Desktop Publishing

DTP refers to the creation of layouts and graphics using software designed for the personal computer. Based on principles of design that extend back through millennia, it teaches us basic rules of balance, colour, weight, pattern, and more.

If you need a balanced, well-designed layout that reflects your brand and responds to the media in which it is published, you need a professional design team with years of experience and internal quality approval processes.

Compatibility with Previous Suppliers

C.R. Visuals is adept in a wide range of software from Corel and Publisher through InDesign and Quark, to Open Source. We work hard to keep our software and skills compatible with your company and suppliers. If your content is locked into an older version of software or unknown formats, we can usually access the files and retrieve the information.

If your previous desktop publisher is holding your files hostage, we can re-create or come close to the original.

If your graphic designer created the perfect logo in a size that is only suitable for the web, we can re-build it for almost any format or dimensions.

Services

Cover art and posters. Use imagery to convey a message to an audience. Strong visuals can summarize a concept and prepare the viewer for further information that is about to be received. From posters to magazine and newsletter layouts, to print ads, banner ads, and more, the C.R. Visuals team has produced or consulted on the full gamut of possibilities. Aim for few words and a lot of style.

Stationery templates. Your letters, invoices, memos, etc., should be branded with your logo and corporate style through templates. Every time a client or supplier receives a written communication from you, they will know the source, verify its legitimacy, and be reminded of your customer service guarantee.

Form design. Corporate forms should follow a consistent design that both brands them and makes them easier to fill in. Your forms should be reviewed as a group in order to uncover redundancies in collecting information and to eliminate bottlenecks in disseminating data. Great customer-service management systems break down when people shunt information from one system to another, re-typing information scrawled on scraps of paper. Your forms audit looks for mismatched form fields and poorly labeled fields which no-one understands.

Newsletters. A well designed newsletter sent to staff, clients and suppliers keeps everyone up to date, and reiterates your brand. We can design the format and masthead, create a templated layout for you to fill in, or research and write the copy. If you are contemplating an emailed newsletter, sit down with us first. We can discuss the amount of work that is involved and whether or not you can expect the newsletter to be effective.

DTP training. We can offer small class instruction in InDesign, Publisher, Word or Corel either at our office or yours. Our staff has valuable experience in adult education working as instructors at the University of Toronto, Conestoga college, and Humber College.

We have stock photography available or can take photos for you at a fraction of the price of professional photographers, when you buy other services.

DTP defined on Wikipedia