It is best to use the industry standard in design software to produce a printed piece. Professional artists normally use Photoshop, Quark Express, Adobe InDesign, Illustator and the entire suite of Adobe design products. If you are working on your own and desire a high-quality printed product, it's imperative to use these design tools. Art files and photographs should be created at the highest resolution possible, and vector images are preferred. That being said, it is always an option to produce your own design using a variety of other types of software and producing a high quality pdf for printing and copying purposes. When doing your own design please consider the following:

• Too much text is a turn-off.
• White space (around text and pictures) is always a good thing.
• It's a mistake to cram too much text and copy into a brochure or other type of printed piece.
• Use lots of pictures, and pictures with people in them are always preferred.
• Use a color wheel when designing your piece. Opposite colors can work well as can colors in the same family
• Think outside the box. Unusual designs grab the eye.
• Excellent writing is essential. Keep your customers reading your copy by making it sparkle. Consider hiring a professional copywriter or editor.
• Work with grids or frames. Split your paper into frames and design within each one. For a 3-fold brochure, for example, split into three sections and design within each section.
• Type is King! There is a huge variety of fonts available. Don't be afraid to utilize unusual fonts, and pair them with another, simpler type of font.
• Use the design tools in your software program.
• Consider reverse type. It's a grabber.