Comprehensive example: PS detergent packaging Design printing strategy

Introduction | design

Author: Dong Zheng Technology

Design product packaging, the author's personal habit is to first understand the product market positioning, and then the idea of drawing lines, and from the brain to form a printed product image, good ideas for the design of the basis of style. The appearance of packaging to eye-catching, in the visual to be in the packaging of similar products to highlight, which is to attract consumers the first element.

With the development of professional level in the design field, more and more designers know that to design a good product, in addition to mastering the design style, it is necessary to master the final printing quality of the product.

This example is a comprehensive example, the preparation has four characteristics: practicality, comprehensiveness, operability and pertinence. Through this example of the full flow of the explanation, I believe that just engaged in packaging design designers and are engaged in the design of the peer to bring a certain reference value. As shown in Figure 1 and Figure 2, the floor plan and the finished product stereo diagram of the washing powder are respectively.

Figure 1 Floor Plan

Fig. 2 Stereo diagram

Knowledge points

Layout composition

Color Matching

Water Wave Making

Making landscapes with masks

Production Factor component diagram

The effect of making elliptical particles

Make a rainbow embossed font

Make Product stereo effect

Printing production

Creative Thinking

Conception is the soul of design, which comes from thinking, and also from market investigation. The concept should be understood including the product of the user groups, the current popular design style, the public appreciation of taste, advanced printing technology and so on.

1. Market positioning

We all know that there are a number of domestic washing powder brands-white, carved cards, mysteries and so on, their market range is very wide, have made the majority of user groups recognized.

When we understand the product, we should communicate with customers more. Because they have a certain understanding of the market, may give you some market and other relevant information, which gives us a great help in the design. Washing powder This product should be suitable for the public, suitable for ordinary families, in its packaging to be able to highlight their own in many major brands, so that consumers understand this product.

2. Design techniques

Starting from the brand image, to the Wuyi Mountain Scenic spot to guide consumers!

Creative Point: Kingston Wuyi Mountain, Jiao Jiao Yu, beautiful mountain, water beauty, people (clothes) more beautiful!

Product tenet: Wash out the nature, wash out the beautiful, wash out health!

3. Printing preparation

Usually the detergent packaging is not transparent, so it is usually free of printing white version. There is a book membrane material itself is milky white, and shiny good, this is called "pearlescent film." This material can be used in printing to save a printing plate, but there are some shortcomings, these can be based on customer needs to choose printing materials. In gravure printing, printing is the existence of white, unlike paper class, the most common is white paper.

The packaging of this product is in the positive and negative form, usually referred to as "bilateral bag" packaging. Printing color is divided into four kinds: black, green, red, yellow. Therefore, the understanding of materials and the understanding of printing production for designers is a compulsory course.

4. Finished product flow

Before a product is printed, the process is complex and diverse, and no error can be made in each link. Roughly divided into: design ideas, pre-press preparation, design first, final, the production of three-dimensional effect map, prepress computer production, manufacturing printing, mass printing, the final bag finished products.

The designer's job is to produce from the design manuscript to the printing press, and the next process is completed by the printing worker. As shown in Fig. 3, it is the process of making the washing powder in the computer packaging, as shown in Figure 3.

Fig. 3 The computer making process of washing powder

Practical skills

This example first from design to printing for step-by-step explanation, the following is the actual operation of the design manuscript.

1. Set the specification of washing powder

According to customer requirements, the size of the image from "file" | "New" is set to: Width: "22" cm, Height: "32.5" cm, respectively, as the washing powder on the back of the specification size, as shown in Figure 4.

Figure 4 Setting detergent specifications

Among them, the resolution is "300", the color mode is "CMYK color", these two options are most important, related to the final printing problems and effects.

2. Layout composition

The make-up of the washing powder is from the trademark, the customer requests to use the trademark shape to carry on the play. According to the "design method" of this example, a picture of Wuyi Mountain is placed in the design manuscript, which is to impress the consumers with the hearsay of Wuyishan scenery.

First of all, will some already have the material image, for example: Factory trademarks, factory names, products, landscape materials, etc., the first probably placed in the layout of the design.

Next, choose color with the mainstream color of detergent. Each product has its own mix of colors. Can start from the market, the comparison of the well-known manufacturers of the product color to refer to the comparison, the current mainstream color detergent is probably blue, red, green, yellow, purple and so on.

Finally, shape a dynamic graphic in the layout as the body of the entire wrapper, as shown in Figure 5.

Fig. 5 Preliminary composition

As you can see from the composition above, the portable portion of the package occupies one-fifth of the size of the entire layout. In this example, the portable size specification is set to 6 cm height and the black Edge bar represents a blank icon. This example uses the yellow (C: "0", M: "0", Y: "The", K: "0"), Purple (c: "", M: ", Y:" 0 ", K:" 0 "), Blue (c:", M: ", Y:" 0 ", K:" 0 ") three colors to match, The oval box in the middle uses a red to yellow gradient, while using a white stroke effect, eye-catching and generous.

3. Making Oval Background

Select the Elliptical Marquee tool box to select an oval selection, choose Select | change selection, change the selection to the appropriate location, and press the ENTER key to determine.

Select the Gradient tool and set the color parameters to be gradient from blue (C: "0,y", M: "0", K: "0") to white, as shown in Figure 6.

Figure 6 making an oval background

4. Make Blister effect

Open the companion CD, the "blister. jpg" file in the material file, select the "Cyan" channel, and hold down the channel and drag it to the design layout, as shown in Figure 7.

Fig. 7 Drag the material element image

At this point, a new channel is automatically generated in the file. Press Ctrl while you click the channel, convert it to a selection, return to the layer with a new layer, fill it with white, and the effect is shown in Figure 8.

Fig. 8 Blister effect

5. Make the Spiral wave effect

(1) Create a new channel, select the "Elliptical marquee tool" box to choose a positive circle, set "feather radius" to: "150" pixel, and fill in black. Select a small positive circle in the middle box again, set the feather radius to: "100" pixels, and press the DELETE key to delete the effect as shown in Figure 9.

Figure 9 Making a hollow gradient effect

(2) Select "Filter" | "Distort" | "Rotate distort" command, and set the argument to: Angle: "900" degree, as shown in Figure 10.

Figure 10 Setting "Rotate Twist"

(3) Likewise, convert the channel to a selection, return to the layer, and create a new layer, filled with white. Press "Ctrl+t" for the "Free Transform" command and place it in the appropriate position. The effect is shown in Figure 11.

Fig. 11 The effect of making water waves

(4) The production of water droplets swing effect. Select the Pen tool to check the drop shape path, convert to a selection, fill in white, and then use the brush tool to spray, the color is "blue", the effect is shown in Figure 12.

Fig. 12 The effect of water droplets swinging
6. Add Landscape effect

Open the corresponding material file in the CD "Wuyi mountain. jpg", using the "Magic wand tool" to quickly extract landscape images. Click on the white area of the image, select the Select | "deselect" command, reverse the selection, and select Move tool to drag the image into the design.

Select the Pen tool to tick the image selections that you want to mask out, and click the Add Vector Mask button to quickly add the image mask, as shown in Figure 13.

Figure 13 Adding a mask effect

7. Make Rainbow Embossed Fonts

(1) Select "Type Tool" input "Wuyi Maiden", set the font as "founder of the second simplified", the size of "100", the text direction is "vertical row".

(2) Right-click the text Layer Pop-up submenu function, select the "delete Layer" command, as shown in Figure 14.

Figure 14 to remove a layer

(3) Click on the layer's "lock transparent pixel" checkbox so that it does not affect any action outside of the image in the layer, then select "Gradient Tool" and set the parameters as shown in Figure 15.

Figure 15 Setting the gradient tool

Three strokes two type: This example uses seven rainbow color to decorate, highlights "The Virgin" brand washing powder can wash out the colorful beautiful image, the fusion theme.

(4) Select the "Rectangular marquee tool" to divide the text into two groups of selections, to group the gradient effect, this effect is better. Drag the gradient from the upper-left corner to the lower-right corner to fill the rainbow effect, as shown in Figure 16.

Fig. 16 Rainbow Effect

(5) Select the "Filter" | "Eye Candy 3.0" | "Carve ..." command, as shown in Figure 17.

Figure 17 Selecting the plug-in filter function

(6) Set the external filter parameters, and complete the embossed text effect, as shown in Figure 18.

Figure 18 making an embossed text effect

(7) Make text stroke effect. Select Layers | layer Styles | Stroke command to set the parameters as shown in Figure 19.

Figure 19 Stroke effect
8. Make oval particle effect

(1) Select the Elliptical Marquee tool box to choose an oval selection, click Select | The transform Selection command, tilt the selection from a diagonal angle, change to the appropriate position, and press Enter to determine the selection.

Create a new channel, click Select | "Feather Selection", enter "feather radius" to "50" pixel, then press "Alt+back space" to fill the black, the effect is shown in Figure 20.

Figure 20 Making feather effects

Copy the completed channel effect to another channel copy for further use.

(2) Press "Ctrl+d" to cancel the selection, select "Ytterbium" | "pixel" | "Color Halftone" command, and set its parameters, as shown in Figure 21.

Figure 21 Setting the color halftone effect

(3) Hold down CTRL while clicking on the channel, converting the channel image to a selection, back to the layer edit state, create a new layer, fill it with white, and the effect is shown in Figure 22.

Fig. 22 Effect of white particles

(4) Convert the channel copy image made in the first step to a selection, return to the layer editor to create a new layer, the same fill as white, the use of white particles effect appears more soft, the effect is shown in Figure 23.

Fig. 23 Effect of soft particles

9. Design Detergent Name

(1) Select "Type Tool" and click on the image, enter the words "strong", set the font for "Wen Ding Thunderbolt Body", the size of "129", The color is: C: "A", M: "Million", Y: "0", K: "0".

Use the previous stroke method to make a stroke effect with a stroke size of "25" pixels, as shown in Figure 24.

Figure 24 Making a "strong" effect

(2) Select the "Type Tool" and click on the image, input "washing powder" typeface, set the font for "Fangzheng Comprehensive Arts Simplified", the size of "63.5", the color is white. Make the stroke effect again, the size is "8" pixel, the color is black (C: "0", M: "0", Y: "0", K: "100"), the effect is shown in Figure 25.

Figure 25 Making "detergent" text

(3) Select the selection of the type layer, create a new layer, and drag it to the next level of the type layer, filled with black (C: "0", M: "0", Y: "0", K: "100").

Select Move tool to offset the layer to the lower right corner to create a shaded effect, as shown in Figure 26.

Figure 26 Text Shadow effects

(4) New layer, select the rounded Rectangle tool and frame the path in the image, press "Ctrl+enter" to convert the path to a selection, and fill it with the following color: C: "0", M: "0", Y: "K", "0".

Select "Type Tool" and click on the image to enter "net content: 600 grams", set the font for "founder Weibei Simplified", the size of "17" pixel, the color is black (C: "0", M: "0", Y: "0", K: "100"), the effect as shown in Figure 27.

Figure 27 Adding "net content"

10. Production Factor Component diagram

(1) Choose the Oval Marquee tool box to select a positive circle selection, create a new layer, select the gradient tool and set its parameter options, and then fill the gradient effect in the layer, as shown in Figure 28.

Fig. 28 The effect of the three-dimensional ball

(2) Using the Copy layer method, the three-dimensional ball layer copy of two layers at the same time, and its size and position in different positions, you can change the color of three different spheres slightly, the effect is better.

Once again, make a spherical connection diagram effect, also use the gradient effect to make the join symbol, note the order of the new layer, the effect as shown in Figure 29.

Figure 29 Spherical Connection diagram

(3) Select the "Pen tool" to sketch the path of the rotating arrow pattern, after converting the selection, the fill color is: C: "0", M: "0", Y: "", K: "0". Use the method described earlier to make the shadow effect of the arrow mark, as shown in Figure 30.

Fig. 30 making the Arrow mark pattern

(4) Select "Type Tool" and click on the image, enter "efficient white", set the font to "bold", The color is black, adjust the appropriate font size. Click "Create warp Text"

button and set the parameters. As shown in Figure 31.

Figure 31 Creating Deformable text

(5) The same input "two-way decontamination", and set its different deformation text, the effect is shown in Figure 32.

Figure 32 Creating a different variant text

11. Create a background bubble effect

New layer, box selection and fill the white effect, select the Eraser tool and set its property options, the positive circle of the image to erase, to achieve the blur effect of the gradient. You then use the copied method to copy multiple shapes of different sizes, as shown in Figure 33.

Figure 33 Making a bubble effect

At the same time, will be the top of the section of the yellow hand, also add different size bubble effect.

12. Further embellishment for the layout

(1) Make "Add Incense" icon. Use two positive circle selection to make meniscus shape, make three dots, then add fragrant text, font "founder Long Mei Black", the effect as shown in Figure 34.

Figure 34 making the "Add Incense" icon

(2) Make "lightning" effect. Use the Pen tool to make the lightning bolt shape, using the method of making rainbow in front to make the colorful gradient effect. Enter the related text in turn and distort it, as shown in Figure 35.

Figure 35 making "lightning" effect

13. Reverse design of package

The design of the opposite side, usually with a positive pattern for flexible use, the rest is a large number of text layout style. Especially in the key items to be decorated, highlighting the effect. For example, font bold, apply boxes, add gradient color blocks for items as backgrounds, and so on. The final negative effect, as shown in Figure 36.

Figure 36 Negative effects

Tips: The opposite of the bar code, if sufficient space, as far as possible to use the standard size, instead, but to press 90%, 80%, 70% for integers and proportionally reduced, but not less than 50%. Barcode software is generally based on the Apple computer.

14. Make Stereo Effect chart

The three-dimensional effect of the product is the customer's most direct view of the final results of their products, so when necessary, in the design of each product, it is best to produce an effect chart. And each kind of effect picture has own modelling to put, lets the customer have the visual sprint feeling. Specifications generally for A4 paper size, so as to facilitate the printing and production.

As shown in Figure 37, for the three-dimensional effect of this product production process.

Fig. 37 The production process of stereo effect

Printing breakthrough

The establishment of this product for the film bag packaging, is a gravure printing. For each product to be printed, it is necessary to produce a printed version, and then a large number of batches of printing. According to the customer's printing cost requirements, the choice of printing plate for coating offset.

FAQ: Gravure printing plate is a kind of metal materials, usually have lead, copper, iron for the material of the drum plate. Coating offset is a gravure printing version of A, is a special glue through the mechanical coating on the plate, so that its photographic imaging, and finally etching into a concave embossed version. This kind of plate is more suitable for the mass printing, the advantage is economical, practical, the disadvantage is that the printing imaging is not precise enough, the color is easy to distort.

Product packaging design is completed, the next process is the computer production of the last link-pre-press production. Can be divided into design draft production and the film.

1. The production of the design draft

(1) In order to product printing and bag convenient, its positive and negative specifications of the width of the increase of 0.5 cm, filled with white, the equivalent of an increase of 0.25 centimeters as "bleeding."

(2) Check all the black places, the values must be: C: "0", M: "0", Y: "0", K: "100", and the layer's "blending mode" to be set to "multiply", as shown in Figure 38.

Figure 38 Multiply the bottom effect

Three strokes two: in the printing, the black color parameter is always the expression: C: "0", M: "0", Y: "0", K: "100". Unlike in the design section, you can choose a color that looks black, but in fact, the parameters in CMYK have numeric values, which makes typographical errors. In addition, like C: "1", M: "2", Y: "Million", K: "3" and the like, where the C: "1", M: "2", K: "3" can be removed, the value in 5 can be removed.

(3) Usually encounter some color need to make, such as large red: C: "0", M: "Million", Y: "K", "0", "yellow" channel is in the "magenta" channel behind, so the color needs to be processed, as shown in Figure 39. Because the printing of yellow first printing, this role is to avoid printing after a yellow sideline.

Figure 39 making a side effect

Secret tips: When a color block composed of several colors, in the printing is not completely fused, so some colors need to make the effect of the edge, only flexible treatment, so as to avoid errors appear so far.

(4) The finished positive and negative files are pieced together layer, and save as "washing powder-positive. tif" and "detergent-back. tif" Two files, to make preparation for the next make-up document.

2. Make-up and out of the film

Start CorelDRAW 12 software, respectively, through the "input" function input two files: "Washing powder-is. tif" and "washing powder-back. tif", and then carry out the imposition of documents, make-up form and specifications are generally provided by the printing plant.

As shown in Figure 40, the make-up form for detergent.

Figure 40 Imposition file

Finally, the file is saved in CDR format and will be sent out to the output company for the film.

FAQ: The form of the imposition file is for the convenience of printing or Seihan, but each printing factory has its own set of make-up form, so to be based on different printing machinery printing convenient imposition. This is not a detailed story.