First, let's coat it.Long-term assistance in improving card designs for fellow hams.BH8GE @Miles Teacher
If you want to design the card yourself, there are some basic things to keep in mind to avoid making common mistakes. While a responsible printing company will help check for issues, wouldn't it be better to do everything at once?
Technical knowledge
Dimensions
They are typically 14 x 9 cm and usually have a rectangular shape.
Regarding the layout, it's best to have a consistent design on both sides – either all horizontal or all vertical. A mix of orientations can be confusing for people viewing the cards.
Bleeding
If the base color is not white, the design dimensions should be slightly increased, for example, to 14.6 x 9.6 cm, and the colors should extend into this additional 0.3 cm portion to allow the printing company to trim it without creating white borders.
Important elements, such as your call sign, should not be placed too close to the edge of the paper. Otherwise, during printing, the narrow margins may make it look unsightly, or even cause part of it to be cut off.
Resolution
If you can set the resolution, it should be set to 300 dpi. If the resolution is too low (for example, 72 dpi), the printed content will become blurry.
The resolution must be set correctly from the beginning and cannot be changed later. If you design at 72 dpi initially, and then find that it is incorrect, changing it to 300 dpi will still result in blurry output unless it's a purely vector graphic.
If the content on your screen appears blurry, or has a "digital haze" effect (like emoticons), then printing it will result in even blurrier output. If you don't intend to create this effect intentionally, please choose high-resolution images from the start.
Color mode
If you have the option to choose a color mode, be sure to select CMYK.
Please note that there will be a difference between the screen color and the printed color. If the pattern is incorrect, color deviation may occur after printing, and particularly noticeable color deviations will appear in blue, cyan, and green colors.
It's best to set the color mode early on to avoid having to switch later, as this can create additional problems with color accuracy.
Once the card design is complete, it's recommended to find a color printer, or visit any printing and advertising agency, or first request the manufacturer to do a trial print to confirm that the effect is correct before proceeding with formal printing. This will help avoid problems such as blurriness, color deviation, content errors, missing elements, etc.
Content design
This is a summary of the key points from BH8GE's "sharp review," which I am presenting here:
When choosing a background image, think carefully about the theme you want to convey. Try to focus on expressing just one theme, such as a local scenic spot, a favorite anime character or work, a train, an airplane, a radio station, or an antenna. If you have multiple interests, consider creating several different versions of the card.
The other elements in the image should serve to support the central theme, and at least not detract from it. If there are elements that influence the theme, try to remove or blur them, rather than creating a scene where "everything is present," which would actually undermine the main subject. For example, if you're visiting a local landmark, such as the Eiffel Tower, try to focus on one thing at a time, either highlighting the Eiffel Tower while blurring out the radio station, or highlighting the radio station while blurring out the Eiffel Tower. It's also possible to highlight both, but this requires a very high level of composition skill; otherwise, it will look chaotic.
Key elements, especially your call sign, should be easily visible at a glance. For example, use a dark background with light text or vice versa. No matter the color combination, you can also improve visibility by adding a background color, enlarging the text, adding a border or shadow. Some users have combined their call signs and background colors, or the contrast is not clear enough, making it difficult to find them unless you intentionally designed it that way.
When arranging the content, try to align it and maintain even spacing. Otherwise, it can be difficult for people with OCD. I recommend arranging it according to the golden ratio, which looks more comfortable. Once finished, open a window on your computer and partially obscure the image to see if any part is still misaligned.
The key information on the back of the card should be filled in clearly, so avoid using backgrounds or images that could interfere with reading and filling out the information. It is recommended to use a white background; ideally, there should be no background image, or if there is one, it should be as simple and light-colored as possible.
The card should not use national flags or emblems. If you want to represent China, use the CRAC logo, which represents that you are a Chinese amateur radio operator and love your country. High-resolution images of the CRAC logo can be obtained from:Official websiteDownload, and do not modify the logo content.
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