# Module Assignment M07 — Print Production Pack
## ARTTECHES Graphic Designing Mastery | Instructor: Ali Akbar Shah

**Weight:** Counts toward Module Assignments (25% of final grade)
**Module:** M07 — Print Design (Days 21–23)
**Time:** About 4 hours

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## 1. Objective

Produce genuinely print-ready files: correct sizes, bleed, safe margins, CMYK color, and proper PDF export — the technical standard a print shop expects.

## 2. Design Brief (fictional client)

**Client:** "IronWorks Gym" — a fictional gym opening in the city.
**Situation:** Grand opening next month. They need a business card, an A5 flyer, and a letterhead — all matching, all print-ready.
**Your job:** Design all three pieces in one visual style and deliver files a print shop can use without calling you with questions.

## 3. Specifications

- **Business card:** 3.5 × 2 in (89 × 51 mm), front + back, 3 mm bleed on all sides, 5 mm safe margin inside the trim edge, CMYK.
- **Flyer:** A5 (148 × 210 mm), single side, 3 mm bleed, 8 mm safe margin, CMYK.
- **Letterhead:** A4 (210 × 297 mm), CMYK, with space for real letter text.
- **Export:** PDF/X-1a or high-quality print PDF from CorelDRAW (File → Publish to PDF / Export), with bleed included and crop marks.

## 4. Step-by-Step Requirements

1. **Set up all three documents in CMYK** with the correct sizes and 3 mm bleed before designing anything.
2. **Design the business card (front + back).** Front: logo-style name, tagline; back: name, title, phone, email, address. Keep all text inside the safe margin.
3. **Design the A5 flyer.** Grand opening message: headline, date, address, offer, contact. Backgrounds and images must extend fully into the bleed area.
4. **Design the A4 letterhead.** Header with brand mark, footer with contact line, clean empty middle for letter text.
5. **Check your blacks.** Large black areas should be rich black (e.g., C40 M30 Y30 K100 style values), small body text should be 100% K only — write a 3-line note in your submission explaining your choice.
6. **Pre-flight check.** Run through: bleed present? safe margins respected? CMYK? fonts embedded or converted to curves? images high resolution (300 dpi)?
7. **Export** all three as print PDFs with bleed and crop marks.

## 5. Deliverables

1. `GDM-M07-YourName-Print-v1.cdr` — source file (all three pieces, separate pages).
2. `GDM-M07-YourName-BusinessCard-v1.pdf` — print PDF with bleed + crop marks.
3. `GDM-M07-YourName-Flyer-v1.pdf` — print PDF with bleed + crop marks.
4. `GDM-M07-YourName-Letterhead-v1.pdf` — print PDF.
5. `GDM-M07-YourName-BlackNote-v1.txt` — your 3-line rich-black note.

## 6. Submission Instructions

- PDFs must be exported with bleed and crop marks — check the exported PDF before submitting.
- Submit all five files before the deadline. Late work loses 10 points per day.

## 7. Evaluation Rubric (Total: 100)

| Criteria | Points | What earns full marks |
|---|---|---|
| Correct sizes & bleed | 20 | Card 3.5×2 in, flyer A5, letterhead A4; 3 mm bleed present on card + flyer |
| Safe margins | 15 | No text or logo within 5 mm (card) / 8 mm (flyer) of trim edge |
| CMYK & black handling | 15 | Document in CMYK; rich black on large areas, 100K on small text; note explains it |
| Print PDF export | 15 | PDF/X-1a or print preset; bleed + crop marks present; fonts embedded/curved |
| Design quality & consistency | 20 | One visual style across all three; professional, readable, no typos |
| Image resolution | 10 | All placed images 300 dpi at final size; no pixelation at 100% zoom |
| Completeness | 5 | All five deliverables present, correctly named |

## 8. Common Errors

- Designing in RGB and converting at the end (colors shift — start in CMYK).
- Backgrounds stopping at the trim edge instead of filling the bleed (white hairlines after cutting).
- Text or logos sitting in the bleed zone where the cutter will slice them.
- Body text set in rich black (causes blurry, misregistered small text).
- Exporting "PDF for web" instead of a print preset — no bleed, no marks, low resolution.
- Low-resolution web images (72 dpi) stretched to fill the flyer.

## 9. Instructor Marking Guide

- Open each PDF and check document properties: size, bleed box, and output intent. Wrong size or missing bleed = 0 for that row's piece.
- Zoom to 200% on card edges: any text touching the trim line fails safe margins.
- In the CDR, select a black text block and check the fill: small text must be K100 only. Large black areas should be rich black — check the student's note matches their file.
- Preflight: use CorelDRAW's preflight or Acrobat preflight if available; missing fonts or RGB images = deduct from export row.
- The classic fail: RGB document "converted" at export. Check the CDR's color mode first — if it was built RGB, cap CMYK row at 6/15 even if the PDF says CMYK.

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