Formatting Mistakes You Should Definitely Avoid In Catalogs

Formatting Mistakes You Should Definitely Avoid In Catalogs

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One of the biggest errors that beginners make in catalog printing is to make the wrong formatting decisions. It is easy to mistake catalog printing as just another form of art project, instead of the professional printed work it truly is. In this guide, I will teach you the formatting mistakes that lots of beginners commit when they print catalogs. With a little luck, these tips should help you create a truly professional catalog layout, avoiding gross formatting errors that make some catalogs really look unprofessional. So let me start by talking about font styles.

1.Too many variable font styles One of the most common formatting mistakes that I see beginners commit for catalog layout is the use of too many variable font styles. It is easy to get excited with the fonts styles today, since there are just so many creative ones to choose from. However, using too many all at once in a catalog layout, makes the color catalog design look messy, uncoordinated and downright unprofessional. So you better avoid this formatting mistake. Use only at most two to three font styles in your catalog to make it look more coherent and professional.

2.Different line spacing for different sections Another big mistake in catalog formatting is to use different line spacing for different sections of the layout. For example, one part of a catalog page describing a product might have text that is set to double spaced lines. Another adjacent part of it with another product description is then set to single spaced lines because of the added content it carries.

While logically it seems good to change the line spacing to make the content fit, if you look at the overall layout of the page, you will see that the different line spacing makes the page look less coherent and a little bit messy. Being a professional in catalog design means you have to have a coherent layout with your standard formatting settings. By changing the line spacing of similar sections in your catalog design, you break that coherence. This results in a bad format for your catalogs. So you better avoid this at all cost and balance your layout so that the line spacing is the same throughout the page.

3.Overuse of bolds, italics and underlines Some designers also get excited with using the bold, italic and underline feature in desktop publishing. There are some really bad catalogs out there with text descriptions that overuse these effects to the detriment of these designs. A truly professional layout only uses these features in moderation and when needed. So you should also reign in the temptation to use these things until they are really required.

4.Too many text colors Text colors are also a big issue in formatting. While vibrant colors are very powerful to use in text when it comes to catalog printing, using too much will make the catalog look too wild and amateurish. So avoid using too many text colors. Stick to two or three main colors within your theme and you should be fine.

5.Lack of font size moderation It may sound simple, but in fact font size is also a formatting issue sometimes with beginners in catalog printing. Some use too large fonts accompanied with very small fonts which makes the whole catalog layout look mismatched. This is especially true when it comes to headings, titles and the body text that accompanies them.

To avoid that from happening to you, it is best to always stick with font sizes that are just 2-4pts away from each other in the catalog body. This makes a more coherent and good-looking format with no wild and shocking variations in size.

6.Too many text effects Finally, many beginners make the mistake in using too many text effects in their catalog. From adding shadows, color strokes, color gradients, and even odd glow effects to text, these design features when overused can make a catalog design really look messy and amateurish. It is best to only use one effect for the whole catalog in the right places. Everything in moderation and balance gives the professional results you need for catalog printing, and this applies quite well for text effects. So make sure you keep note of this.

Great! Now you know the different formatting mistakes to avoid in catalog printing. Make sure you take note of all of these, and try to be vigilant in avoiding them. Good Luck!

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