Flyer Poster making. Need suggestions

[PhotoNube]

Hello. I am looking to help my small community group by making posters and flyers. Nothing super fancy yet, just add a photo, minor edits, add some text (event location, date etc). ANy suggestions would be great. Hoping not to spend too much $ right away, but i know some good programs will cost a bit. Please help (programs that do work, and the ones to avoid and why).

 

[eyoungren]

I am interpreting your question to mean you aren't expecting to use professional applications or produce professional grade materials.

In light of that, Microsoft Word or Publisher (PC only) would be appropriate to this. If you can't get your hands on Publisher then Word is the next best bet.

Although you may not be expecting it to be professional quality you can stick to some standards:

Choose one serif font and one sans-serif font. Use no more than these. Emphasize the important information, time, date, where and when and contact information. If people are interested that's what they will be looking to find.

As far as art, there are various free stock sites (morguefile.com, imageafter.com, sxc.hu) that allow you to download art and use it for free. And Google images has a filter you can use to find images free to use for varyling levels of license (free to use commercially with modification for instance).

Just be sure if you use free art that it is indeed free art. You don't want to open your community group up to anything legally by using copyright material you didn't get a license for.

If you need to do any photo modification I'd do a search on Google. Plenty of free/free trial ware out there that can be used.

 

[Pappyland]

I make my DJ flyers with Pages. I’m sure there’s a better app you can buy. But it’s free and works for me.

 

[organicCPU]

To make flyers one usually uses at least 3 different apps. One DTP app for the layout, one app for pixel based images and one app for vector based images. Preferably all three apps should be able to handle CMYK color for professional printing and ideally ICC profiles for color management.

The best free professional DTP app you'll find is Scribus https://www.scribus.net
Most other free apps won't handle CMYK color very well and you'll need that for printing your flyers at a professional offset printing store. With Scribus, you could use RGB images for layout and then export the final flyer to a CMYK PDF, that contains the proper ICC profile for the kind of paper you'll print on.

I said RGB, because most free image editors can't handle CMYK.
Use Tif images in 300 dpi resolution that you could set up and then export with GIMP https://www.gimp.org
The only free image editor I know that can handle CMYK so far is Krita https://krita.org
Last time I used Krita, it was in beta stage. I'm still missing some features there, but it's noteworthy.
For creating the vector artwork like logos and exporting them as EPS, you could use https://inkscape.org
At this time it isn't CMYK ready and can't give you accurate color.
GIMP and Inkscape would work in conjunction with Scribus to get a result that is professionally printable, but would have some color shift due to unavoidable automatic conversion of RGB to CMYK color, based on ICC color profiles.

If you can spend money, go with an Adobe Creative Cloud subscription. You'll get all the professional tools that you need to get serious desktop publishing done with accurate color, like InDesign, Photoshop and Illustrator. If you can't spend so much money and want an accurate CMYK workflow, take Affinity Photo and Affinity Designer and use them together with Scribus. If Scribus isn't yours, you could take a look at Viva Designer or Quark Express, but they are not cheap either.

Finally you'll come to the point to check your PDF for color, fonts and PDF/X compatibility. That's where Adobe Acrobat Pro is a useful app. There are still desktop licenses of Acrobat Pro DC, that would make sense if you don't have a Creative Cloud subscription anyways. Alternatively you could take a look at PDF Studio, but I haven't tested it yet and can't ensure that it's a real alternative to Adobe Acrobat Pro.

To walk a step back, you could just work with the two Affinity products and forget about the DTP app, because for single page layouts like flyers Affinity Designer would be valid enough to get the vector art done, import pixel based images and export to CMYK PDF. But that's on you, because there is a reason for DTP tools, that can handle multi-page layouts and font setting much more comfortable.

Besides those apps you could probably take any other app that can bring your layout on screen and print it on your own laser or inkjet printer, but when it comes to 500 and up printouts, it's worth to do it as professional as possible and learn the basics of DTP or hire someone that does it all for you.

 

[eyoungren]

To make flyers one usually uses at least 3 different apps. One DTP app for the layout, one app for pixel based images and one app for vector based images. Preferably all three apps should be able to handle CMYK color for professional printing and ideally ICC profiles for color management.

The best free professional DTP app you'll find is Scribus https://www.scribus.net
Most other free apps won't handle CMYK color very well and you'll need that for printing your flyers at a professional offset printing store. With Scribus, you could use RGB images for layout and then export the final flyer to a CMYK PDF, that contains the proper ICC profile for the kind of paper you'll print on.

I said RGB, because most free image editors can't handle CMYK.
Use Tif images in 300 dpi resolution that you could set up and then export with GIMP https://www.gimp.org
The only free image editor I know that can handle CMYK so far is Krita https://krita.org
Last time I used Krita, it was in beta stage. I'm still missing some features there, but it's noteworthy.
For creating the vector artwork like logos and exporting them as EPS, you could use https://inkscape.org
At this time it isn't CMYK ready and can't give you accurate color.
GIMP and Inkscape would work in conjunction with Scribus to get a result that is professionally printable, but would have some color shift due to unavoidable automatic conversion of RGB to CMYK color, based on ICC color profiles.

If you can spend money, go with an Adobe Creative Cloud subscription. You'll get all the professional tools that you need to get serious desktop publishing done with accurate color, like InDesign, Photoshop and Illustrator. If you can't spend so much money and want an accurate CMYK workflow, take Affinity Photo and Affinity Designer and use them together with Scribus. If Scribus isn't yours, you could take a look at Viva Designer or Quark Express, but they are not cheap either.

Finally you'll come to the point to check your PDF for color, fonts and PDF/X compatibility. That's where Adobe Acrobat Pro is a useful app. There are still desktop licenses of Acrobat Pro DC, that would make sense if you don't have a Creative Cloud subscription anyways. Alternatively you could take a look at PDF Studio, but I haven't tested it yet and can't ensure that it's a real alternative to Adobe Acrobat Pro.

To walk a step back, you could just work with the two Affinity products and forget about the DTP app, because for single page layouts like flyers Affinity Designer would be valid enough to get the vector art done, import pixel based images and export to CMYK PDF. But that's on you, because there is a reason for DTP tools, that can handle multi-page layouts and font setting much more comfortable.

Besides those apps you could probably take any other app that can bring your layout on screen and print it on your own laser or inkjet printer, but when it comes to 500 and up printouts, it's worth to do it as professional as possible and learn the basics of DTP or hire someone that does it all for you.

Woah…

I don't disagree. All professional advice, but I saw the OP as doing this off an inkjet or something. Perhaps, at most, something at a copy shop.

You have totally relevant advice, I'm just wondering if OP needs it to run a simple non-pro job for a community organization.

 

[organicCPU]

@eyoungren ...as the OP wrote he knows that some apps cost a bit and then asking for advice what would work and what doesn't was the reason for me to intentionally think he is asking for a way to do "real" publishing, not just to get some result on his home printer. Many NGOs as small they might be often rely on sponsoring and no sponsoring partner wants to see his company logo deformed and pixelated nor in an absolute surrealistic color. Well, we might hear from the OP what his actual intention is... and how we can help further.

 

[eyoungren]

@eyoungren ...as the OP wrote he knows that some apps cost a bit and then asking for advice what would work and what doesn't was the reason for me to intentionally think he is asking for a way to do "real" publishing, not just to get some result on his home printer. Many NGOs as small they might be often rely on sponsoring and no sponsoring partner wants to see his company logo deformed and pixelated nor in an absolute surrealistic color. Well, we might hear from the OP what his actual intention is... and how we can help further.

Yeah, it's not my intention to argue your points.

Your advice was solid and definitely the way to go if that's the route OP wants to take.

All I was saying was that I interpreted OP's post differently.

Hope OP gets back to us soon.

 

[rafark]

Any program will do. What you need is basic design knowledge. Get the "non designers design book" is a masterpiece and uts targeted exactly to people like you.

 

[superscape]

As some have suggested above, a lot of it depends on how you're going to print your flyers. If you're going to print them on your own printer then Pages would be fine for layout. Pixelmator (https://itunes.apple.com//app/pixelmator/id407963104?mt=12) might be useful for image manipulation and is pretty cheap. Also, Affinity have some promising looking apps too: https://affinity.serif.com Of course, if you're *just* printing on your own printer then as long as you're happy with what comes out of it, the software is entirely your own choice.

However, if you're expecting a commercial printer to print your fliers then you'll *probably* need some more heavyweight software. Most printers will accept PDF, and most graphics software will save/export as PDF. However, you need to make sure your PDF is set up correctly. If you take this route, speak to your printer - most will be able to offer guidance as to how they want their PDF set up.

 

[citizenzen]

... In light of that, Microsoft Word or Publisher (PC only) would be appropriate to this. If you can't get your hands on Publisher then Word is the next best bet. ...

I get that you're trying to be pragmatic here, so I won't contradict your recommendations.

I will just add that if you use those programs, then learn how to export out PDFs.

Our print shop won't accept any native Publisher [shudder] or Word files.

 

[eyoungren]

I get that you're trying to be pragmatic here, so I won't contradict your recommendations.

I will just add that if you use those programs, then learn how to export out PDFs.

Our print shop won't accept any native Publisher [shudder] or Word files.

Oh, totally agree.

I'm a graphic designer for a community weekly newspaper. My ads and our paper and all the parts therein are done in InDesign and we export PDF/X-4:2010 for our proofs and for our printer.

Technically, we don't accept Publisher either. I work on a Mac and there are maybe 2-3 PCs that actually have Publisher installed. Not to mention that past a certain version of Publisher you can only export RGB!

And designing your ad in Word?! OMG, I get that all the time and have to correct for it! We won't talk about the customers who think that submitting their camera ready ad to us as a PDF means to take their RGB jpg and make a PDF out of it.

But if you're just some average joe with a PC and an inkjet and have no clue about design/layout apps and can't spend a lot of money…that's all I was going for.

But yeah, I work in Adobe CC17 (InDesign, Photoshop, Illy), Suitcase Fusion 7 and Acrobat 9 with Pitstop Pro (and Quite A Box of Tricks). Anything I send out to print is a properly made, color corrected and press ready PDF.

 

[superscape]

IOur print shop won't accept any native Publisher [shudder] or Word files.

I remember some time in the 90s, I was working at a print shop. Microsoft were really trying to push Publisher and sent out "Publisher files accepted here!" signs for us to display in the window (despite us not using Publisher). However, our sticker didn't go in the window, it went above the toilet.

I think that summarises most professionals' opinion of Publisher to this day. ;-)

 

[eyoungren]

I remember some time in the 90s, I was working at a print shop. Microsoft were really trying to push Publisher and sent out "Publisher files accepted here!" signs for us to display in the window (despite us not using Publisher). However, our sticker didn't go in the window, it went above the toilet.

I think that summarises most professionals' opinion of Publisher to this day. ;-)

We get a periodic two page ad from someone using Publisher. She sends me a PDF and the first trial run was a train wreck with everything being RGB.

I point out the problems, not knowing she was using Publisher for this and that's when we all found out that the modern versions of Publisher can't export CMYK PDFs.

I mean, if that crappy app cannot even export a CMYK PDF for print - what's the point of it at all?

 

[organicCPU]

I mean, if that crappy app cannot even export a CMYK PDF for print - what's the point of it at all?

Many even medium sized companies just use what they've got in their office software stack. Be it Publisher, Powerpoint, Pages or whatever is available. They do some design, print it on their (color) laser or inkjet printers and get it done. Well, until the point when they need to print it out at a printery. Then it's more often time than not for some adventurously conversion job or a complete recreation. Did it many times.

 

[SarbjitGrewal]

Are you looking for design agency recommendation?