Basic Graphic Designing

Hi,
Here I am putting some important definitions which a Graphic Designer should know and use in his projects/jobs.
One who does not understand the basic term of Graphic Designing whether it is Print Media or E-Media can not grow.

These basic terms are Fonts, Outlines, EPS and the difference between Raster and Vector.

Fonts: POSTSCRIPT (or Type 1) is the original outline digital font format. PostScript fonts are generally preferred by graphic designers for their onscreen and print accuracy, and are generated specifically for Macintosh or Windows. They work in Macintosh OSX or Windows 2000/XP natively, or in earlier versions of either OS with the installation of Adobe's ATM. ATMLight is a free download from Adobe
Filenames: "FontName.bmap" and "FontNam" (Macintosh); "FontName.pfb" and "FontName.pfm" (Windows)

TRUETYPE is a competing font format developed by Microsoft. TT files are generated specifially for Mac or Windows, and work without additional software. TrueType fonts are generally preferred by casual users for their ease of installation, however they do not provide as accurate onscreen representation or smoothness of output.

Filenames: "FontName.suit" (Macintosh); "FontName.ttf" (Windows and Mac OSX)
OPENTYPE is a newer format developed jointly by Apple and Microsoft that combines PostScript and TrueType code into a single file. Opentype files work in both Mac OSX and Windows 2000/XP natively, or in earlier versions of either OS along with ATM or ATMLight.

Outlines
Creating Outlines: Never send your fonts to anyone! In Illustrator, "Select All" and "Create Outlines" before sending your lettering files off. This converts all the type to outline paths, which is good for several reasons:
1. No fonts are necessary for anyone to output the files. Outlined files are also generally easier for printers to handle, preventing output problems such as PostScript errors and "flushed" fonts.
2. It's much more difficult for your client to mess around with your work after you've finished, or worse yet, use your files to letter other projects, which not only cuts into your income, but engages themselves AND you in software piracy.
3. If non-outlined lettering is imported into Photoshop version 3 or 4 to be merged with the artwork, (which isn't the easiest or cleanest method, but people without Quark or Pagemaker still do) Photoshop's inability to deal with kerning pairs properly can result in letters being chopped off at the sides.
Be sure to always "Save As" before Creating Outlines, so you still have a workable version of the file in case you need to go back and make changes later!

EPS
EPS: Since most comic books (and published materials, for that matter), are created using several different programs, those programs need to speak common languages so that their files can be combined to create a final work.
EPS stands for "Encapsulated PostScript", which is what laser printers and imagesetters speak. When you save your Illustrator lettering files as EPS, it writes them in such a way that they can be interpreted by virtually any other program or output device.
Since most comic book art is colored in a different program (Photoshop) than it is lettered, the files are imported into and composited in QuarkXPress, which then outputs (to an imagesetter) the final color separations that are sent to the printer.

Difference between Raster and Vector
Raster V/S Vector: When it's done right, the lettering file (Illustrator EPS) is placed over the colored art (Photoshop TIFF) in a page layout program like Quark or Pagemaker. When this composited file is output to film separations, the page layout program calls back to the original source files, in whatever format(s) they might be.

However, if the lettering is imported into Photoshop and composited there (as many people without page layout programs do), the lettering is then converted to pixels, and if the resolution is less than about 400 dpi, you will likely see the "jaggies." If the resolution is higher, you won't get jaggies, but merging the lettering in Photoshop makes it more difficult to go back and correct spelling mistakes or use the art without lettering for a poster or promo piece later.
Be sure not to anti-alias your lettering when preparing it for print production, as it can result in blurry or fuzzy-looking text.

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1 Control styles at import We can save a lot of production work if our editors/Instructional Designers apply Microsoft Word styles while editing text. During text import, InDesign CS2 lets us set how each Word style is handled. When placing a Word file, check Show Import Options in the Place dialog (choose File > Place). In the resulting dialog box, select Preserve Styles and Formatting from Text and Tables, then select Customize Style Import and click Style Mapping to open the dialog box that lets you set how each Word style is handled. (You can even save these settings as presets in the main dialog for later use!)2 Experiment first When creating styles in InDesignThe easiest way is to format sample text using the Control palette, Paragraph palette, and Character palette. When the text looks right, click anywhere in it with the Type tool (T), then create a new character or paragraph style from your text by choosing either New Character Style from the Character Styles palette’s flyout menu or New Paragraph Style from the Paragraph Styles palette’s flyout menu. InDesign will automatically copy the text’s settings into the new style, which you can further refine in the resulting dialog.3 Change your styles easily OftenYou’ll fine-tune a style after you create it. Again, the easiest way is to make the changes in actual text, then have InDesign update the style for you. Be sure that you have applied the current style to the text before you change its formatting, then change its formatting as desired, and choose Redefine Style in the Paragraph Styles or Character Styles palette’s flyout menu. You can also simply press Control+Alt+Shift+R (Windows) or Command+Option+Shift+R (Mac OS). The style is now updated, as is any text using it in the document.4 Automate a style series Use nested styles to apply a sequence of character styles to a paragraph. For example, to apply a drop cap to a paragraph and make the first line small caps, create character styles for both. Then, edit the paragraph style (in the Drop Caps and Nested Styles pane of the Paragraph Style Options dialog) so it has a drop cap and nested style applied, choosing how many words, lines, etc., each nested style is applied to. To set an arbitrary location, choose End Nested Style Character, and enter that character in the text by choosing Type > Insert Special Character > End Nested Style.5 Apply multiple stylesWhen you create paragraph styles, you can tell InDesign to apply a different style to the next paragraph as you type by specifying a style name in the Next Style pop-up menu in the General pane of the Paragraph Style Options dialog. But what about when applying styles to existing text? That, too, is easy: Select the paragraphs to apply the styles to, then in the Paragraph Styles palette, right-click (Windows) or Control-click (Mac OS) the name of the style to be applied to the first paragraph. From the contextual menu, choose the Apply ["your style name"] then Next Style option, and InDesign will apply all the styles in sequence.6 Selectively import stylesOften, you’ll have a style created in another document that would be perfect in your current one—or you may have an updated version in another document you want to bring into the current document. InDesign CS2 lets you selectively import such styles. In the Paragraph Styles or Character Styles palette, choose Load All Styles from the palette’s flyout menu, then choose the source InDesign file and click Open. After InDesign has processed the file, you’ll get a dialog that lets you choose which paragraph, character, and object styles to import—just make sure the ones you want are checked.7 Don’t forget the OpenType InDesign styles offer many, many options—and you may forget to take advantage of them when you create your styles. One worth double-checking is the OpenType Features pane when editing paragraph or character styles. It’s usually a good idea to enable Contextual Alternates and Fractions. (If your font doesn’t support enabled attributes, your text will be formatted normally.)8 Build in numbers and bullets New to InDesign CS2 is a feature to automate bullets and numbering. Paragraph styles also have this capability, making it easy to apply them to text. In the Bullets and Numbering pane when creating or editing styles, select Bullets or Numbers from the List Type pop-up menu, then choose the appropriate settings for your layout. Note: One limitation of InDesign’s numbering is that it doesn’t let you right-align numerals along the decimal, so there’s no way to have lists with 10 or more items indent the first nine entries so the decimals align with the rest of the entries.9 Use styles with objects Styles are very powerful, so it’s about time you can create them for objects as well as text. InDesign’s object styles let you apply consistent formatting to frames, lines, and other objects using the familiar styles mechanism. To open the Object Styles palette, press Control+F7 (Windows) or Command+F7 (Mac OS). Creating, editing, and applying object styles works the same as for paragraph and character styles with one difference: Uncheck any effect that you don’t want an object style to change on a frame when applied.10 Ensure consistent alignment Many documents have mouse-positioned text frames, so text doesn’t quite align across the page. InDesign’s new baseline options for individual frames can prevent that, especially when applied as part of an object style— which guarantees that all like frames use the same baseline options.Tip of blog:Switch between Zoom Views You can toggle between current and the previouse lmagnification view by pressing Ctrl+Alt+2. For example, you are at 80% view and zoom in to 600% by pressing this shortcut takes you back to 80%. Pressing it again returns to 600% view.

The best power tips from the conference. The instructor and seminar are listed after each tip.
25. Keyboard shortcuts for applying styles can only be composed of a modifier key (Cmd/Ctrl, Opt/Alt, etc.) plus a number from the numeric keypad.Sandee Cohen, Supercharged Style Sheets
24. If Caps Lock is activated when you insert placeholder text, a different passage of Latin will be used.David Blatner & Sandee Cohen, Essential Tips & Tricks
23. InDesign will automatically update a linked image after it has been edited using Edit Original within InDesign.David Blatner, Making The Most of The Suite
22. Cmd-Option-C (Ctrl-Alt-C) is the keyboard shortcut for fitting a frame to content.David Blatner & Sandee Cohen, Essential Tips & Tricks
21. Tables can be nested and table cells can be merged or divided in many combinations.Diane Burns, Make Tables Work For You
20. Press “w” to enter Preview mode, which displays the document as it would be printed.David Blatner & Sandee Cohen, Essential Tips & Tricks
19. Placed TIFF and PSD images do not preserve vectors; EPS and PDF do.David Blatner, Making The Most of The Suite
18. You can drag and drop files from the Finder/Windows desktop or windows to the Book palette.Robin Williams, Long Document Techniques
17. Guides cannot be duplicated by Option-dragging, but can be duplicated with Edit –> Duplicate or Edit –> Step and Repeat.Pariah Burke, Where Text Meets Graphics
16. It’s easier to work with Book files from the Book palette than by opening the file itself.Robin Williams, Long Document Techniques
15. Multiple undos can undo actions executed before a subsequent save.David Blatner & Sandee Cohen, Essential Tips & Tricks
14. The Autocorrect preferences in InDesign allows you to customize what InDesign flags for correction.Pariah Burke, Cool Text Techniques
13. Hold Shift while selecting a print, document or PDF preset (from their respective menu items in the File menu) to execute the preset without dialog boxes.David Blatner & Sandee Cohen, Essential Tips & Tricks
12. Use the Absolute Page Numbering preference to work with a multi-section InDesign document in terms of absolute page numbers.Sandee Cohen, Fundamentals of Document Construction
11. The Text Wrap palette can accept negative values, creating text overlap of a specific value.Pariah Burke, Where Text Meets Graphics
10. In long documents, the more master pages you use the better.Sandee Cohen, Fundamentals of Document Construction
9. Press Cmd/Ctrl-Enter to open Quick Apply, where you can type any letters in a style’s name to apply that style to text or objects.Sandee Cohen, Supercharged Style Sheets
8. The Underline Options in the Character palette flyout menu allows for customized underline styles.Pariah Burke, Cool Text Techniques
7. Book Page Numbering Options can set chapters to always begin on odd (right-facing) pages.Robin Williams, Long Document Techniques
6. All tables are anchored inside a text frame.Diane Burns, Make Tables Work For You
5. Distilling PDFs through Adobe Acrobat Distiller will flatten transparencies.Claudia McCue, Fast & Sure, The PDF Workflow
4. When creating a Table of Contents, “Create PDF Bookmarks” will hyperlink TOC entries to corresponding pages. The hyperlinks do not show up in InDesign, but will when the file is exported as a PDF.Robin Williams, Long Document Techniques
3. The TIFF file format can hold any kind of data the PSD file format can, but it is non-proprietary and can also be compressed for smaller file sizes.David Blatner, Making The Most of The Suite
2. PDF/X-1a is the best PDF format to get quality output for print.Claudia McCue, Fast & Sure: The PDF Workflow
1. Preflight early and often, using InDesign’s Transparency Preview and Flattener Previews as well as Acrobat 7 Professional’s Print Production tools.Claudia McCue, Fast & Sure: The PDF Workflow