Top Tips for Designing Documents in Color

When you need your documents to really stand out and make a statement, you turn to color. When it comes to color printing, we have some tips that can help improve the final results of your documents. Even Bing changed its shade of blue to a more “confident” blue that is estimated to generate $80 million dollars in advertising. That goes to show the importance of choosing the right colors for your projects.

Let’s take a closer look at some tips that will better help you design your documents in color.

Use your color in the right spots. Color allows your documents to “pop,” grabbing your readers’ attention just where you need it to be. But be careful—you certainly don’t want to overwhelm your readers with too much color everywhere, as it can muddy your message. Use color in the spots that make the most sense, such as headlines, graphic images, important dates, and contact information.

There’s even a certain psychology behind the use of specific colors. For example, red creates a sense of urgency, while blue is associated with peace.

Use the right printing resolutions. The quality of your color printing relies heavily on your printing resolutions. You should never use less than 300 dpi (dots per inch) when you print in color. If you use a lower dpi, you will see noticeable quality issues with blurry or pixelated images. It’s also important to utilize a color printer that can meet the needs of your quality standards.

Pick your fonts carefully. Fonts—especially in color—need to be legible to your readers at all times. Certain font colors may not mesh with the background image color of your document. Try not to use more than two fonts on most occasions—one for the title and headings, and another for the main body text. Again, you want everything to be clear and legible at all times. Too many font types can cause too much confusion.

Always proof. When it comes to color, you always need to proof before sending out your final version for distribution. Some colors may look good on your computer screen; however, on the printed document, the colors may look faded and completely different. For this reason, always look over the document as a form of quality control. Catch any mistakes early before you waste a large amount of ink and toner.

Oftentimes, the process of color printing takes some trial and error. Your document may take some tweaking here and there before you get the color just the way you like it. In the end, the right use of color goes a long way to help your documents stand out. For more tips on increasing the quality of your color printing projects, contact Monster Technology today.