Canva = Popular.
Easily accessible, Canva inspires DIY designers with a user-friendly, drag-and-drop interface. It also provides premade templates and all the ready to use colors, backgrounds, images, fonts and stickers you could possibly desire. As far as work projects are concerned, Canva is a fun task to tackle, right?
Canva is best suited for small business owners, entrepreneurs and online marketers who are in need quick visual aesthetics. The type of situation, where a design is better than no design at all. Plus with little to no design experience, you can create graphics that are sure to make your mama (and you) proud.
Brace Yourself
Yet, we're here to tell you, Canva is not the right tool for every situation. There's a genuine reason why design and print professionals often cringe at the word, Canva.
Contrary to popular belief, the Canva Cringe isn't because these professionals are conceded or just want your money. The cringe is because Canva users are, more often than not, unfamiliar with artwork requirements. Yes, the design is obviously important, but its only a piece of the whole process.
In order for a local print shop to successfully produce clear image files, you must do your part to properly prepare. This setup commonly includes adding crop marks, bleeds, margins or some combination there of.
You should also note, that not all file types are capable of producing high-quality outcomes. So it's important to consider the type of file extension when you're saving designs. Typically, pdf print files produce the best results in the printing process.
Garbage in Equals Garbage Out
As harsh as it sounds, designers commonly use this phrase to demonstrate a very valid point. Which actually has nothing to do with the design aspect and everything to do with the properties of the file. Understand that low quality or improperly prepared artwork cannot later be improved at the printer or anywhere else for that matter.
Quality begins with the original source file and and must be maintained throughout the lifespan of the design. If you're interested in learning more about file quality, < we've got just the read for you.
Flash back to Canva
Of course, there's no substitute for professional, robust design software and/or an educated, experienced design professional for that matter. However, Canva can be quite effective at fulfilling sophisticated visual material needs. If you're marketing minded, Canva can be an excellent tool for social media, websites, presentations and yes, even some print materials.
If you make the decision to use Canva for a quality production method, properly prepare your files. Do your part to give your creations the best chance at surviving by simply following the Canva instruction links below:
To add margins, bleeds, rulers or crop marks.
To download a high-quality (print worthy) file and save as a print pdf.
Overall, Canva is a remarkable tool that has increased the ability for small businesses and entrepreneurs to have a visual presence. It has expanded creativity and enhanced delivery of targeted messages to potential customers.
There should really be, no shame in your Canva game. But avoid the Canva cringe on your next print project, by properly preparing your Canva file for high-quality print. Your printer will appreciate the effort you've made to ensure your final product is just as wonderful as you intended.