Let’s get started! You will need to create a new file. To do this go into FILE>NEW and this will open the dialogue box you see to the right.
Rename the new document as I have it here, Comic_Page_Template or another exciting title you provide on your own. 
I have the settings set to pixel for any international viewers of this page who decide not to use the Inches menu.
Pixel is understood the world over.
Once your document is open make one layer that you will keep on the bottom. Draw 3 boxes as I have done in this picture at these exact sizes. You can use the MARQUEE TOOL to create the shapes. Once you select Marquee just click once in the center of your picture. Another dialogue will open and you can type in the exact dimensions of your boxes.
It beats trying to do it manually. That’ll drive you crazy!
Here are the exact dimensions I use for my page template. The RED BOX is the TRIM area once your art is printed. Anything between RED and BLUE may be cut off during printing.
The blue are will contain your artwork. The inner GREEN box is a lettering guide. No lettering should go outside of this box. It will look very unprofessional if it does.
Click on my image of the page template and it will open a bigger image. Save that one to your computer and place it in Illustrator and you can see if your lines line up with mine.
I keep 2 layers in my LAYER PALETTE with these guides. One is one the very bottom at all times. The other is on the very top. All of my artwork is contained on LAYERS between these 2 layers as I draw. Once I know that my art is within these guidelines I will delete those layers and continue finishing my art.
Always delete them before printing your image or sending your work to your publisher. You don’t want a green box showing up over your beautiful artwork.
8 Responses to “PAGE TEMPLATE”
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Brian-
You are so very awsome for doing this, any chance of posting an “ai” file for us to view?
-Travis
I will post an AI file as soon as I figure out how to do it.
If you know how please let me know. I tried posting a Quicktime movie I made showing how I drew in Illustrator but I can’t get it to work.
Let me know if you have some info about that.
Brian-
Travis here agian. I suspect your problem lies within your server. I’m sure blogger is pretty anal with their server space. I’m a web designer and I’d be glad to help you get a traditional web site going where you would be free to post what you want. But that’s VERY time consuming. Your best bet is to store it on an external server EG: goecities (go daddy provides a rather cost efficient solution for hosting. ) after storing on an exteral server just throw a link in. If you want I would be happy to guide you through the process.
-Travis
Why do you work at print size? Is that the size you send to editors?
Hey, don’t know if you see the older questions like this, but I’m wondering if you every work on 11 x 17? Don’t some comic book folks use that size? Just wondering, and if so, how would that be layed out?
hey man. is this enough for print? shouldn’t it be 11 x 17?
Sorry it took so long to respond here.
The file size doesn’t need to be the same as the size people draw at on paper. They draw big to add extra details with the brushes and nibs.
We are drawing on the computer and we can zoom in. We can add tiny details you can only get on the computer so there is no need for a larger image.
If you draw on paper and scan your work in then a colorist shrinks them down to these sizes anyway, and so would the printer if your work was in black and white.
There is no need for a larger file size while drawing on the computer.
Hi Brian! I am SO glad I found your site! My friend and I are preparing to do a comic and I wasn’t sure what I should do until I saw your site. I am leaning towards all Illustrator now. I do have a couple questions though. How do you output your files? I read you send tiffs but what size? What resolution? Any help would be GREAT!