business cards - text and font - need advice!!!

Halooo everyone,

I am creating a business card myself in photoshop for our business, it is a simple design just to start of but I have got a question, as I can't set the sharpness for the text. I am using CS3 (Windows). I was also thinking if any of you knows what is the best font to use for business cards? I want it to be clear and readible and look professional.

Please, anyone could help?! I appreciate any advice.

Thanx
Dori

there's pretty much nothing you can do. you shouldn't use photoshop for setting type. for print (everything really), photoshop should really only be used when necessary - IE when dealing with photo editing. ideally you should be using indesign/quark to do all your setting, or at least some kind of vector program as that's what you need for crisp text.

i know not everyone has (access to) these, but i do believe that's the price you pay for DIY jobs.

Business cards can be designed and printed in Photoshop if done correctly. It may be easier in other programs Adobe or other 3rd parties offer but doesn't mean you should phase PS out.

You can toy around with the little dropdown menu in the toolbar when you have the type tool activated which lets you set preset sharpnesses.

anything can be printed from photoshop. the quality suffers regardless. that's the trade off for DIY jobs.

Wont the quality be better if the dpi / resolution is higher?

Use Adobe Illustrator for creating business card/vector logos.

Originally Posted by indyaportal Use Adobe Illustrator for creating business card/vector logos.

In the case of business card, you may want some kind of image which can't be made in Illustrator so I'd suggest InDesign (or QuarkXpress) in which you can import image and then add the type so your text isn't rasterized and more readable in smaller sizes.

^ for real. illustrator is for creating artwork. indesign is for setting type layout. the controls for layour are much friendlier in indesign.

Originally Posted by derek lapp anything can be printed from photoshop. the quality suffers regardless. that's the trade off for DIY jobs.

thats totaly not true, its all about the dpi.

for a business card you should use 600dpi, or even better 1200dpi

dpi is dots/pixels per inch, so for a business card about 3inches by 2inches(85x55mm) you need image size to be 3600 wide by 2400 high.(@1200dpi)

at the end of the day all graphics get rasterised in the printing process (even illustrater files) unless you are postscript all the way.

Originally Posted by derek lapp anything can be printed from photoshop. the quality suffers regardless. that's the trade off for DIY jobs.

i disagree very much.
as long as you use the right settings everything will be fine.
ive done everything DIY and it all turns out very profesional and people cant even tell, and have asked where ive gotten my stuff printed.
my lastest print i made was a 2m/85cm and it came out crystal clear and crisp