
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CANVA
Canva (www.canva.com) is a website that functions as a simple design tool. There are free and paid options, but for both you make an account and have access to a library of templates for common design projects (social media posts, flyers, business cards) which you can customize to your needs. Once you’ve create your design, there are export options specifically for print. Canva is great for quick, small projects, but it lacks the more complicated tools you might need for projects like booklets or projects that require color management.
PROS: easy to use, has a free option
CONS: limited tools, cannot handle large, complicated projects
VERDICT: great tool for non-designers and quick projects, but be careful with larger, complicated projects.
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NOTE ON AI:
A lot of customer have been using AI to help simplify their workflow and improve productivity.
like any new technology, there’s good and bad. There are also some promises made by the companies that develop these AI models that have not lived up to the hype. It’s important to remember that there are places where this technology is best suited, and places where it can’t quite go yet.
In regards to graphic design and Illustration: some AI programs are capable of generating high-quality images, but most consumer-grade or free LLMs, like Chat GPT, are not capable of making files suitable for print. These programs typically create low-resolution PNG files, which will print as illegible and grainy. There also might be issues when the file is printed, as they are not designed with the final print process in mind.
We see tons of files every day here at Wythken Printing, and in In our experience, AI generated image files cause more problems then they solve. It might be tempting to use these tools, but in the end it will take more time to correct an AI generated file than it would to put together a simple design in a program like Canva or use free stock images through Adobe Stock.
