The CreativePro Podcast

Print is alive and well, and it is more flexible, creative, and powerful than ever. In this conversation, Sabine Lenz and Chris Carls share their passion for print and explain why designers and marketing professionals should take a closer look at what it can do today. They explore how new technologies, digital embellishments, shorter print runs, and smarter production options have expanded what is possible. They also make a strong case for finding the right printer, building a trusted relationship, and starting that conversation before the design begins. Along the way, they share practical advice, inspiring examples, and plenty of reasons to believe that print really is better than you remember.
Show Highlights
Hear how Sabine proves that print is still alive by handing out a business card people can't stop touching.
Discover how digital presses, short runs, foil, soft-touch finishes, and other embellishments have changed what designers can create.
Hear how a nearly impossible World Cup menu project became possible with the right technology and the right printer.
Hear why printed direct mail is getting attention again and why Chris says younger audiences may see it as something fresh, tangible, and worth opening.
Learn why your first call should be to the printer, not after the design is finished, but before it begins.
Leave inspired to stay curious, find a great printer, and go make some cool stuff.
Resources
CreativePro Design + Marketing Summit, September 14–15, 2026. See the agenda and register here.
Event Savings: Save $100 on any CreativePro event in 2026 with the discount code PODCAST
Membership Discount: Get $15 off one year of CreativePro membership with the discount code PODCAST
PaperSpecs
Cirrus Visual

Recorded live at CreativePro Week 2026, this episode features Theresa Jackson talking with document accessibility experts Dax Castro and Chad Chelius about practical ways designers can start creating more accessible documents. Dax and Chad begin by sharing their own journeys into accessibility and how they came to focus on helping others create more inclusive documents. From there, they explain how small decisions in InDesign, PowerPoint, and PDF workflows can improve the experience for people using assistive technology. The conversation covers document metadata, heading structure, lists, decorative elements, accessibility checkers, screen readers, and what to do with older documents that were not designed with accessibility in mind.
Show Highlights: Accessibility Quickstart Tips
Add a descriptive document title and review the author information in your file metadata.
Build a clear heading structure with paragraph styles mapped to H1–H6 tags.
Use built-in list tools so screen readers recognize and announce lists correctly.
Check color contrast early, before your palette becomes embedded throughout the design.
Mark decorative graphics, running headers, and footers as artifacts so screen readers can skip them.
Create an object style and keyboard shortcut to artifact decorative elements more efficiently in InDesign.
Run an accessibility checker, but do not assume a passing result guarantees a good user experience.
Test PDFs with a screen reader such as JAWS, NVDA, or Apple VoiceOver to hear how the content is actually presented.
Fix reusable documents at the source whenever possible, especially templates and recurring reports.
Use automated tagging tools to improve large collections of legacy PDFs, then review the results.
Start with manageable improvements and build your accessibility skills over time.
Resources
CreativePro Accessibility Summit, October 20-23, 2026: https://creativepro.com/event/design-accessibility-summit-2026/
Event Savings: Save $100 on any CreativePro event in 2026 with the discount code PODCAST: https://creativepro.com/events/
Chaxchat Podcast: https://www.accessibilitychecklists.com/
Chax Training & Consulting: https://chaxtc.com/
Free for Members–Accessibility Super Guide: https://creativepro.com/product/accessibility-superguide/
Membership Discount: Get $15 off one year of CreativePro membership with the discount code PODCAST: https://creativepro.com/become-a-member/

No matter how long you've used your favorite creative tools, there's always one more shortcut, hidden feature, or unexpected workaround waiting to surprise you. In this episode, Theresa Jackson and Mike Rankin share a collection of practical tips and "wait, you can do that?" discoveries submitted by CreativePro Week speakers.
You'll hear tips for favorite tools from Acrobat to PowerPoint, including clever ways to edit faster, move between apps, customize layouts, animate designs, manage masks, and make AI more useful in real workflows. Theresa also talks with PageProof founder Marcus Radich about PageProof Intelligence (PI) and learns how a proof can mark itself with AI.
Episode Highlights
Hear why Mike Rankin is looking at Affinity as a useful add-on to Adobe workflows, including an easier way to use images as custom bullets
Learn where to find your Firefly generation history, including the prompts you used to create past results
Discover how to export video with transparency from PowerPoint
Follow Theresa and Mike through practical "round trip" workflows, from editing PDF images in Photoshop to moving Firefly Boards assets into other Adobe apps
Hear Amy Balliett's tip for getting better AI results by using more than one AI tool
Learn how Ben Willmore uses keyboard shortcuts to build masks faster in Adobe Camera Raw and Lightroom
Discover Dax Castro's simple InDesign alt-text tip that can save time when adding descriptions to multiple images
Resources
CreativePro Week 2026: Nashville, June 29–July 3, 2026. https://creativeproweek.com/
CreativePro Events: https://creativepro.com/events/
Event Savings: Save $100 on any CreativePro event in 2026 with the discount code PODCAST: https://creativepro.com/events/
Membership Discount: Get $15 off one year of CreativePro membership with the discount code PODCAST: https://creativepro.com/become-a-member/
PageProof Intelligence: https://pageproof.com/pageproof-intelligence
José Semidei: Tips for Creating Gradient Mesh Effects in Illustrator: https://creativepro.com/tips-for-creating-gradient-mesh-effects-in-illustrator/
How to Edit Photos in a PDF with Photoshop: https://youtu.be/aak26NToW5g?si=_ZQBnAU3AkyU6XXV

Some of the most useful new Illustrator features are easy to miss if you aren't actively exploring the latest updates and beta tools. In this episode, Theresa Jackson talks with illustrator and toy designer Thaddeus Coates and digital artist Luke Choice about the new Illustrator features they're genuinely excited to use.
Thaddeus shares how Illustrator fits into his character design and toy-making process, including using Turntable to communicate ideas to manufacturers. Luke dives into the practical side of Illustrator updates, from snapping improvements and smoother performance to AI-assisted vector workflows inside Illustrator Beta.
Whether you spend your days designing logos, illustrating characters, building client work, or experimenting with new ideas, there's probably a feature in this episode you haven't tried yet.
Episode Highlights
Prototyping with Turntable: Hear how Thaddeus Coates uses Turntable to prototype toy ideas and communicate designs to manufacturers faster.
Live Preview Tools: Learn why Illustrator's Live Preview drawing tools feel more natural and responsive for illustrators working on iPad and desktop.
Workflow Efficiency: Hear Luke Choice explain how small workflow improvements, including font browsing and snapping updates can save serious production time.
Sketch to Vector: Explore how Sketch to Vector in Illustrator Beta is changing the way artists turn rough sketches and low-resolution artwork into editable vectors.
Real-World Application: Hear both guests share examples of using Illustrator's newest features for experimentation, iteration, and client work.
Resources
CreativePro Week 2026: Nashville, June 29–July 3, 2026. https://creativeproweek.com/
CreativePro Events: https://creativepro.com/events/
Event Savings: Save $100 on any CreativePro event in 2026 with the discount code PODCAST: https://creativepro.com/events/
Membership Discount: Get $15 off one year of CreativePro membership with the discount code PODCAST: https://creativepro.com/become-a-member/
Adobe Help: What's New in Illustrator on the Desktop: https://helpx.adobe.com/illustrator/desktop/new-features/whats-new.html
Thaddeus Coates: https://www.hippypotter.com/
Luke Choice: https://www.velvetspectrum.com/

Canva's mission is to empower the world to design, and by most measures, it's working. Millions of people create content in Canva every day, which means design is no longer something that belongs exclusively to designers. Now, with the acquisition of Affinity, Canva is making a move into professional territory. So what does that actually mean for those of us who make a living in this space?
In this episode, Theresa Jackson sits down with Steve Caplin to dig into Affinity by Canva: what it is, how it works, and why the conversation around it goes well beyond the software itself. They give an honest take on where Affinity genuinely impresses and where it still comes up short for professional work, covering the same questions a lot of designers are already wrestling with about their role in a changing industry.
If you've felt friction between your design team and the non-designers who use Canva, or if you've found yourself wondering how your job is evolving, this one's worth your time.
Episode Highlights
Switching between Vector, Pixel, and Layout within a single document is a departure from everything most designers are used to, and Theresa and Steve get into why that matters
Theresa calls Affinity Canva's "olive branch" to professional designers, and unpacks why that framing deserves a second look
Affinity's live filters and real-time previews create a noticeably different editing experience, and the episode explores what that unlocks
"Free" as a pricing strategy has real implications for who gets to call themselves a designer
The episode covers what Affinity still lacks, particularly around publishing workflows, automation, and accessibility, and why those gaps keep professionals anchored to InDesign and Adobe
The tension between design teams and non-designers using Canva is real, growing, and worth talking about openly
Designers are once again being asked to justify their value, and this conversation doesn't shy away from that
The bigger question isn't which tool to use; it's what's shifting in the design industry and how to position yourself within that shift
Resources
CreativePro Week 2026, Nashville, June 29–July 3, 2026: https://creativeproweek.com/
CreativePro Events: https://creativepro.com/events/
Save $100 on any CreativePro event in 2026 with the discount code PODCAST: https://creativepro.com/events/
Get $15 off one year of CreativePro membership with the discount code PODCAST: https://creativepro.com/become-a-member/
Steve Caplin: https://stevecaplin.com/
Theresa Jackson's Self Portrait with Photoshop Displacement Map Filter: https://mir-s3-cdn-cf.behance.net/project_modules/max_3840_webp/00bfb313226357.56271a3df0ccf.jpg
Canva Create Keynote: https://www.youtube.com/live/9HkO8masPT0
Affinity Download: https://www.affinity.studio/download
Affinity for Photoshop Users by Steve Caplin: https://creativepro.com/affinity-photoshop-users/
YouTube: Displace Filter in Affinity: https://youtu.be/_9ZFMs1GkPg