Forms, Folds, and Sizes: All the Details Graphic Designers Need to Know but Can Never Find

Working in customer service for a print shop, I love the fact this handy reference provides me images and simplified explanations for customers who are oblivious to a myriad of printing issues. Being as the book was published in 2004, some of the information--specifically about postal standards--is now dated, but that information is readily available online at the USPS Web site, so it's easy for anyone to find (even designers)!That issue aside, the book offers two great quick-reference charts for maximizing yield from a sheet and a terrific summarization of paper types, characteristics and finishes I can use to guide customers in their choices. Diagrams of folder templates are at 1/4 scale. The packaging templates show boxes broken down into flats. Simply scan the page and customize size. Standard package sizing is readily available online or you could just grab a calculator and do the math to calculate for custom fabrication. If you are designing labeling for plastic stock containers, the author recommends contacting specific manufacturers for their product specifications.For information about standard size envelopes, the measurements are all there. If you need to know what kind of standard envelope you need for a 4-1/4" x 5-1/2" invitation, you can find it. A2, by the way. The process color swatches are a great reference to use in concert with your Pantone swatches. If you don't know what process color is or how it differs from spot color--there are hundreds of Design 101 books out there to help you out.I agree with the reviewer who said, if you have no clue about design or the print industry, you may not know how to interpret the information this volume contains. If you speak the language, however, it is a great, handy desk reference.

After signing up for a graphic production class in which this book was required, I thought to myself, "Oh great, another dumb textbook that I'll be forced to buy." So I put off buying the book until the teacher said we actually needed it. I shopped around for the best prices, and finally decided to purchase it from Amazon. Well, after my book arrived, I flipped through it and was amazed. This book holds a wealth of information! And it's not just for graphic designers. I'd recommend it to any person who works in an office and makes newsletters or pamphlets. Inside the author includes pantone color guides, typical sizes for documents, boxes, etc., styles of packaging, printing/design terms, and just FYIs into the world of design. I say this is a must have for all graphic designers. This will be your go-to book in case of emergency. I know I'll be keeping this book on my desk at all times!

This came to me in absolutely awful condition. Bent cover with some sort of sticky residue on it. Looks VERY used.

I read so many positive reviews that I thought I just couldn't go wrong buying this book. Boy, was I mistaken. I have yet to find one truly useful bit of information in this book, and I'm no life-long veteran in the trade.But lest you, fellow buyer, dismiss me as some silly impulsive reviewer, let's have some random facts.1. Fully 90 of the 250 pages of actual content are devoted to process colour tables.2. Twenty-two pages are devoted to "samples" of "text typefaces". The "samples" are 12-point alphabets and lining figures (no accented characters or punctuation). Among the 60 or so "text typefaces" included are such staples of book/magazine typography as Friz Quadrata, Eras and American Typewriter.3. Chapter 9, "Packaging Styles", brings 18 pages filled with line drawings of boxes, cartons and such. Not a single illustration is accompanied by actual dimensions or even proportions. Knock yourself out trying to replicate a "six-sided carton with push-in closure". (Hey, isn't this the book that claims to contain "details on all the things you can never find"?)4. Several pages are filled with such valuable, useful and current information as the proper abbreviation for Soviet Union.5. You want to learn a little more about imposition so you can have an intelligent conversation with your local printer? Sorry: "imposition" is not even in this book's index.But maybe I really am just an old crank. So many other people swear by the usefulness of this book! I'm sure they're not friends of the author.

Good reference although it did not include what I was looking for.

From its unique plastic-encased cover to the excellent illustrations, this is a priceless resource. It's an entire bookshelf of reference books condensed into one book. I've been in printing for a long time, and I still picked up new information from this book. I'm going to add it to the list of "can't-do-without" resources that I recommend to training clients.

The seller did a great job: I got my book on time & it was in excellent condition. As for the book itself; I have found it to be a very useful book to reference. Great for information on folds and envelopes.

Great item; there is a second edition that you may want to consider that adds a few things. The free preview on Amazon has the contents that shows what is new. You can then consider which one you want to purchase.Myself, I am completely happy with the book.

This book is chock full of interesting tidbits from conversion formulas to designing boxes to Process Finder Colour Charts, just as the title indicates

My review basically mirrors the other UK reviewers as there's no real consideration for anything other than the US market, what there is seems mainly concerned with converting US measurements. If I'd bought this book in the States I'd have no problem with that - but the book's title, blurb and Amazon appears to suggest it's going to be equally useful to us in the UK.Basically there's a lack of thoughtfulness and research. The US info is probably spot on and if you're in the US it's probably a useful book - to me though, it does feel like a bound set of those photocopies you used to end up with after your design course that had come from all sorts of reliable and not so reliable sources. There is the odd bit of really useful information but a lot of suspect stuff to wade through to find it.For example - paper weight is supposedly described both in US terms and then GSM (outside the US). Fair enough - but the GSM weights are arbitrary as they're simply a direct (mathematical?) conversion of the US paper weights. Therefore outside the US you'd apparently order 59gsm, 118 gsm, 308gsm etc etc. Why couldn't we just have had a list of the most quoted ISO sizes and potential uses (letterheads, postcards etc)Another reviewer mentioned abbreviations for countries etc - I looked up the United Kingdom - hmm... not there, ah, I see we should be referred to as GB (Great Britain or Britain - no mention at all of UK). This information feels like it's been drawn from a list of those car nationality stickers, until you find that Germany is Germ(!) and Australia should be abbreviated Austral.Dates: AD and BC are there but no mention of CE...I think there would be a market for a book like this but this one isn't it I'm afraid if you're outside the US.