For transferring files and archiving, buy a good-quality DVD/CD burner. Forget about floppy disks, 3.5-inch disks, and Zip disks; nobody uses them anymore because of their low storage capacity and the high risk of transferring a virus. Blank CDs are a dollar a dozen and can hold ten times what a Zip disk holds — plus they create a permanent record. For archiving, CDs and DVDs can be sleeved and stored in a three-ring binder, minimizing storage space. Shop online for the best deals in equipment and storage media, including the sleeves or jewel cases to package your archival CDs. Online is also a good place to locate deals on blank CDs and DVDs. Computer catalogs frequently use media storage as a loss leader, sold at cost to attract customers.
The type of software you use can easily tag your level of proficiency in the industry.
2.6 Upgrade your software frequently
Each industry has a set of tried-and-true software packages that have proven instrumental in bringing some very old trades into the digital age. If you are a writer, your favorite data processing program may be Microsoft Word. But if you branch out into scripts, you will need a scripting package to cut down on the drudgery of sticking to proper form. As a designer, you will need a software package that complements the requirements of your suppliers. (Although some suppliers are limited in the software they have on hand, most stock an assortment of packages just so they can output whatever files they receive.)
A word of caution: The type of software you use can easily tag your level of proficiency in the industry. For instance, a designer who prepares layouts in Corel Draw will reveal his status as an amateur. As one industry insider remarked: “Fixing the mistakes of naive designers is a big problem for prepress professionals. A lot of time is lost in prepress as we arm-wrestle files into something useful. This week, maybe 10 percent of the files are a nuisance. Next week, it could be 60 percent of the files. It’s pretty unpredictable in this business, but the market is so soft, you really can’t say no to the work.” (For more on this problem, see Chapter 4.)
Using out-of-date or inefficient software tells everybody you’re behind the times in prepress know-how; some programs are just not designed to handle the high-end requirements of today’s digital print equipment. And once your job causes trouble on the press, the print shop will label you as a time-consuming client. As my advertising professor at the Columbus College of Art and Design, Jeff Link, admonished me: “Snap out of it, kid. If you want to do this, do what’s necessary, whatever is necessary. Do it right or make room for someone who will.” That was my reality check.
2.6a Know the difference between programs
QuarkXPress is preferred in some advertising agencies and design studios. However, many designers have switched from what they call “Quirk” to the Adobe software InDesign. InDesign evolved from PageMaker and has proven over time to be more stable in larger publications and are particularly good at converting documents to PDF (Portable Document Format), the file format used worldwide for all kinds of output.
You must choose the software you feel most comfortable using. It makes no sense to buy software that inhibits your ability to produce quality work. Many designers have abandoned QuarkXPress for InDesign simply because Adobe is a larger, more stable company, one that they feel confident will be around to issue updates, provide user support, and satisfy customer demand. Remember that PostScript, a data-transfer file type developed by Adobe, is inherent in all Adobe software, but is not native to Quark, which can lead to problems with Quark PDF files. Just ask any printer whose prepress technician has stayed up all night to get their level 3 PostScript software to output the client’s level 1A PostScript Quark file.
Some programs are just not designed to handle the high-end requirements of today’s digital print equipment.
Since Quark is not a PDF native or quartz-based application, it has to fall back on QuickDraw to render the contents of the save as PDFoutput. QuickDraw can’t capture the incredible detail of PostScript, so Quark makes some internal transformations of its PostScript file. This is most likely the reason users complain of color and resolution shifts. It’s called color-space shifting and refers to the PostScript Printer Description (PPD) used to create the PDF. Sometimes Quark will take an existing PDF and misread the CMYK color space. One industry insider quipped: “Quark is trying to reinvent itself as a developer of work-flow management tools. If it can’t sort out problems like this one soon, it won’t have any work to flow.”
There are two levels of PDF in use today. The X-1A standard used by Quark is more restrictive, based on a limited set of acceptable color spaces (CMYK and spot). The more advanced X-3 standard allows for other color spaces such as RGB, provided they are appropriately tagged with ICC profiles. This is all handled automatically if you are using Adobe software and don’t check the box titled “Convert CMYK to RGB” when using Distiller. I’ve even heard that using Color Management (CMS) causes PostScript output to read CMYK as RGB. Turn it off before you export as PDF and avoid output problems.
2.6b Choose software that suits the work you do
If you design complex, layered, single-sheet brochures, you may still prefer QuarkXPress. But if you want a no-nonsense layout program for bread-and-butter work such as software manuals, use InDesign. Adobe has incorporated many of the features that made Quark attractive to designers when it first hit the market, and there’s not much difference in capability anymore. Keep in mind that if your favorite print shop only accepts files created in PageMaker, compatibility may make it profitable in the long run to switch. There is a converter that works between the two programs, but much like ocr, you may still have to rework the end result so it matches the original, particularly text blocks, which don’t convert well. If you want to rely on a converter, plan on spending money for last-minute corrections. It would be great if all software programs worked for all job requirements, but that’s not the case. You will create a more stable document if you import graphics created in a program designed for specific functions as opposed to doing the calisthenics of making something like Microsoft Word do what it wasn’t designed to do.
My preference is Adobe Freehand MX because it is an excellent alternative to Adobe Illustrator when creating logos and PDFs. Freehand has stability and conversion capability when it comes to creating Encapsulated PostScript (eps) files for placement in layout programs. Freehand also allows you to save your documents in more than ten different formats, including several compatible versions of Illustrator files, Photoshop files, PDF, GIF, JPEG, and Flash. Your best bet is to choose Adobe Creative Suite and you’ll have everything you need.
2.7 Establish good work habits
Decide if you want to treat your work as a hobby or pursue business with the intent of building either a steady income or a major conglomerate. This decision will help you structure your day. If you like to get up around noon and enjoy life, you may need a loving, fully employed spouse to generate income that pays the bills. Being self-employed requires strict discipline when it comes to establishing regular operating hours, being accessible to your clients, managing time to accommodate finding new business, and finishing up the paperwork necessary for billing and payables. After you do all that, don’t forget to make time for the actual creative work. And you thought self-employment meant unfettered creative pursuit. It does; just think of it as creative multitasking.
Choose your work hours, knowing you have the freedom to extend or delay them as deadlines loom or family vacations take center stage. This is the true freedom of running a business, and you can manage it if you don’t abuse it. Don’t wait for your bank account to dictate when to get back to work. Let your clients know when they can reach you as well as when they can’t. Set firm boundaries on this issue if you must. If you have a client who persists in calling you at all hours of the night just to touch base, put your foot down, but do it politely. Freelancing shouldn’t mean you become a slave to the telephone. Tell your family when your time is off limits