Define Your Design’s Limitations

In order to design effectively, we need to define our limitations. The first question that needs to be answered is, what are the dimensions of the page? Then, depending on how the final product will be produced, we either create a page size equal to the size of the final product, or the maximum working dimensions of the output device. For instance, if I were going to have business cards printed, I would create a page size the same as the final card size (3 1/2 by 2″) since I would give my file to a printer whose job it is to figure out the best way to set up the presses to maximize output, taking into account press and paper size.

On the other hand, if I were creating a project to be sent to an output device that I operate myself, then the page size can equal the size of the machine bed. For instance, if I were going to use a laser, then my page size would be 24 by 18″ – the size of my laser bed. The artwork would be created at actual size and positioned and duplicated to maximize the material I was using within the dimensions of the laser bed. In CorelDRAW, we open the program, go to File/New, and type in the appropriate dimensions.

-Jim Sadler