🚀 go-pugleaf

Nicky, 

      what is the best software for creating crisp and professional looking
      flyers/posters/leaflets and publications of that sort?




Fireworks is the wrong app for print materials. Look into the Creative Suite CS4. Its key design apps are generally used together. Multi-page documents are best served by starting with page layout software, such as InDesign. (Or QuarkXPress). Single page documents, such as posters can be done with that software or with Illustrator. Graphics or illustration, Illustrator or Photoshop, or a combination of the two, which can then be placed into a page layout app. Photo retouching and enhancement, Photoshop. Logos, Illustrator. Heavy typography, InDesign or QuarkXPress.

Personally, I do most work in a page layout app, and add elements from Illustrator and/or Photoshop.

Client presentation and final art files for print reproduction are often file conversions to Acrobat PDFs.

Assuming that you have some natural creative talent, it would appear that, in addition to becoming proficient in a lot of professional software, there is still another long learning curve ahead of you, from learning everything about typography, graphic design, copy writing (or at least copy editing), and photo retouching to appropriate stock (paper) choices, color management, ink, bindery, printing, and how best to prepare art for print production.

I hope this helps get you started, and I wish you well.

Neil

The vendor probably had a Postscript level 3 RIP, quality proofing paper, and a better proofer than you have inhouse. Fireworks is better suited for preparing web graphics than high resolution printing. I suspect by "quality of image" you mean smooth color and sharp text. You should be using a CMYK document application like Illustrator, InDesign, or QuarkXPress ( the latter two handle multi-page documents better ). Posters, brochures, and leaflets are probably going to be printed via offset lithography where the vendor is going to use a high screen frequency halftone, hence you'll need your document setup for high res output ( 5080 dpi ) and the image resolution of 300-400ppi ( depending on screen frequency ) @ CMYK. Fireworks is an RGB based @ 72ppi application ( last time I checked ). Your project probably looked OK on screen and printed to your desktop, but the print vendor knew what equipment to use to supply you with a decent proof. That's my guess.

Nicky_Thorne wrote:
> Hello,
>
>  I sent the flyer design to a company so then can proof read it and sent a copy back. The copy i received back was the same design, but the quality of the image was tremendously improved. Anyone shed any light on this?
>
>   
You have a very strange/competent proofreader, have you checked their 
invoice?
Jay

Thanks to all who replied, you've helped alot.

I think the overall advice is focusing more on illistrator for the content (logos, images) and inDesign for the general layout.

Thank you Neil, John for your replied again.

Jay, im not entirely sure what you are talking about..

Thanks,
Nicky.

Nicky,

It's a good start. But you will find you need Photoshop (and probably Acrobat) as well. Again, look into the Creative Suite CS4.

Neil