Calendar printing is still relevant in today’s competitive marketing environment. Whether your clients are soccer moms or big biz moguls, you can connect with them through targeted calendar printing. But your budget is limited and you could use saving a few bucks. Designing your own calendar campaign can be a clever way to keep some cash for yourself. 

A few technical tips and some design direction can save you a huge headache later. Image resolution is an area of confusion for most folks getting started in design. Basic design concepts are also worth brushing up on if you don’t make a living designing calendars. So here are few ideas to get you going the right way from the start.

Image Size and Resolution
Calendar printing requires using very large image files. You’ll find that there is a huge difference between images you’ll see on the web and those you might use  for printing. As an example, typical image resolutions for the web are 72 pixels per inch while printed images are 300 dots per inch or higher. Don’t worry too much about the difference between pixels and dots; they’re essentially the same. 

So, while an image might take up your entire screen, it will likely only print at about a quarter that size! This is a very rough estimate, but it will hold true in most cases. Be very careful when using images from the web. You should always get pictures from reputable stock image sites where you can trust that the images are the proper resolution. Many of these sites offer free stock images and inexpensive downloads for the largest image files. 

If you are using your own images, then make sure you are capturing the pictures at the highest possible resolution. This will allow you to work with images that you can be certain will print properly. If featuring products, remember that you are creating a calendar: make sure the images are something a customer would want keep in front of them for a month at a time!

Design review
Calendar printing is a unique medium because you have to balance artistry with commercialism, with an emphasis on artistry. You need to be very careful about including logos and other branding elements. While you should take the opportunity to continually expose customers to your brand, over-doing it on calendars can be a huge distraction that leads to your calendars being replaced. 

Keep your images in theme! Your customers should be able to know what to expect from calendar page to page. This goes for theme and more broad elements like color and black and white images. Keep the overall design similar. 

Conclusion
Your ideal scenario is a calendar on the wall of your customer’s office wall. What do you think they want to see day to day? Once you have figured this out, then all you have to do is deliver! 

Use high resolution images upwards of 300 dpi for clear, sharp images. Download pics from reputable sources, and it’s okay to pay a little to get what you need. Make sure your camera is on its highest setting if using your own gear. Keep the design in theme and be sure to pick a theme your customers want. Following these steps will help your calendar printing project be a success without breaking the bank!