DIY Printing for Album Covers and Pins

A course by Paolo Proserpio , Art Director and Graphic Designer

Art Director and Graphic Designer. Desio, Italy.
Joined October 2021

Learn to create graphics for band merchandise with Photoshop and Illustrator, and apply them using thermal and transfer printing techniques

100% positive reviews (13)
319 students
Audio: Italian
Italian · Spanish · English · Portuguese · German · French · Polish · Dutch

Learn to create graphics for band merchandise with Photoshop and Illustrator, and apply them using thermal and transfer printing techniques

DIY printing has always been a staple in the underground music and art scene, used as a means of sharing ideas, experimentation, and free creative expression. For art director and graphic designer Paolo Proserpio, who has worked with numerous underground bands in Italy and abroad, as well as fashion brands like Gucci and Versace, DIY printing is his area of expertise and go-to method for creating authentic, one-of-a-kind album covers, merch, and promotional materials.

In this online course, he teaches you how to design graphics for your band or event and apply them to an album cover using the thermal and transfer techniques. He also shows you how to make a set of pins with eye-catching packaging. Discover an easy and affordable way to promote your music or creative project with just a few simple tools and explore the endless possibilities of DIY printing. You make the rules when it comes to your own designs.

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What will you learn in this online course?

13 lessons & 20 downloads

Materials
3 minutes, 14 seconds
Card Types and Effects
3 minutes, 54 seconds
Making Pins
8 minutes, 43 seconds
  • 100% positive reviews (13)
  • 319 students
  • 13 lessons (1h 28m)
  • 20 additional resources (6 files)
  • Online and at your own pace
  • Available on the app
  • Audio: Italian
  • Italian · Spanish · English · Portuguese · German · French · Polish · Dutch
  • Level: Beginner
  • Unlimited access forever

What is this course's project?

Create and print your own graphic designs onto a set of pins and a handmade vinyl album cover you assemble yourself.

Who is this online course for?

Graphic designers working or interested in the music field, or anyone who wants to learn DIY printing techniques for any other use.

Requirements and materials

Basic notions of Photoshop, InDesign, and Illustrator (or other similar software of your choice) are necessary for this course. For materials, you need a computer with these programs installed, an A3 laser printer, a button maker (38 mm), a heat press, and other items your teacher specifies during the course.


Reviews

319 Students
13 Reviews
100% Positive ratings

Paolo Proserpio

A course by Paolo Proserpio

Teacher Plus
Art Director and Graphic Designer

Paolo Proserpio is a graphic designer who lives and works in Milan. He's been a big fan of the underground music, graphic design, and art scenes since he was young. He first studied at the Accademia di architettura di Mendrisio followed by the Istituto Europeo di Design in Milan where he specialized in graphic design.

He worked in the fields of music and fashion during his student years and continued for a time after graduating. He now has over a decade of experience running his own studio, which focuses on graphic design and art direction, primarily for printed products such as gadgets, T-shirts, catalogs, packaging, and album covers.

From 1999 to 2009, he also worked as a photographer for magazines, webzines, and agencies, as well as MTV.it, capturing images of famous musicians and bands from Italy and around the world. Since 2005, he's been sharing his knowledge on brand design and printmaking techniques as a professor at the I.E.D in Milan, and currently teaches two courses on screen printing at the Domus Academy.


Content

  • U1

    Introduction

    • About Me
    • Influences
  • U2

    DIY Printing: From the File to the Types of Paper

    • Materials
    • Classic Print vs. Self-Produced Print
    • Creating the File to Print the Pins
    • Bitmap and File to Print the Cover
    • Card Types and Effects
  • U3

    The Printing Phase

    • Making Pins
    • Transfer Printing with Solvent
    • Hot Stamping
    • Folding, Gluing and Cutting of a Cover
  • U4

    Packaging and Printing Alternatives

    • The Packaging of the Brooches
    • Alternative Print Media
  • FP

    Final project

    • DIY Printing for Album Covers and Pins

What to expect from a Domestika course

  • Learn at your own pace

    Enjoy learning from home without a set schedule and with an easy-to-follow method. You set your own pace.

  • Learn from the best professionals

    Learn valuable methods and techniques explained by top experts in the creative sector.

  • Meet expert teachers

    Each expert teaches what they do best, with clear guidelines, true passion, and professional insight in every lesson.

  • Certificates
    Plus

    If you're a Plus member, get a custom certificate signed by your teacher for every course. Share it on your portfolio, social media, or wherever you like.

  • Get front-row seats

    Videos of the highest quality, so you don't miss a single detail. With unlimited access, you can watch them as many times as you need to perfect your technique.

  • Share knowledge and ideas

    Ask questions, request feedback, or offer solutions. Share your learning experience with other students in the community who are as passionate about creativity as you are.

  • Connect with a global creative community

    The community is home to millions of people from around the world who are curious and passionate about exploring and expressing their creativity.

  • Watch professionally produced courses

    Domestika curates its teacher roster and produces every course in-house to ensure a high-quality online learning experience.


FAQs

Domestika's courses are online classes that provide you with the tools and skills you need to complete a specific project. Every step of the project combines video lessons with complementary instructional material, so you can learn by doing. Domestika's courses also allow you to share your own projects with the teacher and with other students, creating a dynamic course community.

All courses are 100% online, so once they're published, courses start and finish whenever you want. You set the pace of the class. You can go back to review what interests you most and skip what you already know, ask questions, answer questions, share your projects, and more.

The courses are divided into different units. Each one includes lessons, informational text, tasks, and practice exercises to help you carry out your project step by step, with additional complementary resources and downloads. You'll also have access to an exclusive forum where you can interact with the teacher and with other students, as well as share your work and your course project, creating a community around the course.

You can redeem the course you received by accessing the redeeming page and entering your gift code.

If you're a Plus member, when you complete a course you've purchased, you'll instantly get your personalized certificate. You can see all your certificates in the Certificates section of your profile. You can download your certificates as PDFs and share the link online. Learn more about certificates.
DIY Printing for Album Covers and Pins. Design course by Paolo Proserpio

DIY Printing for Album Covers and Pins

A course by Paolo Proserpio
Art Director and Graphic Designer. Desio, Italy.
Joined October 2021
  • 100% positive reviews (13)
  • 319 students