DVD case sleeve (printing)

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Panamaniac
I am making a DVD sleeve and I wonder if there are any tips for ensuring the printing house can get a great professional print out of my file.


They are asking for a TIFF and 300dpi, also I am creating it and sending it in CMYK.


I think the vertical resolution of the project is at about 2160 pixels... so that would be the height of the face, edge and back cover. I am working with a guide layer that has bleed cut and safe zone marks.

I have included a 1 pixel 60% opacity Stroke on the blending options for all text and sometimes added a small shadow for AA purposes.

I know that printing houses are the ones that dial it in for the printer to reproduce the full gamut and range but is there something I should use to double check my layers such as a histogram or other fancy tools I am barely acquainted with?

Should I host it? I have an 8-bit .jpg weighing in at about 1.5MB but full rez if you guys want to take a look at it.

Thanks in advance!!!
 
Lets look at it.

I sent mine out to get printed using those same specs, and it came out great. I also had a couple more designs I did that got printed at a really top notch shop and they came out just like I designed them.
 
that is great to hear William!
I really hope I am as lucky...

Ok, so here it is, now I don't have the front finished (or started really, lol) but I know what I want which is the hardest part!
The main idea is to make the front cover look "normal" and "real life" and try to make everyone "appealing" heheeh... then the back gets a touch weird... and then when you oopen the case it is weird and possibly creepy.

I think I will remove the "when all your family is gone" from the back and I will put my production company's logo there together with a few other things. But First I am waiting for the Synopsis from our writer, and once I get it I will dial it all in. Or maybe I'll just flank it by the two logos. Also I think I want to somehow extend the graves through more of background of the Synopsis so it gets closer to the picture in the bottom half.... I might have to copy a portion and make it overlap somehow.

I still have to Photoshop the four pictures of the cast... i.e.: remove that stray hair off Michelle's face, match their color, blemishes, etc...


Click for 8-bit, full size, .jpg



Here is the DVD which I feel I might still need to polish a bit. The way the screaming sister's face is
cut off in the top bothers me a bit.
1192005801.jpg
 
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I don't know if it's your intention, but the DVD itself looks very red/magenta on my monitor. Mine isn't a properly calibrated print monitor, but it's close. Your spine is pretty busy and makes it hard for me to read the text. Looks nice though.
 
The DVD is red on purpose, though once I have the cover done I will look at the progression and maybe tone it down...? My intention is for the DVD to be creepy and create sort of a clash/shock as if there is more to the movie than what the Box leads to believe.

But the edge/spine... well I know it is busy and it is very hard even for me to read the name... but I am torn as I really love it... maybe I should create a glow or a gradient in and out of the name... so long as I can get the name to be legible I will keep it there... did you notice Michelle walking by the DVD symbol?

hummm.... how should I do that?

Thanks a million William!!!! Always great feedback!
 
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I have one more question:


My current project is about 2500 x 3450 pixels and the DPI is set to 300... but

What is the relationship between dpi and pixels?

EDITED AFTER TAKING A SECOND LOOK
 
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Looking good. I'm assuming you know to leave a bleed of a few millimeters (usually specified by the printer) around the edges of the artwork??

I'd also agree the spine is too busy. Perhaps try fading out the background imagery beneath the text and then fading it back in towards the ends of the spine...

Also, I think the convention is to have the text on the spine facing the other way... that is, so you're reading down instead of up.
 
^ no thanks

DeVil, thanks man!
Yea, I think I will go ahead and try that fade... but I like that you are reading up and not down :D

and about the bleed... yea... that is with bleed so a little will be cut out... I'll upload one with the guides once I am finishing up.
 
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Overall a nice design, however when that disk gets printed its going to look like a bad print job rather than high contrast red, I would tone the contrast and red down a bit, because the printer is going to heighten the effect a bit already.
 
The condensed type style you have chosen for the credits on the sleeve is very hard to read, even on the large JPEG. The type on the DVD itself is much easier on the eyes.
Just my .02
Ken
the Screen Skins guy
 
HueyFilms said:
Overall a nice design, however when that disk gets printed its going to look like a bad print job rather than high contrast red, I would tone the contrast and red down a bit, because the printer is going to heighten the effect a bit already.
Click to expand...

I am very worried about this yes... thanks for mentioning it. I Am planning on printing one or two tests and adjusting. Thanks for the heads up about what it might do!

kplo said:
The condensed type style you have chosen for the credits on the sleeve is very hard to read, even on the large JPEG. The type on the DVD itself is much easier on the eyes.
Just my .02
Ken
the Screen Skins guy
Click to expand...

Yea... but it really isn't for reading it more than for making it look pro... try reading the pro DVD credits.... often they'll look just like this though sometimes the font is stretched horizontally. I am hoping people will watch the full credits at the end of the movie.
I am hoping however that with a 300dpi print it will still be enough to be able to tell what it says... I am going to check on that in the test prints. I am hoping that they will be legible by bringing it real close to your face and with good eyes.
 
so I added a little gray could behind the title on the spine and I think it is enough to make it legible... it seems I just needed to kill some of the sharp contrast on the tomb-stones and dark trees.
Other than that, the synopsis is in as are the production company logos.

I am still trying to get the photoshoot scheduled for the front!
:Drogar-Angry(DBG):

1193795099.jpg
 
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so here is the picture of the Groundskeeper that I will use for the cover (with some quick curves work)... in front of it will be a picture of Jenna and Chris walking in the middle of out date so it will look like the Groundskeeper is stalking us.

I may have to flip it and mess with his eyes for proper eyeline... but I like the tree being what's against the spine.... hummm...

The black SUV will be covered for sure but I hate losing that tree... I may have to erase that pipe thing and the light on the house behind.

1194058065.jpg
 
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crap... I have that "in over my head" feeling...

here is the other image I am using for the cover:

1194927692.jpg
 
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ok... I need to print this tomorrow at 10am... the screening is this Sat... so please help me figure out the cover:

1. I am not happy with the text including the title in the bottom of the cover
2. I am not sure about thepapers, I think I may need one more, maybe I can google an image or make one
3. I am not sure about the text in the top of the cover either... the color was picked with the intent of not disturbing the flow of the picture...maybe the available in 1080p needs to go...

EDIT:
I made some of the changes but I am still not 100% happy... I feel it needs something... but I have no clue what...?!?!?

1194932777.jpg
 
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I am STOKED!

It wasn't flawless, there were a few humps in the way.

First the back was a bit dark on the proof but that was a simple fix on the laptop.

Then the guy confesses to me that their DVD surface printer is down, so I have to resort to stickers for the screening this Saturday and those are a completely different template that chopped off heads and body parts... but it looks great anyway... I am pissed but this will give me a chance to really dial it in for the final copies.

Then I realized that the middle section of the tree wasn't showing as much as I was hoping for... so to fix this for now I had to cut them off center which threw out the back and the spine just a tad...

However the colors are EXCELLENT and I am so freakin' happy!

I can't wait to see the final!

Here are a few pictures but they DO NOT do them justice at all, I wish you guys were here to check it out, I am happy with how my PS skill is developing:

1195006803.jpg


1195006402.jpg


1195007176.jpg


This one is a full print as a test for what the DVD surface will look like when we use the full-white DVDs on the DVD printer:

1195007243.jpg
 
I am going back tomorrow to get the tree in the cover without missalighning the back and spine... also did some touch ups...

but what I really need help with is with some hard decisions... I tried the papers on, then off... then I realized they were too much, but now I am not happy with the title, it seems too wimpy... I need new letters but I don't want ot do something simple or common, and somehow I came up with this sorta retro meets discombobulation meets ransom note... am I insane?

What should id be?!?!?

I need to print mañana...

PS: The DVD design stays but I will try to find a DVD surface printer tomorrow to get the whole thing on "full-white" DVDs


I am beggin!!! Please, chime in!!!

1195037169.jpg
 
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