Print Design in Fort Worth, Texas

Two rounds of revisions are included in every print project, and they're for fixing what I built — a color that reads wrong, a line that doesn't break where it should, a photo that needs to be swapped.

What revisions don't cover is changing what was asked for. If the approved copy changes after design starts, that's a new deliverable, because the layout was built around those words. If the piece grows from a bifold to a trifold, or the audience shifts from homeowners to procurement officers, that's new scope, priced accordingly before the work continues.

Print has one more line that websites don't: press approval. Once you sign off on the final proof and it goes to the printer, changes mean a reprint at your cost. I'll flag anything I see before that point, but read the proof like it's the last time you'll see it — because it is.

Four things, and the sooner they arrive, the sooner the design starts.

Your logo in vector format — an .ai, .eps, .svg, or PDF exported from the original design file. A JPG or PNG pulled off your website won't print cleanly at any real size. If you don't have a vector file, say so early; recreating one is a small separate job, and it's better to know before layout begins.

Approved copy — the final text for the piece, in a Word doc or Google Doc, proofread on your side. The design is built around these words, so any changes after approval are considered new scope.

Photos at full resolution — the originals from the camera or photographer, not versions downloaded from social media or email. For print, that means at least 300 dpi at the size they'll be used. If you don't have usable photos, I can arrange commercial photography or license stock through a vetted partner.

Brand standards, if you have them — your style guide, exact color values (Pantone, CMYK), and fonts. If you don't have these, I'll work from your existing materials, and it's worth talking about building a style guide so the next piece doesn't start from scratch.

Everything goes into the shared Dropbox folder for your project, so nothing lives in an email thread.

Two to six weeks for design, plus print time. A business card or one-page flyer runs one to two weeks. A brochure, capability statement, or proposal template runs two to four weeks. A multi-page publication or trade show package runs four to six weeks.

Printing takes 5 to 10 business days after press approval, depending on the piece and the finish; specialty stocks, die cuts, and large-format signage take longer. If you have a hard date — a trade show, a bid deadline, a grand opening — tell me on the first call, and I'll work backward from it, including the printer's schedule.

Two things move the timeline more than anything I do. The first is files: a project can't start until the logo, copy, and photos are in the folder. The second is proof turnaround; a proof that sits for a week adds a week. Rush design is available for a fee when the calendar allows; rush printing is priced by the printer and passed through.

Please note that timelines begin once all final copy, images, and brand assets have been received from the client. Rush delivery is available for a 50% premium on the total project fee.

Finish your copy before design starts, and read every proof like it's the last one.

Almost every extra charge on a print project comes from one of three things. Copy that changes after it's approved — the layout is built around those words, so new words mean a new layout, and that's billed as a new deliverable. Scope that grows mid-project — a bifold that becomes a trifold, a single card that becomes a set of five. And changes after press approval — once the file is at the printer, a fix means a reprint at your cost.

The way around all three is the same: decide before you approve, not after. Get the right people to sign off on the copy the first time, so the owner doesn't rewrite it after the sales manager has already done so. Tell me the full scope on the first call, including the pieces you're "thinking about," so they're priced in from the start. And when the final proof arrives, print it, read it on paper, and have a second person check it.

Two smaller ones: send files in the right format the first time — a vector logo, full-resolution photos — so nothing has to be recreated, and return proofs on time, because rush design fees exist for schedules that slipped on the client's side.

Yes. I manage the printing through vetted commercial printers in DFW, so you don't have to find one, get quotes, or figure out whether the file is set up right for their press. I handle the specs, the proofs, and the press check, and the finished pieces ship to your office, your job site, or your trade show booth.

Printing is quoted separately from design, because the cost depends on quantity, stock, finish, and turnaround. You'll see the printer's quote before anything goes to press, and you can approve it, adjust the quantity, or supply your own printer if you have a relationship you'd rather keep. If you use your own printer, I'll prepare press-ready files to their specifications at no extra charge.

What I don't do is print in-house. Nobody who does design well runs a press well, and the printers I work with have equipment and experience I'd never match. My job is to make sure what comes off their press looks exactly like what you approved on screen.

Everything from the first conversation to the box arriving at your door.

It starts with a short brief — what the piece is for, who's going to hold it, and what you want them to do next. Then the design: concept, layout, typography, and image handling, built to your brand standards or to the standards we set together. You get a proof at each stage, with the included revision rounds to fix what needs fixing.

Once you approve the final, the file gets prepared for press — bleeds, crop marks, color conversion, and the specs your printer needs — and I coordinate with the printer through proofing and delivery. You also get the final files: a press-ready PDF and the native design files, in your Dropbox folder, so you can reprint or update the piece later without going through me.

What's quoted separately is printing itself, commercial photography if you need it, stock licensing, and copywriting if you'd rather I write the piece than design around your words.

Five things, all quoted separately so you see them coming.

Printing. Design and printing are separate line items because printing costs depend on quantity, stock, finish, and turnaround time. You'll see the printer's quote before anything goes to press.

Photography and stock licensing. If you don't have usable photos, I can arrange commercial photography through a vetted partner or license stock images; either is billed at cost plus coordination.

Copywriting. A print project is designed around the copy you provide. If you'd rather I write it, that's a separate deliverable, scoped before design starts.

Changes to approved copy or scope. Revisions fix what I built. New words added after approval, or new pieces added mid-project, are new work.

Reprints after press approval. Once you sign off on the final proof and it's at the printer, any changes will require a reprint at your cost.

Everything else — the brief, the design, the included revision rounds, press-ready file prep, printer coordination, and your final files — is in the project price.