How should the catalogue be organised?
Group products according to how customers search, whether by application, product family or technical category. Your internal departmental structure may not provide the clearest route. Test category names with the people handling customer enquiries.
Separate shared information from product-specific details. Navigation includes the contents, headings, page numbers and category markers. An index of product codes can help readers find a particular model in a large range.
What should the product data contain?
Use one structured table with consistent fields. A stable product identifier connects the description, photograph and price. Clarify variants and use the same units and parameter names throughout.
Data. Supply one approved version. Images. Match filenames to product codes or provide a mapping table. Changes. Identify what changed after production began. This makes later editions quicker to prepare.
How should photographs be prepared?
White backgrounds can support comparison, while application photographs show products in context. Choose each image's role deliberately. Supply original files rather than reduced presentation images wherever possible.
Background removal separates the object from its surroundings. Edges, transparency and shadows affect the work required. Agree how important product colours will be checked.
How I work on these publications. Catalogue layout starts at PLN 75 net per page. Photo retouching starts at PLN 10-15 net per image, with background removal and other work assessed from the files. My portfolio shows publication work.
How should prices and languages be handled?
A separate, dated price list can reduce the need to reprint stable product descriptions. Use the same product codes in both documents and make the current price-list version clear. Updating a PDF does not change prices already printed on paper.
For multilingual editions, supply approved descriptions, captions, table labels and cover text. Decide between a combined bilingual layout and separate language editions. Translation and technical-language checking are distinct from typesetting.
Which print and digital formats are useful?
Print supports meetings and reference use, while a screen PDF should be easy to download and read. An interactive PDF can add a clickable contents list, cross-references and links to product pages or an order form. See the digital publication service.
Shorter brochures and leaflets can reuse approved source material but need their own content selection. A good brochure is a separate design with its own purpose, not reduced catalogue pages.
How can future updates be made easier?
Retain stable identifiers, organised image files and approved text versions. Supply a change list distinguishing new, discontinued and revised products. A new product category may require more work than replacing a few specifications.
Agree whether the next edition changes only content or also structure and design. Specify any requirement for editable source files and assess the update against the actual changes.
Frequently asked questions
The starting rate is PLN 75 net per page. Product density, tables, image work and languages affect the scope.
Yes, from supplied, approved text in both languages. The translation is provided by the client or a translator.
Yes, if the catalogue uses a separate price list linked by product codes. Prices already printed in the catalogue remain on those copies.
I can assess the images for background removal and retouching. The original files determine the work and price.