Graphic Design Services

If you require Graphic Design assistance with any aspect of your CD or DVD project, we are here to assist you. CDman can perform the design/layout or just the type-setting for you. In most instances we are the best choice for this type of work due to our intimate knowledge of the specifications and requirements for disc printing and media packaging in general.

At CDman we look at 'design' work for disc and media packaging in three different ways:

• Option 1: Adding Text and Basic Formatting - Sometimes an elaborate design is not required, just some properly formatted type and an image or two. No problem!  
  
• Option 2: Assembly & Formatting - The vast majority of the CD/DVD design work we perform is assembly and formatting of client supplied assets with some of 'creative license' thrown in for good measure. In short, you supply us with whatever photos, graphics and text you require, and we format and assemble into the finished design. This form of design work usually takes the better part of 3-4 business days to complete but it can take longer depending on how quickly mock-ups get approved. Please allow ample time for design work to be completed.
  
• Option 3: Concept & Design - This is where the client requires the Designer to use his or her own creative abilities to develop a concept for the design and furnish most of, or all, the design assets. This could include logo design, copy writing, scanning and photo manipulation, and the general artistic theme. Pricing for this type of design work is done strictly by consultation - please contact us to discuss.

How To Get Started

First, on your Order Forms you need to check the box indicating that you require design assistance (item #11 on Page 3). If you are requesting Typesetting or Assembly & Formatting of your assets, we will need you to provide us with something to work with. Consider the following four elements (as applicable to your needs):

1. Text

• Please supply us with all the required words typed out and saved in a text format. The reason for this is two-fold: By supplying your text in an electronic form it saves you the expense of having us typeset it, and it greatly reduces the chance of CDman creating typo's. 
• A simple text file (.txt), MS Word document (.doc) or even an e-mail is preferred. We do not support Pagemaker, WordPerfect or other word processing programs.
• Typesetting is not included in our design quote to you. If hard-copy text is provided to us we will have to charge for the time to typeset the words.

2. Images

Images that look good on the internet almost certainly won't suit our commercial printing requirements, so that's a warning not to borrow images from websites due to their low resolution and incorrect color format. 

Additional Information About Images and Scanning:

• Original scans should be done at 300dpi resolution.
• If using a digital camera it should be set to the highest uncompressed quality/format that your camera has. Avoid cameras that use under 2.5 megapixels. Import your digital photos to a program such as Adobe Photoshop so you can convert the image color mode to CMYK or Greyscale (as appropriate) and resize the image to 1:1 for your design needs. If you have to re-size your image make sure it remains at 300dpi.
• Mac and PC formats accepted.
• Do not send images placed inside other programs such as MS Word, Publisher, Powerpoint, etc. We CAN NOT extract images from these programs. 

3. Fonts

If there are specific typestyles that you want to use you must supply them to us. Here's how to extract a font file:

• MAC users, open your System Folder/Fonts and copy the font suitcase of your choice. Please note that all Adobe Type 1 fonts must also include POST SCRIPT PRINTER version indicated by a red letter "A" icon. We recommend that Mac fonts be archived using "Stuffit" to protect them in the transfer process to CDman - be that via CDR, email, or FTP. Please don't use Winzip as we have found that Mac fonts can corrupt in the un-zipping process.
   
• PC users, open your Control Panel/Fonts folder and copy the font of your choice. Make sure you also copy any 'bold', 'italic' or other stylized versions of the font that need to be used. Paste the font into a new folder on your desktop and then archive the folder using "Winzip" or "Stuffit" to protect the fonts in the transfer process to CDman - be that via CDR, email or FTP.  

4. Mock-Ups

What's a mock-up?  Simply put, it's just a thumb-nail sketch of the basic layout you have in mind. Your mock-up doesn't have to be very elaborate to be useful, but the more specifics you can provide the quicker the design process will go. See below for an example of a disc layout that could be sketched out (pencil on paper) or even created in a word processing program like MS Word.

Send us your mock-up with your Order Forms, but REMEMBER: You need to include that you require design assistance on your Order Forms.

Work Flow, Proofs and Approvals

After your Order Forms and Payment have been processed, the design stage begins (taking for granted that we have already received your design assets and mock-up). 

• Our CDman designer will work with your supplied assets and you will be e-mailed 'design proofs' (.PDF file format) for you to approve in writing via return e-mail.
• After approval of CDman's design proofs we will submit the designs to Production. Within 2-3 business days 'production proofs' will be produced for your final approval. Even though you have already approved the 'design proofs', the 'production proof' stage is a necessary requirement and is to be considered mandatory.

Viewing The Proofs:

The purpose of 'proofs' is to give you a chance to review the design for overall accuracy and completeness of the components before it goes to print. Take your time and comb through the entire layout (including text) for errors and/or omissions. Any errors or omissions that you do not correct in the proofing stage will be present in the finished product.

IMPORTANT: View your .PDF proofs with Adobe Acrobat and ensure the “Overprint Preview” function is turned on.

Proof Approvals:

• It is the sole responsibility of the client to review all details of the supplied proof, which includes (but is not limited to) layout/design, page sequencing, dimensions, spelling, and punctuation.
• What you see on the proof is what will go to print, so if something is missing (such as a barcode) or doesn't look right (such as the 'sample barcode' is in the design instead of a real functioning barcode) you must REJECT your proofs and notify us of any problems.
• In order to proceed with production the client must submit written approval of the proofs via fax or e-mail. A specific and clearly worded approval is required. Verbal approval cannot be accepted.
• By providing an approval in writing, the client indemnifies and holds CDman free from responsibility and liability for any errors or omissions in the proofs that are not found and corrected by the client. Furthermore, the client acknowledges that the reworking and/or reprinting of materials due to client error is at the sole expense of the client. Such costs quoed in writing and must be approved by the client in writing before any additional work can take place.