Why You Should NEVER Design Commercial Printing Projects in MS Word
As a professional web and graphic designer, we get a lot of people asking if they can design their commercial printing projects in MS Word. This is especially true for large companies where every employee has their own copy of Word. While this might be convenient for many, using MS Word or MS Publisher for professional printing is never a good idea.
Word processors like MS Word do not allow you to have precise control over tracking, kerning, justification, alignment, ligatures and other nuances of fine typesetting that dedicated layout programs can provide. Simply put, when using MS Word, you have much less control over the individual characters and the overall look and color of the text. Minuscule details within a block of copy combine to either facilitate or detract from the overall ease of reading. Also, multi-column layouts are extremely difficult to create or control in MS Word.
Graphics tend to move within an MS Word file. This makes it virtually impossible to anchor them to a specific position within the text. Also, MS Word is an RGB application. Commercial printing works within a CMYK color space. When you attempt to convert an RGB file to CMYK it can dramatically alter the color. Also, black text becomes a color build rather than 100 percent black.
Instead of designing your commercial printing projects in MS Word, consider enlisting the help of a graphic designer. Professional graphic designers have the proper programs and knowledge to help you create perfect, print-ready pieces.
Alter Impact can help you with your company’s commercial printing needs. We offer professional web and graphic design to businesses both large and small. For more information, please contact us today.