The power of the Indiana University brand relies on every marketing and communications effort accurately portraying the visual brand. IU Advancement is in the fortunate position to build upon the strong primary brand of Indiana University, which offers several supportive resources.
Design
To ensure consistency, we recommend that freelancers with affiliate status carefully read about IU’s visual language . This section also includes deeper dives into some of the visual components of the IU brand, including IU’s logos and marks; color; typography; composition; graphic elements; and photography and imagery.
Production
Print production
Print production is a skill set not often taught or developed in design schools. Rather, it’s learned through on-the-job training as an apprentice or through trial and error. We strongly recommend being up to date on print production methods.
Generally, IU Advancement adheres to a basic set of specifications for print production for sheet- and roll-fed presses:
General specifications for print production:
- All art must be submitted in PDF “X–1a” format, no spreads, with all graphics, photos, and fonts embedded or linked. (Some printers will require the InDesign file, too.) Photos should be high-resolution at 300 dpi.
- All print materials should be submitted in CMYK with no spot color unless otherwise specified. Please ensure that all graphic assets (such as logos or illustrations) are using the correct IU colors.
- Art to be sent to a printer should include .125” bleed, and text must be at least .25” from page edge. Dimensions of the piece must be precise. Registration marks should be included.
Also see:
Learning about print production
We recommend the following courses and tutorials. Much of our work is produced in Adobe InDesign, so many of our resources focus on that software.
LinkedIn Learning
Some public libraries offer patrons LinkedIn Learning accounts. For example, Monroe County Public Library.
- InDesign 2022 Essential Training by David Blatner (an InDesign wizard). The course is comprehensive (5+ hours), but it’s broken down into sub-units if you want to focus on exporting for printing.
- Learning Print Production by Claudia McCue. This is a general course that would benefit any graphic designer who sends files to a printer.
Adobe
Quick tutorials, no sign-in requirements:
- Essential things to check for before sharing or printing your InDesign document
- Essentials of print design
A helpful help page, despite its age:
Blog posts
DesignTuitive: How to prepare InDesign documents for commercial printing: a comprehensive guide
Returning packaged files
At the end of the project, IU Advancement requires that final files be packaged and returned to Project Managers to be archived by IU Advancement.
Final packaged files include:
- The most recent version of the design in its native software format (such as InDesign, Illustrator, or Photoshop)
- PDF of the final project
- All associated fonts
- All associated linked graphics